Rumbling Thunder

by B. F. Harrolle

Rainy thought about it, then said, “I can’t, there is no money. I don’t even have any dancers. I mean, I guess you can do a one person ballet, but I can’t dance anymore. And then I have no costumes. So it was a nice thought, but it can’t be done.”

  “Of course not. Not by yourself. But Will and I can help, and we have a school full of dancers.”

  Rainy studied her for a long moment “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am,” Bonnie said patting Rainy’s hand.

  “But you might get in trouble with my Dad.”

  Bonnie laughed, tilted her head and said, “It wouldn’t be the first time. And about the costumes, we’ll talk to Holly and see what she can do. And if she can’t help, we’ll do it ourselves.”

  Rainy couldn’t believe this woman, but she couldn’t be more grateful. Getting to her feet, Rainy went around the desk, bent down, and embraced Bonnie. “Thank you!”

  “Don’t thank me yet. We have a lot of hard work to do.”

  “I know.”

  “Can I read it?”

  “Sure, as soon as I’m done with it.”

  That night, Rainy didn’t stop writing until the ballet was finished. And she couldn’t wait to see what Bonnie and Will thought of her ballet, hoping that they could pull this off. For the first time in almost a year, Rainy was happy and was no longer thinking of Decker.

  The next day, Rainy couldn’t wait for Bonnie to come into work so she could read the ballet.

  It was after three o’clock when Bonnie and Will came in. Rainy went right to her locker and pulled the notebook out. She made her way to the dance school as fast as she could. As soon as Bonnie saw her, she grinned. “You have it?”

  “Yes, here it is. I have to get back before Dad misses me. Please put that somewhere safe. I don’t need anyone stealing my idea now.”

  “It’ll be under lock and key.”

  “Good,” Rainy said as she went out the door.

  Finishing her cleaning for the day, Rainy left the dance studio and hurried home. It was only four o’clock when she got there. Changing out of her work clothes and putting on something more comfortable, she started the evening meal. She had planned on turning in early. After all, she hadn’t had a lot of sleep the past two nights.

  Rainy woke up, and as soon as she saw the clock, she knew she was late. She’d forgotten to set the alarm before she went to bed. Her father must have left already. Dressing as fast as could, she ran for the door. Donavan walked in before she could reach it. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

  “I woke up late.”

  “Rainy, I just got off.” He saw the confusion in her expression. “You need to go back to sleep. And no more staying up all night.”

  “How did you know I stayed up all night?”

  “I work with people all day. I can tell you if they are fighting with their lover, had a good night’s sleep, or no sleep at all. I even know when they are worried about something.” Rainy raised an eyebrow. “Did you have dinner yet?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, go to bed and sleep.”

  “Goodnight, Dad,” she mumbled and headed back up the stairs feeling stupid.

  For the two weeks that followed, things started to get really crazy. Rainy was dividing her time between the studio and school the best she could. Bonnie helped Donavan cast two of the school’s seniors into Imakey’s for Tim’s ballet. Because of the upcoming holidays, Donavan couldn’t let all his dancers into the contest. In return, Bonnie asked Donavan if she could have Rainy help her for at least two hours a day. She told him she needed her to help with the end of the year recital. He agreed. Rainy’s day was six in the morning until two in the afternoon, cleaning the studio and the dance school. Sometimes she would work in the office. Then she would go home and clean the house and cook the evening meal before returning to the dance school. By the time the weekend came, Rainy was happy to be able to rest.

  Entering the school at six in the evening, Bonnie was grinning at her. “What’s up?” Rainy asked immediately.

  “I found someone to make the costumes.”

  “How much?” Rainy asked, excited.

  “Six hundred.”

  Rainy frowned. “It might as well be a million. We don’t have it.”

  Bonnie laughed. “But we do. Remember, you said all one hundred and ten students would be in this ballet. That way we have no costume changes. We are going to make this dance our end of the year recital. That means the parents are going to pay for the costumes.”

  “What about the conductor’s costume?”

  “The lady at ‘Moonlighting Styles’ said that because we are ordering all the costumes from them, she will make that one for nothing. As a gift for repeat business. I also asked her about the boots. She told me that because there will be more than one person playing that part, we should order leg sleeves and use black jazz shoes.”

  “Okay, what about the eyes?”

  “She said she can do all of it. And we can have them by next month.”

  “Good. Now we have to make the props.”

  “They are doing that also.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bonnie, where did you find these people?”

  “Right here in the city.”

  “That’s great, Bonnie. You’re awesome.”

  Bonnie turned her wheelchair around and followed Rainy into the hall. “How’s it going over there?”

  “Dad knows I’m worried about something. He keeps dropping hints, wanting me to tell him.”

  “Yeah, that will happen. You so much as say one word to him and this little dream of yours goes right out the window.”

  “I know, I wish Mom was here. She could do this with her eyes closed.”

  “Yes, she could,” Bonnie agreed.

  For the next three months, Rainy lived, ate, and slept the ballet. That was her mindset, and even if she had not realized, she was no longer thinking about her past. The last thing on her mind was the bikers or Decker. However, she still had nightmares about Maddog, but not often. The fact was, she didn’t have the time to worry about anything other than the dance. Her community service hours were dwindling down, and she had just seen her probation officer. She was told she was doing great. Not long now; about six more weeks. If she could stay clear of Pedro and keep her dad happy, she’d be back in California soon.

  It was the day of the contest and Rainy was a nervous wreck. The studio was closed. Donavan gave his dancer’s off so they could rest up for that night’s performance. And that meant she didn’t have a reason to go in. So she would have to wait until later in the afternoon to go to the school. Donavan was in his home office doing whatever. And she knew she could sneak out, but she wouldn’t. She was too close to her freedom for that. No, she’d wait, making herself busy around the house doing different things. Then she decided to cook a pot of chili for dinner. That way it would be there for them when they returned home. That is if Donavan didn’t shoot her first. And that was the one thing she had not thought about. Going behind his back. Oh yes, he was going to be pissed off. Well, she couldn’t worry about that now. She had other problems. Her costume was the only one that hadn’t arrived yet.

  After the chili was done, she covered the pot, glancing up at the clock. It was 2:30. She would leave at 3:00. Getting into the shower, she needed to wash out the spray in coloring she put in her hair. She had stopped dying it black a while back. Her natural hair color was platinum blonde. But she always colored her hair a different color every day. It used to run her father crazy, but he was used to it now. Tonight she wanted to stand out, and under the lights, her hair would look even lighter.

  On her way out the door, she went to her dad’s office. “I’m leaving now, Dad.”

  “I thought you would like to come with us to see how the company does in the contest. It’s a new ballet that Tim wrote.”

  “I know, but I promised Bonnie I would help her with dress rehearsal.”


  “That’s right the recital is this Sunday. Maybe you can join us for dinner tonight after the contest is over.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Dad, but I see too much of the dancers as it is. And besides, I cooked a pot of chili.”

  He grinned at her. “Alright, I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Break a leg, Dad.”

  “Thanks, Rainy!”

  She pulled away from the door and hurried to get to the dance school, knowing Bonnie and Will had been there for hours. She felt guilty, but what could she do?

  Entering the school, the first thing she asked was, “Did the costume come?”

  “No, but I have a backup plan,” said Bonnie.

  “What?”

  “Black leotards and tights. And because we don’t have the leg sleeves, just wear your black jazz shoes.”

  “I guess it’s better than nothing. Maybe we should have made that costume ourselves.”

  Bonnie gave her a doubtful glare. “I don’t know about you, Rainy, but I can’t sew.”

  Rainy laughed. “Me either. Okay, we do whatever we have to do.”

  “Yes, and you need to take a deep breath and calm down. It’s still hours before you go on stage. And I love your hair that color; you should bleach it more often.”

  “This is the real me.”

  Bonnie frowned. “And you cover that beautiful hair?”

  Wringing her hands and pacing back and forth, she asked, “When are we going to the theater?”

  “Not until the last minute, Rainy. The last thing we need is to walk right into Donavan Graystone.”

  Turning to face her, she stopped. “You did remember to register us in the contest?”

  Bonnie smirked at her. “At the last minute. In fact, they didn’t want to. Said it was too much to change the program. I told them we were part of the Imakey Dance Company, we are the school."

  “So what did they say?”

  “They are only going to add the name of the ballet under the company’s name.”

  “So Imakey get the credit?”

  “It just means if we win, the company gets credit for the win. But I’m sure the school will get the trophy.”

  “The money?”

  “You will get that. The check will be in your name.” Rainy nodded to acknowledge her. “Let’s get the kids ready and we can have a dress rehearsal here before we go.”

  “Yeah, that way I’m not lying.”

  “How’s our timing? We only have fifteen minutes on stage. Are we going to be able to do all five scenes?” Rainy asked.

  “We have time left over. About three minutes,” Will told her.

  “Good, because I want all the kids to perform.”

  “Rainy, will you stop worrying?” Bonnie put in.

  At the theater, Rainy was getting dressed. She hoped her costume would be delivered in time, but that didn’t happen.

  Bonnie came rolling in. “It’s here; hand delivered about two minutes ago.”

  Rainy took the box out of Bonnie’s hands and dressed into the costume, putting it over her leotard.

  Bonnie grinned at her. “All of you look great.”

  ***

  Jessica was happy she made it there on time. She bought a ticket and didn’t know that the school was competing against the company. This she had to see; her dancers against Donavan’s. Oh, she couldn’t wait. And she wondered if he even knew what Bonnie and Will were up to. She made her way upstairs to the top balcony and took her seat. She could see Donavan and Tim. They were seated next to each other. She didn’t get a program, so she didn’t know the order of the dances. But she would know her group of dancers. And she knew that all the students were in this ballet.

  ***

  Tim nudged Donavan. “Don, the program is wrong.”

  Donavan looked at him. “Why?”

  “Look, they have two dances listed for the company. Our dance, ‘The Last Flower’, and the

  second one is named ‘Space’.”

  “Could be a typo.”

  “Yeah, it must be.”

  They settled in to watch the competition. There were three dances before them. They would be the last to perform.

  Before each dance, the name of the ballet was announced. Donavan enjoyed watching the competition. It gave him ideas for upcoming dances. Dance was forever changing and for them to stay in business, they had to stay in tune with the other companies.

  Finally, it was time for Imakey’s ballet. Of all the dances, Donavan felt that Tim had the trophy again this year. The dance had three scenes and lasted just over ten minutes. And Pedro and Keena were the stars of the show. There wasn’t a male dancer that he knew of that could out dance Pedro. And Keena had developed into a fine prima ballerina.

  When the dance ended, no one applauded. They were told to hold off until the end of the contest. They were waiting for the lights to come on because there would be a break while the judges decided on the winner. To their surprise, another ballet was named. “Space!” The voice said. Donavan and Tim both looked at each other and wondered where this company came from and why the name was listed as their company.

  The slow music started to play. It was different, but catchy. The curtain opened and an orchestra sat in a semi-circle in chairs center stage. The maestro entered the stage from the left side. She was dressed more like a circus ringmaster than a conductor. She wore black boots and black shorts, with a leotard underneath. The jacket was long-tailed, red, and trimmed in black. Her hair was an eye-catching white. At first, Donavan wasn’t sure who she was. But he knew her movements, and it didn’t take him long before he noticed the limp in her stride. Rainy? The more he watched her, he knew she was his daughter. But how?

  Stepping up on the platform, Rainy lifted her baton. The orchestra became silent for just a moment. Raising her hands, the baton in her left, Rainy led them into the song. The music was upbeat and fast.

  Then a man came on stage walking next to two aliens. Both aliens were grey with no mouth and big black eyes. They had three fingers on their hands and three toes on each foot. Their skin looked as if it had scales. And they had two antennae on their heads. The man introduced the maestro to the two aliens. The maestro showed the two aliens around to each musician and their instrument. They then left, and the curtain came down.

  “Don, you know who the conductor looks like?” asked Tim.

  “Rainy,” he replied. Tim could only stare at his boss, speechless.

  The curtain opened again for the second scene. The orchestra playing, but they were standing this time. On a higher level stage, music notes were moving around. Only the notes showed under a black light. The orchestra was dancing this time, and the conductor was in the middle. Then she was lifted and passed around over them, and then placed back on her platform. As she conducted her orchestra, aliens came out from behind the curtain two at a time. When she would turn one way, the aliens would cup a hand over one of the musicians’ mouths. And with the help of the second alien, they carried the musician off the stage. That’s when another alien took the place of the musician. Then more and more aliens came out until all the musicians were replaced with little grey aliens. All their movements were dance steps. Then the curtain comes down.

  The third scene opened with the maestro laying in bed on the upper stage. Her jacket is hanging on a hook next to the door. The music starts and it’s somewhat creepy. There is a window, and in the window is the planet earth. The scene is a dream. A light comes on center stage and the Maestro is dancing, and music notes start to dance around her. The instruments are now joining her and seem to be moving on their own just outside of the spotlight. Around and round they went. Then a tall alien comes on stage and dances up to her, taking her hands in his, he slow dances her off the stage. She runs back, and he grabs her again. The entire time, the planet is moving away from the window and getting smaller and smaller. The maestro wakes up with a jolt.

  The curtain opens for scene four and it is a scene of a circus. An a
lien circus. And the music sounded like that of the big top. There were signs advertising food. Human hot dogs, hamburgers, and human meat tots. Even humans on a stick. On the upper stage, there were kids in wheelchairs playing the part of dead humans being taking into a factory to be processed for food. Some dancers crawled on the bellies trying to escape the aliens only to be captured again. The aliens danced while they partied. Others played games and won prizes. Human dolls were the favorites. The aliens were lighter now. Most of their scales were gone, and the antennae on their heads were smaller. They were starting to look almost human. Everything but their eyes had changed.

  Scene five opens with the orchestra back at center stage. And they were all aliens, looking almost completely human now. The maestro came onto the platform with her back to the audience. Lifting her baton, she started the music. The tempo was fast and upbeat. The other aliens came on stage and danced around them. Then they left, and the song ended. The maestro motioned for the orchestra to stand. When they did, she turned to face the audience. Her eyes were that of an alien. They all bowed together, and the curtain closed with them in the bowed position.

  Donavan didn’t know who wrote the ballet. At first, when he saw the handicapped children, he felt they didn’t have a chance to win. Most of the kids weren’t even ten years old. And he did know one thing. Nothing like it had been done before. Not only was the dance original, but so was the music.

  When the lights came on, Tim and Donavan stood up. They needed to stretch their legs. After all, this contest had lasted over two hours. Tim started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “That we got beat by our own school.”

  “You think so?”

  “Don’t you?”

  “We’ll see, won’t we?”

  Standing, waiting to go back in, they both ordered a drink.

  “Are you angry at Bonnie?” asked Tim.

  Donavan shrugged his shoulders. “Do I have a reason to be angry?”

  “She did kind of do this behind your back.”

  “With a little help, I’m sure.” He then took a sip of his brandy.