All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: Okay, everyone. For reasons unknown, I've decided to split this chapter in two...mostly so it won't be insanely long and for another reason that I'm not yet quite sure of.
Now, kids that appear in this chapter are as follows: Vivi, 12yrs/8thgrd: Nika, 12yrs/8thgrd: Bailey, 14yrs/9thgrd: Carlos, 2yrs: Marc, 14yrs.9thgrd and as always, Gabriel's age is next to the chapter and he is currently in 8thgrd.
oh, right...all the ballet terminology I looked up on wikipedia so if I have anything wrong, my apologies. I love ballet but I didn't get the chance to study it deeply growing up, being I preferred to dance everything and not just one kind.
Chapter Fifty-Four (12 yrs old)
Part A
December 4th
Lifting her leg up unto the portable barre she had bought last year with her birthday and chore money, she made sure her right foot stayed in fifth position, toes of her left foot pointed as she stretched her arms over her head before twisting her waist to the left then lowering her torso parallel to her stretched leg.
The soft guitar music coming from the docking station of her pink iPod increase in tempo but she didn't let herself move with it, keeping her movements smooth and slow, her muscles warming up in the way she knew meant she was ready to dance.
Checking her posture in the wall to wall, ceiling to floor mirrors, she slowly straightened up, bringing her leg down and moving her arms into second position before she shook herself, moving over to the docking station to pick up the iPod and flip through the playlists, choosing Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker before setting it back in place as the first number started to play.
Moving to the middle of the room, she glanced at the clock over the door. Nika still had thirteen minutes to show up so they could work on their duet so while she waited, she was going to practice for her part as Clara.
Miss Trinity had held auditions during the summer for the Trinity School of Dance performance of The Nutcracker. It had been an intense two weeks being every girl in her en pointe class wanted the main role of Clara but in the end, Miss Trinity had chosen Vivi for the much coveted role. Vivi understood the other girls' envy –well, Nika had no envy being she was given the second most coveted role of the Sugar Plum Fairy –due to the amazing news of not only performing with all the students at Trinity's –beginners, intermediate and advance –but also the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company. The performance was going to be in McCaw Hall at the Seattle Center and the proceeds were going to benefit the school.
As the second number began to play, Vivi rose to her toes, moving gracefully from step to step, occasionally stopping when she reached a part that included her dance partner.
It didn't take long for her to get lost in the music, to stop thinking and simply move, arms and legs gracefully shifting from one position to the next, holding herself with the elegant tension required of all committed ballerinas. Ending with the music, she relaxed as the sound of clapping from the door had her turning, her already flushed face beaming as her best friend dropped her gym bag next to hers.
"That was beautiful, Vivi," Nika toed off her sneakers, taking out her pointe shoes and gray leg warmers, "You definitely have what it takes to be a prima ballerina."
Vivi chuckled, feeling self-conscious as she shook out her legs, "I don't know about that. Miss Trinity says I'm still too stiff."
"I didn't see any stiffness."
"Well, that's because I was dancing alone."
"Ah," Nika finished lacing the ribbons of her shoes, pulling on the leg warmers to her knees before standing up and removing her oversized sweater, stuffing it into her bag as she pulled out her black wrap around skirt, "She has a point, you know. You want to be a prima, you need to be able to dance with a partner."
"I know," Vivi pushed up on her toes, fluidly moving into an arabesque as Nika replaced the iPod on the docking station with her own, "It's just…I'm not used to being touched…that way."
"What do you mean?"
Vivi moved into several petite allegros as Nika made use of the portable barre, the music coming from the speakers upbeat and fast, "Well…he touches my leg."
"He has too, Vivi," Nika bend her stretched out leg, arms a perfect oval over her head, "Roger has been dancing pas de deux since he was thirteen but even so, if you don't learn to trust him, he might drop you."
"That doesn't worry me," Vivi dropped into first position, biting her bottom lip, "It's the touching that makes me nervous."
"Hasn't Gabriel –"
"No," Vivi shook her head, watching as Nika moved away from the barre and proceeded to perform a battery –whole family of techniques and steps involving turns and jumps, "He's a perfect gentleman. He holds my hand and sometimes…"
Nika stopped, holding an ecarte as she caught her breath, brown eyes on Vivi, "Sometimes what?"
Vivi blushed as she began to move again, slow enough to be able to talk, "When he looks into my eyes, he'll touch my face with his fingers."
Nika grinned at the dreamy look on her best friend's face, "You really have it bad for him, uh?"
No words were necessary, Vivi's shy smile saying it all as Nika moved to the docking station, picking up her green iPod to flip through the playlists, "Well, I think Roger is very cute."
"He is," Vivi agreed with a shrug as she sunk into a fondu, "He's also sixteen."
"And he likes you."
Vivi popped up in surprise, giving Nika a look of bemusement, "I'm twelve years old."
"He does not know that," Nika smiled as she moved to stand next to her, both facing the mirrors, "You look like fourteen going on fifteen."
"But I'm not," Vivi kept her arms held before her, Nika doing the same as they both sank into a grand plie, moving with exact synchronization, "He thinks I'm just a kid."
Nika gave her friend a teasing wink, "Well, not unless you tell him you're twelve."
Two hours later, they were both breathing hard, their leotards plastered to their bodies as they wiped their faces, Vivi finishing the last bottle of water she had packed in her gym bag.
"So what do you think," Nika removed her slippers, leaving the leg warmers on to prevent her warm muscles from cramping once they stepped out into the cold.
"I definitely think it'll surprise the judges," Vivi easily folded the barre and slid it into its bag, pulling it shut by the draw string before slinging it over her shoulder along with her pink gym bag, fur lined boots already on her feet, "Even I couldn't have choreographed to a Maroon 5 song."
"It's why we'll win the finals," Nika's confidence was contagious as they walked out of the room they reserved three times a week for two hours at the La Push Community Center. The larger rooms –like the one used for Tia Rosa and Tio Seth's wedding –required deposits but the one they used only needed advanced reservation with the center's receptionist, Mikki.
"Hey look," Vivi pointed at the free standing sign beside the receptionist's empty desk, "I didn't know Quileute High School had a cheerleading squad."
Nika looked at the sign announcing try-outs in Conference Room 'C': "The don't. Try-outs are for next year –not only will we have a new squad but there's also going to be a new football team –all thanks to the new stadium that's being built starting the new year."
"Wow," Vivi reached down to rub her calve as the faint sounds of chanting and cheering made its way down the hall to the foyer, "Is the student population growing?"
"I heard mama and Daddy talking," Nika tugged at Vivi's arm as she made her way down the hall, curious to see which of her school mates was trying out for the squad, "Apparently, next year will be the biggest student body the high school has ever had. Thanks to your aunt, the council is putting money into the high school, hoping it would increase the chances of a higher graduating percentage, not to mention college acceptance what with the Harry Clearwater Scholarship making it financially possible to afford higher education."
"Okay, hold on," Vivi stopped outside the double doors to the conference room, one of them propped open, "What does my aunt have to do with the council putting money into the school?"
Nika's brown eyes widened in shock, "You don't know?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did."
"Well," Nika wondered what to say but since it wasn't a secret, she supposed there was nothing to hide, "The last exhibit your aunt put on –"
"Passing the Rites," Vivi interrupted as she shifted the strap of her barre bag, "Minerva said it got the highest revenue since the Imprint exhibit."
"Well, since it focused on our customs and stuff, your aunt signed over seventy-five percent of the sales to the reservation."
Vivi's gold-brown eyes widened in surprise, "Seventy-five percent?"
"That's what I heard."
"Wow."
"Yeah," Nika grinned as she dropped her gym bag at her feet, "Thanks to her, we're getting a computer lab as well as the stadium and a field house."
"I bet Brad's excited about the lab."
Nika nodded, moving to the open door at the sound of a familiar voice, "That I know of. Now it's a matter of finding more teachers and coa –oh. My. God."
"What," Vivi moved around her to look into the brightly lit room, "Is that…no way."
"Uh-uh," Nika couldn't close her mouth, eyes wide as they watched the five foot six inch girl in the middle of the room, dark brown hair in a high ponytail and a big smile on her face as she called out a cheer, accompanied by sharp peppy motions, "I'm almost positive it's her…the smile makes me doubt, though."
They giggled, watching as she jumped and twirled, did back flips, front flips and high kicks on command, ending the whole thing with a Chinese split, the applause from the other girls –about twenty or so –almost deafening.
"I had no idea she could do that," Vivi's voice was soft with awe, sudden realization hitting her between the eyes, "She'll kill us if she sees us here."
"Too late," Nika pushed Vivi back, spinning around to grab her gym bag, both of them running towards the foyer but they didn't make it out in time.
"What the fuck are you two doing here?"
They froze a couple of feet from the glass front doors, seconds ticking by before they slowly turned with bright smiles on their faces.
"We were practicing," Nika pointed to the opposite always where the smaller rooms branched off, "We have finals in February so we were working on our new routine. It's actually pretty awesome considering most people wouldn't pair up ballet with Maroon 5 –"
Bailey interrupted Nika's babbling as she drew a circle in the air with her hand, "Where in all that shit is it required for you to spy on me?"
"We weren't spying on you," Vivi protested, shifting under the weight of Bailey's glare, "Well, not exactly."
Bailey arched an eyebrow at them, arms crossed over her chest, "Not exactly?"
"I just wanted to see if any of my friends were trying out," Nika lifted a shoulder in a shrug, shifting her weight as Vivi nodded in agreement.
Bailey's scowl didn't lessen as they stood in awkward silence, Vivi finally breaking it with an obvious yet very important question, "You know you'll have to wear a skirt, right?"
Bailey didn't say anything, Nika deciding to contribute to the conversation, "A really short one."
"What?"
"The skirts," Vivi scratched the back of her knee with the toe of her boot, "They are really short."
"They barely cover your butt," Nika couldn't hold back the incredulity at their discovery any longer, "and you have to flip and kick and everyone will be able to see –"
"I know," Bailey interrupted her, eyes rolling as she dropped her arms to her sides, "I'm not thrilled about the uniform but I just…I thought I'd give it a try."
Vivi and Nika looked at each other in shock before they simultaneously asked two questions.
"Why?"
"Did someone dare you?"
Bailey let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders relaxing a bit, "No, I just…I'm just tired of Gabe, Marc and Brad treating me like a guy all the time."
The surprise was identical on both their faces, Vivi finally speaking up, "That's because you get upset whenever they point out you're a girl."
Bailey rolled her eyes, "Because when they say it, it's meant as an insult."
"Being a girl is not insulting."
Vivi crossed her arms over her chest, her pink sweater keeping her upper body warm although her legs were another matter, "Neither is liking the color pink."
"That's not insulting –it's stereotypical."
Ready with a retort, Vivi got interrupted as a girl a few inches shorter than the three girls joined them in the foyer, "Bailey, the schedule's being passed out and coach wants you in there."
Bailey looked at her in surprise, "I made it?"
She nodded, her ponytail bobbing, "Yep, only like five of them didn't."
"Who?"
She giggled as she rocked up on her toes, "Susan Hopson and her friends."
Bailey laughed, Nika snickering as well, the sound of their names being yelled down the hall having Baile and her friend bead back to the conference room but not before Bailey threatened Nika and Vivi.
"Tell anyone about this and I'll kill you."
The silence she left behind was slightly heavy, the girls turning to leave the center, Vivi nibbling on her bottom lip as she looked sideways at Nika:
"How exactly is she keeping this a secret?"
December 6th
Billy Black was used to living alone and despite his daughter's constant nagging, he had no desire to change his current situation.
Be that as it may, he didn't mind having company over, especially of the kid variety which was why his house was currently daycare center.
Rolling into the living room, he smiled at the sight of Emmie and Tyra kneeling before the coffee table, the former helping the latter with her math homework, which consisted of simple addition and subtraction.
School still had another week to go so Billy had reign over the Laskaris brood –the school aged ones –twice a week for four hours, the whole purpose to teach them of their Quileute heritage. This included language as well as customs, history and other important factors they would have been learning were they not attending the white man's schools.
Billy admired Leah's determination to give her children the best of both worlds which was why he agreed to tutor her kids some years back when there were three of them. Now, however, he was contemplating seeking help from Dee Hoopsun for assistance with the teaching…not only was she fluent but she was already a teacher who loved children –it didn't hurt she was pretty to look at and a widow to boot.
The relative quietness of the room had him a bit worried as he looked around the living room for the twins –not just Alyx and Andrey but his own granddaughters as well.
He knew where the rest of them were –William was napping in his room while Gabriel and Zak were in what had once been the girls' bedroom and was now his workshop, both boys working on their carving skills. Emmie and Tyra accounted for, he caught sight of Marilynn lying on her stomach behind the armchair, quietly flipping through her favorite picture book.
Moving around to look behind the long couch, he bit back a laugh. There was Skye with Andrey and Alyx, coloring books and markers spread around them. Unfortunately for their parents, all there were using each other as canvases, sitting in a triangle and drawing on their arms, legs and clothes.
"Okay, you three," Billy smirked as the boys gave a slight jump, both of them giving him guilty looks while Skye, on the other hand, jumped up and ran to him, climbing up unto his lap as she showed him her arms.
"Look, pappy," she gave him a bright smile, "I be pretty!"
"You're already pretty, Skye."
"But I have color," Skye pointed at places in her arms and legs, "See? This is blue bird and here's yellow sun –"
"Can you remember grandpa's word for sun," Billy asked, seamlessly starting their vocabulary lesson.
Skye shook her head, giving him the big puppy eyes that got her out of trouble with both him and Paul, "I forgotted."
"What about you two," Billy motioned Alyx and Andrey over to the couch, calling out for Gabe and Zak to join them, "Can you remember the Quileute word for sun?"
"It's qahla," Tyra answered when they shook their heads, all four brothers sitting in the long couch, Andrey and Alyx giggling as Gabe snuck in a tickle.
Billy beamed at the little blond –out of all of Leah's kids, she seemed to be the most adept at mastering the nearly extinct language, "That is correct! How about the word for water?"
"Kwaiya," Zak answered in his quiet voice, smiling as Marilynn climbed up into his lap. For some reason, the quiet little girl was drawn to him, probably because neither felt the need to fill the silence with unnecessary chatter.
"Right," Billy nodded with a pleased smile, looking over at Gabe, "Now, how about the word for moon? Gabriel?"
Gabe gave Billy a guilty glance, having been tickling Alyx and Andrey, the two little terrors sitting on either side of him, and not paying attention, "Uhm…petetchu?"
"No," Tyra shook her head, pigtails dancing with the motion, "Its pititchu."
"Good job, Ty," Billy reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a leather band with intricate designs imprinted into the dark color, "Now, I've got this special bracelet here, a gift from my great grandfather. There's a very important story behind it –would you like to hear it?"
This was where all of them were in agreement –they all loved story time with Billy.
December 14th
Port Angeles
Trinity School of Dance
"Bravo! Bravo!"
Trinity Paizza clapped as she moved to the front of her dance studio, dark eyes dancing as she smiled at her intermediate and advanced students, "Well done, all of you. Now remember, we still have five more rehearsals to go before the big show. Please, please don't miss any of them."
"We won't," they all chimed, moving around to keep their warm bodies in motion, made necessary after three hours of dancing, jumping and stretching.
"Friday is the final costume fitting so please, make an effort to try out your costumes between now and then, just in case alterations are needed."
They all nodded, sinking into curtseys and bows in response to her own, all knowing they had been dismissed for the day.
Vivi gave Roger a shy smile along with a see you later, her partner smiling back as he pulled on sweats over the opaque tights he wore, "Sure."
Pulling on her own sweats and sweater, she met Nika at the door, both girls walking out of the studio into the cold Port Angeles air, immediately spotting Rose's car in the parking lot.
"I'm thinking we should totally vegg out tonight," Nika suggested as they stepped off the curb towards the dark gray car, "Watch a movie, stuff our faces with cookies and chips."
"Oh, I can totally do that," Vivi agreed with a smile as she hitched her gym bag higher up her shoulder, "My only costume is a nightgown so I don't really need any last minute fittings. You, on the other hand –"
"Hey, Vivi! Wait up!"
They stopped a couple of feet from their destination, turning as Roger ran across the parking lot towards them, the wet breeze ruffling his dark blond hair as he stopped to stand in front of the girls, "So, I was thinking…"
Nika gave Vivi a nudge in the arm, Rose's voice behind them having all three look towards the opened driver side window, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," Vivi nodded, working hard to keep from blushing but she couldn't help herself, "Tia, this is Roger. He's my dance partner for the Christmas performance."
Rose gave Roger a bright smile, "It's a pleasure, Roger. Vivi has spoken of what an amazing dancer you are."
Roger grinned, green eyes twinkling as he looked at a blushing Vivi, Nika's snickers soft yet audible, "Thank you. She's pretty amazing herself."
Vivi's pink blush deepened in color as she shifted her weight, holding on to her bag's strap with both hands, "You wanted to ask me something?"
"Yeah," Roger looked at Nika who had very obviously muffled a giggle before he turned his attention back to Vivi, "So, you know how you've been having a hard time with the lifts and stuff?"
"I'm really trying."
He rushed to assure her, the big gold-brown eyes staring up at him making him willing to do whatever it took to make them dance, "I know and you're getting better. I just thought…we could do a couple practices together, you know…without everyone watching."
"Is Miss Trinity okay with that?"
"Yeah," Roger nodded, lifting a hand in acknowledgement as a white SUV pulled up behind him, "She suggested the ice rink, said if you can trust me to lift you while on ice, you might be able to relax a bit more."
"The ice rink?"
"You know how to ice skate, right," Roger asked, silently pleading with his mother to keep his annoying little sister inside the car as Vivi gave a nod, "Well, how about tomorrow, then? Say…four?"
Vivi turned to look at her aunt, refusing to pay attention to the gleeful look on Nika's face, "Uhm, is that okay Tia?"
Rose bit her lip as she looked at Roger, "I can drop her off at the rink but what time will I need to pick her up?"
"Oh, I can drop her off," Roger lifted a shoulder in a shrug, the look on Rose's face having him rephrase quickly, "What I meant is my mom can pick us up from the rink and drop Vivi off at home, if that's okay with you?"
"Why don't you ask your mom first?"
Roger nodded, heading to the SUV as Nika leaned into Vivi with a giggle, "He totally likes you!"
Vivi flushed, looking over to make sure Roger hadn't heard her, "He does not."
"Then why would he ask you out?"
"He didn't."
"He totally did, Vivi –you are going on a date with Roger."
Vivi didn't think she could blush any brighter but was proven wrong when they heard a high pitched voice coming from the SUV, "Is that your girlfriend?"
Nika laughed, Vivi's humiliation making it impossible for her to see Roger's embarrassment as he returned, giving Rose a sheet of paper with information, "My mom says she can drop off Vivi. That's her cell phone number."
"Alright then," Rose opened her purse and pulled out her planner, tearing out a sheet from the back and jotting down information, "This is our address and my cell phone number. If you can please have her home by six thirty."
"Will do," Roger took the paper with a smile, looking over at Vivi, "See you tomorrow, then?"
"Sure," Vivi nodded with a shy smile, bumping against her best friend to keep her quiet.
"See you later, Nika."
"Sure," Nika bit her lip, both girls getting into the backseat of Rose's car as Roger climbed into the passenger seat of the SUV.
Rose looked into the rearview mirror, watching Nika and Vivi whispering in the backseat, unsure of what to do about the whole thing.
This was as new to her as it was to Vivi so she supposed if she had doubts about it, she could always talk to Seth and have him explain…with his experience concerning girls and the teenage years, he should be able to, right?
Next Day
5:23PM
Rose looked up from the big piece puzzle she was helping Carlos, the knock at the front door having gotten her attention. Standing up from the floor, she laughed as Carlos toddled behind her, the two year old letting out a happy squeal when she opened the front door to reveal Gabriel standing on their front porch.
"Gabe!"
The twelve year old laughed as his little cousin slammed into his legs, easily picking him up to give him a squeeze, "Hey little dude! What ya doing?"
"'Uzzle," Carlos pointed at the pieces scattered in the living room floor, turning big hazel eyes on him, "Gabe play?"
"Nene," Rose's voice had Carlos' attention as he turned to look at his mother, "I think Gabe came looking for Marc."
Carlos threw his arms open wide as he looked at his blue-eyed cousin, "Marc play ball!"
Gabriel chuckled as he lowered Carlos to the floor, looking over at his aunt, "Marc's not in?"
"He went to meet some of his teammates at the park," Rose smiled as her little boy threw himself onto the rug, happily chattering to himself as he moved puzzle pieces around, "He said they were going to hit a few."
Gabriel's laughter had Carlos look up from his puzzle, the little boy's face splitting into a big grin. It's something Rose had started to notice about her little boy –he seemed to derive happiness from other people's happiness.
"That's cool but I actually came to see if Vivi wanted to go for a walk down to First Beach," Gabe shrugged his shoulders as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his Redskins windbreaker, "I know it's a bit cold but the sky's really clear and I thought she would enjoy seeing the sunset –and the stars too. That is, when they start coming out."
Rose's eyes widened slightly as she wondered what exactly to tell him. Not only was she aware of how possessive Gabriel had gotten of Vivi over the years but knew he had a mean jealous streak in him as well.
"She, uhm," she decided to withhold pertinent information, certain Vivi was smart enough not to tell him and knowing Nika would never betray her best friend, "She went skating with a friend today. She should be back by dinner time."
Gabe looked at his aunt, realizing with a bit of surprise he was at eye level with her –then again, Aunt Rose was on the short side, "A friend?"
"Yes."
"I just saw Nika skateboarding outside the general store with Ian."
Rose felt somewhat offended on her niece's behalf, "Another friend –from dance class. She has more than one friend, Gabriel."
"Oh," Gabe felt slightly ashamed, not bothering to hide it which somewhat mollified Rose's temper, "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply she didn't."
"It's alright," Rose gave him a forgiving smile, "I see you've been working on your vocabulary."
"Kinda have to," Gabe chuckled as he toed the edge of the rug, "Can't understand three-fourths of what comes out of Emmie's mouth if I don't."
They laughed together, Carlos grinning up at them before dropping his puzzle piece and standing up, trotting over to his mother and lifting his arms over his head, "'Rriba, mama!"
Gabe's eyebrows lowered as Rose picked him up, "What did he say?"
"Up," Rose cuddled him close, Carlos content with nuzzling his face into her neck, "He's been using Spanish words here and there. Arriba is one of his favorites, thanks to Marc."
"What did I do?"
Carlos squealed at the sight of his cousin walking into the living room from the kitchen. Marc laughed as he dropped his ball and glove into the armchair before taking him from his aunt, "Arriba Carlos! Arriba!"
"Sí," Carlos cheered, laughing as Marc tossed him up, easily catching him before swinging him around, "Más! Más!"
Gabe laughed, not noticing Rose checking her watch with a worried look, "Uncle Seth used to do that to me. He says that's why I'm obsessed with flying."
"Yeah, that's why," Marc swung Carlos down between his legs before swinging him up again, "What ya doing here?"
Gabe wasn't in the mood to fight with his friend so he lied, "Came to see if you wanted to throw a ball around –maybe practice some of the moves Dad taught us."
Rose looked over at her nephew and son, "Dinner is an hour away. Why don't you go ahead?"
Marc gave his aunt a strange look, able to tell she was somewhat nervous, "O-kay. Guess I could work up a bigger appetite."
Putting Carlos down on the floor, he picked up his ball and glove, heading towards the stairs as he looked over at Gabriel, "You forgot to bring your football?"
"Uh," Gabe looked down at his hands, shrugging sheepishly as he looked over at Marc, "Guess I forgot it."
"Right…I'll bring mine."
Marc knew he was being lied too but didn't say anything, not wanting to get pissed because it always ruined his appetite and from the smells in the kitchen, Tia Rosa was making his favorite meal –slow cooked brisket, which mean a ruined appetite was not an option.
Rose let out a sigh once they left, looking over at Carlos –he was now climbing all over Einstein, the old hound-dog having followed Marc from his room where he liked to spent his alone time.
"That was close," Rose let out a sigh of relief, Carlos laughing when she leaned down to tickle his tummy, "A little no, corazón de mi vida?"
"Ready?"
Vivi nodded, keeping her hand relaxed in Roger's as they glided into the middle of the ice where it was slick and not as crowded, most people staying on the outskirts where they could hold on to the walls and ledges.
Pulling her slightly ahead of him, he placed his free hand on her waist as she easily moved into an arabesque, her free arm in fifth position as he turned her, simultaneously dropping her hand and taking her waist, lifting her into a promenade.
They kept at it for another hour or so, working on their promenades, presage, pirouettes, and arabesques over and over, until the buzzer sounded for skaters to leave the ice.
Keeping her hand in his, they moved slowly towards the only exit, the sounds of voices and laughter competing with the 80s music playing out of the loudspeakers.
"That was easier than I thought it was going to be."
Roger smiled down at her, slightly awed –and not for the first time –with how pretty she was with her big odd colored eyes, her gold-red hair framing a perfect oval face, the tip of her nose a bright pink, "You were much more relaxed towards the end there."
"I guess Miss Trinity was right," Vivi's smile was shy as he pulled her towards the line at the concession stand, neither having difficulty walking on the skates they were wearing, "It's much harder to do some of the jumps off ice, though, so I guess that kind of put me in a position to trust you wouldn't let me fall."
Roger laughed as they stood at the end of the line, keeping her hand in his as he gave her a grin, "I'll never let you fall…it'll ruin my opportunities for a dancing career if I start dropping ballerinas on their heads this early on in the game."
Vivi laughed, reaching up to tuck a curl behind her ear, her stomach tight with nerves as she wondered if she should let go of his hand, "Yeah, just like mine would be over if I can't do pas de deux."
"I don't think you'll have much trouble with that," Roger dug his free hand into the back pocket of his jeans to pull out his wallet as they reached the counter, "You're graceful, light and easy to follow. Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?"
"Oh," Vivi dug her hand into her pocket in search of her money, "My aunt gave me money in case I wanted a snack."
"Put it away, I'm buying," Roger squeezed her hand, grinning as a blush colored her smooth alabaster skin –he was certain it was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, "I asked you out, after all."
"Oh," Vivi stared up at him in surprise, her brain spinning as she tried to figure out what to say, "Uhm…this is a date? I thought we were practicing because Miss Trinity –"
Roger gave her a sheepish smile, "Actually, I didn't really talk to Miss Trinity about it…I just thought…well…think of it as a pre-date…you know…just to see if, maybe, a real date would follow."
She knew she was staring at him but she couldn't help it, her thoughts a jumbled mess jumping over each other.
He doesn't know! He doesn't know you're just a kid!
You need to tell him –tell him you're twelve and you're not allowed to date –
But he's sixteen! And oh so cute!
Yeah, he's sixteen…and you're twelve! It's wrong…
Why? He's sweet and really nice and he doesn't go hot and cold like –
Like Gabriel. Have you forgotten about Gabriel? Have you?
Of course not! But…he likes ballet; just like me and he's so nice to me…and he makes me feel special –
And you're twelve! This is not right! Tell him!
"Are you okay?"
Vivi gave a slight jump as he broke through the struggle going on in her head, biting her bottom lip as she gave a quick jerk of her head, noticing they had reached the counter, "I'm okay…I'm sorry, I zoned out for a bit. I would like marshmallows in my hot chocolate, please."
Roger gave her a smile before giving the order to the girl behind the counter, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand as she swallowed hard, her stomach fluttering strangely as the heat in her face increased.
"There's empty chairs over there at that table," he pointed, letting go of her hand to take the two cups of hot chocolate, having already paid for them, "Want to sit for a bit?"
"Uhm…sure."
She felt awkward, the silence a bit heavy as they sat at the little round table, knees knocking together, Vivi keeping her cold hands around her cup.
Roger watched her eyes as they moved around the room, only giving him shy glances before she looked down into the marshmallows floating on her hot chocolate. He could tell she was nervous and had to wonder if she never before been on a date, "So how long have you been dancing?"
Vivi took a sip of her hot chocolate, licking off the sticky marshmallow from her top lip before she looked up to answer him, "Since I was five…my first grade teacher put on a Christmas show for the parents –all the girls voted for dancing and the boys, who said they wouldn't get caught dead doing something so girly were made to sing."
Roger chuckled as he took a sip of his hot chocolate sans marshmallows, drumming the fingers of his other hand against the table's surface, "Did you get hooked after your first recital? Dancing in front of the crowd, everyone clapping at the end, all the hard work coming together into something beautiful and magical –it's the reason I like it."
Vivi gave him a smile of surprise, "That's exactly how I feel…like it's an entirely different world outside of the one we live in…you know?"
"Yeah…I do."
Blushing, she dropped her eyes to the cup in her hands, "I actually didn't get to dance my first recital…my aunt had an accident and we had to leave before…but she enrolled me into Trinity as soon as the new year started. I've been going ever since."
"Are you planning on going all the way?"
Vivi nodded, long curls tumbling around her shoulders, the pink knit cap she wore over her head giving her skin a pearlescent sheen that made her eyes more golden than brown, "I want to go to Juilliard…be a prima…Nika wants to go with me but says she's happy being part of the corps but me…I want to go all the way to the top."
Roger grinned at the enthusiasm in her face, enjoying the way her eyes sparkled as she shared her plans with him, "And I'm sure you will…the ballet world is small so we just might run into each other. I myself am looking into BBT…I have to start working on my audition piece next year. Miss Trinity's helping me out with that which is good because choreography is not my thing."
"I know what you mean," Vivi lifted her cup to her mouth, taking a sip of the now warm liquid, the marshmallows having long melted which made the drink sweeter but she didn't mind, "Nika has a knack for it. Not only that but she has a way of picking the oddest songs and actually making it work."
"Really?"
"Yup," she gave a nod, no longer hearing the voices that had been clamoring for her attention, solely focused on the topic at hand, "We're doing a duo for the finals in February…using a Maroon 5 song."
"No way," Roger laughed, green yes dancing as h reached up to run his fingers through the blond hair falling over his forehead, "They're my favorite band –I can't even thing of how it'll look."
"You'll have to come to the finals –Nika assures me it'll be epic."
"I'm pretty sure it will be."
By the time Roger's mother showed up, Vivi had forgotten about telling him her age, simply enjoying herself as she shared her thoughts and dreams for the future without any need to hold back.
It was simply nice to just let herself be.
