Rachel Berry ★

[Oh, good afternoon, Adstringendum. Have one miss Rachel Berry, who is sitting outside, tying flowers into a large chain. There are already flowers tucked into her hair, but she seems intent on making more. Her puppy, Evita, is lounging at her side, half-asleep in the sunlight, but Rachel doesn't seem bothered enough to wake her up.

And did we mention that million dollar Miss America smile?]

Hello, Adstringendum!

[It's positively sung -- and Rachel looks towards the camera.]

I know that, lately, a lot of horrible things have happened -- people have died, been tortured, and other such horrific things that truly have no place in a civilized society. However, I believe we can all get past this with grace -- which is why I have a number of suggestions in order to make life here slightly easier and well -- better.

For starters, I believe we could all start by working on the tiniest amount of self-control. This will be difficult, but I have full faith we can all manage admirably with the support and well-being of our fellow man.

I also think we could all get together this week and try to get to know one another a bit better. We are all living here -- and I think we could all begin to act like one big cohesive family, as we should be! Perhaps we could have a picnic -- and we could all share wonderful and marvelous things about ourselves, like our talents, or our favorite foods, or what we like the most about the city! We all have things we enjoy doing, so we should share them!

And maybe we could also have something of a fair! My favorite part of this time of year is when all of the fresh fruits and vegetables come in and my dads would take me to the fair every year and let me eat whatever I wanted, because as I live in Ohio, there is not much option to eating unique delicacies that are not friend, and the majority of things fried are in an animal by-product -- which reminds me, does anyone know how to make tofu? I bet we could find soy beans and -- I would love hummus, has anyone ever had that before? Chick peas are delicious.

[She drapes her flower chain around the neck of Evita, who stretches with a yawn, and Rachel grins down at the puppy.]

I could even put on a performance for later in the day -- something to capture the bright and cheerful atmosphere! Bright and cheerful, bright and cheerful... Oh! I have it!

[She pulls the puppy up onto her hindlegs, and Evita blinks at her, before Rachel starts to sing, almost nose-to-nose with the mutt.]

If you wake up and don't want to smile, if it takes just a little while -- open your eyes and look at the day! You'll see things in a different way!

[Evita barks, and Rachel hugs the puppy.]

Don't! Stop! Thinking about tomorrow, don't! Stop! It'll soon be here -- it'll be better than before -- yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone --

[Don't mind her. She's just going to keep singing to her puppy and building flower chains until someone tells her to shut up. And even then, Rachel will probably keep going.]

[Rachel is at a booth -- specifically, a game of skee ball. The wooden ball is clutched in her hands and she looks woefully unsure of herself. However, the individual running the stand encourages her to take a shot, and so Rachel does, the ball racing along the wooden track to sink neatly into the outmost ring, earning Rachel a tiny beaded bracelet.

Her jaw sets into a scowl at the small prize before she slides another smooth stone towards the operator, earning another wooden ball. She takes another shot, but it goes awry, and it lands once more in the lowest scoring ring. She earns another gaudy piece of costume jewelry and the operator of the booth seems to tell Rachel to try something else, but Rachel Barbra Berry is on a mission now.

The feed continues for at least twenty minutes -- Rachel pushing another stone forward and earning another ball. She gets a heap of small prizes -- plastic rings, tiny stuffed mice, a pencil with a rabbit eraser on it -- but eventually, Rachel lines up, and sinks the wooden ball in the direct center, on her very last stone, to earn a prize of her choice.

She selects a blue bear with a star on his stomach instantly, accepting the bear and her prizes -- which the operator has put into a bag for her -- with the first bright smile she has worn in at least a week. She holds up the bear, to inspect it, and her smile turns slightly watery, but she puts on a brave face all the same, before she speaks to the booth operator.]

Gold stars are my thing, you know. I sign my name with a gold star -- because gold stars are a metaphor, and metaphors are very important. They're a metaphor for me being a star.

[She pauses before she hugs the bear to her chest, ignoring the operator's lack of interest in her statement in favor of smiling to herself.]

I think I've forgotten that, lately.

[She beams at the operator before wandering off, taking up her PCD, with her Care Bear, after tossing a friendly:]

Thank you!

[Over her shoulder with a hum as she moves to the next ride.]

[Rachel has her hands pressed against the window, her eyes wide as she watches the torrential downpour. There is a stifled whine from near where the PCD is perched -- and a small tuft of white fur as a lump burrows further into Rachel's bedsheets. The girl doesn't look over, though -- she's far too captivated by the raging storm outside.]

I feel as if we should be building an Ark, Evita...

[There's a clap of thunder -- Evita whines pitifully -- and Rachel finally looks over with a frown at the quivering lump of fur.]

Are you afraid?

[It's a soft coo as she moves to sit on her bed, gently pulling aside the blankets to reveal Evita, who looks less than pleased by the thunder and lightning outside. She gently pulls the puppy into her lap, stroking her ears, before she begins to sing softly:]

I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain -- ! What a glorious feelin', I'm happy again! I'm laughing at clouds, so dark up above -- the sun's in my heart, and I'm ready for love --

[Evita relaxes ever so slightly at the stroking and singing and Rachel, emboldened, continues to sing.]

Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place! Come on with the rain -- I've a smile on my face! I walk down the lane with a happy refrain -- just singin', singin' in the rain!

[The feed times out with something of a bark from Evita as the puppy dives upwards to lick Rachel's face, causing her to laugh.]

[Rachel is on stage, pacing in agitation. She looks positively exhausted -- there are circles underneath her eyes and her hair is pulled back instead of hanging loose around her shoulders, like it normally is. The music following her is quiet, at least -- but soon, drums are heard -- a guitar, and Rachel stops in her tracks, in the dead center of the stage, before she closes her eyes.

And finally decides to give into the event and sing.

She does the choreography perfectly -- the voices heard alongside hers are exactly as Rachel remembers them -- the music is perfect -- and the event purposefully leaves out Rachel's voice, in the 'recording', so that she can sing along. When she gets to the end, she's grinning, and she stops on the edge of the stage, a hand outstretched to the audience, before she begins to speak:]

If we sing that every single week before Nationals, it would help our morale enormously -- because the most important thing, fellow Glee club-bers, is that we remember precisely where we came from. That is our true strength --

[She clasps her hands together.]

I really think we have a shot at beating Vocal Adrenaline, but Finn, you need to project mo --

[But as Rachel looks up, to her right, she stops speaking abruptly. Because there isn't anyone there.

Her shoulders slump slightly as she presses a hand to her forehead, sighing to herself shakily as she turns back towards the curtains.

Someone hates this event way more than she thought she would.]