DARK DEEDS

19

IT POISONS ME to think about him. I cannot call him what he once was because he never was. All he was, was a poor excuse of a father, who never deserved me as a child and a husband, who never deserved mother as a wife. What he deserved, however, was death.

That embarrassment of a man. Can he even be called a man? Men do not cheat; boys do, and he was a boy. Otherwise, he would not have pursued a girl. A girl I presumed to be a friend and not just any friend, but a best friend. How could she?

All the times I would find her at the house after school, I assumed she was there for me but God, was I mistaken. She fooled me but what did I expect from someone like her? I am foolish. These tears I have cried are foolish.

I should come out of this toilet stall with a smile and face the crowd. That is what we are trained to do in ballet. Smile even in pain. I do that as I wipe the tears off and put on a smile. Then, I head out of the restroom.

"5 minutes to showtime, people!" The coordinators voice echoes down the hall. With that, I rush towards the scene, but as I round a corner, I bump into someone - someone who turns out to be Nicholas. I expect to see Natalia behind his tall frame but I do not.

All I see is the deep scowl marring his features. However, I do not bother about that instead, I question him. "Where is Natalia?"

"Doing what Natalia does best!" He angrily spits, pushing past me in a rush of rage. I stand there for a moment, confused. He was all smiles at the club and now this? it seems everyone around here changes colours like a chameleon.

Shrugging my shoulders, I continue heading to the dresser again, but a sharp, hard object on the ground stops me. Stepping back, I unravel a locker key beneath my foot. My eyebrows knit together in confusion. The confusion deepens when I pick up the keys and see the name tag attached to it. 'Natalia'.

What is this doing here? Should I take it or leave it? "One minute to showtime!" The coordinator shouts once more. That decides it. I take the key, sprinting to the locker room.

Once there, I leave the key atop the locker assigned to Natalia. Then, I make sure to tuck my rosary tighter, and deeper into my clothes, so that it does not fall out. In normal circumstances, I would not even keep it on me while dancing, as any form of jewellery - religious or not - is prohibited.

However, this is not a normal circumstance, and this rosary is a risk I am willing to take. It gives me a sense of calm - like mom is right here with me, protecting me through it.

A pair of hurried footsteps jolt me out of my thoughts, before I turn to meet none other than Natalia. Like a wildfire, her hair is sprawling all over the place if not sticking to the sweat on her forehead.

However, as expected, her lips stretch into a mocking smile before she opens her big mouth, "I never put you out to be the religious type."

"And I never put you out to be a whore," I snap, not letting her see how much our previous conversation affected me. I continue. "Where were you during practice time? Do you want to fail us both?"

"Both?" She chuckles, "Have you not heard?"

"Heard what?" I question but she does not answer, because the moment she is about to, the coordinator shouts, "Showtime!"

It must be nothing. Natalia just wants to scare me with her words. With that in mind, I fall in line with the others before we all head onto the stage. If I thought that the place was full before, then it is packed beyond capacity now.

I swallow hard, trying to focus on anything but my nerves. Luckily, Dimitri steps onto the stage, speaking into the mic. "Dancers, ladies and gentlemen, an important change has been made in the rules for this years competition.

Despite the tradition of dancers performing in pairs, and being judged as such, this years judging will take place on an individual basis.

Each dancer will be evaluated on their own skills, technique, and performance, rather than as a duo."

The words Natalia had said to me and the taunting smile she had on come back to haunt me. Something bad is about to happen. I can feel it searing and settling in the pit of my stomach.

"Carina, Natalia." Dimitri faces us. "The floor is yours."

The other dancers, and Dimitri clear the stage, before only Natalia and I are left on stage. Natalia is as cool as a cucumber, and twice as confident. It radiates in her step and the way in which she holds her head high.

I, on the other hand, struggle to keep myself up and the vomit down. I am thankful for the music that fills the air a second or two later. We fall into sequence. We dance, our bodies moving in perfect unison, our limbs and muscles working together to create a beautiful, flowing piece.

I am so focused on the dance that I forget everything else around me, until I feel a sudden pull of my clothes. Then, I am sent spinning into oblivion. An oblivion that transforms into horror when a splatter of beads pierces the air.

Before I can even stop, or balance, I slip on the bead covered floor, landing head first on the sleek floor. I hear the gasps before I feel the pain spreading across my skull like a hot river of acid. One that painfully makes its way down my back.

Tears blur my vision so much so that I barely recognize the faces hovering over me. The light above does not help either. It only makes matters worse, as I feel a throbbing headache coming on.

"Can you stand?" A voice belonging to Dimitri questions. It sounds louder than usual, disturbing even, but it reminds me of where I am and what I came to do. I came to win and take the vacant spot in Dance Elites.

With that in mind, I straighten up. More pain hits me but I manage a slight nod. My vision clears enough for me to see the concern in his eyes evaporate to serious reprimand. He opens his mouth, "Carina. You of all people should know that jewellery is prohibited for reasons such as these-"

He motions around the sleek floor that is covered in beads "-I cannot let you proceed to the next round."

"What? No!" At this point I am on my feet and the crowd is but a murmuring mess. "It is not even that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Natalia chimes in, her face masked in concern. "You could be concussed as we speak. You need medical attention."

"Medical attention?" I shriek, hysterical at this point. From day one, Natalia has been working to ruin me. I should have seen it coming. Natalia does not care about anything or anyone unless it works to her advantage and the rosary did just that for her. That is the reason she kept it all these years.

So, she could use the very thing I care about against me but not anymore. I turn to Natalia, addressing her, the way I should have from the very beginning.

"You will be the one needing medical attention once I am done with you, Natalia." I spit before I lunge at her but I do not get far when a strong, large pair of arms restrain me from doing the unthinkable. I do not even need to look back to know who it is. His scent tells it all. Salvatore.

His lips find my ear and in no more than a whisper, he lets out a command, "You behave. I will deal with it."

...

IDK what is more dramatic - this book or MY LIFE! Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed the chapter despite the long wait.

Give me your thoughts in the comments and do not forget to vote! Also, tell a friend to tell a friend about DARK DEEDS.

Your Girl,

Eve. <3