| |
Taryn
“ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT to do this?” Mr. Vikas hovers in front of me. “Given the circumstances, we can definitely just admit you to the company. The board is already satisfied that you and Jaidev are good enough for the company—we knew that when we gave you the parts of Helena and Demetrius—and the final assessment is more of a formality to follow the plan we came up with due to the newness of the situation. So, it can be changed.”
“No. I want to do this,” I say. “I can do this. And I’m all right.”
That’s what the doctor said. Xavier only cut my face a little. A small cut that bled a lot, covering me in blood. But I am fine. The doctor cleared me for dancing, and I want to do it. I don’t want to let Xavier win, even in the slightest.
The police took him off.
“Well, we’d better get you into costuming, and hair and makeup then,” Mr. Vikas says.
###
I STAND BACKSTAGE, by the curtain, waiting for my signal. It feels like a lifetime ago, the last time I was standing backstage before a show, waiting to see if I could dance for this company.
And now I am. Now I will.
Li Hua and Sibylle are both back here. Li Hua, ready for her next scene as Titania, Sibylle here for encouragement. Li Hua and Trent are stunning as leads, alongside Pierre, much smoother and with more fluidity than Victoria and Harry were. I was mesmerized earlier, watching.
On the other side of backstage, I see Jaidev. He flashes a grin at me. He looks great. A jewel-adorned off-white leotard and leggings that also match the color of my skirt. I know we look great together, like we belong. I smooth my costume down with my hands. I’m ready.
Mr. Vikas whispers my name. He’s behind Sibylle. And he gives me a nod. And this is it. My first dance as Helena.
Jaidev and I make our way onto stage, graceful. There are two spotlights swinging onto stage now, and we meet in the center, a light on each of us. We hold still in our positions, our faces both turned out to the audience.
The pianist starts playing, and we become Helena and Demetrius. I am Helena, and I am desperate for Demetrius’s love and attention. I dance around him, and I feel the emotion, feel her desperation to be loved. I keep my lines strong and flowing as Jaidev and I dance what Mr. Vikas calls the rejection pas de deux, where Helena is jilted.
Jaidev and I transition into a lift and when I land, softly, I drop to the ground, my arms lifting over my head, almost like a shield—because Helena knows what is coming and she’s trying to protect herself—as I look up at Jaidev, as Helena begs him to love her. To return her feelings. He lifts his arms and turns his head away. His steps are high and purposeful as he moves away toward where the dancer who plays Hermia now pirouettes.
The music softens, becoming deeper, more tragic as the lights dim until there is only one spotlight lighting up Demetrius and Hermia, leaving me—Helena—alone in the dark.
Hidden, I exit the stage.
Mr. Vikas nods at me, and then time speeds up again. Backstage, directions and instructions are shouted. In record time, Allie fixes a dress which has torn. I take sips of water, before I’m back on for my next scene, and my next. By the time it’s my solo—a brief part where Helena is convinced that Demetrius, Lysander, and Hermia have grouped together to ridicule her—I feel like a true professional dancer. This is what I was supposed to do, and I ride the endorphins until we get to Helena’s last scene. The triple wedding.
The lighting is soft and pink, and rose petals are projected onto the backdrop of the stage. Petals that glide over our skin as Jaidev and I dance our pas de deux, Helena and Demetrius now reunited thanks to love potions. The other two marrying couples join us on stage, and I feel alive, and, somewhere, I’m sure my sister is smiling.
It’s weird how quickly it seems to be over.
All that we’ve worked toward for the last eight weeks. And then it’s done.
We leave the stage.
“Beautiful,” Mr. Vikas says, then he’s moving forward to direct the next couples who are on after the next scene, in which Trent is currently doing a solo.
And just like that, I’m swept up in the buzz of it all. After Trent’s solo, there’s a quick break before the second act, then it’s the group dances. I can’t smile widely enough as Jaidev and I dance with our friends.
The whole ballet passes in a blur, then we’re all taking our bows at the end. I smile and squeeze Jaidev’s hand, and the stage lights up.
Mr. Vikas makes his way to the center spot.
“And now we have our important announcement to make,” he says. “Congratulations go to both Mr. Jaidev Ngo and Miss Taryn Foster, for here we formally offer them places with the Roseheart Romantic Dance Company.”
The applause that erupts is deafening. I become dizzy with excitement, smiling and smiling. Jaidev is grinning. Cheers from the audience, everywhere. Other dancers flood the stage—the company dancers and Sibylle. There are tears in her eyes.
“I did it!”
“We’ll just do some promo photos in the studio,” a photographer says, appearing so suddenly.
Time’s moving at a jolting speed, and Jaidev and I are directed through to a studio. I’ve never felt so alive as we walk there. Everyone’s chatting, all excited. Sibylle’s behind us, and a lot of the teachers are too. I wonder what the promo images will be. Us doing our best lifts?
Mr. Vikas opens the door for us to the chosen studio.
I step in, smiling and—
“Teddy!” I scream when I see him. He’s motionless. He’s...
I scream, and I cannot stop screaming.