Black Adagio (20 page)

“Yes, Brandi called and told me about the fight. I knew it was all my fault, but she didn't. And neither did you.”

A sinking feeling began in Melissa's stomach.

“When did she call you?”

“Oh, gosh! Around 11:00 PM. I was just about to go to bed. She said she’d just gotten off the phone with her dad. Anyway, we talked and talked and talked about how she felt sick about what you’d said to her.”

“And when did the call end?” Melissa asked, not wanting to know.

“Around midnight. I remember looking at the clock and telling her that it was late and that I was sorry to cut her off, and that we could talk tomorrow. Or today, I guess.”

“And did she say anything else about me?”

“No, not really.” The remark calmed Missy down. No damage done, she'd just dodged a bullet. “Except that you weren't there, but then you never are in the evening. It's so weird that she didn't mention that she was leaving school. That's the part that's confusing, but it might be like you said. I mean, about you being closer to her because you were a roommate. And then there would be her bags all packed. She'd have to say something to you, wouldn't she?”

Shit! The police would go over Brandi's phone calls. They’d find out about the call she made to Collette and it’d contradict her statement about arriving back at 11:30 PM. It meant more trouble and more questions. Brandi needed to come out of hiding — now!

“Yeah,” she mindlessly allowed, “she sure would.”

Chapter Twenty

The week of Thanksgiving arrived. With Brandi still missing, Tina had been given the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy. It wasn’t meant to be cruel—it was only life continuing on.

The night of the performance snuck up on Missy like the character she was to portray. Although she had doubts about the minimal participation, the minute the lights went up, she was 100% in character. Viktor cast himself as Drosselmeyer, and she had to admit that it was a stroke of genius. The Russians had a long tradition of older dancers transitioning to these types of roles, and she could understand why. Giving the old devil his due, his nuances and expressions were priceless and brought the role to life.

Throwing herself into her part, she found joy in giving the best that she could. Performing was what she lived for, and she'd tuck these memories away to meander through her danceless future.

With the Mouse King killed, she watched from the wings, mesmerized by some truly amazing highlights. Particularly thrilled that her friends stood out; Collette and Tina dazzled. Kurt was absolute perfection in both of his roles, and Justin was also perfectly cast. And Zoe, well, Zoe was fine. Wondering if she was letting hard feelings taint her opinion, she tried to be as objective as possible. She supposed for some, what the Queen of Snark did would be adequate, but it wasn’t for her. She always required an emotional connection, and that was the one thing that Zoe lacked. To Melissa, it was the ability to connect to the audience that made someone an artist. 

The show finished to round after round of heartfelt applause. Drinking in the curtain calls, as soon as she could, she snuck away to change. Not realizing how attached she’d become to the young Mr. Cavanaugh, she wiped away the last bit of the stage make-up, heading out to see Todd’s family. She was curious to meet the woman who had single-handedly introduced two men to the wonderful world of dance. Most times it was a tough sell. Perhaps she’d ask what words she'd used since they must contain a magic spell.

Walking through the festive rooms, the elegant academy had been transformed by artfully placed holiday decorations. Crossing to the annex, it was where treats and punch had been set out for the audience to enjoy. Staying at the perimeter, young children skipped about, emulating some of the steps they'd just seen. Waving enthusiastically, Todd saw her first. His father turning, the pretty, middle-aged woman standing by his side did also. Her dark blond hair cut short, it curled around her face fringing it with gold. Making her way through the crowd, she smiled as she approached the trio.

Todd’s hands laced around Missy's tiny waist. Giving her a warm welcome, the older woman's sweet face crinkled into an engaging grin as she extended her hand.

“Hello, Melissa. I'm Joan. It's so nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s good to meet you, too. Your husband told me all about you.” She felt comfortable under the woman's gentle gaze. Seeming not to be the high-strung, high-maintenance type, there was a graciousness about her that seemed innate.

“And he told me all about you. As did my son. Seems you charmed both the men in my life and I can see why. I loved your performance.”

Waiting for the caveat, it was the part where she criticized her for not being good enough. Surprised that the statement remained as is, Todd gave her a hug.

“I loved it also,” he concurred. 

“You mean, you could tell which rodent was me?”

“Of course! You were the most adorable mouse up there. Loved the way your nose twitched,” he averred, touching it with the tip of his finger.

Basking in the afterglow of the kind comments, his family was so unlike what she was used to. Her mother would have gone on and on. Saying she didn't try hard enough, she would have insinuated that she wasn't good enough to land real roles. Out of the two options, she much preferred this.

“Are you finished for the year?” Joan asked, taking a small sampling of the punch.

“Yes, some of us are … except for tomorrow's performance,” she replied, looking away. Remembering what Brandi had said about
The Nutcracker
, there wasn’t a doubt that the prophesy was true.

With her role doomed to be cut, tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. While Joan wanted to follow
up on what she meant, the odd reaction coupled with the clearing of Todd's throat prevented her.

“I see,” she responded, not seeing at all. “Well, then why don't you stop by for dinner before you go? I'd love to hear all about your experiences, including learning about Una Velofsky. Up until this year, I only saw her name in books. I never thought she'd end up here in Holybrook. Grant can tell you that I nearly jumped out of my shoes when I heard.”

“Tis true. She made quite the spectacle of herself ... until our neighbors turned the sprinklers on.”

A cuff to his arm stopped the teasing in its tracks.

“Ow!” he cried, rubbing the spot on his arm that was tingling.

“I hope you know he's joking,” Joan explained.

“Yes, I became acquainted with his humor on the ride to the school.”

“Oh, you poor thing! I'm subjected to it every day, but it must have been quite daunting for someone new to it. Surprised you didn't turn around and flee,” she quipped, giving her husband a jovial pat on his back.

“Nothing could have kept me away,” Melissa responded, her eyes still tearing up from the realization that this was her last week in Holybrook. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't.

Todd put down his drink, snatching Melissa by her arm. Knowing that she'd been under a lot of pressure, both from training and what had happened to her roommate, he wasn't sure which was causing her to break down. Wanting to avert a public meltdown, if she was going to cry, it was going to be in his arms.

“Hey, why don't you and I go outside for a bit of air. There's something I wanted to talk to you about ... privately.”

Grant raised his drink in the air as if giving a toast. “Well, don't let us stop you. I'm sure there's something we can find to do around here. Like ask the famous Una Velofsky why she cast that robot as Clara. Talk about butter not melting in someone's mouth!”

Missy was taken aback by the on target comment. She hadn’t been sure that anyone else noticed.

“Did you really think so?” she inquired, her crying jag put on hold.

“Notice? Are you kidding? Ice Princess, maybe, but Clara? That would be a definite no.”

“You can see that despite his meager contact with this lovely art form, he has a good eye,” his wife added. “And I agree with his assessment. All that talent, and they give the role to a technician? I'm surprised that Ms. Velofsky went in that direction. It was her, wasn't it? That chose the cast, I mean.”

“No, it was Viktor Szelak, the man that played Drosselmeyer.”

“Well, then he needs glasses,” was Grant's succinct critique.

“Ditto on that. Now if you’ll excuse us.”

Whisked away through the crowd, Todd retrieved his jacket as Melissa found hers in the pile of outerwear. Stepping outside, the night air was brisk and invigorating. Holding the promise of snow, it would be the first of the season. Venturing to the end of the porch, Todd jumped up on the railing, Melissa fitting between his open legs.

“I love your parents,” she said, staring into Todd's deep-set eyes. Shining like embers, she wondered if the glint were the beginnings of love.

“You do?” he replied jokingly. “Both of them? I mean, my mom, I can understand.”

“Your father is great and you know it!”

“I do indeed. One of the best guys around, unlike some other people that shall remain nameless,” he responded. Becoming distant, his thoughts centered on Larabee.

“So that’s what you wanted to talk to me about? The nameless entity that’s hanging around … somewhere,” she replied, trying to sound mysterious to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, that. No, I just saw you getting a little choked up in there, and I know how private you are. Didn't think you'd like to have a whole lot of people see you in tears.”

“Oh,” she said rubbing her temples with circular movements. “Yeah, I guess ballet means something to me alright.”

“So it's about ballet? And going home? That's the part in the discussion where you started getting misty. Are you afraid of going home?”

“Yes.”

In more ways than one,
was her silent addendum. She didn’t trust him—not yet. Being nice wasn't enough. And what good would it do to become involved? Going home meant there was no future for them as a couple.

“Why?” he asked, his face denoting a sincere interest. If it hadn't been there, she wouldn't have bothered to reply.

“Because I didn't get selected for a solo. It’s how the cuts will be made. The casting was done by Una's right-hand man in this company, Viktor Szelak.”

“And?”

“And he hates me.”

“What? That seems a little hard to believe.”

“Yeah, well, that's all that everybody says. I'm starting to believe you’re all either a) being nice, or b) wrong.”

“Look, I haven't seen what you can do, so I can't attest to how talented you are, but this guy hating you? That I do have an opinion on. You're a sweet girl, Missy. Shy and a tad complex, but not worthy of being hated.”

“Tell that to Zoe and her crew,” she replied bitterly, looking off into the distance. The woods out there, they surrounded the encampment like tall ogres ready to close in and attack. Just waiting for the right moment, she shivered, pulling her coat around her. She didn't want anything to do with the forest. One night spent in that place was more than enough.

“Yeah, well,” he said brushing his eyebrow with his thumb, “I meant to say something about that. Doesn't it make more sense that she hates you because you're good? I mean really good? That kind of hostility doesn't occur in a vacuum. There has to be a reason and the reason often boils down to plain old jealousy.”

Shaking her head, Melissa gave a derisive huff.

“You sound like my old teacher Phoebe Leighton. She's the one that got me into this mess. What with filling my head with lies like that. I mean, why can’t it be that people just plain hate me? I don't like everybody I meet. And it's not necessarily because I'm jealous.”

“I see what you mean, but this is slightly different. If we’re getting all theoretical, I suppose she could have picked on you because you're quiet and thought she could get away with it, but I don't read you that way.”

“You don't?”

“No, you seem like a fighter to me. It's why I don't understand why you're giving up before you even know. And, besides, aren't there other companies out there?”

She shrugged, staring ahead at the dark, old trees.

“Todd, you're a nice guy and all, but I'm just not ready to go there. Let's just say that financially, my dancing has been a hardship. If I continue in something I don't have a chance in hell of accomplishing, I'm being selfish and unrealistic. It's time for me to grow up and take responsibility for my decisions. That means I can't afford to continue. I just can't.”

Her black eyes penetrated his heart. She was so young to be talking this way. There was nothing wrong with her wanting to be fiscally responsible, but there were lots of part-time jobs that would bring in money, and allow her flexibility to pursue her dream. There must be something else. An insecurity, perhaps? But arising from what? Certainly not from what she saw when she looked in the mirror.

“Come here,” he said pulling her to him, and giving her a hug. The tenseness in her body staggering, either she wasn’t that into him or wasn't used to physical contact. Remembering what she'd said about never having a boyfriend, he hadn't thought she was lying, but this behavior confirmed it. Not wanting to be the big, bad wolf at her door, he didn't want her house to fall—he only wanted to be let in.