AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I hesitate for a moment. Tonight, his insults have lost their venom.
“Yes, Mr. Petrov.” I draw a deep breath and hold it, attempting the twirl again.
I won’t waste the tears on him.
Lucy is lost in her stretch. Alik rarely jabs me with his comments when she’s within earshot. He’s tough on us both but that’s part of pushing us but his focus on my weight is more about being a bully than a coach.
“Better, but you need to practice more, as your sister does. Lucy knows what to do, she has the commitment to go far.”
“Yes, Mr. Petrov.”
“Yes, Mr. Petrov,” he mocks. “It’s too late now. I will not allow you to make a mockery of me. You will follow Lucy’s lead, and by next week, I expect you to be practicing as often and as long as she does. Then perhaps you will lose a little of that blubber.”
I grit my teeth, not bothering to point out Lucy’s string of mistakes today.
Most of our practices are done in private and if Papa or Mama is around, Alik acts like a complete cinnamon roll towards me.
I know I’m not quite as stick thin as Lucy, but honestly, she eats whatever she wants. She’s got the metabolism of a hummingbird.
Apparently, my inner workings are closer to a manatee. Lucky me. I’m doing all I can to make sure nary a womanly curve finds its home on my body.
“This will have to do. Lucy, when you go out there, concentrate on your own dance and don’t be distracted by Carina. If she makes mistakes, at least they will know it wasn’t for lack of choreography on my part.”
Lucy answers with a silent nod, offering me a little shrug.
“Good. Take a breather, ladies. You need to look like graceful, beautiful girls, not like sweaty lumberjacks.”
“Yes, Mr. Petrov,” we say in unison, as we head for our water bottles.
“What’s the matter with you today?” I ask before taking a long drink from my bottle. “You never make mistakes like that.”
A shadow passes over Lucy’s dark eyes, and I wait for her to say she got her period or had a second glass of wine at dinner. After a moment, she shrugs. “I’ll be fine.”
“You can tell me anything…” I murmur. I’m not used to her being distracted. She’s as tough as a seasoned warrior.
My attempt at mothering her is met with an eye roll. “Carrie, I’ll be fine. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
My frown deepens. Tightness wraps around my heart. “You haven’t called me Carrie since before we came to live here—”
“I said I’ll be fine,” she snaps with a sigh. “Worry aboutyourdancing, I’ll worry about mine. And ignore what Alik said.”
I shrug. “I always try to ignore that fuck face. You know that.” I study her face, concern squeezing my insides.
“Don’tignorehim. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to dance. But ignore his insults.” She glances at the side stage where we will wait for the curtains to open. “Come on, our audience awaits.”
There’s no time to press the issue. So I follow her as nervous anticipation prickles over my skin.
This is where I feel alive. It’s my world. When I’m out in front of an audience, nothing else matters.
It’s like flying.
I never realized that before. That’s why I want to be a pilot. I love that feeling of gliding, silent but powerful through the sky.
“Here we go,” Lucy says as we hold hands and take the stage as the curtain opens.
Lucy and I move through the routine in harmony. She is in her usual form. All the errors from earlier gone, her technical precision complements my raw emotion the way it always does.
Our dance is not a rivalry, it’s about conveying the story between us. Her impeccable technique, precise and measured, anchors me to the dance. But I can’t help losing myself in the music, letting my body respond with flourishes and embellishments of my own.
