Hello Everybody!
Now, don't expect me to always update this fast. I have school coming out of my ears! This story will progress pretty slowly. There will be a surprise about Alana. Can you guess it? Also, the chapter title comes from one of the more famous modern ballets, which I am not a fan of, but it fit the chapter. Also if you haven't heard the song, check it out! Also, do you want to see the 'trailer' here or in my profile?
Enjoy!
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Chapter Two
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
Alana snuggled herself into a corner of the couch beside Mrs. Andrews, knees to her chin and wide eyes as she watched the news reports on the television.
"Maria, where are you? What is going on?"
"Hello David. I am just outside of D.C in Arlington Cemetery and as you can see behind me, the Capitol is decimated. For five hours straight, the unknown enemy has pounded it with some kind of advanced laser. It has stopped for now, but no one knows for how long it will last."
"Is there any word on the President or Congress? Is there any idea of the death toll yet?"
"We have been informed that the President, the Vice-President, and their families are safe in an undisclosed location, but many congressmen and women were at their D.C. offices at the time of the attack and most if not all of those are believed dead. Rescue crews are dispersing through the city in an attempt to find any survivors, but the death toll is believed to be in the hundreds of thousands."
"One last question, Maria. How has the military responded to this?"
"Since we are not sure of the extent of the enemy's technology, most of the details are being withheld, but we do know that the National Guard and the Reserves have been mobilized and that the Chiefs of Staff, who survived the attack, are meeting, again, in an undisclosed location to put together a plan of action. This is Maria Santos reporting for CNN. Back to you David."
"Thank you Maria. The scenes that you just saw are being repeated in all the major cities around the world…"
Mrs. Andrews had slipped from the room in the middle of the report to again attempt to contact her husband. When she came back, Alana could see that she was not successful.
Alana squeezed her hand. "Maybe his battery ran out," she encouraged, "or he lost it and it was destroyed." The television continued to drone on until Alana had enough and switched it off. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was pretty late. She gave Mrs. Andrews a hug. "I'm going to bed. Will you be okay?"
The woman hugged her back. "Yes, thank you Alana. I don't know what I would have done without you. Go to bed, you have school tomorrow."
Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Click. Alana stretched before slipping out of bed and into her pointe shoes. She made a habit every morning of making up her own choreography to a random song. She did a few plies, releves, and stretches to warm up before hitting play. The upbeat tune of Life is a Highway from Cars by Rascal Flats came on.
Life's like a road that you travel on,
There's one day here and the next day gone,
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand,
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind.
There's a world outside every darkened door,
Where blues won't haunt you anymore,
Where the brave are free and lovers soar,
Come ride with me to the distant shore.
We won't hesitate,
To break down the garden gate,
There's not much time left today!
Life is a highway,
I wanna ride it all night long,
If you're going my way,
I wanna drive it all night long.
Through all these cities and all these towns,
It's in my blood and it's all around,
I love you now like I loved you then,
This is the road and these are the hands,
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights,
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights.
Knock me down, and back up again,
You're in my blood,
I'm not a lonely man.
There's no load I can't hold
Road so rough, this I know,
I'll be there when the light comes in,
Just tell 'em we're survivors!...
Alana spun, twirled, and did many an arabesque until the song was over. It was always so surprising to her how the songs would often reflect what was going on in her life, whether by the lyrics or the tone. Hearing a tap on her door to see Mrs. Andrews standing at the door with a smile on her face. "You know that watching you do that makes my day." Alana laughed before shouting down the hall after her, "You're welcome, I'm going to get ready now!"
She glanced her reflection in the mirror before leaving the room. The weather was still muggy, so a light, feminine pale yellow t-shirt and khaki, knee-length linen skirt were her clothes of choice and her long hair was pulled into two braids that wrapped around the back of her head. Alana grabbed her backpack and skipped down the stairs before continuing into the kitchen.
"Today's menu is fried eggs, bacon, and sweet tea. How are you feeling this fine, hot, sticky morning?" Mrs. Andrews appeared cheery, but Alana could see the worry and pain behind her eyes.
"Fine, and you?" asked Alana.
The woman's smile faded. "As well as could be expected under the circumstances. Thank you."
Alana gave a firm hug to her before digging in to the delicious food that Mrs. Andrews had prepared for her. "So, I've decided to take a fresh look at high school and act like I've never learned any of the stuff. I'll try to be a bit more like me and see what happens. What do you think?"
Grabbing her plate and sitting across from Alana, Mrs. Andrews grinned. "Sounds good to me."
Flipping to the first bookmark in her bible, Alana read from Samuel and Corinthians while she ate, taking in the words as readily as the food on her plate. Soon, she finished both, gave Mrs. Andrews a final hug and rushed out the door, grabbing her backpack and slipping on her sandals, sunglasses, and hat as she went.
Flying off the wraparound porch, Alana raced to the bus stop and joined the other children in line. "Did you see those lasers?" "They are not peaceful." "Will they take our brains?!" She inwardly shook her head at it all, but her worry about her foster father came back in full force. She forced herself to stop adjusting her skirt and to not start adjusting anything else. The bus thankfully arrived only a few moments later and the group poured onto it. "Good Morning!" piped Alana to the bus driver. He smiled at her and replied, "Good Mornin'."
She walked down the aisle but then at the back a girl patted the seat next to her. Alana shyly smiled and sat next to her.
"Name's Cathy. You?"
Alana laughed. "Alana."
Cathy flicked her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. "Did you say A-Lana or Al-Ana?"
She chuckled. "Al-Ana."
She nodded. "Cool. Who is your favorite in Randoom?"
Alana tipped her head quizzically. "What?"
"You haven't heard of it? It's like, the coolest rock band and the boys are so cute!" exclaimed Cathy.
Blushing, Alana replied, "That would explain it. I'm not into that sort of music. I'm kind of old-fashioned. I like classical and hymns more than rock or pop."
Cathy gave her a good hard look. "You kind of look like Keira Knightley, you know."
"I do? She played in a few movies that I like, but I never thought that," pondered Alana
"It's your nose and eyes, I think, but yours are blue. And your body is..."
Alana looked down. "I'm a ballet dancer."
"That's it!" she pronounced, "Do you dance on your toes?"
"Yes, I do pointe. It doesn't hurt me at all, which is a bit weird."
"Really? That is weird," she mused. "Did you the news last night?"
Alana stared out the other window. "Yes, my foster-father is in D.C. We don't know if he made it yet."
Putting her arm around Alana, Cathy gave her a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he's just fine."
She gave a soft smile. "Yeah. His wife is taking pretty hard. I don't think she thinks he's alive."
"Ouch. So, you're foster?"
"Always have been. The first family almost adopted me when I was three, but one day they just backed out and ended their care early. I still don't know why they did that."
Cathy winced. "Again, ouch. I guess it was like having your parents abandon you."
Alana shrugged. "I suppose, but I was found on the street, so I was abandoned already."
"You seem so…"
"Nonchalant? I don't know why my parents did it, but the last thing I'll allow myself to be is bitter about it. That's going to get me no where."
"Yeah, that's the word. And I suppose you're right. Annd here we are!"
The two girls stepped off the bus and made their way through the masses of other children making their way into the school.
Again, please review. It makes me want to write and every review helps!
