The Glass Ballerina Who Danced On Knives

Untouchable

But you're untouchable, burning brighter than the sun/Now that you're close I feel like coming undone/In the middle of the night, when I'm in this dream/It's like a million little stars spelling out your name

Untouchable, Taylor Swift

My sweaty fingers fumble with the sleek glass of my phone. Twitter should have some.

Trinity Hawthorne is a nepo baby at best.

That Hawthorne chick would be nothing without her family, money, and make-up

Shaking my head on how anyone could "admire" the fake ah b trinity hawthorne

Classic rich people-gotta make everything about them... @trinitykhawthorne an excellent example of this

So we're all just going to let teenage girls worship trinity hawthorne?

Saw a discovery channel special about how peacocks aren't actually beautiful... made me think of that hawthorne girl

1.5 billion dollars? From where? @trinitykhawthorne we need to talk about your grandfather's birthday presents

Reply to: 1.5 billion dollars? From where? @trinitykhawthorne we need to talk about your grandfather's birthday presents: right? Like she clearly can't do anything except spend money and stage paparazzi shoots

What is it with rich people needing to be blonde? We can see the roots @trinitykhawthorne. Guess she needs it to pretend she's pretty

Everyone saying the Charlotte Tilbury x Trinity Hawthorne makeup line is affordable, but no one wants to talk about how ugly the promo material is. Like her granddaddy clearly greased some palms

Did @trinitykhawthorne already get plastic surgery? Face looking extra off

Reply to: Did @trinitykhawthorne already get plastic surgery? Face looking extra off: nope, she's just not wearing the usual 10lbs of makeup

"Reading those doesn't help much." Thea Caragills is standing right behind me.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to read over people's shoulders?"

"I suppose my mother would have, but she's too busy trying to hide her illicit affairs."

I fall back onto the floor of my dance studio. "The one thing we have in common."

"Well, if you come with me, we could have two things." She's extending the olive branch, and I'm appreciative but not receptive.

"What about Toby are you three digging up?"

"How did you know there were three of us?" Xan's cheery voice pipes from the doorframe.

"Because Thea can't hack my keypad." I stretch my sore muscles. "And also because Bex is on that other side of the doorframe, still not over Thea."

"Sometimes," a small voice said as the red-haired Rebecca came into view. "I wish you didn't say whatever comes to your mind."

I unlock the case for my knives, carefully placing them on the racks, and making a mental note to polish them before my next competition. "You say that now, but my courage actually to tell the truth has saved your ass more than you'd care to admit." I shoot all of them death glares in turn, glaring at Xan last, who holds up a tupperware with scones, pleas in his eyes. "Why are you here anyway? I don't think any of you'd willingly invite me on your little scavenger hunt."

"We uh-" Bex's eyeballs bounce from Thea to Xander, clearly begging for support.

They mutter amongst themselves, clearly forgetting I have ears that catch words like 'Toby' 'Wing' and 'Satellite'

I scoop protein powder into my water bottle. My nutritionist made me buy her 'experimental' bag. Considering this bag retails for seventy dollars - my nutritionist has a highly successful career smiling next to her protein shakes - it gives me energy but tastes like the equivalent of dust. "I'm not deaf, spit it out, Bex."

"We need your help to find your uncle Toby's wing."

I take a sip. Disgusting. "And why do you need my help when Xan probably has a gadget that could help you see through walls or something?"

"Yeah, but you already have a rendering of the entire House." Thea rolls her eyes as if to add 'duh'.

"The app for visitors and staff has large chunks not complete." I word my sentence carefully as I shake up my bottle once more, hoping to unlock some secret flavour other than pollution.

"But, the rendering you made for the base is it probably the only complete map of Hawthorne House. You do know where Uncle Toby's wing is, down to the inch." Xander's voice is borderline accusatory, a tone I've never heard him use.

I choke on my shake. "How did you know that?"

"Umm, he's like a certified genius?"

"Thea, I'm his sister."

"Love how everyone is fighting over me, but we do need to get that rendering."

I swallow another gulp of the stupid shake. "Why do you all suddenly care so much about Uncle Toby and this mystery stuff?"

"We always cared." Rebecca peers up at me. "You were just too obsessed with yourself to notice us."

I won't play these stupid mind games she is baiting me with. "Uhuh. Did you find anything new?"

Rebecca's face cracks, her pain visible, raw and exposed. "Do you care about any of us at all? Do you think that we don't have feelings? Xander is falling apart too! Your needs aren't the only ones that matter!"

I'm so fking tired of this. I'm so tired of people assuming I'm some sort of selfish, brooding teenager, no matter how close that is to the truth. I'm so tired of people poking at my wounds knowing damn well how much they hurt. I'm so so so tired of being untouchable.

But because I'm untouchable, I don't say any of that. I say. "I never said they were."

"But you sure as hell implied it!" Rebbeca's face is turning as red as her hair. "I'm out of this." She slams my door.

"And here I thought we could civilly do this." Xander shakes his head as he looks up from his phone.

"Did you hack into my files yet?" I massage my temples, feeling a migraine coming on.

"Nope!" His voice is still far too chipper. "This would be really great if you just gave me the passcode."

I sigh. I'm not a total animal. "Follow me." I roll my shoulders back, picking up my water bottle. Xander and Thea trail me out the door, where Rebecca stands, eyes averted.

Once we reach my computer room, I type in the ten-digit passcode Xander had begged me for minutes ago.

Then I turn on my heel.

"Where are you going?" Xander opens up the tupperware.

"Out of the way."

"Oh, come on. We won't be able to work this thing without you." He lifts a scone to his mouth. "Besides, you need to make sure I don't get crumbs in your fancy set-up."

And that almost, just almost makes me smile.

A.N.: It made me so happy to see the comments asking for more updates. Keep your eyes out for some shatter me- related writing. Ily all <33