TW: Rape// I'll mark the area which may be triggering to some
Scarlet was always a dancer, since she was 3 years old she had been dancing most days of the week, her mother always supported her and pushed her to be the best she could be. That was something scarlet was grateful for, when she was 7 she was attending 3 types of dance classes, ballet, street and a modern dance class. She met a boy named Jason, he was just as competitive as her and immediately they were rivals, after a competition where both lost they became friends, it was sudden and the hatred soon became a love between friends. They would have sleepovers and practice routines together, when scarlet was 12 she focused solely on ballet and stopped attending her other classes, although she hated leaving jason she knew she wanted to be a professional ballet performer. She was still best friends with the boy and went to his recitals as he did her, as they grew into young adults Jason confided in scarlet and told her he was gender fluid and he wanted to explore the possibility of performing in drag, a decision that scarlet fully supported. After they were 'politely' asked to leave their current dance school because of their choices to perform as a woman they found burlesque, it was their calling. Scarlet immediately noticed how Jason (or violet as they went by on stage) lit up, they belonged on stage. Whilst violet progressed in their burlesque career scarlet progressed in the ballet area, she joined a more competitive ballet studio, the girls (and boys) were amazing, in violets opinion though scarlet was the best, something that scarlet highly doubted. Now that they share an apartment together whenever they see Scarlet practising they always watch, the way she moved was entrancing, it was immaculate and Violet was her number 1 fan. When it was decided that swan lake would be the project of the year scarlet knew she had to be the swan, this was her chance to flourish. She knew there would a lot of competition so she stayed late every day except a Saturday and came in early, this brings us to today, the morning of the auditions. Scarlet wore her black leotard and her black ballet pumps into the audition room, it was empty save for the dance instructor she would have throughout the production of the show and her fellow dancer. She set her bag aside and walked to the centre of the room as she had already warmed up before hand, she felt the instructors eyes rake over her. His name was Eric, he was 42 and he was one of the most successful instructors in the state, this only added to scarlets growing nerves. To the instructor, scarlet was like a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the girls, while they had dull hair they scraped into a tight bun scarlet had flaming, silky orange hair that although was pulled into a bun, had some stray pieces that framed her slim face. Light freckles dusted her nose and her enchanting green eyes sparkled under the light.
"Name?" He demanded, checking his paper list, she cleared her throat.
"Scarlet Harrison" he just nodded and made a small note with his pen. As the music started to play scarlet took a calming breath and let the music take over her, her legs bent as she begun the dance for the bad swan, she felt herself let go as her eyes slid closed and she let the music possess her. Her body contorted and moved so smoothly that even Eric was impressed. She ended the dance as she made her way into the male dancers arms, that's when she heard a short burst of applause from Eric.
"Good, now to dance the part of the good swan" scarlet stood back up straight and got into her starting position, this time as the music played she knew this would be where she struggled, her movements were too choppy, not as precise and controlled as it should be. She cursed herself lightly as she spun on the wrong foot, she managed to finish the number without making too much of a fool out of herself.
"Frederick, you're dismissed for now, I have something to discuss with miss Harrison" the Male dancer took his leave, not giving either of them a second glance.
"Come sit with me miss Harrison" he says, patting the spot next to him on a bench. "Your black swan was stunning, truly magnificent. Your white swan however was lacking, I know that you could improve this, I know if you work hard you can do great things" scarlet smiles bashfully at him.
***This paragraph is suggestive but isnt too full on, its enough to show the kind of man he is***
"So that's why I'm going to give you the role" her eyes widened as she took in his words, before she could speak however his index finger danced along her lower thigh
"I need some confirmation that you'll be a good student for me, I need some insurance, if you will" his fingers slowly got higher until the were high up her thigh. Her breath shuddered and she squirmed, she felt uncomfortable and she didn't want this, it felt wrong. She knew however that if she didn't get this role then she may never have such an amazing chance to get noticed by any agents in the audience, if they noticed her and liked her that could open so many doors. She had worked too hard just for it all to mean nothing, sacrificed so much.
"Don't you want the part?" He asks, his fingers dancing further up. She nods grudgingly, she felt a wave of self hatred as she spoke her next words.
"I do, I want the part" at that Eric smirked as his fingers continue to dance across her skin.
***Thats it over***
"Good girl" he stands abruptly "I'll post the casting sheets tomorrow, you are dismissed" with that he turns away from her, she quickly leaves, forgetting her bag in her haste.
A sour taste fills her mouth as she holds back the bile building in her throat, the only comfort she felt was from the idea of her future, for her dreams to become a reality she needed some insurance. It wasnt until the next day that she stood in front of the blank wall in the studio, waiting for the cast sheet to be posted that she allowed herself a small moment of reflection, the previous night she had pushed away her shame but in those few stolen moments it began to sink in. She choked back a strangled noise, trying to avoid any strange looks, only then did she fully realise the sentence she had signed herself up for.
She could feel his presence before she saw him, Eric brushed by her lightly as he pinned a sheet of paper to the wall, as he manouvered his way through the small group of women Scarlet was sure his eyes lingered on her, even just for mere seconds. She made sure to stay at the front of the crowd as they closed in around the sheet, it didnt come as a surprise to her when she saw her name in bold, first one the list, she did it. A smile broke out on her delicate face as she felt a swell of pride, it was short lived though, her smile faltered when she fully realised the magnitude of what Eric was expecting. A small part of her envied the other girls, they were unaware of the way Erics hands would soon have free reign ovwr her body, Scarlet knew that she made a deal with the devil, a deal she had already begun to regret. She met the mixture of false and genuine congratulations with a smile and a small thank you, she wished the other girls luck with their own roles and made her way to Erics office, she had to collect her bag. She had checked the room she was in as well as lost and found before concluding that Eric must have picked it up, she knocks gently on his door 3 times before he opens it, a smirk on his face.
"Well miss Harrison, quite the surprise" he mused aloud, scarlet thinned her lips before speaking.
"I'm just here for my bag Eric" she said, folding her arms across her chest, Erics eyes rake the length of her body making her drop her arms into a more casual position that still covers her body.
"Do come in" he said, opening the door a little wider for her, she shook her head.
"I uh, I dont think thats a good idea" she said firmly. The side of his lip quirks up into a smirk
"I dont bite" he says before leaning into her slightly. "Unless you want me to" he whispers to her, sending shivers down her spine. Not the good shivers, these shivers made hed feel alert and made her stomach lurch.
"Im just here for my bag" she says, taking a small step back. She could feel some girls eyeing them from wherever the stood in the corridor, it made Scarlet squirm, to know shd was being watched was one thing bur she suddenly became paranoid, would they figure out what was going on? That thought alone made her blood run cold, she knew that this wasnt who she was, she always valied hard work and wanted to be known for that and that alone. She knew this wasnt what she wanted to do, she felt disgusted at herself.
"Scarlet, just come in would you? The walls have eyes, and as far as i know they have big mouths too. Word travels fast you know" at this scarlet barged her way into his room, she noticed her bag on a cabinet and made a beeline to grab it. She wasnt quick enough however, Eric got there just before her and held it out of her reach.
"Whats the matter? You dont want to stay a while?" He asked, an almost taunting tone in his voice. His arm wrapped around her waist and he tried to pull her close to him, she attempted to pull back but he was too strong.
"Eric stop, i dont want to do this" she said, looking away from him. His arm left her waist harshly, harshly enough that she was sent flying back and stumbled onto the nearby sofa.
"We had a deal Scarlet, i dont like people who back out of a deal" he said, his eyes darkening. Scarlet swallowed
"Just give someone else the position then, Im not cut out for this, i came her to improve on what i love, dancing. not to sleep my way to the top. If thats what you're looking for then im sure there are plenty of girls out there who'll oblige" she said, fokding her arms. She stood up
"Keep the bag, i dont care but im out of here" she walked towards the door and barely grazed the handle when a rough hand yanked her backwards.
***This scene contains rape and may be triggering to some***
Her back made contact with Erics firm chest, he was holding both of her forearms to her body, almost restraining her.
"You think i can do that you silly little girl? Your name is on everything!" She fought against him, panic making her heart race.
"Eric let me go!" She demanded, pushing herself away from him, finally managing to escape his grip. She stumbled slightly as she broke free from him, she turned to face him and her stance was defensive. He walks right up to her, towering inches above her. He backed her up until her legs hit the edge of the sofa, she stumbled back onto it and Eric came soon after her. Only he didnt fall, he meant it. He pressed his lips against hers and she tried to fight him off, he was rough as his hands raked her body, she tried to push him away but he just pinned her arms down. Tears stung her eyes and she begged for him to stop as his hands tugged at her shirt, he found a nearby rag, it seemed to be a dish towel, and stuffed it into hed mouth.
"Cant have the girls know what you get upto with your instructor" he says with a sly wink, this only made her tears fall. She felt helpless, she kicked her legs at his as he slid down her leggings, not at all gently. He eyed the dancing leotard that she had worn under her clothes and begun to roughly pull that off too. She screamed until her throat was raw but all that could be heard was muffled sounds.
"This is your own fault Scarlet, you shouldnt have agreed if you werent going to hold up your end of the deal" her tears were now falling freely, she could feel all sense of hope abandoning her as he begun to remove her underwear, a sinister smirk staining his features. She fought with everything she had right up until he entered her, the pain blossomed throughout her pelvis but she went completely limp, her eyes glazed over and she felt dead. All she could think to do was picture herself somewhere else, her mind immediately played a memory of her and Violet, one of her favourite ones.
***The graphic-ness is finished***
Violet set the last box down and put their hands on their hips, they looked across at Scarlet who had a wide grin on her face. They had just moved into their new apartment, it was simple and a little bit small but it was theirs. They had blown most of their money on a removal van so couldnt eat out, they hadnt set up their fridge, their freezer or any cooking appliance and it was too late to try so they plugged in their kettle and ate 3 packets of chicken noodles between them. They sat criss cross on their living room floor, the kettle plugged in and sitting in the corner on the floor. They had piled up all of the boxes around them and taken out their sheets, they made a fort and strung some of Scarlets fair lights around. They sat in their fort listening to music on violets phone and eating noodles. Violet and Scarlet had fallen asleep cuddling, it wasnt weird and it wasnt anything more than platonic but it was the confort they both needed after moving out of their family homes and trying to venture into the world themselves, they were only 17 at the time, the world felt scary and new but they had each other and that was enough for them.
Another memory played in her mind
"Violet, honey, can you please not bang trade on our couch at 8am please" Scarlet said with a false tone of sweetness in her voice.
"I wouldnt mind so much if it was in your room but i didnt really wanna see a gaping asshole when i was on my way to work" she said, shuddering at the memory, violet slaps a hand over their mouth to contain the laughted threatening to spill out.
"Really scarlet, sorry. I didnt realise that you were going in on a sunday normally youd have a long lie" violet says, struggling to keep her face straight. Scarlet also holds back a laugh
"Violet that was traumatising! I doubt I'll ever be able to sit on that sofa again" she says, unable to hide the mirth in her eyes. Violet laughs then winks at her
"Guess I know where my new trade spot is" Scarlet couldnt help the laugh that escaped her as she shook her head at violet.
"You slut" she said, playfulness evident in her voice, violet sticks their tongue out.
"Just because you're a virgin doesnt mean we all have to be" they tease, enjoying the bkush that stained scarlets cheeks. Scarlet just shoves violets shoulder gently
"Shut up you bitch" at this the pair laugh and begin talking about something other than Violets labido.
Before another memory could distract her she feels Eric shudder on top of her, she flinches as he plants a sloppy kiss on her neck as his breathing begins to calm back down. He rolls off of her and begins to pull his clothes on, he tossed her the discarded clothes that she was wearing as she spat out the rag that stifled her sobs then stood.
"This is your own fault Scarlet, you're a dirty whore and you brought this on yourself and you know that if you tell anyone theyll agree with me, i mean you told me that you would before i even cast you so you knew what would happen, its not my fault you thought you could change your mind" he said, walking out of the office and slamming the door behind him.
She choked back a sob as she dressed herself, she was aching all over and she had never felt such soul crushing shame before, she felt dirty, used. She looked in a mirror and wiped her eyes, glad she hadnt worn makeup today or itd be running down her face. She left his office, holding the damn bag that started it all, and got a bus home. She kept her copl during the journey home, she kept her cool as she walking into the house, saying a small hello to violet before quickly going to her room. She had kept her cool all that time for her to break down as soon as her door closed, she sobbed into a pillow, clinging to it for dear life. That lasted about an hour, then she stood up, grabbed towels and made her way to the bathroom, she stepped into the shower anr let the water run scalding hot, it burned her skin but it didnt remove the dirty feeling, even when she scrubbed herself raw she still felt disgusting. She sat on the floor of the shower and silently cried, her tears mixing with the water droplets and blending in. Scarlet Harrison had been through a lot in life, she had her fair share of issues but only then, on the bathroom floor, did she feel broken.
A/N- hey guys! I know i havrnt updated in so long and im sorry! Theres no real excuse, ive just been ao busy with work and stuff but i hope you enjoy this chapter. I plan on posting another chapter of course but this was already quite long and i wanted to update. I know there isnt much violet so far but thats all going to change soon. Id love to hear feedback on this chapter as im a bit unsure how i executed it, im not the best at writing that kind of thing.
Anyway, hope you guys like it!
QOTD: what queens have you seen in 2018?
AOTD: ive seen adore at her concert in may, i seen Bianca in either June or July and i seen courtney at pride. Im also going to the ABCD tour tomorrow.