A Dangerous Dance [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Twenty-Three

"HOLLY," WHISPERED IRIS, "HOLLY, WAKE UP."

Holly groaned, blindly pushing away her sister's intrusive hands. She was still in the blissful state of betweenness, awake but still asleep, and she struggled to go back to the deep, dreamless sleep she had achieved.

"Holly!"  She could ignore her sister no longer and became fully awake. And fully aware.

She was laying on the narrow bed of the room that was their prison, the black sheets tangled around her body from her endless tossing and turning. Holly glared at the stone ceiling, all of her anger quickly coming back as she woke more.

"Holly." The girl in question sat up, blinking away sleep as she focused on her younger sister. Iris's eyes were raw and red rimmed, her nose a berry red and cheeks blotchy. She had been crying, Holly realized, looking at the lingering tracks.

"Iris?" Holly said groggily, forcing herself to wake up more. She noticed that around them, the rest of their sisters were asleep, or at least pretending to sleep. Only a few of them were able to sleep in this horrid place, Holly included. She could hear Lenora's soft whimpers and the quiet shushing of Cassidy who had the younger in her bed.

Iris's face contorted, "H-Holly." She whimpered as fresh tears made her beautiful eyes watery.

Holly sighed deeply and opened her arms, letting Iris crawl into the little warmth and security she could offer. They weren't alike in almost every way, Iris and Holly. Where Holly was stubborn and fiery, Iris was delicate and dainty. However, they were as close as their age of fourteen and twelve.

"What is it, Ris?" Holly whispered, holding the younger tightly in her arms.

Iris was weeping, holding onto Holly's nightdress, "I-I had the most- the most frightening d-dream..."

Holly said nothing, letting her sister cry until all of her fear had drained out, leaving her hiccuping and calmer than before. She wasn't the best with words, not like Blythe or Althea. Holly tended to start arguments with everything she said, defiant and fierce. She questioned everything, spoke out against everything.

But at the moment, in the dimness of the room, she was soft and caring. For Iris. Being what the younger needed.

"We'll be out of this mess soon, Ris," She said in a quiet, soothing voice, "We have a plan. We have each other. And we're strong together."

The older girls had been planning since coming back to their room after dancing last night. Holly hated that she was just a bit too young for her to be included, but eventually the older girls had gathered everyone together and told them the plan.

Eventually, Iris calmed down until she wasn't hiccuping anymore and she pulled away from Holly's arms to look at her, "Will you ever dance again?" She asked in a quiet voice, "If we make it out of this mess and have the choice again."

Holly's features shut down, becoming hard and distant, "No." She said, "I won't. Never again."

Once, she had enjoyed dancing, exelled in it even. Like all of her sisters, she easily memorized and learned steps like it was second nature. But it was a joyless, angered task for Holly. She never wanted to be forced to dance ever again, never wanted to not have a choice.

"I think I would." Iris said, voice still quiet and hushed, "If it was with someone I loved. And he never forced me into it or controlled my steps like Scorpius."