A Dance At Midnight

Chapter One: Rehearsal

Renlee Witt could feel the pulsations of the music pounding from the speakers through her fingertips. Her palms were pressed to the polished wooden floorboards beneath her, keeping her steady as she arched her spine into one long, solid curve. The heat rising from her flushed skin left small droplets of sweat along her neck and brow and though she couldn't see herself with her eyes shut, she was certain her thick, brown hair was a mess. Breathe. You're nearly done.

She couldn't see the people before her. She hadn't paid them any mind since the song began to play, filling the studio with an infectious beat and the perfect rhythm to sway her generous hips to. The music mattered far more than her fellow students - they would no doubt be watching, sneering, gossiping, judging her. But the music never did. The music was safe, a haven where she could move her body in peace and beautifully so. No, her classmates didn't matter. Just the joy that sprang up in her like a fountain whenever she began to dance.

Slowly, Ren rolled her spine upwards, her soft arms raised on either side of her with her palms upwards to the ceiling. She followed the motion with her head, tilting it up until she could feel the heat of the stage lights warming her cheeks and neck. Each movement matched the beat of the song in perfect rhythm and as the music swelled into a crescendo, she opened her eyes in a snap. They were an ice blue, stark and startling beneath her waves of heavy brunette hair.

She could see them now, a row of students shadowed and sitting cross-legged along the back mirrors of the studio, their gazes firmly fixed on her. Some were smirking, others whispered behind cupped hands to one another or simply watched with widened eyes. Ren nearly smiled to herself. Whatever their reactions might be, there was no doubt she had the entirety of their attention.

The final verse bellowed across the darkened room and with the precision that could only come from hours of after school rehearsal, Ren spun in a graceful circle and let herself collapse safely onto one leg, the other stretching out behind her on the floor. She leaned forward, placing her arms on either side of her extended leg and bowed her head as lowly as she could. It was a fitting end for a song highlighting the pain of an unexpected breakup, set to the kind of beat that could make a nightclub brim with motion.

Ren didn't move for another two beats. She could feel the thumping of her heart in her chest and with it, the relief of having finished the performance she had been preparing for weeks. There's no way I'm getting less than a 90% on this. Her muscles would certainly ache later, but for now, she could revel in the victory of having completed a major project.

"Nicely done, Ren! Thank you," called a voice as bright and clear as the ringing of a bell. Ren carefully sat up, bringing her legs together to sit properly on the floor and let out a long exhale. She smiled at her instructor, a statuesque woman with platinum blonde hair sitting on a chair at the end of the row of students. She was scribbling on a clipboard clasped in her manicured hands, furiously writing down what Ren could only assume to be positive feedback.
"Thank you, Ms. Seygo," Ren nodded and brushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear.

The room was silent then, save for the scratching of Ms. Seygo's pen against the paper on the clipboard. With several more evaluations to complete, time was of the essence and evidently, neat handwriting was not. When she was finished, she looked up from her work and motioned towards her students with an outstretched hand.

"Feedback for Ren, please! Keep it constructive. What did you like, what could be improved on, what stood out the most to you?" Ms. Seygo called. Ren inhaled slowly, and after a second's hesitation, looked up towards her classmates. This was the part she couldn't stand the most. She trusted Ms. Seygo's feedback, knowing she had her absolute best intentions at heart. But the same could not be said for her fellow students.