Summoned

Chapter 2

I stood giggling while watching Harrison and Penelope try to learn ballroom dancing from the same instructor that taught me ballroom dancing and ballet, Dina. Dina had her head held high, her gently pointed chin sticking out in the air. She was very subtle, shaking her head very gently when she saw something wrong. 

"For crying out loud, Harrison! Stop stepping on my foot!" squealed Penelope. She was looking down at her white velvety heels, which I knew she didn't dance very well in. Regardless, she still felt the need to show her competitive spirit. 

"Maybe if your foot was in the right place, I wouldn't!" Harry fired back. He, however, was not in high heels. He was dancing like he normally did, but it was a little hard to dance with a difficult partner. 

"It is in the right place," she argued. She snapped her gaze back to Harrison's and squeezed her eyebrows together. 

Dina was picking at Harrison's stance and grip on Penelope, who was way too done with all of this. "Dina," I called from my seat across the room, raising my hand in the air shyly. 

"Yes, Lady Elisa?" She looked to me, clearly exasperated. Her dark brown tendrils were falling into her eyes as she brushed them back with a hand on her hip.

"Maybe I should try with Harrison?" I offered. I saw her expression give, and her face fell slack before motioning me with her hand and walking back to the radio. She pointed a finger from Penelope to where I was sitting, telling her to sit down and watch. 

She always was a woman of few words. 

"Thank God," Penelope huffed under her breath as she stormed over to where I was sitting, already taking off her heels. I could hear them hit the floor from behind. 

I stood up and made my way to the center of the foyer, which was where we were learning. Harry put his hand on my hip, and I clicked my tongue. "No, you put it on my waist," I scolded.

"I thought this was your waist," he said. His violet eyes that matched mine held some kind of confusion. His hand, however, still rested on the top half of my hip. 

"No," I laughed, "A girl's waist is the smallest or narrowest point on her torso, which for me and most other girls would be near the curve that's right here," I said as I moved his hand upwards to my actual waist. "Put your hand where you just did and you might get smacked. 

"Oh," he sighed. "Now what?"

"Remember that you're the structure of the dance because you're leading, and you guide me. So if you step to the right, I should step to the right. If you raise you're arm, I should spin. It's a constant sequence," I explained.

"Why couldn't you have just taught me all of this?" he muttered under his breath as Dina started the music back. I laughed as he tried to maneuver around the foyer. He traveled short distances, and I barely felt like I was moving across the floor at all.

"Bigger steps," I said quietly so that Dina wouldn't pick. He nodded and took steps that I could follow, and raised his arm for me to spin. I spun in two full circles before stopping so he could put his hand back on my waist and not lose track of the dance.

This continued for about twenty minutes before the lesson was over, and Harrison and Penelope left to complete the rest of their lessons for the day. I've completed all of the lessons my tutors could provide, so I was left with free time.

I passed through the kitchen and grabbed an apple before making my way out to my field. I hiked up the hill and looked back to make sure I wasn't followed, and when I saw nobody was behind me, I slipped off my heels and broke into a run.

Ladies don't run, I could hear Mother scolding in my head.

I slowed when I reached my usual laying spot, and you could tell where it was due to the depression in the grass and flowers. I sat on the light slope and took a bite from the apple, allowing the juice to coat my lips.

I threw the core as far out into the field as I could throw, which wasn't very far. I sighed at my inability to throw and sat back in the plushy grass. The birds flew around in the sky, occasionally flapping their wings to ride the wind.

Why can't I be that free?

I took blades of grass and wove them around, forming a small grassy chain. As I wove the grass through my fingers, I thought about the picture and application I sent in last week. It made me wonder how many girls would be crowding in front of their screens, watching the Report with hopeful hearts.

 I stayed out in the field until the sky changed colors from a bright blue to an orangey pink, and I went inside for dinner with my family. Since tonight was the weekly Report, so I was expecting a certain visitor.

I stood in the foyer putting my heel into my shoes I had taken off before Mother would pick at me for taking me off when Penelope walked in with stress filling her violet eyes.

"Is something wrong?" I asked furrowing my brow. She threw a thumb up to show behind her, and in came a laughing Harry. I shook my head at her. How could two people that shared so much be so different?

Father came in through the front door with his briefcase in one hand and his eyes were sad and stress-filled, similar to Penelope's. I kissed him on the cheek and his eyes lightened. "Are you ok, Father?" I asked.

"I'll be fine," he sighed. Mother came into the foyer and we all stood around waiting. I was playing with Franny when the doorbell rang. Everyone's head snapped up to look at the front double doors.

"I'll get it," Mother announced as she pulled the doors open. "Hello, Darren!" I heard her call into the door.

I perked up. "Uncle Darry?"

He walked in the door with his arms opened broadly. "Uncle Darry!" I squealed, confirming my thought before jumping into his arms. He swung me around like a small child, my knees brought up and my arms were constricted to my sides.

"Hey Elly," he said with an easy smile.

"Darren, what have I told you about swinging her around like that?" Mother picked at him, taking him by the arm and dragging us to the screening room. 

"Now just because you married a two doesn't mean that your kids aren't so fragile that they can't be swung around every once in a while," groaned Uncle Darry as he put me down.

"How about we go and watch the Report?" suggested Father, sensing another sibling feud.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," I chided as we all filed into the family room with me pulling up the rear. Hopefully the storm had passed by now.