Alright, this was up here once before, but I'm resubmitting it now that I've got it completely finished. R&R but please don't flame. Questions and comments greatly appreciated :)
Chapter One
The Audition
Dinah Queen stood just outside the studio, her hands shaking slightly. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a large, tight bun on the back of her head. Her bangs were plastered back in hopes that they wouldn't fall and get in her face halfway through the audition class. She wore a black leotard and pink tights, and pink pointe shoes covered her feet. Pinned to the front and back of her leotard was a piece of paper with the number 28 written in large, dark writing.
Dinah's long, muscular legs gave her away immediately as a dancer. Her arms, though, did not resemble a dancer's willowy slender arms. Years of archery had built and toned her arms. At first her upper body seemed too muscular for a truly feminine beauty, but, upon further inspection, it was clear that her surprisingly muscular body suited her well. Her well-toned body gave her vivacious, sensual curves.
Dinah had well defined cheekbones. Her skin was nicely tanned, but not darkened. She had beautiful sparkling green eyes, highlighted now by the green shadow on her lids. She had full lips, almost always curled into either a smile or a pout. Dinah's grandfather was constantly telling her that she looked exactly like her grandmother had when she was younger.
Dinah glanced around nervously at the other dancers waiting for the class to begin. It was obvious each one was just as nervous as she was. That was reassuring to say the least.
From around the corner she heard someone shouting. "Birdie! Where you at, blondie?" Dinah dropped her head into her hands, sighing. Skidding around the corner came her uncle Roy Harper. Immediately Dinah knew why he was here.
She started shaking her head. "No, Roy! Not right now!"
"I don't make the schedule, Birdie." He said, grabbing her wrist. "Now come on, I've got your stuff … "
Dinah jerked her wrist from Roy's grasp. "No!" She exclaimed. "Not now. This is my time. I told grandpa that. I told him I'm not going out today."
"You don't get it, Birdie." He said, he grabbed her wrist to drag her around the corner. He lowered his voice to a hiss. "There's a robbery on 5th and Woodbury."
"You can take care of it, Roy." Dinah hissed. "This is iJulliard/i, Roy. Do you understand that? It's iJulliard/i. I'm not leaving."
From the door to the studio, Dinah heard a voice calling for their class to begin. She looked over her shoulder and started away. Roy grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Which is more important to you, Birdie?" He demanded.
Dinah shook her head, narrowing her eyes. Without responding she turned around and stormed away. She went into the class and Roy left in a huff.
As the door closed behind her, Dinah calmed herself, finding her center and concentrating on the class before her. Mirrors covered two walls and a long line of stern-looking people sat in front of them. In the right hand corner of the room, down the line of judges, was a baby grand piano. A man sat there eyes closed, swaying to the music he heard in his head as he played it on the closed lid of the piano.
A man stood up in front of the judges. He was a tall and lean. His body was obviously that of a man who had danced his entire life. His dark brown hair was thick with more than a touch of gray. At the temples, thick streaks of gray were visible. He had a kind face, with bright blue eyes and wrinkles at the edges. These wrinkles deepened as he smiled.
"Good morning, girls." He said in a heavily accented voice. iRussian/i, Dinah noted. "Many of you may know me, my name is Nikolai Radetsky." A collective gasp shuddered through the room, the man smiled. "I am the head of the Dance Department at Julliard. I will be conducting your class today. Let us begin the beguine, as they say." He chuckled, and Dinah smiled. Few others knew the reference to Frank Sinatra. Few others would know the name "Frank Sinatra".
"We shall begin at the barre. iPlié/i." With that, class began.
----
Dinah was halfway through the class when it happened. She was already dripping with sweat, and class wasn't over yet. She was in the middle of the grande allegro – in mid air legs spread wide leaping across the room. Her mind was suddenly struck with the ghastly image of a bullet striking Arsenal – Roy Harper. She tightened up and as she landed, her ankle twisted and snapped, shattering under her weight at such an odd angle. She collapsed onto the ground.
Dinah cried out, though she wasn't sure if she was crying for the pain in her ankle, or the image of Roy being shot. Immediately the judges leaned over her, asking her what hurt.
"Does this hurt?" Asked one woman, pushing the girl's foot. Dinah gave a loud cry and jerked her foot away from the woman, kicking her with her good foot in the process. The woman fell back, shocked.
Nikolai Radetsky shoved through the judges and knelt by the girl. "Shhhh, Dinah." He put a calming hand on her forehead. He took her foot and gently prodded the ankle. When Dinah would cry out, he would stop, put his hand back on her forehead, and say, "Shhh … I know it hurts … It's alright, Dinah."
"It's broken." He whispered to Dinah. "Call an ambulance." He said to a man standing behind him. He again put his hand on Dinah's forehead. "It's alright, Birdie. It's alright, now."
Even through her pain, Dinah wondered how he knew her nickname. The thought drifted away as the movement of a toe sent waves of pain through her entire leg.
----
Weeks later, Dinah sat in a recliner across from the wounded Roy Harper. He lay on the couch at Ollie's house, dead asleep and snoring. His left arm was in a sling to avoid agitating the bullet wound in his shoulder.
Dinah closed her eyes, trying to drown out the growl of Roy's snore. Finally, when the obnoxious noise wouldn't cease, Dinah lifted her head up, grabbing the pillow she slept on and threw it at Roy with all her might. He snorted quietly and batted at the air lazily. The incessant snoring continued, much to Dinah's displeasure.
Then her grandfather came into the room and smacked Roy upside the head to wake him.
He had obviously once been a handsome man with a muscular, lean body. Age had been relatively kind to him, but his body had become much stockier and his once thick blonde hair was receding and mostly gray now. He still bore a beard, the only change being the gray. His face had aged well, the few wrinkles made it obvious that he was the kind of man who liked to smile.
Oliver held out a hand to his granddaughter. "Come on. You've got a doctor's appointment."
With the support of her grandfather, Dinah pulled herself off the couch and hopped over to her crutches. "Why do I have to go to the doctor again, Ollie?" She asked, hobbling her way over to the door.
"Because I need to see how soon you can start your physical therapy." He said, opening the door for her. "We need to get you back out there soon."
"I'm just going to drop you off. I've got a meeting." Oliver said as he helped Dinah into the car.
"Fine." Dinah said with a distressed sigh.
----
Dinah had spent almost an hour and a half sitting in the waiting room. She'd fallen asleep within the first half hour.
A young man came up to the sleeping girl and tapped her on the shoulder. She jolted awake, knocking her head into the man's. She pulled back, shocked, the man reeled back. He smiled at her and Dinah felt herself fall into his dazzling gray eyes and deep dimples.
"Are you Dinah Queen?" He asked, chuckling slightly. Dazed, Dinah could only nod. The man's dimples deepened as his smile grew. "Name's Will Knight."
Will held out a hand to help Dinah up. Gladly, she took his hand and stood with all her weight on her good leg. She noticed his strong arms flex as he pulled her up. He reached over and grabbed her crutches, then helped her onto them. He then led her down the hallway.
Dinah gladly walked behind him, watching the light catch on his dark brown curls. His tightly curled hair was long enough that he pulled it into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. As he glanced back to check on her, she noticed a few pieces didn't make it into the band and fell around his face. She watched the muscles under his shirt ripple as he moved, then allowed her gaze even farther down. The view from behind brought a large smile to her face. She shook her head, blushing. She focused her thoughts on walking with the crutches without looking like a fool.
He stopped at room number fifty-three and helped her up onto the bed. He leaned the crutches next to her and leaned into the table, asking her the routine questions.
"What are you here for today?" He asked, looking up at her. "I realize that it's obvious, but I have to ask."
She gave him a coy smile, switching suddenly from her dazed trance into what Lian called her flirtation beacon. She said in a smooth, unfaltering voice, "Yeah, I think there's something wrong with my eyes. I can't take them off of you."
Will started to write down the answer then stopped, looking up at her. "What?" He asked, laughing. Dinah smiled at him, and laughed with him.
"Was that one just too awful?" Dinah asked. "How about this: 'Do you know CPR? Because you take my breath away.' Is that one better? How about this: 'Do you hear that? It's an ambulance coming because my heart stopped when I saw you.' No? I don't really like that one anyways. How about this, 'Could you tell your girlfriend she's the luckiest girl on Earth for me?'" Dinah smiled even bigger, winking at him.
Will was holding his stomach laughing by this point. "Most people just do one pick-up line at a time." He said as his laughter slowed.
"I like to keep my options open." Dinah said, shrugging. "So which one would you go for?"
Will shook his head laughing again. "Come on, Miss Queen. I'm going to get in trouble here." He picked up his clipboard again. "Now then what are we seeing you for today?"
"Broke my ankle dancing. This is a check up." Dinah said, pursing her lips, trying to think of her next move.
Will nodded, jotting it down. "Alright, when did you break your foot?"
"My ankle. Three weeks ago." She said, starting to panic as she realized she might be losing her chance.
"How old are you?" He asked, still keeping up a very professional manner.
"Seventeen." She responded, giving into the inevitable. She was just never going to get this guy's number.
"Do you have a history of beauty in your family?" H asked, still professional.
Dinah opened her mouth to answer then stopped, realizing what he'd said. She grinned. "Why yes, I do."
Will didn't look up from his clipboard, but Dinah could see him smiling. "Now then, I'm going to need your personal phone number for insurance reasons."
"Oh, of course!" Dinah said, playing along. "576-9097, just ask for Birdie."
He wrote this down on his hand and then looked up with a smile and a wink. "Alright, the doctor will be in shortly."
"Thank you." Dinah said as he slipped out of the room.
