Updating once again. I think Friday is going to be a regular update day so I guess for all you awesome people who actually like my story, look for updates then! Anyways…Please read and review, it helps me out a lot.
At about 6:30, Serena headed down to the small rehearsal room where she was told her private lesson for the evening would take place. She fixed her hair before she pushed open the door and walked into the dark room. She looked around, and when she noticed that she was alone, she set her bag on the floor, and slipped her pointe shoes on, wrapping the ribbons around her ankles in the manner which she had known since she had first been allowed to dance on her toes at the age of eleven.
She quickly stretched at the barre before slipping on a pair of legwarmers and a tight dance jacket that conformed to the shape of her upper body. She quickly took her place in the middle of the dance floor, positioning herself with one foot pointed behind the other and her arms stretched out in front of her,
She then began dancing the steps that she had learned long ago as she listened to the dance's music in her head. She had never had a more complicated dance to learn, not that the steps were necessarily hard, but the emotion and feeling behind it was overwhelming and she had worked extremely hard in order to perfect it. She had received a standing ovation from her performance, and the ballet scouts in the audience who had witnessed it quickly made sure she was at the next audition for their company.
It was a complicated mixture of turns and jumps all the while giving off the appearance that she was dying, a performance of Petipa and Ivanov at their best. Not every great dancer was fit for the role. It was something that had to be felt; it was pure, undiluted emotion that Serena felt every time she danced one of the most famous dances in the history of ballet.
She laid herself elegantly on the ground, signaling the end of the dance, breathing as heavily as if she had recently finished running a marathon. She waited silently, basking in the wonderful feeling she experienced, when she heard clapping coming from somewhere in the room.
She shot up and turned to see her idol leaning against the doorway dressed in dancewear that looked to have seen the best of its years some time ago. Her once black leotard was now almost a dark gray, the dance skirt was faded and the pink legwarmers that her legs donned were ratted around the edges. She wore canvas ballet flats, which were losing the toe and the heel extremely quickly. The one item that seemed relatively new was the burgundy dance jacket that she had wrapped around her torso.
"Bravo, Serena. I must say, I have never seen a performance of the Dying Swan from Swan Lake that was performed that well in a long time. You suit the role well. "
Serena blushed and stared at the floor, having received a compliment from one of America's greatest dancers.
"Thank you, Madam Meioh. I worked hard in order to express the sadness behind it."
"Sestuna, please, and that is evident. I don't think Raye Henderson would have been able to pull it off as well, and that's saying a great deal."
Serena blushed again, as Sestuna walked to the barre and stood in first position.
"Let's begin."
Serena only nodded and took her place behind the most renowned prima in her lifetime.
An hour later, Serena walked out of the studio with a huge smile on her face although she was drenched in sweat and her leg muscles ached immensely. The person instructing her privately was the one person she had fantasized meeting since she was five. Sestuna did work her hard, but that was the small price to pay in order to be the best, which Sestuna had been at one point in her life.
She reached her room and walked in silently, throwing her bag down in front of the door. She pulled her hair from the confines of the bobby pins and hair ties that had been there all day. She heaved an exhausted sigh as she walked towards her bed and laid down on it.
Mina strolled out of the bathroom and upon noticing Serena, ran and jumped on her bed, with Serena still in it.
"No time for sleeping! We have to get you ready for your date!"
Serena groaned loudly as she rolled out of bed and lazily slid towards the bathroom. Why did she have to tell Mina about the date with Chad?
"Don't worry, I already picked out your dress. It's hanging on the closet door. Now, hurry up and shower so we can fix your hair and do your makeup!"
Serena sighed and walked into the bathroom, slightly slamming the door behind her.
Serena strolled out of the shower half an hour later, slightly more awake and happier than she was when she went in. She was rid of the sticky sweat that had accumulated on her skin, and the stench that came with it. Her head adorned a fluffy pink towel that was attempting to dry her hair and the rest of her was covered in a matching bathrobe and fuzzy pink slippers.
She made her way towards the closet, noticing that Mina had disappeared, and found a gorgeous spaghetti strap baby blue dress made out of a silky material covered with a soft swishy fabric. The dress had to belong to Mina, for Serena could not remember owning anything this beautiful. She laid it on her bed and went in search for shoes, when she noticed matching high-heeled sandals against the wall next to the closet.
She quickly went to go blow dry her hair and brush her teeth so that she might be able to slip on the dress before her. When she finished, she slipped the dress off the hanger and felt the material between her fingers.
Mina burst through the door carrying a large bag filled to the brim with hair supplies. Serena gulped and laid the dress back on the bed.
"Oh good, you've already dried your hair. You're not allowed to put the dress on yet! We still have to do your hair and makeup! Didn't you know that the dress is always the last thing you put on? Follow me."
Serena slumped slightly and followed Mina back into the bathroom where she proceeded to curl and roll Serena's hair as she applied makeup to her face.
At about 8:15, Serena walked into the bedroom, and slipped on the soft blue dress, noticing that it fit her perfectly. It couldn't have possibly been Mina's. Mina was slightly larger in the bust and the hips than Serena, but it seemed as if the dress was made for her. She slipped on the heels and then walked towards the full-length mirror. She gasped when she saw her reflection. Mina certainly had done a good job. Her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail that had been pulled into a small bun, much like Sestuna's hair yesterday when the had first met. Her makeup was discreet but noticeable and accentuated Serena's eyes, the sky blue being brought out even more because of the dress.
Mina stepped out of the bathroom and squealed, running over to hug her new roomie.
"Oh Serena! You look absolutely gorgeous!"
Serena smiled as she hugged Mina. They both then turned to look at Serena in the mirror, squealing with delight.
"By the way, Mina. Where on earth did you get this dress?"
"Well, I went to Chanel once and I saw it, but it was the only one they had left, so I held it up and it seemed like it fit so I bought it without ever trying it on. I brought back here and realized that it didn't fit in the bust, but I had to keep it because I just couldn't return it. Plus, I don't think Chanel does returns. Although, it does seem to fit you nicely, so I think I'll just let you keep it."
Serena's eyes bugged out of her head. Was Mina serious? Chanel definitely wasn't exactly cheap, and Serena definitely didn't deserve such an expensive dress for doing nothing.
"Mina, I can't accept it. It must have cost you a fortune, and you never got the chance to wear it."
"Don't be silly! I want you to have it. Besides, you look absolutely perfect! Chad will go nuts."
Serena smiled, knowing that she wasn't going to win this fight. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror once more. She did look perfect.
A knock came at the door, causing both girls to jump. Serena went to pick up her purse and hugged Mina goodbye, thanking her for helping her get ready. Mina smiled back and pushed Serena towards the door, who then opened it.
"Is Serena the…Oh hey Serena…wow you look gorgeous!"
Serena blushed and smiled as she took in Chad's appearance. He was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt and royal blue tie. She noticed that they matched although not on purpose.
"You don't look so bad yourself, Chad. You want to go?"
"Sure let's go."
A young black haired man pushed through the doors to the lobby of impeccably clean marble building, walking up to the front desk where a young lady was speaking on the phone with her back facing him.
"Excuse me miss…"
She held up one finger in the air as she continued talking on the phone.
The young man cleared his throat and spoke a little louder.
"Excuse me, miss…"
The woman ignored him and began talking louder to her companion on the opposite end of the phone line.
"EXCUSE ME CAN I GET SOME HELP AROUND HERE!"
She said an irritable good-bye and slammed the phone down on the receiver.
"GOD! Some people have NO respect. God Damn! Could you not see that I was…on…the…phone?" Her voice trailed off as she turned around in her chair and faced the gorgeous man now glaring angrily at her. She leaned on her hands and smiled at him, batting her eyelashes.
"Hello, my name is Ann Smith. How may I be of service to you?" She openly flirted with the young man, who inwardly cringed at the sound of her voice.
"Darien Johnston, nice to meet you. Can you please tell me the room number of Serena Carmichael?"
The smile quickly vanished from her face as she angrily looked up the information.
"It's 417, which is on the 4th floor, 9th door on the left…"
She frowned even more and kicked the desk as the young man ran towards the staircase.
"415, 416, 417!" Darien straightened his shirt as he rapped his knuckles against the door. The sound of a lock was heard and the door opened slightly to reveal a blonde haired woman.
"Hi, I'm Darien Johnston. Is Serena here?"
"Mina Anderson, and no she isn't. She left about fifteen minutes ago on a date. I'm sorry, I'll tell her you stopped by." She shut the door softly and clicked the lock into place again.
Darien frowned slightly. The idea of Serena being on a date what wasn't with him unsettled him greatly. He walked down the hallway in deep thought about his next move.
