Page 30 of Pages of Amber

This was what she loved about ballet.

The freedom.

The exhilaration.

The feeling of flying, of being invincible. Even if only for a moment.

It was a beautiful feeling and in the silence of the room, with nothing but the music to lead her, she allowed herself to be led. The piano played away, the song’s sweet rendition filling her ears, reaching into the depth of her soul. She could throw her worries away. Far away. Into a place where they could never reach her again.

On quick steps, she rounded the room, her body tensed and arms high as she jumped. Suspended in the air, she imagined having a partner catch and spin her across the floor. As the song began to slow into its ending, so did she. Her hands turned inwards to her chest, her feet moving one after the other in a piqué turn. Her hair slipped from its bun as she did. The strands followed her, caressing her face and sweeping down onto her shoulders as she finished gracefully, her pointe grounding her, her lifted leg slowly descending too. She let out a breath as the keys played out. Her eyes fluttered open as the feeling of being dropped back into herself overwhelmed her.

The silence echoed within her. For a moment, it felt peaceful. Now, it was haunting.

The sharp sound of applause echoed in the room. A scream pushed out of her before she could stop it. Amber turned swiftly, her gaze flickering around in panic until they landed on the now open doors where Evelyn and Noah stood.

Wait. What was Noah doing here?

“That was so beautiful! Those steps. That dance. I haven’t seen anything like that. Did you make that routine yourself?” Evelyn ran up to her, eyes wide in fascination.

Amber nodded shakily, still getting over the rush in her blood. “Uh yeah, I guess. Evelyn, you scared me.”

She leaned away, her expression apologetic. “I didn’t mean to. I thought you would see us in the mirrors. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Amber sighed. She paused, tilting her head, “I thought you left. Is something wrong?”

“Not really. I forgot my book bag and I have a ton of assignments to do. Emmett dropped me off at practice but he’s lazing around at home so I got Noah to give me a ride.”

Oh yeah. Noah was still here. Evelyn walked off to the other side of the room where a small black bag laid propped neatly against the shelf they stored shoes and bags during practice. Amber’s gaze drifted to Noah’s frozen form. He stood in the doorway, shirt sleeves folded up arms that hung limply at his sides. Was he just now leaving the Academy? It had been hours since school had let out.

“Hi,” her greeting seemed to startle him.

His blink was lethargic, like he was coming out of a daze or waking from sleep.

“Hi,” his voice was low and rough. “You look…”

“I know.” She wrung her hands nervously. Was that why he was looking at her like that? She pushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. “Probably sweaty and messy–”

“Beautiful,” his voice was guttural. Like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. “You looked beautiful while you were dancing.”

Her heart paused, tripped and restarted in the span of a second. Her cheeks reddened so quickly Amber thought she had caught a fever.

“Oh.” Her hands reached for the hem of her skirt. They felt damp. Why was she so nervous? “Thank you.”

He seemed to realize his words as he flushed, a cough leaving his throat. Their eyes darted away from each other, unsure how to fill the moment. Evelyn broke into the ensuing awkwardness, her book bag clutched in her grasp.

“All done.” She smiled then turned to Amber. “You’ve been here since practice ended, right? When are you leaving?”

Her eyes fell on the wall clock, but her brain refused to read the numbers. “Soon. I’m basically done anyways,” she answered.

Evelyn’s smile widened. “Cool. That means you’re free to come with us.”

Noah’s head swung over to his friend so fast.

“What?” he and Amber asked at the same time.

Evelyn didn’t skip a beat. She kept her warm gaze on Amber. “We’re having a little movie evening at Noah’s. A few snacks, a good movie and two annoying guys. It’ll be fun. Come join us. Please.”

Noah jumped in. “Eve, I’m sure she has better things to get to. No need to jump her with our plans.”

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