Page 34 of A Dark Duet

Determined, I look her in the eyes. “All three. And I will help you out, I don’t want you to pay me. I will teach them the basics, so your other students don’t fall behind.”

“Alright, first show me what you know.”

“Okay.”

I walk into the middle of the dance floor while the three girls say thank you and hug me with tears in their eyes. I smile and look over at Lenora. “Ready?”

I dance with my dance shoes and perform just like I was at Juilliard, and when I’m done, Lenora stands with her mouth open in awe.

“Well, I see I was right after all. He doesn’t know, does he?” she asks, shaking her head.

“About what?” I ask with a straight face.

“That you’re a ballerina. He thinks you’re just some dancer. If he only knew. You’re a ballerina with many years of experience and training you can only get from one place. I recognize it.”

The girls are looking at us as we continue our conversation. She walks up to me. “I went there too, and I can see it. I see you, Giselle.”

“I’m not that person anymore,” I say sadly.

She breathes deeply. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I got hurt and couldn’t continue. You are still young and have a chance. It will be an honor for you to come here and help with our new students. I will provide them with uniforms and slippers.” I smile.

“Thank you, madam.” She smiles back.

The youngest of the three, a blonde little girl named Cindy, comes up to me in excitement. “You’re a real ballewina,” she says in her cute little voice. “I want to be a real one just like you.”

“Of course, you can be anything you want,” I say as I kneel to get a better look at her. She gives me a big hug. With her blue eyes and straight blonde hair, she is adorable.

“Thank you.” My eyes fill with tears I will not let fall. The other two girls give me hugs and thank me for the lessons with smiles and gratitude.

When the lessons are over, and I teach the new girls the basics, they are so happy and excited as they walk over to the gym. I follow them since I have never been there and don’t know where to go.

We enter inside and see a desk with a man in his forties sitting behind it. I look over and there is a group of teenage boys learning the basics of mixed martial arts. In the middle of the gym, in the cage, is where I see Nate sparring with another guy. There are other guys from his team outside the cage giving him instructions I can’t make out. They’re all big guys with tattoos.

Nate suddenly takes his opponent down hard, ending on the floor where he taps out. Nate lets up and stands with the sweat dripping down his torso. Even sweaty, he looks good with his muscles on display. He takes his gloves off with his teeth and opens the cage door. He spots me and I look down at Cindy as she rushes at him.

“Nate! Nate!” she says.

I suddenly hear Lenora say hello to the gentleman at the desk named Charles. I turn around as she passes by me in the direction where Nate is kneeling, talking to Cindy. The other two girls follow behind Lenora.

“Nate, I need a word with you,” Lenora says. The other guys who were standing by the cage walk up behind Nate to see what is going on. His sparring partner eyes me when Jaden appears from a back room.

“Hey, Giselle.” He smiles.

I wave silently.

“Hello Lenora, I see you met Giselle,” Nate says as he looks at me, but my attention is on Lenora.

Of course she met me, he sent me there. I roll my eyes.

“Yes, Giselle will help me out with the girls, but I need you to get permission from their guardians since she was kind enough to pay for the ballet classes for all three.”

Nate looks shocked by what she said and looks at me while I turn my gaze to the three special young girls.

“You should have told me, Nate,” she says.

“What?”

Cindy interrupts. “I didn’t know that you knew a real-life ballewina! She showed me this!” Cindy twirls, attempting to perfect what she just learned.

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