Page 51 of Ask No Questions

“Aubrey.” He whispered my name as he turned me into him and wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so sorry. You’re safe now; I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

He slipped an arm under my legs, lifting them and setting them down over his. I wrapped myself around him feeling his warmth against me. He certainly wasn’t holding me like a brother would. I felt a few tears slip onto my cheeks and hoped he wouldn’t notice. I wasn’t upset about seeing Morgan’s doppelganger anymore but feeling how much he cared about me was making me unexpectedly emotional.

I woke from the dream of running around in the darkness to the sound of banging coming from somewhere within the house. I sat up and took in my surroundings. I was in a bed I’d never seen before in a room I’ve never been in before. I looked around for a hint as to where I was and saw pictures of Carter at various ages with an array of people. The banging continued as I got out of the bed and walked through the halls looking for Carter. I heard voices coming from the front door.

“Where is she?”

“She’s asleep. What is your problem? I texted you last night that I was bringing her down here.”

“You never mentioned having a sleepover! She’s seventeen, dude!”

I paused just out of sight of where my brother and Carter were arguing. Biting on my lip, I was deciding the best course of action to reduce the risk of Carter dying. I chose ignorance.

“Morning, guys! Brandon, are you here for breakfast?”

They both turned to stare at me. I guess this wasn’t the right idea. Before I could back away and retreat into the bedroom, Brandon came at me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and examined me. What was he looking for?

“Aubrey, are you okay? What happened? Why are you here?” He looked so panicked, and I could tell by the redness in his eyes he hadn’t slept.

“I’m fine, Brandon. Everything is fine. I had a panic attack last night and wanted to get away. Carter brought me here to make dinner, and I guess I fell asleep.”

“A panic attack?” He looked between Carter and me like he had something to do with it.

“I thought I saw Morgan in a store by the condo, and I lost it. Carter just helped me through it and calmed me down.” He released me and stepped back, still looking between the two of us. “We ate dinner, and I told him what happened in Chicago. I must have fallen asleep after that.”

How lame am I? We had a moment last night, and I fell asleep in his arms… nice strong arms.

Brandon looked to Carter for confirmation, and I watched Carter nod and couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked in crumbled pajamas and messy hair. “Well, we have to hurry back because you have to be at the dance studio in an hour.”

“Crap! Let’s go! I completely forgot about that.” How did I forget my tryouts? I had attended classes through the week to get a feel for the different levels, but now Mrs. Simmons was holding tryouts for the competition team which would allow me to be in the same level classes with Cassie.

“I figured. I came home expecting to find you stretching or dancing around the condo, but imagine my surprise when I see that your room is empty and your bed wasn’t even slept in!”

“I’m so sorry, Brandon. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I gathered my things, then froze, “Wait, you just got home and saw I was gone. Have you not slept?”

“No, not yet. The meetings ran long, but we got some new clients, so it was worth it.”

After the crazy night he had, he came home and found me missing. I was so going to be grounded. He didn’t say anything to me on the drive home. I was waiting for him to start yelling at me like mom usually did, so the silence was even more painful.

When we got back home, he told me to go get dressed and hurry to the studio. Nothing about earlier or a mention of a punishment. I felt like I was walking on egg shells waiting for him to yell, say he was disappointed, anything! The silent treatment was too much coming from him. I felt tears well up as I found my tights and favorite leotard and got dressed. I put a pair of jazz pants, my pointe shoes, and jazz shoes in my duffel bag and headed back into the living room.

“I’m sorry, Brandon.” He didn’t even turn his head when I approached him, so I turned and walked through the door knowing this wasn’t over. I hated that I’d disappointed him, but there was no fixing it right now.

Twenty-Two

The only place I had ever felt completely comfortable was in a dance studio. The familiar hardwood floors and mirrors felt like home. It had been my escape since I started as a child. No matter what was happening at home or school, I knew I could find peace at the studio. Today was the same. I found refuge from the fight with Brandon and the drama at school. Here, the only thing I had to focus on was dance.

Cassie told me earlier in the week that there would be a routine to learn for each style: ballet, contemporary, and jazz. I would have a half hour to learn each before having to perform in front of the coaches. It sounded easy enough as long as I was able to pick up on the routines quickly. Unfortunately, Cassie wasn’t here today since only the new girls were required to be here, so I had no support through this.

I began stretching as other girls arrived looking far more nervous than me. I couldn’t decide if that was a good sign, or if I had seriously underestimated these tryouts.

Three women walked in with clipboards. I assumed they were the coaches since I was smart like that. They stood in the front of the room, facing us. A short blond was the first to speak. “Welcome to tryouts for the company team. I’m Miss Tabitha, and I am one of the three coaches that will be deciding who makes it onto the team this year. There will be three dances taught that we expect you all to master and perform today. We will each instruct one while the others observe. First, I will teach a jazz routine. Then, Miss Gloria will teach a contemporary routine and finally, Miss Amy will teach the ballet routine. We will start now.”

Wow! These ladies were down to business! I rolled my shoulders a few times as I moved to the center of the room for a better spot to observe. I laughed to myself as the rest of the girls gravitated to the back corners of the room, as if that would hide them from the scrutiny.

Miss Gloria and Miss Amy moved to the sides of the room as Miss Tabitha took the center. She started counting out steps, and I followed along, falling back into the rhythm of things. It seemed like only a few seconds passed before she announced we would be running through it with music twice. Then it would be our turn to perform. I hopped on the balls of my feet, trying to loosen up before the music started. The first time through was a little rough, but after the second, I was ready.

Miss Amy called out five names at a time to perform. I was in the second round, and after watching the first, I felt fairly confident. I stood in the opening pose waiting for the music to start. The first few beats rang out, and I lost myself in the dance. I didn’t bother looking around to the other girls. I focused on my facial expressions which I knew were just as crucial as mastering the moves. When the music cut, I noticed the coaches smiling at me before I sat back down. All right, one down, and two more to go. I could do this.