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She grins. “Lots.”
“Sounds perfect.”
I spend the following day dreading dance rehearsal. Alek and I are partners, and I’m not sure how well I’ll handle his proximity. Just breathing the same air as him is torture, so I can’t imagine the agony of being in his arms again.
From the back row of the auditorium, I watch Alek leaning against the stage, his arms folded across his chest. Konstantin talks his ear off beside him, though I keep my gaze on Alek, wondering if he’ll look up at me.
He doesn’t.
Mrs. Orlova strides into the auditorium in her usual ballet garb, her graceful stature gliding down the aisle toward the front.
She claps her hands to get our attention. “Gather on the stage, everyone, and find your partners.”
Alek rises to his feet and approaches Mrs. Orlova. I’m frozen, watching him murmur something to her. She scrunches her face in confusion and shakes her head. I strain to listen, but I’m too far away to make out what he’s saying. I stand up and make my way closer to the stage.
At last, she nods, and he turns away from her.
“Listen up, students. I’m changing some of the partners. Mr. Kurochkin, you’ll be paired with Miss Friedrich.”
Clutching the back of the nearest chair, I freeze. Him requesting a new dance partner is a knife to the heart, but for it to be Johanna, of all people, is twisting the blade while it’s still lodged inside.
It doesn’t matter; Johanna looks white as a ghost, her petrified eyes growing round.
“Miss Baker, you’ll be with Mr. Volkov.”
I barely hear her. Instead, I turn around and head up the aisle toward the exit, my feet moving of their own accord.
“Miss Baker! Get back here!”
“I don’t feel well,” I call back.
The doors burst open as I barrel through, and I run as fast as my legs can carry me down the hall. I don’t know where I’m going, but I don’t stop until I find myself at the cliff’s edge, overlooking the Baltic Sea once again.
There’s nothing I want more than for Alek to chase me. For him to know how close I am to ending it all and come to my rescue, confessing his love for me all over again.
So, where are you now, Alek?
Chapter 27
Willow
One Month Later
I’m sitting at my vanity, putting the finishing touches on my red flower crown, when a soft knock echoes softly at the door.
“Come in.”
Dad opens it and steps into my bedroom, and I catch his eye in the mirror.
“Oh, honey, you look beautiful.”
Standing up, I hold out the black skirt of my Andarusian folk costume, which is complete with puffy white sleeves and a red, patterned vest. White stockings and black Mary Janes adorn my feet.
He takes a seat on the end of my bed and pats the mattress beside him. As I sit down, he pulls out a wrapped present from behind his back.
“Happy Birthday, Willow.”
He passes the box to me, and I give him a tight smile before sliding the bow off the gift. When I tear the paper open, it reveals the cover of a photo album inside.
