Page 154 of When Hearts Awaken

We quickly enter the circle of white swans and assume our ending positions before the swans slowly twirl away.

The spotlight shines on me as I slip from under Dev’s hold. The audience gasps when I turn around, showing them my black swan side. Smiling at the dark shadows, I spare a glance at the Vaughn family box front and center of the Parterre level, feeling Charles’s intense gaze on me.

Arching my hip, I ruffle my black feathers, embracing the audacious and saucy persona of Odile. Staring straight at the man I love, who looks so delicious in his black tux and perfectly combed hair, I give him a wink and throw him a kiss from afar. His glittering eyes shine with love as his lips twist into a smirk. He holds up his hand as if to catch my kiss and plasters it against his heart.

The audience chuckles at my teasing movements and I turn back toward Dev, who’s still lying on the ground. Before I head toward him, I prance toward the fallen sorcerer, Odile’s father in the original story—a pure bastard through and through. The sorcerer, the schemer behind Odette’s tragic death, is now shuddering on the ground, about to die himself after Odette and the prince decide to give up their lives to break the curse.

Slowly, I grab Prince Siegfried’s prop sword from the ground and plunge it into the sorcerer’s chest. The audience gasps as he flails dramatically before lying still. Then I hurry to Dev, and gently lift my leg high in the air as the front of my body bends down, all the while showing the black swan’s side to the spectators. I reach for him and he slowly wakens before he gets back up and flips me around so that Odette, the white swan, is now facing the audience.

A few excited shrieks echo in the auditorium as the crowd slowly realizes what’s happening. Odile, the strong black swan, the stunning fighter capable of the hardest moves and turns in the ballet, has planned this ending all along. She fakes the deaths of Odette and Prince Siegfried and kills their evil sorcerer father before resurrecting Odette and her love.

Dev lifts me high in the air as he spins on his feet. Exhilaration sears my blood before he sets me down. I perform another set of fouetté turns around him—faster and faster, so that my costume—the black and white sides blend and slowly blur into gray—the beautiful Odette with her sparkling white feathers merging with the daring Odile with her seductive black feathers.

I hear the roar from the crowd, followed by thunderous applause and the squeaking of chairs—a standing ovation—as I twirl and twirl and twirl.

Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty turns, all equally strong and elegant.

Because I’m the best damn swan and I deserve to be standing here on this stage. And from the loud cheers and applause, the public agrees with me.

I’m controlling my destiny.

Slowly, I come down from my last turn and land in my ending pose as the curtains fall.

Chaos and commotion erupt backstage.

Lisa scrambles to us, Ainsley and Maddy close behind her, and the girls throw themselves on me.

“I had tears in my eyes, Tay. That was so beautiful!” Lisa exclaims. “Dad texted me and told me to tell you he wanted to schedule your promotion eval!”

My heart titters with happiness, the rush of satisfaction and joy practically stealing my breath away. I realize, at this moment, it doesn’t matter if I get promoted to principal ballerina.

Because I feel like a winner already.

I finally understood what Mom was trying to tell me all those years ago.

“A happy ending for everyone. I’m so proud of you, Tay. I knew you could do it!” Ainsley grins, her eyes misty as well.

I thank them, but my attention is snared on the brunette standing quietly next to her best friend. The two seem to have made up over the last few months and have gotten closer. Maddy wipes tears from her eyes. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pull her closer and whisper in her ear, “You’re the black swan too. Fierce. Powerful, a fighter. Don’t you forget that.”

She nods. “Thank you, Tay. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“You would’ve survived and you would’ve been brilliant all on your own. And keep going to therapy. I’m doing that now too.” I clutch her shoulders. “We’ll chase away these monsters together with help.”

I took up Olivia’s offer, and she introduced me to her colleague, who specialized in healing from sexual assault. The sessions, while heavy and emotional, have been cathartic. The therapist is also using EMDR techniques on me, which help PTSD victims to reprocess their trauma and rewire the physical responses so they lessen over time.

Charles is also seeing a different therapist on his own to work out his issues—the guilt over what happened to Alexis and me, Ian’s betrayal, his mending relationship with Liam. It’s making such a big difference for him. The light shines more brightly in his eyes these days.

“Because we’re survivors,” Maddy says, and I look into her eyes, a jolt of pride rushing inside my chest when I see a flame spark in them.

“Damn right we are.” I grin.

“So, plans for the break?” Lisa asks, her eyes twinkling.

“Nightmare of the Deadis playing, and I’m going to drag Charles to see it with me.” I waggle my brows.

The girls laugh. They all know Charles is not the biggest fan of slasher films.

Someone shoves my shoulder and I glance back, finding Carla standing there, her arms across her chest, a flash of admiration in her gaze.

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