Free Found by Karen Kingsbury Page B

through the air.
    “Perfect!” Katy raised her fist in the air. This was the part she loved, watching theater magic come to life. The victory wasn’t enough to release her heart of the weight it carried, but she welcomed the distraction. She pointed at the crew member. “Understand what we’re doing?”
    The boy nodded. “Mr. Helmes plays the buildup music, and then he hits that chord. When he hits it-“
    “You pop the arrow through.” Katy clapped. “It’ll work for sure.”
    They ran through the scene a few times before the timing was right, but it was the fix she’d been looking for.
    After an hour of working the lines and getting the blocking down for the entire scene, Katy was satisfied. She had someone send for Rhonda. “We need to see the sword fight.”
    This was the scene that worried Katy the most. The swords weren’t real, of course. They were cut from wood and painted to look like swords. But they were heavy wooden clubs all the same. If the choreography wasn’t right on, boys would be lunging and missing and hitting air, perhaps falling to the stage and landing on their swords, or worse-getting a direct blow from one of the other sword fighters.
    The boys filed in, Connor Flanigan among them.
    Katy smiled to herself at the picture they made as they took the stage. Each with a sword in his hand, the boys looked like 60
    proud, young warriors. The scene would be breathtaking if they could pull it off without injury.
    When the clanking of swords had settled down, Katy addressed them. “This will be the part in the play that people talk about an hour after they’ve seen the show.” She kept her tone serious. As much fun as it was to swing a sword at another cast mate, the kids had to realize the potential danger in the scene.
    “We have to be safe. But if we get this part right, we get the entire show right.”
    The boys looked even prouder than before.
    Katy stifled a grin as she looked them over. “Okay, let’s see what you’ve got.”
    The fighting was between Robin Hood’s men and the men who belonged with the sheriff of Nottingham. When the show was performed, half the boys would be dressed like merry men, in raggedy forest-type costumes. The other half would be in regal attire. The boys knew which were which, and they formed twelve pairs, facing and circling each other with an intensity that was already ominous.
    “Good!” Katy stood back and crossed her arms. “I like the emotion.”
    “Ready?” Rhonda took the spot on the floor near center stage. “Five, six, seven, eight! One, two, three, four …” She kept counting as the boys launched into a routine of raising their swords and clanging them against the ones belonging to their opponents, first one way, then another.
    Not until the third set of eight counts did three boys move their swords the wrong way. As they did, their face-off partners each brought swords down squarely against the Srms of the boys who had messed up.
    One boy fell to the floor and grabbed his arm, his face twisted in pain. Another one bent in half and hugged his arm to his middle. The third stood, frowning, and brushed himself off.
    “Oh, dear.” Katy rushed onto the stage. She looked over her 61
    shoulder at Rhonda, a few steps behind her. “You told them not to go full force, right?”
    “Right.” Rhonda went to the boy on the floor and helped him to his feet. By then the other two were already looking ready to try again. “Everyone okay?”
    A round of nods came from the boys.
    “All right, listen.” Katy raised her voice so they could all hear her. “We have to remember this is acting, not fighting.”
    Rhonda exchanged a look with Katy. They had to bite their lips to keep from smiling. “Did everyone hear Katy?” Rhonda took the sword from the nearest boy.
    “When you swing your sword, you have to look like you’re swinging it with all your might.” She demonstrated by making a face. “But if you really swing that hard and if someone’s