Page 189 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

He put his arm around his mother’s shoulders. “Me too.”

Erich sat between his parents, and Seth, Greg, and Tony sat eating heartily of bread and cheese.

He glanced at Vati, who watched him with a smile on his face. Vati had aged since he’d seen him last. The stress of the last few years was evident on his face, with lines etched deep and his eyes filled with exhaustion. There was more white in his hair than before, but his smile was as welcoming and assuring as it had always been.

“Alex?”

Alex turned at the voice that came from the direction of the stairs. He stood as he made eye contact with his younger brother. “Kurt.”

From across the room, Kurt stared at him, unmoving. He stood tall, clean-shaven, with a sense of confidence in his lifted chin. His eyes were wide and his knuckles white on the banister.

Alex sensed a hint of hesitation in Kurt’s voice, making him wonder whether Kurt was truly happy to see him. “Hello, Brother.”

Suddenly, a wide grin split Kurt’s face, and he hurried across the room and embraced Alex in a hard hug. “You’re alive!”

Alex grinned and hugged his brother with all his might. Despite their differences growing up and as adults, he loved his brother with all of his heart and was thrilled to see him.

Kurt greeted the others and then sat down and grabbed a roll. “Where the hell have you all been?”

Alex glanced at his father, who nodded, and started sharing the story of how they had been captured and held prisoner for four years by Vitaly.

Chapter 102

Anna leaned her head on the barre and gulped for air. She’d never been so tired from practicing before. Then again, she’d never had so much one-on-one attention before.

It was Monday afternoon, and she and Hugo had been dancing since ten-thirty that morning with only a brief break for lunch. She didn’t know how much more she could take.

“C’mon, Kittycat. One more time and we’ll call it a day.”

She smiled at the nickname he’d come up with for her. If nothing else, her new name certainly allowed for interesting variations.

Hugo handed her a towel to wipe her face. “You’re doing fantastic. Don’t give up.”

Anna frowned and arched a brow at him as she patted her face. “I don’t understand how you move so fast. I don’t think my body was made for that.”

He gave her that brilliant grin of his. “You’d be surprised. You’ll get it. We have all week.” His topaz eyes glinted with humor.

“A week, huh?” She couldn’t help but grin back. His smiles were contagious. “Alright.” She groaned as she straightened.

“After we’re done, I’ll buy you dinner. How does that sound?”

Anna smiled. “Okay.”

He chuckled as he walked to the front of the room and nodded to the pianist. The music began and Anna danced. She hoped it would become as exhilarating as it seemed it should be soon.

By Saturday afternoon, Anna’s confidence had grown. Something had clicked that morning and she finally “got it.” Hugo cheered as she finished the dance.

“That was... amazing, Katrina. Truly amazing.” He came to stand in front of her with a huge smile on his dark face. His voice softened. “I knew you could do it, Kittycat.”

Anna gazed up into his eyes, her heart fluttering. They’d spent hours and hours and hours together this week, and she had grown quite fond of him. She smiled and turned to get her water bottle, but he grabbed her hand.

“Dance with me,” he said, his voice low. He glanced at Suzie, the pianist. “Giselle, second act.”

Anna shook her head. “No, I can’t...” She’d spent all week trying to immerse herself into Katrina, and that dance was too much a part of Anna.

The music started and she closed her eyes as it swirled around her like a silk ribbon, powerless to resist. Her body moved of its own accord, her eyes still closed, remembering. She danced for Alex, mourning for him, as if dancing could somehow heal the jagged wound in her heart that his death had left. She barely felt Hugo dancing with her, lifting her, feeling as if she were dancing with a ghost. The ghostly memory of her beloved Alex.

When the music ended, she opened her eyes and realized she had danced blindly the entire time. Tears burned her eyes, and she turned away so Hugo wouldn’t see.

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