A/N: not edited
Chapter 26 (Chelsea POV)
After witnessing the disaster that was Madeline and Scarlet perform their solos as well as their duet with each other, I couldn’t make sense of what happened next. Professor Baptiste called them forward- able to hear unlike the few that were human in this room- offering Scarlet to dance as Louise in the winter show they were showcasing “the nutcracker.”
Madeline was asked to dance the part as Clara, which I’m not sure I understood why, but also how they could do something so attention seeking.
“We will be wearing masks, the costume designers have already begun working, and you will need to let them know of your sizes…”
Both Madeline and Scarlet, wore large grins, “Do we have those parts for sure? Who will be our understudy?” Madeline asked.
“You two have been training with us for 15 years, there are two others who will be your understudy but I’m hoping we wont have to use them as their technique is a bit lacking.”
Fifteen years of dance lessons and they had these mistakes? Their turnouts weren’t really 90-degrees, Madeline’s fifth position looked like her fourth and she attempted 10 fouettes and was unable to keep her spins tight and flawless during her solo.
With Scarlet on the other hand, her mistakes were slight but something even beginners knew, she began her triple pirouettes in fourth position but didn’t keep her leg turned out as she began to turn, nor while turning. Yet I believe her most noticeable mistake was that she didn’t always point her toes, she didn’t have the best feet, and continuously sank into the box of her shoe. Those two things in turn made her turns look messy and lack inconsistency.
Maybe they have better technique but since you’re not required to have everything polished up they didn’t really try Jamie thought validating my observations.
You saw the mistakes as well then? I still asked.
Yes, if they could do better, then they should have… why bother with bad habits unless that’s how they dance, terrible posture and technique as well, he shrugged.
“Okay, next up!” Baptiste called out as Madeline and Scarlet walked away. Most of the students after dancing left and I was hoping that would be the case with Madeline and Scarlet but they remained where they were not making a move to leave at all, but I could tell they were clearly happy with the news that they just received.
And so it went, dancer after dancer, until Jamie and I were last. As we were about to dance three new people entered the room, stopping right near Madeline and Scarlet briefly before joining Professor Baptiste. While our duets had to be original, the solos did not have to be, so Jamie decided to use his own choreo and I decided to dance a part of Odette.
“I’m Jamie, 21 years old,” he said like the others had before and began dancing, and then, it was my turn. As I walked to the center I could feel Madeline and Scarlet glaring holes into my body.
Don’t worry about them, pretend you’re only dancing for Gabriel or your dad, even Ava… Aria tried to encourage me.
“I’m Chelsea Hobbs,” I stressed and watched as one of the new comers eyes widen, “I’m 17 years old.” Baptiste, looking down at the paper, she had and passed it over to the new comers without taking her eyes off me.
.
.
Dancing. My second love, or tie for first. Drawing, the activity I started first and after 8 months Jason took me to see Swan Lake, and I can remember instantly loving how the dancers moved gracefully around stage and how they captivated the audience with technique, but also heart, using their bodies to tell a story. No words, just incredible movement, that took dedication and hard work to master. I can remember learning, that humans are so easily injured, they could spend their whole lives working to be a ballerina, and in their twenties one injury could break that dream. Destroy it completely, leaving them shattered.
“Chelsea dear, did you like it?”
“Yes, Mr. Jason. I wish I could dance like that,” I had said, dreamily as we waited for the valet to bring our car.
“You can you know,” he said looking down at me, face gentle and bright, not saying more. That’s one thing I’d always remember there wasn’t a thing he thought I couldn’t do. He never once said I was anything less than I was. Always encouraging and helping me to strive as high as I wanted to go.
.
.
Today, right now, I was dancing a few sequences from the Swan Queen, in Act III, including 32 fouettés en tournant; the same dance that entrapped me when I was 11 years old.
In classical ballet the Fouettes is a dance movement where the dancers starts off on flat foot, with bent knees and the other leg is brought around propelling one turn, one pointe. To do 32 of them consecutively, is regarded as highly difficult, but that’s not why I wanted to perform this particular sequence, When I danced this piece, I felt brave… strong… and right now those are the two things I wanted to project for everyone in this room to see.
When I finished I ignored all the stares and quickly removed my pointe shoes, to complete my duet with Jamie, and before I knew it, we were done, thank god. I was delighted, relieved that I hadn’t made a mistake or did something sloppy. Best of all I could already tell that Gabriel was near by, and the only thing standing between him and I at the moment was a door.
“Miss. Hobbs, Colt, Gavino and Anderson, can you four please stay we need to discuss something with you three,” Baptiste announced, stopping me the minute my hand was on the handle ready to leave.
“Well,” Baptiste began, “this is very unusual because I had believed that Madeline and Scarlet would make great leads, but after witnessing your performance Chelsea, we all felt that you should dance lead as Clara,” Baptiste finished shooting an apologetic glance at Madeline. That along with the way she said we, clearly she didn’t believe I was the better, stronger dancer at the moment. That or she was playing favorites.
“What!?!?!” Madeline growled at the woman, nose flaring, apparently she was unaware that she butchered her own solo.
“You’re kidding!” I snapped then started laughing, “I will agree that I may be the more qualified dancer but I want to dance on stage as much as I want to amputate my left foot,” I said honestly looking at the instructors one who was actually human. “So thank you, but I’m not interested,” I finished, grabbing the bag I had set down and walked out to see, Jack, Violet and Gabriel all with smiles on their faces. I walked straight into Gabriel, my body seeking his out naturally. We could be apart but when he wasn’t there, for a while, then back in my presences, that was when I knew that something, apart of myself was missing before. It was all incredibly clingy sounding but knowing Gabriel, tended to feel the same way eased my worries.
He feels it too, much more than you, stronger than most male werewolves because there are two of us, although he isn’t away of that Avena tried to explain but it was more than us being mates now I could tell.
I was starting to develop true, deep feelings for Gabriel, he was a bit rough around the edges but still I accepted him that way. I wouldn’t want him another other way… and that in itself seemed like a problem to me. If I was feeling this way, then why didn’t I feel ready to tell Gabriel all my secrets? He had already turned his back on so much for me.
You just need time
Before we could even take 10 steps away from that horrid classroom, the human professor or instructor approached us, me.
“You have incredible talent… natural… the best I’ve seen. But I do not understand your reluctance-”
I snorted, besides the fact that she apparently did not understand my blatant refusal she was trying again.
Oh… god… she’s one of those ‘no,’ means ‘yes,’ people, I mused privately but she just continued.
“We will be using masks, if that is a concern of yours, I know not many people want this kind of attention,” she said knowingly for a human, did she know what I was? “Unless you are worried about your technique?” she said trying to use reverse psychology on me.
She has to dance… make me look good… just what I need… Paris… perfect technique… I listened in on her mind, she wasn’t really thinking about me at all to be honest.
“If you weren’t able to comprehend my flat out refusal and immediate departure, let me spell it out for you professor?” I hesitated not knowing her or her status with the school. “I have no intentions to ever perform on a stage. Nothing about that seems at all pleasing. I’m confident in my technique as a dancer, but you need to understand, I dance for myself,” I hissed out angrily, losing patience quickly, which was very unlike myself.
She scoffed rudely, “then why bother?” she demanded causing Gabriel to hiss at her, stopping himself before it turned out into a full-blown growl. “You have such amazing natural talent, do you know what some girls would do to be able to dance the way you do, and still with so much heart? Yet you waste it?” Huh… I didn’t encounter this type of ruthlessness when I took online classes.
Of course, you never faced your other professors Chelsea Aria laughed.
“If this is going to be a problem, Ill drop the class” I said when Baptiste came into the hall as well and Gabriel placed his hand on my lower back, easing the tension.
“So you waste talent and you’re a quitter?” she threw back at me, which was inappropriate if Baptiste face was any indication, this woman lacked all professionalism and worse, it was for her own good she wanted me to dance.
“Is she serious?” I asked Baptiste, as she came closer, not that she needed too.
“Of course I am… if you danced… flawlessly it would make me look good,” she said, slowly like I was unable of seeing her point. It’s not like she taught me, how on earth would me dancing make her look good? Was she trying to become a scout or something like that? A manager or something?
“I’m not interested,” I said just as Madeline and Scarlet walked out of the room, Madeline with misty eyes, and Scarlet trying to give her comfort with one hand wrapped around her.
“Trying to take more things from me,” she muttered close enough, everyone heard.
“I’d be doing you a favor, big sis,” I snapped smiling sweetly at the end when the professors whipped their heads between the both of us. I looked more like my mother whereas Madeline looked like Rian. “Your fouettes were messy and it looked like you were just flailing around, if I took her up on her offer,” I turned to Gabriel. I didn’t even need to speak, before he took my hand, walking away from them all, Jack and Violet behind us.
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