Page 169 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

She dragged herself out of bed and limped out into the front room. She picked up the remote to turn the TV off, but hesitated. If she went to bed, would she be able to sleep? Sleep would heal her, but would it come? Yes. Eventually it would. But until then...

She winced as she lay down on the couch and pulled a blanket over her shoulders, hoping late night television would distract her mind enough to forget what happened.

Chapter 72

Anna awoke after a fitful night of sleep on the couch. She’d dreamed that Aaron had been with her, and waking alone in her living room had been terrible. And she ached all over. She hadn’t slept well enough to fully heal from Zach’s attack.

She winced as she sat up and rested her elbows on her knees, hanging her head and sighing. Why had last night—Zach’s visit—bothered her so much? The attacks she’d endured when she’d lived at Jack’s house had been so much worse. How many times had men come through that black door of the garage to do similar—or worse—things? Jack had kept it unlocked for that very reason. Had she grown so weak in just a handful of weeks? So soft?

Maybe it wasn’t wise for her to live outside the Manor. How could she help Devin if she was too soft to help him? Too weak to endure what they’d trained her to do?

But she liked living outside the Manor. She liked being around people again. She liked being able to look out the window of her apartment and see the world. And she loved dancing every day.

She dragged herself into the shower and felt a little better after she was done. Her ass still hurt, but it had mostly healed while she slept, and she was confident she’d be able to dance. Although, even if it did hurt, she would go to class. She didn’t want to miss a moment.

As she dried off, a dark mark on her arm caught her attention. And then another one. And another one. Zach had left several bruises on her arms.

Anna sighed and hung her head. She’d often worn long-sleeved leotards after she went to live with Jack. They’d hidden the bruises when Jack hadn’t let her sleep enough to fully heal. But she didn’t have a long-sleeved one anymore. She had a sweater, though. It would be hot, but the bruises would stay hidden. She’d have to ask Isaak for permission before class began.

After dressing and eating a small breakfast, she drove to the studio. Walking inside brought a rush of sadness as she remembered doing the same thing the day before with Aaron. That’s over now. She shook her head and headed to Isaak’s office.

“Hello, Anna.” Isaak stood and hugged her, and she winced. “What’s wrong?”

Anna looked at the floor. “I... rough night,” she mumbled.

Isaak put his hand under her chin and raised her face to his. “Who hurt you, Anna?”

“Nobody you know. Just... someone who lives in my building.”

“Anna, you can’t—‍” Isaak sighed. “I thought things would be better since you were away from Jack.”

She shook her head. “Devin controls me whether I live with him or not.” She looked away and then back up into his kind face. “Can I wear my sweater during class?”

Sadness filled Isaak’s eyes. “Let me see the bruises.”

Anna slipped off the wrap-sweater she wore over her leotard.

Isaak studied her arms and frowned. “Oh, Anna...” He shook his head. “You deserve so much better than this.”

“I’ll be fine tomorrow.” She forced a bright smile.

He gave her a sad smile and nodded. “I’ll go with you and speak to Patty.” He walked to the door and opened it. “I understand you did well yesterday en pointe.”

She nodded and beamed. “I really enjoyed it.”

Isaak hugged her to his side gently as they approached the studio. “You’ll be in the advanced classes in no time.”

They walked into the studio and he went straight to the corner where Patty was speaking to the pianist. Anna dropped her bag at the side of the room and began readying herself for class. She watched as Isaak spoke with Patty, who nodded and glanced sympathetically at Anna.

Isaak turned and headed toward the door, nodding to Anna before he left the room.

As Anna walked over to the barre, she glanced over at Patty to find her watching her with sad eyes. Nicole and Jackie greeted her enthusiastically, and they visited for a few minutes before class began.

The morning technique class went as well as the previous day, and Anna felt like a new person by the end. The girls invited Anna to go to lunch with them and she agreed. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to eat, but she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts of Aaron—or Zach. As they walked downstairs, she spotted Aaron standing outside one of the studios. They both stopped and stared at each other for a moment, and then Anna gave him a sad smile and turned and walked away, pushing away the desire to run into his arms and bury her face in his chest.

The younger girls whispered excitedly about seeing the company dancers. When they started talking about how cute Aaron was, Anna swallowed hard and studied the buildings as they walked by, trying to not listen to their conversation.

At the deli, Anna played with the french fries on her plate and leaned her head on her hand, unaware of the conversations flowing around her. She knew she should eat, but it was hard to swallow over the lump in her throat. Seeing Aaron had opened up the healing wound in her heart.

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