Chapter 7 – Evasive Action

"Ring ring."

"Chase, I've answered the phone," Blake said blankly, writing as he cocked the receiver between his shoulder and ear. "There's no need to make the telephone noises like a child."

"I was just messing; I find 'hello' boring sometimes," his brother laughed down the phone. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

"Besides having an irritating brother?" Blake asked with a smirk Chase couldn't see. "And I don't wear panties, thank you very much."

Chase grew very sombre, very quickly. "So you're not wearing underwear? Blake that's not something you should share with your bother over the phone. Or ever. Really, that's disgusting..."

"I didn't mean th-...you're the bane of my life. Have I ever mentioned that?" Blake snapped, exasperated after only a few minutes talking to Chase.

"Often. I was just checking up on you, and this is the thanks I get."

Blake sighed wearily and rubbed his eyes. He'd not been sleeping particularly well; a recent thing that seemed, rather annoyingly, to have begun when Chase departed after New Year for San Francisco. The house was too quiet once again, and it had taken a while last time he'd left before for Blake to become accustomed to the silence he had craved all through their living arrangement. Once it was there, it disturbed him and left him to dwell in his own mind. He wasn't sure if he liked it. And now was no different. Chase had only been home a month at most, and he had dominated the air of the Collins residence; playing his music once again, having the TV on, shouting from one end of the house to the other. It was both irritating, and comforting, but mostly a chilling reminder that when he was gone, Blake was alone.

"I'm busy."

"When aren't you? I just wanted to know how school's going and everything..." Chase sighed. "I had a free day so thought I'd call."

Blake was momentarily touched by Chase's sensitivity but swallowed hard. "School is going swimmingly. As for everything else..."

"Are you still having trouble with the ole dragon up the road?"

Blake rubbed his eyes. "Chase, she's not an old dragon. I called her a witch; she's neither old nor scaly. Secondly, no, the waters have been very...calm...on that front, since our run in at the Christmas Showcase."

"Did she show up to ours?" Chase asked, yawning slightly.

"Of course," Blake snorted. "Duty calls and all that. She even complimented our dance department."

"But nothing else?"

"No."

Chase whistled down the phone. "She's a tough nut to crack."

"Yes, well," Blake mused as he scribbled down some notes and sent them through the fax machine to Lisa. "Thankfully our encounters are few and far between. We just rub each other up the wrong way; our personalities are entirely..."

"Similar?"

"Different. I was going to say different," Blake said coolly. "Jesse Harper and I are nothing alike."

"Oh come on, bro, "Chase laughed. "You're like two controlling peas out of a pod. That's why she gets on your nerves. Because finally you can see your own worst traits in someone else, and you don't like them."

Blake put his pen down sharply. "I'm hanging up on you now..."

"Aw Blake," Chase pleaded. "Don't! Don't you wanna hear my news?"

Blake paused as he held the receiver away from his ear. Pressing it against his head once more, he took a deep breath.

"I knew you had a reason for calling, besides being 'concerned' about your dear old brother."

"You're not a fossil yet. But yeah, kind of." There was a stagnant pause that sounded as if Chase was taking a nervous breath. "I've been thinking over some things and my future and stuff. And I've...decided I want to...maybe...go into teaching. I know – surprise – but I just look at what kids have to put up with in performing arts schools and I want to make a difference. I haven't found a course yet, but I have a few I'm looking at over the next few weeks. I'm enjoying my time on tour, but there's no...purpose...no end result to just performing. I mean, I still want to perform, but...do you understand what I mean?" he paused and waited for Blake to answer.

Surprisingly Blake did. He'd never dreamed of becoming a Director while he'd been part of any company but now, working as a teacher had been more fulfilling that prancing across a stage each night. Of course he had enjoyed it, but there was a time in his life where he had ceased to be amazed by the crowds, and the weariness from a principal lifestyle caught up with him. Being a Director, of course came with its own problems and strife. But as Chase put it, he had a purpose here; he could give something back.

Whether his students wanted it or not, he thought with a smile.

"Blake, you've gone quiet. Are you that horrified?" his brother asked.

"No...No. I'm here. I...think that's a great idea. It'll be...a proper job," Blake managed, feeling his throat constrict. "But you can't work here," he added firmly.

"Why!"

"I don't tend to employ faculty that I know will pull practical jokes on me, or embarrass me frequently," Blake said, laughing softly. "Now, go. I'm sure there's someone else you can irritate. I have work to finish."

"Whatever," Chase laughed. "You'll be begging for me to teach at MSA by the time I'm through my course."

"Yeah. Right. I'm no glutton for punishment," Blake added, shaking his head as he hung up, knowing that his brother's words were half true.

XXXXX

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this," Kristen whispered as they stood outside a grand building. It was around midnight, and very cold; there was still frost about and all Kristen could focus on was the fact that he mother's flowers would be killed by it. She was dressed head to toe in black – as were Cruz and Wally – and the cliché didn't escape her either. If anyone were to walk by, they would look beyond conspicuous, which was completely the opposite of what they were going for.

"You don't have to come in! That was the deal – just keep watch...and pick the lock cos my fingers are too fat," Wally hissed, pulling his black beanie hat over his head. Kristen rolled her eyes, shaking but unsure whether it was because she was cold or because she was afraid.

"Come on guys," she pleaded. "Let's leave it, while we still can. This was a bad idea."

Cruz spun round as he fiddled with the window, screwdriver in hand. "No way! We can't let them get away with treating us the way they do. I had one day of it – I can't imagine how you guys feel after years of it. It's not fair, and we need to execute some justice."

"But what if we get caught?" Kristen whispered.

Wally froze. "She has a point."

"Then we plead insanity," Cruz said impatiently. "My uncle works at the DA's office. It works all the time." His friend seemed to weigh up the option pensively.

"I could go for that," Wally nodded, helping with the window. Kristen sighed and pushed them out of the way.

"You're going about it all wrong," she murmured, edging the frame with the screwdriver until the paint peeled back and the frame seemed to pop out slightly. "That's the trouble with old buildings. Instead of actually securing the windows, they just leave them painted shut."

"Well, look at you," Wally smirked, adopting a Southern accent. "Regular cat burglar."

"I watch a lot of CSI."

"Come on, let's be quick," Cruz urged, tapping their shoulders. "Help me up, and I'll pull you inside Wally." He glanced at Kristen who was checking her watch. "You sure you're not coming in?"

"Well, how the hell are you going to unlock the doors – you'll need me if you're breaking and entering skills are anything to go by," she said, sounding uncomfortable and angry. "Otherwise you'll set off every damned alarm."

"Again, the woman has a point," Wally said, wheezing a little and sounding strained as Cruz climbed onto his shoulders, prizing the window open. "I...knew...she was the...brains of the...trio."

It took very little time to get them all in, with Wally being the less spritely – he rolled onto the floor with a thud, taking a few moments to catch his breath. They stood in the main foyer; dark and desolate, the air seemed almost ghostly. They'd done their homework. The school was locked, but not guarded. They were safe.

"So, how are we going to exact our revenge...exactly..." Wally said, hands on hips.

"I've got something in mind," Cruz said, pointing to the main studio. "Think you can get us in Kristen?"

"I think so," she said nervously, fishing behind the reception desk. "Without much trouble," she added, holding up some keys. Wally looked almost disappointed as she strolled over to them and handed Cruz the keys.

"Is it wrong that I'm enjoying myself so much I'm considering felony as my life's occupation?" Wally asked, with a crooked grin.

"Yes," Kristen murmured, as Cruz pushed open the door and walked inside. "Very wrong."

XXXXX

Jesse Harper frowned as she stepped out of her car and pulled her bag from the backseat. Spencer waited patiently as her sister gathered her things and locked the 4x4, juggling an arm full of folders to do so.

"Do you want me to take some of that?" Spencer asked, tucking her hair behind her ears and pointing to her sister's files.

Jesse hesitated. "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind," she said finally. Spencer took them and glanced at Jesse's pale face; she looked drawn and troubled once again, and for no apparent reason. The school was running smoothly - no one could deny Jesse was doing a great job. They didn't have any real concerns in life, and yet she seemed bothered. Her sister could be a puzzle sometimes.

"Is something the matter?" she asked carefully.

Jesse shook her head as she smoothed he blouse. "I just didn't sleep well last night. I just had this really bizarre dream - you know the kind where you try to wake yourself up from it and as soon as you close your eyes, you just pick up where you left off?"

Spencer nodded with a smile.

"Well, that was why I didn't sleep well," Jesse said rather blankly as they reached the front of the school. She had dreamt she was in Swan Lake once again - as Odette surprisingly, a role she'd never undertaken - and every move she made got stiffer and slower as if she were dancing through treacle. And the front row of the audience comprised of the board members of Fell's Point, cheering and laughing as she froze in place. To top it all off, she could see Blake Collins' smug face a few rows back, just as she came to abrupt stop and unable to move, he rose and clapped, causing a standing ovation throughout the auditorium. She had finally collapsed as they all jeered her, delighting in her failure, and no matter how many times she awoke herself, the nightmare either started again or continued.

Jesse snapped out of her thoughts as she braced the steps of the school; the students were murmuring excitedly, and there was an air of panic. When one student spotted her, they all seemed to and had the good grace to part in sobriety like the Red Sea, coming to a hushed silence. They were crowded around the main studio, where the school janitor was standing looking dismayed. When he saw her, he rushed forward.

"Director Harper," he stuttered. He was an elderly man, with thick grey eyebrows and a hook nose. "You better take a look at this."

She allowed herself to be lead to the studio door, but from there she took control and strode in to the centre of the room alone, standing amidst the chaos. Students pressed against the glass to watch her reaction, including Spencer who waited in tenterhooks to see what her sister would do. She knew better than anyone Jesse had a hidden temper, and this would surely spark it.

Suddenly, Director Harper walked briskly towards the door, her heels clacking and echoing loudly as she did so. Spencer lingered at the doorway, shifting from one trainer to another nervously.

"Jesse," she whispered. "What's going on?"

Jesse ignored her and stepped through the crowd. She turned to face them all in once quick movement. When she spoke it was clearly and blankly. "Studio A is off limits for the time being. Anyone with any information will come and see me first period, regardless of classes." She paced away leaving them in a stunned silence. Spencer bit her lip - this had to be something to do with Ben and Meaghan; she'd known the whole school rivalry thing would lead to nothing but trouble. And now the studio was completely destroyed. She'd have to go to her sister later, and encourage Ben and Meaghan to do the same. Not that they would - they were far more concerned with saving their own hides.

When she reached her office, Jesse spotted her receptionist Heidi, who had clearly seen her coming from and anticipated her wishes, judging by the calm but pale face. A grim expression passed between the women, echoing a shared outrage at the state of the studio.

"I want Blake Collins in the phone. Now," Jesse said, now allowing her voice to shake with rage, for she knew it couldn't when she spoke to him.

"Already done, Director," Heidi said. "He's on line one, waiting."

XXXXX