When Lightning Strikes [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3: Recital

Julie held her breath as she finished the last few seconds of her pose. The audience exploded into applause and surged like a wave into a standing position as the curtain came down. Even with the awful, thick makeup on, she floated right through it all effortlessly. The tingly feeling she usually struggled to control came easier in the last few weeks. She somehow flipped it on and off like a light switch.

Backstage she quickly wiped off the makeup and sweat. The other girls talked around her, and several even gave her hugs to congratulate her as she slipped on a dress and tights.

In the large, airy auditorium, her parents and brother waited with a bouquet of flowers. Julie smiled and ran over to give them all a hug, her flats clacking on the white stone floor.

“Did you see that? I nailed it. It felt so easy. I guess that’s what comes from practicing so much. The Academy has to let me in.”

“Julie, that was unbelievable! You looked like you were floating through the whole thing. It was beautiful.” Her brother swept her into a big hug to spin her around.

She caught a glimpse of blond hair in the hallway as Jamie spun her and thought of Mr. Black. Her nails dug into her brother’s shoulders.

“Ouch.” Jamie put her down and rubbed his shoulders. “I wasn’t going to drop you.”

“Sorry,” she said absently. She looked around, trying to see if she could spot him again.

Why would he have been there? She stared off into the direction where she thought she had seen him. The hall bathroom looked deserted.

Julie could have sworn he was there. Now she was imagining him being around. She rubbed her head.

“You look tired.” Dad took her arm and guided her outside and along the street to the parking deck. She leaned into him, letting him take some of her weight. The exhaustion was almost overwhelming. She wanted to go to bed.

“Are you okay?” He looked down at her, gray eyes narrowed with concern.

“It's all right. I always feel this tired after I dance. It takes a lot of energy.” Julie yawned. “I put everything I have into it.”

“I can see that.”

“Can we still go out to eat?” Jamie asked from behind them. “We were going to go out after the recital, remember? Since Julie won't eat dinner before the performance. She looks like she should eat.”

Julie rolled her eyes. Her brother was more concerned about his own stomach than hers.

“What do you think? Can you manage it?” Her dad asked.

“Sure, I’ll feel better in a few minutes. I think it’s the usual after-dance lull.”

She bit her lip. It was becoming normal to be this tired lately. She hadn’t worried about it, since it helped her fall sleep most nights instead of reliving the attack. But maybe there was something wrong.

Her mom took her other arm and looked into her eyes. “I should take you to the doctor Monday. If I didn't know better…”

“I’m fine. Let's go eat.”

#

Julie woke lazily, pulling herself away from a wonderful dream. It faded as she woke, but she remembered blue eyes. She was getting tired of fighting off the weird obsession with her substitute teacher. At least if she was dreaming about him, she wasn’t dreaming about her attack anymore.

She rolled over, picked up her phone, and stared at the time. It was 8:07 am! She was usually up by 6:30 and stretching for morning practice at the dance studio by 7:00 on Saturdays. It felt wonderful to sleep in.