I rolled my head against the back of my chair, groaning with gritted teeth. My fingernails bent back as they dug into the armrests.
Get a hold of yourself, I thought. Beth is gone, but she's been gone for quite some time. You knew her mind turned against her the day you chose Nina over her.
"So it's my fault," I said quietly.
No, it's not your fault. She was crazy.
Nina's face flashed into my mind, then Lily's.
I could taste them both on my lips.
"We're all crazy," I grinned, wiping the bitter tears from my eyes.
...
A few minutes later I forced myself to leave my office.
My pupils needed me, for that's all they were, right?
Just students who needed teaching. Just dumb sheep needing a shepherd.
Right.
They are lost without me. I have to go lead them.
...
I went into the studio and saw Nina, dressed as the White Swan, collapased against the bar, trembling and sobbing. Three girls stood around her, their anxiously spiteful faces loomed over her with sneering smiles.
Immediately I went to them, flinging out my arms and shoving the girls out of my way.
"What's going on here?" I demanded, glaring at each of them in turn.
Before they could speak, Nina screamed at me.
"How could you?" She cried, pushing herself to her feet.
"What?" I asked, taking a step back.
"Lily," She choked on her words and began to cry.
"Nina, dear, it's okay," I held out my arms, leaning down to comfort her. "What ever she said, we can-"
"You slept with her!" She shouted angrily, drool and snot flinging from her face.
I froze.
My eyes darted to the three girls who still stood around me.
Their eyes were their betrayers. Lily had told them.
"Leave us!" I hissed at them.
They looked at each other before running out of the studio.
"Nina," I knelt down in front of her. "You must understand, I was not in my right mind when I did that."
She stood up suddenly, towering over me with her glistening white feathers.
I raised my eyes to hers.
"I thought you cared about me. I thought I was special," She glared at me. "But I guess that's just what you wanted me to think. Just like Beth. I was just your puppet."
With a rush of sorrow at her name, my heart twisted as I remembered Beth was dead.
I struggled to stand up. "No, Nina. I-"
"Just stop!" She snapped. "I don't want to do this anymore." She grabbed her feathers and began ripping them off her costume, flinging them recklessly into the air.
As I watched the feathers drift on the air-conditioned breeze I noticed a crowd had gathered in the studio. They watched our performance with wide, silent eyes. Lily's face stood out among the crowd, but when our eyes met, she ducked away and disappeared.
"Nina, please-" I straightened up and reached out towards her.
"Don't touch me!" She swatted my hands away. "I'm quitting the Swan Lake." She ripped the tiara from her hair and threw it at my feet.
"I'm through being under your control," She said venomously. She spun around and left the studio.
"Nina!" I called desperately, reaching into the empty air. But she didn't turn back, and she didn't answer my cry.
A little feather landed on my sleeve. I raised my arm to my face and stared at, but when I exhailed, it flew away with a rush.