Harmony’s POV
Dani and I shook off our umbrella and walked into the boring meeting room. It consisted of all things all meeting rooms have: one long, boring table, and a line of spinning chairs encircling it. I took a seat at the end of the table and waited for the meeting to begin. I hate having to wait for people. Why can't I just arrive fashionably late? Oh yeah, because Dani is with me. I pushed my chair back from the table and began to spin my chair around. I've always wanted to own one of these chairs. They're so fun and swirly.

"Alright, everyone. Please take your seats, so we can begin our meeting," Quinn said. Finally! "So, you're probably wondering why I've gathered you all here today. Well, we have some sad news, but some very great news for some of you."

"You got us all monkey butlers?" the dancer named James asked.

"No, James. We did not-"

"Oh my gosh! You're pregnant?!?!" Marie guesses. This started a stirring among the dancers and characters of the park.

"No! Now everyone shut up and listen!" Quinn shouted over the commotion. Everyone took their respective seats and calmed down. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, the bad news is that some of our characters were let go. You may notice that Chris, Reggie, Joyce, Halle, and Winnie aren't here right now. Well, Mr. Parks has let them go."

Now, there was an uprise. These "people" were the Beast, Prince Naveen (from Princess in the frog), Ariel, Belle, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) respectively. They are some of the most important people in the park. Why would Mr. Parks cut them? I mean, he is the manager of all things characters and dancers, but why? I wonder what the good news is.

"Settle down!" Quinn called out, but no one heard her. "For crying out loud," she mumbled under her breath. She stood up onto her chair and whistled. Everyone stopped bickering and turned their heads. She got down from the chair, and everyone else proceeded to take his or her seats. "Now, I have met with Mr. Parks, and we have decided to hold auditions to cast for the characters needed. If any of you are interested in this, auditions will be held next Tuesday. You need to be able to sing the character's song of which you choose. Any questions?"

"Will these auditions be open to the public?" Terry asked.

"Yes, and you must understand that just because you already work here, does not mean you have a better chance than anybody else. Now I bid you all a good day."

I collected my bag and headed out the door with Dani.

"Are you going to audition?" I asked Dani.

"I don't think so. I'm mostly here for the dancing. I don't sing. How about you?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet, I-"

"Harmony! Wait up!" I heard Quinn call. I stopped and turned around to face her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"When I was speaking to Mr. Parks, he asked me to tell you that he wants you to be Belle. Permanently," she smiled.

"Why me?"

"He saw you performing one night, and he was really... inspired by your voice."

"Wow. Wait! Am I the reason that Halle got the boot?" I hope I didn't get in the way of her job.

"No, not at all. Halle broke her knee really badly. It isn't likely that she is ever going to be able to dance again, so we let her go on good terms. So will you do it?"

Oh my gosh! I am like fangirling right now. I get to play my favorite Disney princess full time! Eeep! Don't show emotions. Stay calm Harmony. Keep it together!

"Yes!" I said. I gave Quinn a short, tight hug.

"Yay! You just need to swing by on Monday to sign the new contract."

"Absolutely!"

"Kay! See you then," she said.

~

It was raining even harder than before. I would usually expect to be nearly blind by the sunlight by this time, but the sky was nothing but a sea of gray clouds pouring out onto us. I was really scared now. Thunderstorms and I do not mix if you didn’t already know. The flashes of lightning were no help either. When will this storm end?

I took out my phone and checked on the weather.

WARNING: Everyone is advised to stay inside their homes. Expect power outages and keep flashlights and lanterns on hand.

Dani and I rushed out of the car to the door of our apartment. I watched as she pocketed for her key. I was beginning to get really cold. Why didn’t I think to bring a jacket? Grr…

“Dani, hurry up. I’m freezing out here,” I complained.

“I forgot the key!” she said.

“What?!?! So now we’re stuck out here?”

“No, we just have to knock and have Harry let us in,” she said before stepping up and knocking. I wrapped my arms around myself as a cool breeze carried wind and water droplets in our direction.

After five minutes of waiting and shivering, Harry finally opened the door.

“Well, hel-” he started, but Dani and I were too cold and wet to say hi and pushed our way inside. The place was completely dark except for a few candles here and there. I heard the door shut behind us. I tried to walk forward into the space, but my shoes wouldn’t allow it, and I slipped and fell onto the wooden floor.

“Ow…” I moaned.

“Harmony, are you okay?” Dani’s voice was distant, probably down the hall.

“Terrific,” I used my second language and started to get up from the floor. In my sight were the kitchen counter and the living room, with the long dark hallway straight ahead.

‘BOOM!’ the thunder shook the apartment with its rumble. I let out a small scream.

“Harmony, was that you? Are you alright?” Harry’s voice was closer than Dani’s, somewhere like that living room.

“No… I- I’m scared of thunderstorms,” I say, embarrassed at my fear. “And of the dark,” I added. I felt another cold breeze and instantly shivered causing my teeth to chatter.

‘BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!’ the thunder roared like a mighty lion in all of its pride and glory. I shrieked again. In instinct, I started to run to hide under my warm covers when I bumped into someone. I didn’t care who it was; I wrapped my arms around their torso and started to cry.

“Shh… It’s okay. I have you. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Harry, who was the one hugging me securely now, said. I cried some more and let him stroke my hair to slightly bring my anxiety down. It reminded me of when I was little; my dad would always sit with me on my bed and hold me tightly in his arms while the house shook and rattled from the dastardly works of the storm.

“Harry, don’t leave me,” I cried.

“I will never leave you. I’m right here,” he said. In that moment, I realized how much I truly loved Harry. In this moment, he has shown my kindness, and he has provided me with protection. He doesn’t care that I still act like a little kid scared of a storm; he loves me, and he will never leave me.

I pulled back, still crying, and looked into his eyes showing by the dim lit candle nearby. I saw regret. Regret for leaving a loved one. I saw sorrow; a sadness for the pain he had caused me. But most of all, I saw love, a love so strong that words cannot describe how strong it was.

“Harry… I was wrong. You don’t need to show me how much you love me, because I know you do. I was wrong about you not caring for me, because right now I know that you care a whole lot about me. I know this isn’t exactly the best birthday you’ve ever had, and I’m sorry that I’ve ruined-”

“You didn’t ruin my birthday, Harmony, because I only had one wish. To get you back. I know that’s not what actually happened, but just being able to hold you here right now is enough. So don’t say you ruined my birthday; if anything you made it better. In fact, this may be one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had because I’ve spent it with you.”

I started to cry more, but this time, they weren’t out of scaredness from the little girl afraid of thunderstorms. They were tears of happiness, because Harry makes me forget about all of the things I worry about too much. I sniffled a little and gave a small laugh leaving Harry furrowing his eyebrows.

“I love you, Harry,” I stifled and buried my face in his neck out of the unwanted words that could make up his response.

“I love you, too, Harmony,” he said finally. He pushed me back away from him, giving my eyes access to the bright, cheeky smile that his face portrayed. He leaned forward and brought his forehead to mine. “I love you so much.”

I leaned forward more, getting up on my tippy toes to try and close the gap between our faces. His lips slowly bent down and connected to mine. I suddenly felt like I was in one of those cute and cheesy cliché romance movies where the two main characters are finally reunited with one another. It was magical. It was like 10x the Disneyland nightly firework display surrounding me. I felt whole again, like my other half has finally reconnected with me.