Page 281 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Anna didn’t respond. What could she say? Wilhelm was an Elder and Alex’s father. She needed to obey him. That’s what would keep anyone else from getting hurt. Including herself. Sucking in a deep breath, she followed Jenna through the back door of the opera house with her jaw clenched against the sobs that threatened to escape. The last time she’d been here, she’d been so full of hope of seeing Ben again. And now he was dead.

As she walked out of the wings and onto the stage where classes were held on performance days, several dancers ran up to Anna—including Travis and Aaron—to ask how she was doing. She barked that she was fine and pushed them out of the way to get to her position at the barre.

Aaron and Travis exchanged bewildered glances as Anna snapped at them and stormed away. Her cold and distant demeanor, with her hard eyes and clenched jaw, was a stark departure from the Anna they knew. They had expected her to seek comfort from them, not shove them away when they showed concern.

“This isn’t good,” Travis said in a quiet voice.

“That fucking bastard,” Aaron muttered.

“Who? Anna?”

Aaron shook his head. “Devin.”

Travis nodded knowingly.

The previous evening, Aaron had shared with Travis what Anna had told him. Devin was destroying her. He hoped Alex would finish up whatever he was doing to and return sooner than later. “She wasn’t this cold yesterday when I called. She was crying.”

Aaron looked around for Jenna and found her watching Anna with concern in her eyes. He walked over. “How’s she doing?”

“She snapped at me this morning.” Jenna gave him a wry smile. “Wilhelm asked me to move in with her and keep an eye on her.”

“Are you gonna?”

She nodded. “Wilhelm’s right. She shouldn’t be alone.”

“How’s Matt doing?”

“He’s... okay. Do you—Anna told him something that was rather disturbing.”

Aaron hadn’t talked to Jenna since Sunday’s performance, except for a few texts to ask about Anna’s whereabouts. “That Ben wasn’t killed in a car accident?”

Jenna’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Anna told me when I called yesterday.”

“No wonder she’s so fucked up.”

Aaron looked across the stage to see Isaak speaking quietly to Anna. She nodded and then burst out into tears. Isaak hugged her to him.

“She had the ring,” Jenna said in a soft voice. “Matt said she had it with her, then gave it to him. I hope his family lets her keep it.”

“I thought they liked her.”

“They do. A lot, from what I can tell. They were excited that Ben was going to ask her. But she’s feeling guilty and avoiding them.”

“It’s not her fault.”

“I know. But I’m sure Devin is quite content to let her think it was her fault.”

“Yeah.” Aaron watched Anna cry on Isaak’s shoulder. The ballet master was like a father to her. It was good. She needed platonic men in her life. He turned back to Jenna. “Do you need help getting your things to her place?”

She grinned. “I could certainly use a bigger vehicle than my Miata. I hate to ask Matt. His family is arriving today and I don’t want to take him away from them.”

“I’ll follow you back to your place and help after rehearsal.” Aaron chuckled. Her little car wouldn’t hold more than a suitcase. It was as bad as Anna’s. Girls and their little cars.

Isaak clapped his hands and Aaron hurried to his place. Anna looked more sad than angry now. He took that as a good sign.

Isaak told Anna he wanted her and Travis to run through their dance, so he could see that she was okay to perform. She agreed and followed Travis to the wings, doing her best to clear her mind before stepping out onto the stage.

---