Page 163 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

He held her hand and kissed it frequently during the short drive to the studio. After Aaron parked in the garage, they walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand, to the studio. Several dancers were hanging out in the lobby and Aaron called greetings to them.

Aaron led her over to Travis and a couple of other people that she had met at the party, but couldn’t remember their names. Aaron stood behind her and clasped his hands under her ribs.

“Anna,” a familiar accented voice called from behind her. Isaak.

She turned and smiled brightly at him.

He opened his arms, and she hurried to him and hugged him hard. “I heard you’d arrived.” He glanced between her and Aaron and his smile faltered, but he tilted his head and smiled once more. “Come. I’ll introduce you to your instructor.”

Aaron gave her a lingering kiss before she walked away. “Break a leg. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Anna beamed at him and then turned to meet Isaak on the stairs.

The older man gave Aaron a look before turning and walking up the stairs with Anna. “How are you doing? Excited?”

“Oh, yes. I’ve been waiting all week for today.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Isaak glanced at her. “What is going on with you and Aaron?”

Anna bit her lip and gave a shy smile. “Oh. We—I mean—he’s my boyfriend.”

Isaak nodded, a sad smile on his face, then opened a door to a studio. “Here we are.”

Several girls, ages eleven to fourteen, were in the room. A few warmed up at the barre while the others sat on the floor, stretching and chatting. They all wore the same light blue leotard that Anna wore, pink tights and ballet slippers.

“Hello, girls. Excited for the first day?”

They all nodded enthusiastically.

“Good, good.” He nodded to Anna. “Come, I’ll introduce you to Patty.” A tall, thin woman with strawberry blonde hair looked up and smiled as Anna and Isaak approached the corner of the room where she stood. Isaak put his arm on her back and brought her forward. “Patty, this is Anna Perkins. Anna, this is Patty Cottrell. She will be your instructor and will let me know when you are ready to move up to the next level.”

Anna smiled shyly at Patty, who gave her a bright smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Anna. I’m very excited to have you in my class.” Her smile softened. “I danced with your parents.” She tilted her head. “You look just like your mother.”

Anna swallowed back tears and forced a smile. “Thank you.”

Patty looked back at Isaak. “I’ll take good care of her.”

“I know you will.” Isaak turned to Anna. “Anna, dear, dance beautifully.” He paused, his expression turning troubled. “Come see me before you go to lunch.”

“Yes, Isaak.” She watched as Isaak turned and walked out of the room, wondering why he looked upset.

Patty walked her to the center of the room and clapped her hands. “Girls.”

The girls all looked up.

“We have a new student with us today.” She looked at Anna with a smile. “Well, not really a new student.” She looked back at the girls. “This is Anna Perkins. She—‍” Whispers filled the room and Patty laughed gently. “Okay. You are smart girls. Yes, this is that Anna Perkins. The daughter of Trevor and Anya Perkins.” She smiled at Anna. “You’re already famous.”

Anna felt her cheeks warm.

“She is joining us for a week or two to build up her strength so she can join the older groups. I hope I can count on you to welcome her warmly into our family.”

The girls all smiled brightly at her.

Patty pointed to a spot on the barre. “Nicole, Jackie, raise your hands.” Two girls in the center did so. “Go stand between them. We’ll begin in a few minutes.” She then walked back to the corner where the pianist sat.

Anna twisted her fingers in front of her as she walked to the two girls and offered a small wave. Nicole and Jackie smiled brightly at her, and Anna relaxed as they introduced themselves.

They’d both grown up dancing together in San Francisco. Nicole had brown hair that Anna was fairly sure was very curly, looking at the waves that led back to a thick bun. Her brown eyes glittered with delight at everything, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks complimented her fair complexion.

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