Page 28 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Chapter 16

Dress rehearsals ran all week. The entire company had morning class together on stage, which made it difficult to avoid her former friends. They didn’t seem to understand she wanted nothing to do with them, so she just turned away and ignored them when they tried to talk to her.

When she walked on stage Friday morning, there was more buzz than normal. The girls were whispering excitedly to one another. Anna figured it was just opening night jitters until she heard them gossiping about a new dancer.

“Omigosh, did you see his ass?”

“Is he gay?”

“He’s Russian. He doesn’t have to be gay to be good.”

“And his eyes!”

Anna grimaced and walked to the corner of the stage, where she got ready for class. She sighed in relief when Isaak clapped his hands for their attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to our newest dancer, Peter Ivanov. He will be hanging around for the performances over the next two weeks so he can get to know you all and how our company works. He will, of course, be performing in The Nutcracker with us.” Isaak listed out the impressive rolls he’d danced and mentioned he’d most recently been a member of the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Anna frowned as she tied her pointe shoes. Why would a guy who’d danced with the Mariinsky come to San Francisco? The Mariinsky was one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. She glanced up as she finished tying her shoe and gasped. Oh God, this has to be some sort of trick!

Standing not twenty feet away from her was Peter, grandson of the Russian Elder, Vitaly, who had called Alex out on the mission that had killed him.

His warm brown eyes lifted to meet hers and he smiled. He’d grown a goatee since she saw him last and looked older, but it was definitely him. Devin hadn’t told her he was a dancer. Not that he’d had a chance.

Anna clenched her jaw and trembled with fury. But, no. She had to behave herself. He was a future Elder, and she needed to be polite and accommodating. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize her. She quickly stood and turned to warm up at the barre. Thankfully, he took a place at the barre next to Aaron and Stephanie, and she didn’t have to think about him anymore.

She was heading off the stage after class when she felt a hand on her elbow. She turned and found herself looking directly into Peter’s deep-set brown eyes.

“You are Anna, right?” His accent wasn’t as thick as she would have expected. His voice was deep and had he been anyone else and she been living a different life, it would have made her knees turn to jelly. “I do not know if you remember me?—‍”

“I remember you.” She lifted her chin. “Why are you here?”

“I needed a break from my family and have always heard wonderful things about the San Francisco Ballet Company. You were the first to bring Nutcracker to America, right?”

“You left the Mariinsky to dance here?” She arched her brow in disbelief.

Peter flashed a megawatt smile and shrugged. “I had an opportunity to come and thought it would be fun. I also heard there were very pretty ballerinas here.” He looked her up and down. “They were not lying.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll have your pick.” She pursed her lips. “They seem quite entranced by you. Excuse me.” She spun around and walked away. He wasn’t technically an Elder-Son yet... right?

While she danced, she felt Peter’s gaze on her. Why was he watching her? There were dozens of other girls that would be thrilled to have his attention. Had she not made it clear she wasn’t interested?

When the run-through was over, she saw him walking toward her and escaped into the corps dressing rooms before he caught up. She changed clothes and escaped before he could find her, arriving at home in record time.

After a nap and a late lunch, Anna walked back to the theater carrying the horrid red dress and everything else she needed to get ready for the after-party. Her arms were aching by the time she reached the back of the building.

She paused to catch her breath before she opened the door.

“Can I help you carry your things?” a deep voice behind her asked.

She whirled around to see Peter behind her. Some of the other corps dancers were walking up to the door and they looked at the two of them curiously.

“No.” She yanked open the door and hurried away.

To Anna’s relief, she didn’t see Peter the rest of the afternoon or evening. She stayed in the dressing room as much as possible and kept to herself. She sat in the corner behind the rack of costumes and tried to read, but the other dancers giggled and gossiped very loudly and couldn’t seem to find anything to talk about except Peter.

Suddenly, there was a loud burst of laughter. “Yeah, maybe that’s why he thinks he likes her. She reminds him of his icy home.”

Anna had a feeling they were talking about her, and she didn’t care. At least, that’s what she told herself. She wouldn’t admit that she was lonely and missed her friends.

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