Ep 2-The Mirror Moment
Niva (Fl)
The dress fits like it was made on my skin.
Rey has good taste.
Almost… too good.
Reyansh(fl 1 uncle)
You look…
Damn.
I mean—elegant.
Sophisticated.
Niva (Fl)
You were about to say something else, weren’t you?
Reyansh(fl 1 uncle)
Maybe.
But some things are better left in silence.
Jim(fl father)
Are you ready, sweetheart?
Niva (Fl)
As ready as I’ll ever be.
The mirror says I’m a woman now.
But my heart still races like I’m sixteen.
Jim(fl father)
You’ve always been brave.
Even when you were scared.
That’s what makes you my daughter.
Niva (Fl)
Don’t say that or I’ll cry. I can’t ruin this makeup.
Augustus (fl 3 uncle)
You’re glowing.
That’s not makeup, Niva.
That’s becoming.
Aiden (fl 4 uncle
Okay, who gave the poet sugar again?
Augstya(fl 2 uncle)
He’s right, though.
You’ve stepped into something tonight.
There’s no going back.
Niva (Fl)
What if I’m not ready?
What if I just want to go back to dancing barefoot on the lawn?
Jim(fl father)
Then we dance barefoot.
Power doesn’t mean chains.
Not in this family.
Reyansh(fl 1 uncle)
But tonight… tonight you are the heir.
And every man out there will want you.
Niva (Fl)
But none of them know me.
Augustus (fl 3 uncle)
Exactly.
They don’t see the girl who collects wildflowers or cries at old movies.
But we do.
Aiden (fl 4 uncle
And we’d burn down the world if anyone touched a hair on your head.
Niva (Fl)
{That was it. That spark again.
That thread of emotion that shouldn’t be this intense—
But is.
They don’t look at me like I’m a child anymore.
And worse… I don’t look at them like uncles or a father.
I look like a woman.
Wanting. Questioning.}
Niva (Fl)
How do I keep myself together tonight?
Augstya(fl 2 uncle)
One breath at a time.
Straight spine.
Soft gaze.
Think like a queen.
Reyansh(fl 1 uncle)
Or just pretend you’re on stage.
You’ve always been a performer.
Niva (Fl)
Not when it comes to feelings.
Jim(fl father)
Feelings aren’t performance.
They’re truth.
And yours matter.
Niva (Fl)
{How can I tell them that my feelings…
Might be dangerous?}
Niva (Fl)
Okay. I’m going.
If I don’t come back in ten minutes, assume I fainted.
Aiden (fl 4 uncle
If you faint, I’ll catch you.
Augustus (fl 3 uncle)
If you cry, I’ll hold you.
Reyansh(fl 1 uncle)
If anyone offends you, I’ll make them regret it.
Jim(fl father)
If you forget who you are…
Just look for me.
Niva (Fl)
(Smile)I don’t think I could forget.
You’re all written in my bones.
Augstya(fl 2 uncle)
Then go show the world what our girl can do.
Niva (Fl)
{As I step out, the lights blind me for a moment.
Cameras flash. Voices call my name.
But all I hear is them.
Their love. Their hopes.
Their quiet longing.
And maybe… my own.}
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