Plagium (Keepers Book 1)

Chapter 15 - In Which Plagium Occurs

It was the day of Jon Starr's performance. Tracey stood in front of Stateshire Theatre and fidgeted with her dress and necklace. Why did I let Mittie talk me into buying this? she thought. Imagine this! No collar! She was unused to wearing such formal wear. This was, in fact, the first performance that she had ever attended, so such attire was not a thing in her wardrobe. This is just for Mr. Porter, she reminded herself, as she reexamined her dress in the reflection of the theatre's windows.

The scoop neckline revealed a simple strand of pearls that Mittie had loaned to her. Her hair was styled into curls that piled high on her head, accented with similar-looking pearls. Her dress pooled to the ground, and its bows were so large, she thought it impossible for a dress to hold such weight. "I look ridiculous," she muttered. In her gloved hand was the golden ticket. "VIP...front row," Tracey read with a shudder.

Around her, people of all sorts, in equally formal dressing streamed into the theatre. Tracey scanned the crowd for any sign of the rest.

"See, it looks beautiful on ya!" Mittie suddenly said behind her. Tracey spun around to find Mittie approaching with Charlie and Harriet in tow.

Mittie wore a sweeping dress, studded with embroidery and framing a necklace. Her curly hair was braided into a large ornate updo, and a pair of dazzling earrings reached to her shoulders. Her face was radiating with excitement. Harriet wore a prim dress that stopped short of her ankles, revealing lace socks and white shoes, topped with little bows. Her hair was twisted into bouncy curls, and her face was flushed with joy. Charlie wore a prim suit of black, his jacket swung open to reveal a frilled shirt. His polished shoes were as black as the suit. His face was in a fixed grimace.

"Why do we have ta wear all this?" Charlie grumbled. "It's too stuffy."

"So we can blend in, Charlie!" Harriet said. "Besides," she added, "Didn't you always want to wear something so nice?"

"I guess," he muttered, tugging at the collar.

"You all look lovely," Tracey said with a genuine smile. "And thank you, Mittie."

"Where's Mr. Bentam?" Harriet asked, peeking around the crowds.

"Right here," he replied as he stepped from the theatre's entry. Bentam wore a sharp attire: his tuxedo matched the smart shoes, his vest as elaborate as his bowtie, and his neat hair peeked from underneath his top hat.

"You've been here all along?" Tracey said in alarm.

"Not quite, I was finding our seats," he coolly replied. "Shall we?"

"Wait!" Mittie said, holding up her hand. "Does everyone have their steamgear on them?"

Tracey nodded, touching the small device hidden behind her ears. Harriet and Charlie turned their heads and pushed back their hair to show theirs. Bentam pointed to his own, hidden by the hair and top hat.

"Good," Mittie said with a nod. "We'll stay connected to the same frequency 'til you and Charlie leave during the intermission, Trace. Since you'll be farther from the gear's transmitter," she continued, pointing to a hidden pocket on her dress, "the connection will prob'ly be a tad spotty."

"So then we connect to a private frequency, correct?" Tracey asked.

Mittie nodded. "The rest of us will stay and wait for the signal. Make sure that you connect to the main frequency when you do that. Bentam and I have the steamweapons, so we'll be on standy if you need us over at the Baldgrass Theatre."

"The theatre is but a five-minute walk from here, so it should be no issue for us to reach," Bentam added.

"Ok, so we check Baldgrass, find Mrs. Pinot, then go to her home, right?" Charlie asked.