Chapter 101 Skin walker pandemic
Fentone was long gone when I stepped out.
He left me a message with Tamar that he had to attend an unavoidable meeting.
I stared sightlessly. When would I again get the courage to tell him the truth?
Despite my promise to Mordaine, I found myself heading for the studio after my last shoot session.
With my riotous emotions, I could not bear the thought of returning home and staying by myself. I should be fine as long as I remain in the company of others. And practice just for an hour.
“Where is that from?” Caroline was waiting for me at the end of the glass bridge.
Her brows glistened with sweat. She must have been hard at practice the whole morning while I played model for our company.
“You like it?” I smiled, avoiding a direct answer as we crossed the lobby.
“Is the sky blue?” She shot back. ”Of course I like it.”
I followed her gaze to my feet in my heeled scandals. My toe rings winked every time they caught the bright lights that lit up the lobby.
“Thank you.” I hugged her to my side. Smiling faintly at the memory of Mordaine calling her and Kade my friends.
If they were dragon-approved, it meant they were good people.
“Where’s Kade?” We stopped by my locker in the corridor just outside our studio. I unlocked the door and picked out a pair of black bodysuit and a pantyhose.
“At the restaurant, I believe. What do you say, lunch and then practice?”
“You go.” I squeezed her arm fondly, “I'm not hungry.”
She waited for me to disappear into the studio before she turned for the elevator with a bunch of giggling teenagers.
I passed Celeste on my way to the indoor climbing wall. My spine stiffened in anticipation for another attack.
But she ignored me completely.
And as I stretched, I found myself stealing glances at her from across the studio. She must be in terrible pain to choose strenuous physical activity over mourning in quiet.
Just as I finished my stretches, Coach appeared, walking right up to her.
“We should go for drinks later.” Toned arms hugged me from behind.
“Celebrations follow a successful performance. When did the rules change?” I turned around with a smile.
“Who made the rules?” Kade sneered, and as I started to chuckle, he looked over my shoulder.
“Coach.”
I turned back to find Coach smiling tightly at us. Kade turned away, and my gaze followed his reflection in the mirrors lining one wall as he moved towards the hand weights.
“You already have all your acts polished. There was no need to show up today.”
Coach was an abnormality where most ballerinas had mistresses. But I could not imagine having any other tutor.
He had mentored me from my preteen years when he still had a head full of hair.
“I have forgotten how to lounge,” I responded, staring at my colleagues in their little groups, heading back from lunch, stretching, or gossiping.
When my gaze returned to him, he was watching me with some sort of worry.
“I just heard the news. Your manager is really putting her foot down to have Miss Rosamund suspended.” He let out a heavy exhale. “But I'm afraid this is the only thing keeping her together after the Luna’s sudden death.”
“I do not want her suspended.” My cheeks burned at the realization that he was here to plead with me.
Did he really believe I could be so heartless?
“But you understand that comes with a risk,” he smirked uncomfortably. ”Miss Rosamund can be… she could pull off painful tricks.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Foolish as it may seem, I trusted that Celeste could be nowhere as bad as my own sister. As long as I did not get in her way, I should be fine.
“OK.” His face relaxed. “I have to send you home though. Rest, exercise, but enjoy these next few days.” He turned to face the studio so we were standing side by side. “Also, with these demons out, we cannot afford to be careless.”
He spoke over my protests. “Home, Miss Grunder. But let's see the Giselle one more time. Are you up for it?”
“Yes coach.”
He clapped his hands and ordered everyone to harness up.
“Giselle,” I shrugged as Kade took quick steps back to me, brows raised in surprise.
This was not my favorite piece, but it was not horrible either.
Just then, something flashed past me.
I stiffened.
“What’s wrong?” Kade froze.
My head jerked towards him. He did not see that?
I turned back to stare at the mirrors and then shut my eyes tight. I must be seeing things.
“I thought I saw a shadow.”
He patted my shoulder even as our colleagues migrated towards the stage, chattering excitedly.
“Yea. We’re all pretty jumpy.”
“Where’s Caroline?” I frowned suddenly, “She's been gone for a while. I thought she was having lunch with you?”
Kade mirrored my frown. “She told me she was going to find you at Meridian house.”
“She did…” I was saying when the Coach’s stern voice ended our conversation.
But my hands shook as I tied the harness. What if she was in trouble? We were not supposed to be alone.
“Coach,” I abandoned the harness and hurried towards the man who was becoming irritated with all our inability to get into form immediately.
“Yes, Miss Grunder?"
“Caroline, she…”
“Is very late.” He was looking over my shoulder and I turned to see my friend hurrying into the studio. “To the back, Miss Bernice. Want to keep your spot? Don't be late text time.”
Night keep us! These things were really messing with my mind if I could not trust my own friend.
I watched her warily, searching for her shadow, tracing her skin, wondering whether this was a skin walker impersonating her because it was not like Caroline to show up late.
We finally got in formation for our scene.
Music thrummed through the Marley floor where I sat looking desolate, the grieving ghost of a betrayed lover, moving my hands to tremble, overtaken by grief.
My anchor started to pull me up as soon as I stretched my limbs, elongating my form, exaggerating my vulnerability.
Midair, I arched into my first arabesque for the mad scene.
And that was the moment I heard a snap, something I had hoped never to hear ever again.
My body tilted left as everyone gasped. And I saw the flash in the mirror again. Clearer this time.
It was unmistakably blue skin.