"Aunt Belle? Are you coming to dinner with us tonight?" The sweet, innocent
voice of Kaytlin met Faithe's ears over the reciever.
"No, babygirl. It's just you, Daddy, and Betha." Lacing up her pointe shoes, Faithe had the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder.
"Do you have to practice tonight?" There was an undercurrent of disapointment in the five year old's face.
"Yes, but I'm practicing at home tonight. Your dad and Betha want to take you out with just the two of them." Standing up, Faithe walked through a doorway into an extra bedroom. The room was really the master, but she had turned it into a makeshift studio. Her bedroom wasn't much smaller than the studio room, so it hadn't been too much of a sacrifice.
"Oooh...But you are coming over tomorrow night, right?" Her voice quavered slightly as she spoke, sounding as if the thought of her not being able to see Faithe scared her.
"Of course! Nothing could keep me away from you on your birthday!" As she spoke, Faithe slid down into a straddle split. Holding the phone with her hand, she leaned forward, resting her elbow on the floor, and her chin on her fist.
"Good! Daddy says I have to go now. We're leaving." In the background, Faithe could hear Jake's voice calling from another room.
"All right sweets. Good night and have fun." Sitting up straight, Faithe brought her legs together in front of her.
"Good night. I love you, Aunt Belle."
"Love you too sweetie. Bye." Hanging up the phone, she stretched forwards, grabbing the bottom of her ballet shoe. Standing up on her toes, she stretched her arms above her head. Standing up on her toes, she stretched her arms up as far as they would go. Dropping her arms to her side, she went back to standing flat footed. Walking back to the living room, she set the phone back in its cradle before returning to the room. Walking over to the CD player, she put in a Tchaikovsky disk.
There was one month left until the premier of the ballet. The last month had been spent learning the work, and the upcoming month was to be spent making perfection. Faithe, as well as the entire company, had been working eleven hour days. It was all worth the time, though. The first three weeks of the summer had been spent retraining her body with a private instructor on the west coast. Her body had been recoached into doing everything she'd been able to do since before her fall.
Returning from the SS Ecstacy, Faithe had returned and finished her training early. After that, she'd camped out at Jake's for a week while she found herself an apartment, though her apartment was more like a condo. Since her parents had been content with her choice to pursue ballet, they had given her the money she needed to pay for it. However, with the money she had made the past month, Faithe had begun saving as much as she could. As she had promised herself, her eyes had not fouind their way to the heaven since her last night on the ship. The boxes of stars she'd had were put away in her parents' attic, much to their delight, and where she had no intention of moving them. She was saving her money in case she did want to pursue other career options, and if they weren't to her parents' liking, then she'd have a fallback.
Just the same, her lack of eating and the incessant physical exertion was evident in the weight she had lost. Many nights she had awaken from sleep in a cold swear. Nightmares had become an integral part of her sleep process, and Faithe's pale complexion was a testimony to the lack of sleep she was getting. Sometimes she had nightmares about the night Kaytlin had been kidnapped, and about the day Eddie had returned with her. Occasionally she would dream that Eddie had been set free. Her most terrifying dreams were those where Orlando was getting hurt, and a couple where he had been killed by some unknown figure. When those hit, Faithe would wake up screaming, her body trembling, and she would start bawling. It was during those times she was thankful for the star. So many nights she had been terrified her dreams were happening as they played out in her mind. The relief she felt when his yellow light radiated from her was indescribeable.
Then came the thought that is she had only been a better girlfriend, a better friend, simply a better person, then she wouldn't have had to rely on a necklace. Those would be the nights Faithe cried herself to sleep, which was nearly every night. She tried to forget about that night, the past year, but it haunted her. When she finally admitted to herself that she wouldn't be able to simply push her pain down, Faithe overloaded her schedule to busy her mind. Jake had suggested that she try dating, but Faithe wouldn't even consider it.
"There's no sense in setting up something that's doomed to fail from the beginning." She had reasoned with him on more than one occassion.
"It wouldn't necessarily fail. I thought the same thing until Betha and I went out."
"No, Jake. I'm just not ready." Sounding exasperated, Faithe usually won the arguement because Jake wasn't interested in starting an arguement. The man who played her opposite's understudy had asked her out once, but she had declined. Mark, her opposite, and her had become pretty close friends, though that was inevitable considering how much time they had to spent together.
"Izzy, you never smile anymore." Another debate the two had had on more than once occasion. Faithe always retorted back that she did too smile, and Jake would always shoot back that her smiles were never real. At this point, she would roll her eyes and make an excuse to leave. Jake was partly right in his way of thinking. There was always a vacancy in her eyes, and it was always more obvious when there was a smile on her face. If somebody could get a smile on her face, and, moreso, if they could get a smile on her face that wasn't forced, it never lasted for more than a few seconds. Faithe's laugh hadn't been heard since the last day on the Ecstacy.
Two movements later of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, Faithe turned off the CD player. Walking into her kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water out of the refridgerator. Gulping it down, she continued walking around, allowing her heart to slow down. Twisting the cap on, she set it down on the table next to her wand. She was about to go back to the studio when a rap on the door stopped her. Raising her eyebrow, she walked over to the door, wishing she had a peep hole. Opening the door, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked up and down the hallway. There's nobody here... Tilting her head to the side, Faithe shrugged to herself and closed the door. She was the only occupant on this floor - the top floor. There were only two separate apartments on the top, and the other had yet to be bought. Locking the door, she turned around and slumped against the door.
"Great Faithe, now you're being paranoid." Speaking to herself, she shook her head.
"No, you really aren't." The soft voice of Eddie Polazzo met Faithe's ears, causing everything within her to freeze. Looking up, her eyes had a terrified expression in them. Standing two feet in front of her was Eddie, though he was paler than the last time she'd seen him. Taking a step forward, he reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. "Hello Isabelle."
"No." Trying to push past him, Faithe's eyes were already on her wand. Shehadn't taken more than a step when Eddie pushed her gently against the door. Pinning her body against the door with his body, Eddie grabbed both her wrists with one of his hands. Placing his other hand over her mouth, he leaned forward so his face was within inches of her own.
"Shhh...Calm down Isabelle. I don't want to hurt you, so please don't makeme." Still speaking softly, his eyes ran from her face all the way down to where their bodies met. Leaning forward, he kissed her neck gently. "I've missed you. Apparently all the commotion at Azkaban didn't register as much of a call for security as one would have thought. With all the recent break outs, I doubt they've missed me yet." Smirking, he lifted his hand off her mouth and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "By the way, you can scream all you want, but I highly doubt anybody's ears will pick it up through my silencing charm." Smirking still, his hand trailed down to her bare shoulder. Since she had planned on being alone, all she was wearing was a sports bra, jazz pants, and her pointe shoes. Now she was silently reprimanding herself for that decision.
"You're one of them?" Though she'd found her voice, it came out tiny and shakey. Even though the main threat from Voldemort was overseas, it was inevitable that he would have followers all over the world.
"Me? A Death Eater? No, though I'm an avid fan, and I have learned a few things from them. You know that, though." His eyes continued to look over her as he spoke.
"Why are you here?" Making an attempt to wiggle away, her voice cracked as she spoke. Faithe flinched almost violently as Eddie raised his hand, threatning to back hand her; however, grinning at her reaction, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, which had begun watering.
"You know exactly what I want." Whispering softly, his hand moved to her ponytail and pulled her hair down.
"Please don't." Her voice came out more of a squeak than anything, and she tried to step back. Of course, being up against the door, she didn't get very far. Pulling her away from the door, he walked over to the couch. Turning her around so she was facing him, Eddie leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Faithe became slightly braver as she struggled against his hold, though she didn't hold much hope of actually overcoming him in strength. His grip tightning around her, he lifted her chin so she didn't have any choice but to look at him.
"Izzy, why are you fighting me? Nobody else wants you. Lorenz proved that you weren't good enough for him." Eddie's voice was no longer a whisper, but he was still using a soft voice, filled with malicious glee. Swallowing the lump down in her throat, Faithe averted her gaze to the left side of Eddie's face.
"How did you know about that?" spoke with an incredulous expression on her face, though her voice still sounded meek.
"I have my ways, love." As he spoke, he ran his hand down her jawline. His hand moved down to her necklace. "He left you for the very woman he broke your heart with all those months ago. You could never make him happy Faithe. He wants more than what you can give him." Running his finger along the star, he trailed down her the middle of her torso, stopping above her belly button.
"Eddie, I'm begging you. Please don't." Giving him a pleading look, Faithe's voice was nearly inaudible. She knew he was right about Orlando, but she refused to let him see that. Although, her expression gave away that she agreed with him on that issue. Eddie merely smirked, taking a step forward, and causing Faithe to take a step backward. When she did, her legs backed up against the couch, and she quickly found herself sitting down. The glint in his eyes showed her that that had been the plan. Eddie, meanwhile, had been pulling out his wand.
"Normally I would enjoy listening to you beg, but not now. I've waited a long time to be in this position, and I'd rather live it up." Pointing his wand at her, a smirk spread over his face. "Imperio." Once the spell had been cast, Eddie laid his wand on the table. Leaning over, his lips pressed against Faithe's, only this time, she didn't pull away. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed aggressively, pushing her down on the couch.
**
"Happy Birthday, baby girl." Leaning down, Faithe scooped up Kaytlin, now six years old, into her arms.
"Aunt Belle! Guess what? Betha bought me a special doll for my birthday! She looks just like me!" Wiggling out of Faithe's arms, Kayte skipped off down the hallway towards her room. It amazed Faithe how well the young girl had bounced back from being kidnapped. Jake had considered alterating her memory, but Faithe had talked him out of it. She believed that Kayte had the right to remember that, and it could prove to be beneficial.
"Faithe?" Betha walked out of the kitchen, her face covered in flour, as well as her hair. "I'd hug you, but I'm a mess. Jake thought it would be fun to bake Kaytin a cake. Of course, we ended up in a flour fight." Smiling, she offered Faithe a wink. Faithe did her best to smile back, but there was that look of vacancy in her eyes, as well as a troubled look.
"That's Jake all right. He in the kitchen?" Setting all her stuff down on the couch, Faithe ran a hand through her hair.
"Yes. I'm just running to the bathroom to clean up." Grinning, Betha walked down the hall. Jake and Betha had known each other for years, but had only been dating for a month. Kaytlin was incredibly taken with the twenty-one year old, which was one of the reasons Faithe respected her so much. Betha had been a breath of fresh air for Jake, and Faithe was happy for him. Walking into the itched, she picked up a sliced up piece of apple and munched on it. There were about to be ten kids showing up, and three adults among them. It would prove to be an interesting night...
The week before the opening of the ballet, everybody's nerves were on end. They had gone from eleven-hour days, to eighteen-hour days. Over half the cast, including the two lead dancers, had developed a small dependency on No Doze pills. Even the closest of friends had begun nipping at each other. It had already been decided that the day before the first performance, they would only do one run through in costume, and everybody was encouraged to go home and sleep. Grabbing her bag, Faithe started for the door.
"Hey Cunningham! Hang on a sec!" Roger Blaise, the writer of the ballet, was jogging after her. Raising an inquiring eyebrow, Faithe stopped and stared at him curiously. "Miss Thing, I just got off the phone with Dimitri Schneider. He's a representative from the Russian Ballet, and he be here tomorrow night, looking at you." Grinning, Roger bent down and kissed her cheek before heading off. Once she was in the bathroom, she wasted no time apparating home.
Eddie was there waiting for her, as he'd done twice before. He'd made sure that she wouldn't open her mouth about his visits to her.
"If you want Kaytlin to continue living a life of contentment, you'll keep this yourself. Who knows, maybe one of these days I won't have to control your mind." With the prospect of Kayte's life getting disrupted, Faithe had kept her mouth shut. Life was one big gray area for Faithe, and she was almost scared to know what would become of it.
"No, babygirl. It's just you, Daddy, and Betha." Lacing up her pointe shoes, Faithe had the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder.
"Do you have to practice tonight?" There was an undercurrent of disapointment in the five year old's face.
"Yes, but I'm practicing at home tonight. Your dad and Betha want to take you out with just the two of them." Standing up, Faithe walked through a doorway into an extra bedroom. The room was really the master, but she had turned it into a makeshift studio. Her bedroom wasn't much smaller than the studio room, so it hadn't been too much of a sacrifice.
"Oooh...But you are coming over tomorrow night, right?" Her voice quavered slightly as she spoke, sounding as if the thought of her not being able to see Faithe scared her.
"Of course! Nothing could keep me away from you on your birthday!" As she spoke, Faithe slid down into a straddle split. Holding the phone with her hand, she leaned forward, resting her elbow on the floor, and her chin on her fist.
"Good! Daddy says I have to go now. We're leaving." In the background, Faithe could hear Jake's voice calling from another room.
"All right sweets. Good night and have fun." Sitting up straight, Faithe brought her legs together in front of her.
"Good night. I love you, Aunt Belle."
"Love you too sweetie. Bye." Hanging up the phone, she stretched forwards, grabbing the bottom of her ballet shoe. Standing up on her toes, she stretched her arms above her head. Standing up on her toes, she stretched her arms up as far as they would go. Dropping her arms to her side, she went back to standing flat footed. Walking back to the living room, she set the phone back in its cradle before returning to the room. Walking over to the CD player, she put in a Tchaikovsky disk.
There was one month left until the premier of the ballet. The last month had been spent learning the work, and the upcoming month was to be spent making perfection. Faithe, as well as the entire company, had been working eleven hour days. It was all worth the time, though. The first three weeks of the summer had been spent retraining her body with a private instructor on the west coast. Her body had been recoached into doing everything she'd been able to do since before her fall.
Returning from the SS Ecstacy, Faithe had returned and finished her training early. After that, she'd camped out at Jake's for a week while she found herself an apartment, though her apartment was more like a condo. Since her parents had been content with her choice to pursue ballet, they had given her the money she needed to pay for it. However, with the money she had made the past month, Faithe had begun saving as much as she could. As she had promised herself, her eyes had not fouind their way to the heaven since her last night on the ship. The boxes of stars she'd had were put away in her parents' attic, much to their delight, and where she had no intention of moving them. She was saving her money in case she did want to pursue other career options, and if they weren't to her parents' liking, then she'd have a fallback.
Just the same, her lack of eating and the incessant physical exertion was evident in the weight she had lost. Many nights she had awaken from sleep in a cold swear. Nightmares had become an integral part of her sleep process, and Faithe's pale complexion was a testimony to the lack of sleep she was getting. Sometimes she had nightmares about the night Kaytlin had been kidnapped, and about the day Eddie had returned with her. Occasionally she would dream that Eddie had been set free. Her most terrifying dreams were those where Orlando was getting hurt, and a couple where he had been killed by some unknown figure. When those hit, Faithe would wake up screaming, her body trembling, and she would start bawling. It was during those times she was thankful for the star. So many nights she had been terrified her dreams were happening as they played out in her mind. The relief she felt when his yellow light radiated from her was indescribeable.
Then came the thought that is she had only been a better girlfriend, a better friend, simply a better person, then she wouldn't have had to rely on a necklace. Those would be the nights Faithe cried herself to sleep, which was nearly every night. She tried to forget about that night, the past year, but it haunted her. When she finally admitted to herself that she wouldn't be able to simply push her pain down, Faithe overloaded her schedule to busy her mind. Jake had suggested that she try dating, but Faithe wouldn't even consider it.
"There's no sense in setting up something that's doomed to fail from the beginning." She had reasoned with him on more than one occassion.
"It wouldn't necessarily fail. I thought the same thing until Betha and I went out."
"No, Jake. I'm just not ready." Sounding exasperated, Faithe usually won the arguement because Jake wasn't interested in starting an arguement. The man who played her opposite's understudy had asked her out once, but she had declined. Mark, her opposite, and her had become pretty close friends, though that was inevitable considering how much time they had to spent together.
"Izzy, you never smile anymore." Another debate the two had had on more than once occasion. Faithe always retorted back that she did too smile, and Jake would always shoot back that her smiles were never real. At this point, she would roll her eyes and make an excuse to leave. Jake was partly right in his way of thinking. There was always a vacancy in her eyes, and it was always more obvious when there was a smile on her face. If somebody could get a smile on her face, and, moreso, if they could get a smile on her face that wasn't forced, it never lasted for more than a few seconds. Faithe's laugh hadn't been heard since the last day on the Ecstacy.
Two movements later of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, Faithe turned off the CD player. Walking into her kitchen, she grabbed a bottle of water out of the refridgerator. Gulping it down, she continued walking around, allowing her heart to slow down. Twisting the cap on, she set it down on the table next to her wand. She was about to go back to the studio when a rap on the door stopped her. Raising her eyebrow, she walked over to the door, wishing she had a peep hole. Opening the door, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked up and down the hallway. There's nobody here... Tilting her head to the side, Faithe shrugged to herself and closed the door. She was the only occupant on this floor - the top floor. There were only two separate apartments on the top, and the other had yet to be bought. Locking the door, she turned around and slumped against the door.
"Great Faithe, now you're being paranoid." Speaking to herself, she shook her head.
"No, you really aren't." The soft voice of Eddie Polazzo met Faithe's ears, causing everything within her to freeze. Looking up, her eyes had a terrified expression in them. Standing two feet in front of her was Eddie, though he was paler than the last time she'd seen him. Taking a step forward, he reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. "Hello Isabelle."
"No." Trying to push past him, Faithe's eyes were already on her wand. Shehadn't taken more than a step when Eddie pushed her gently against the door. Pinning her body against the door with his body, Eddie grabbed both her wrists with one of his hands. Placing his other hand over her mouth, he leaned forward so his face was within inches of her own.
"Shhh...Calm down Isabelle. I don't want to hurt you, so please don't makeme." Still speaking softly, his eyes ran from her face all the way down to where their bodies met. Leaning forward, he kissed her neck gently. "I've missed you. Apparently all the commotion at Azkaban didn't register as much of a call for security as one would have thought. With all the recent break outs, I doubt they've missed me yet." Smirking, he lifted his hand off her mouth and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "By the way, you can scream all you want, but I highly doubt anybody's ears will pick it up through my silencing charm." Smirking still, his hand trailed down to her bare shoulder. Since she had planned on being alone, all she was wearing was a sports bra, jazz pants, and her pointe shoes. Now she was silently reprimanding herself for that decision.
"You're one of them?" Though she'd found her voice, it came out tiny and shakey. Even though the main threat from Voldemort was overseas, it was inevitable that he would have followers all over the world.
"Me? A Death Eater? No, though I'm an avid fan, and I have learned a few things from them. You know that, though." His eyes continued to look over her as he spoke.
"Why are you here?" Making an attempt to wiggle away, her voice cracked as she spoke. Faithe flinched almost violently as Eddie raised his hand, threatning to back hand her; however, grinning at her reaction, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes, which had begun watering.
"You know exactly what I want." Whispering softly, his hand moved to her ponytail and pulled her hair down.
"Please don't." Her voice came out more of a squeak than anything, and she tried to step back. Of course, being up against the door, she didn't get very far. Pulling her away from the door, he walked over to the couch. Turning her around so she was facing him, Eddie leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Faithe became slightly braver as she struggled against his hold, though she didn't hold much hope of actually overcoming him in strength. His grip tightning around her, he lifted her chin so she didn't have any choice but to look at him.
"Izzy, why are you fighting me? Nobody else wants you. Lorenz proved that you weren't good enough for him." Eddie's voice was no longer a whisper, but he was still using a soft voice, filled with malicious glee. Swallowing the lump down in her throat, Faithe averted her gaze to the left side of Eddie's face.
"How did you know about that?" spoke with an incredulous expression on her face, though her voice still sounded meek.
"I have my ways, love." As he spoke, he ran his hand down her jawline. His hand moved down to her necklace. "He left you for the very woman he broke your heart with all those months ago. You could never make him happy Faithe. He wants more than what you can give him." Running his finger along the star, he trailed down her the middle of her torso, stopping above her belly button.
"Eddie, I'm begging you. Please don't." Giving him a pleading look, Faithe's voice was nearly inaudible. She knew he was right about Orlando, but she refused to let him see that. Although, her expression gave away that she agreed with him on that issue. Eddie merely smirked, taking a step forward, and causing Faithe to take a step backward. When she did, her legs backed up against the couch, and she quickly found herself sitting down. The glint in his eyes showed her that that had been the plan. Eddie, meanwhile, had been pulling out his wand.
"Normally I would enjoy listening to you beg, but not now. I've waited a long time to be in this position, and I'd rather live it up." Pointing his wand at her, a smirk spread over his face. "Imperio." Once the spell had been cast, Eddie laid his wand on the table. Leaning over, his lips pressed against Faithe's, only this time, she didn't pull away. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed aggressively, pushing her down on the couch.
**
"Happy Birthday, baby girl." Leaning down, Faithe scooped up Kaytlin, now six years old, into her arms.
"Aunt Belle! Guess what? Betha bought me a special doll for my birthday! She looks just like me!" Wiggling out of Faithe's arms, Kayte skipped off down the hallway towards her room. It amazed Faithe how well the young girl had bounced back from being kidnapped. Jake had considered alterating her memory, but Faithe had talked him out of it. She believed that Kayte had the right to remember that, and it could prove to be beneficial.
"Faithe?" Betha walked out of the kitchen, her face covered in flour, as well as her hair. "I'd hug you, but I'm a mess. Jake thought it would be fun to bake Kaytin a cake. Of course, we ended up in a flour fight." Smiling, she offered Faithe a wink. Faithe did her best to smile back, but there was that look of vacancy in her eyes, as well as a troubled look.
"That's Jake all right. He in the kitchen?" Setting all her stuff down on the couch, Faithe ran a hand through her hair.
"Yes. I'm just running to the bathroom to clean up." Grinning, Betha walked down the hall. Jake and Betha had known each other for years, but had only been dating for a month. Kaytlin was incredibly taken with the twenty-one year old, which was one of the reasons Faithe respected her so much. Betha had been a breath of fresh air for Jake, and Faithe was happy for him. Walking into the itched, she picked up a sliced up piece of apple and munched on it. There were about to be ten kids showing up, and three adults among them. It would prove to be an interesting night...
The week before the opening of the ballet, everybody's nerves were on end. They had gone from eleven-hour days, to eighteen-hour days. Over half the cast, including the two lead dancers, had developed a small dependency on No Doze pills. Even the closest of friends had begun nipping at each other. It had already been decided that the day before the first performance, they would only do one run through in costume, and everybody was encouraged to go home and sleep. Grabbing her bag, Faithe started for the door.
"Hey Cunningham! Hang on a sec!" Roger Blaise, the writer of the ballet, was jogging after her. Raising an inquiring eyebrow, Faithe stopped and stared at him curiously. "Miss Thing, I just got off the phone with Dimitri Schneider. He's a representative from the Russian Ballet, and he be here tomorrow night, looking at you." Grinning, Roger bent down and kissed her cheek before heading off. Once she was in the bathroom, she wasted no time apparating home.
Eddie was there waiting for her, as he'd done twice before. He'd made sure that she wouldn't open her mouth about his visits to her.
"If you want Kaytlin to continue living a life of contentment, you'll keep this yourself. Who knows, maybe one of these days I won't have to control your mind." With the prospect of Kayte's life getting disrupted, Faithe had kept her mouth shut. Life was one big gray area for Faithe, and she was almost scared to know what would become of it.
