Light as a Feather

by Cameron James

  “Your choreography?” Frankie asked, Max nodded. “Can tell.” He said more to Cory, “développé, arabesques and a pirouette section in the bridge. Yeah, that’s Maxwell Whelan’s choreography.”

  “Predictable apparently.” Max said, I smirked at him.

  “Have you thought about what school you’ll go to?” Cory asked, then waved his fork at me, “if you get it. I mean?”

  “There were a few.” I said, they all began to nod.

  “I always dreamed of going to Paris.” Max said, Frankie and Cory sighed in agreement.

  “Or New York. The New York ballet would’ve been something else.” Frankie said, they all nodded as one, I looked at Cameron as he rolled his eyes,

  “Where would you like to go Jacob?” he asked,

  “Australia.” I said, then turned to look at Cory. “Would you recommend?” I added, Cory nodded, it looked like he didn’t even need to think.

  “Jacob it is an experience of a lifetime.” He said, then looked around the table, because he needed to gain permission from my parents.

  “I wouldn’t go without you guys.” I said to Cameron, then Max. “There would be no way I would move to Australia without you both.”

  “You danced amazingly Jacob. The choreography merely complimented you.” Max said, I smiled at him, he smiled right back.

  “Oh, not to take the spotlight or anything…” Cory said, then looked at Frankie as he began to nod.

  “We’ve been approved to adopt.” Frankie finished with, we gasped as one.

  “We’re going to meet her next week, then hopefully we’ll get the ball rolling.”

  “Her?” Cameron asked, they both nodded.

  “A little girl. You know her actually,” Cory said to Max, he managed to look extremely confused back to him. “She’s in your beginner’s ballet.”

  “Melody?” I said, Cory smiled at me as he nodded.

  “Melody.” He repeated, I saw as Max began to nod because he remembered her.

  “That’s great news.” Cameron said, “I’m so happy for everyone at this table tonight.” He said,

  “Why are you happy for Max?” I asked, Cameron threw some cheese at me, I began to laugh as he did.

  I sat up late with Cameron after Cory and Frankie had left, and Max had gone to bed. I had originally planned to go back to the boarding house but it had turned ten, then eleven and by then it was practically midnight and I’d missed curfew.

  “I have one question.” Cameron said, I looked at him across the couch as he nursed a can of coke.

  “Okay?” I replied,

  “Do you want to go to Australia because that boy you like is there?” he asked, then turned to look at me. I shook my head as he met my eyes.

  “No, that’d totally just be a plus point.” I said, Cameron smiled.

  “Like heated seats in a car?” he asked, I laughed but nodded.

  “Like heated seats in a car.” I agreed, “how did you know I liked Elijah?” I asked, he laughed so much he almost choked on the sip of coke he took.

  “Max mentioned that all you could talk about in your rehearsals was Elijah. Dead give-away son.” He said, I sighed as he laughed. “Tell me why you want to go to Australia.” He said, I frowned lightly. “Persuade me that I also want to go.” he said then turned on the seat, sitting cross-legged and facing me, I copied.

  “May I start with the weather…?”

  ***

  “Ront de jambe.” Madame Rose snapped, whilst twirling her wrist to indict the speed we should be going at. “Keep it up.” She ordered, “ront de jambe en l’air.” She ordered, I sighed as I overly leant against the barre, Kian was stood beside me, also overly using the barre.

  “Stand up straight.” Madame Rose snapped, we both did, “do not become lazy just because the term is coming to an end.” She said, I sighed as Kian did, then we began to laugh. “Girls, Relevé on the barre, boys centre floor.” She said, so we moved, I caught Margo’s smirk as I found my place and listened to the sequence of instructions Madame Rose was giving us.

  Margo always began to giggle as we stepped as one bowing and curtseying respectfully, at the end of Madame Rose’s lesson. She for some reason always lost it, and today was no different, although she was silenced pretty quickly by Madame Rose’s hand.

  “First years.” She said, we all waited nervously for what she was possibly going to say, “I would like to make you aware that your Pas De Deux results have been listed, alongside the recipients of the Scholarship.” She said. “I do not want to see you rushing to read it. I want the corridors to remain as orderly as normal.” She said, then she dismissed us.

  I looked at Kian, seeing his nod, as he looked across to Margo who almost nodded. We walked out of the studio, got out of view of the door then we began to run.

  We dodged second years as they came back the other way, and avoided Arlo narrowly, we heard his half attempt of telling us to slow down but he either gave up, or we were too far away to hear it. Kian reached the board first, he ran his finger down the Pas De Deux results, he tapped it then nodded.

  “Acceptable.” He said, Margo and I looked over his shoulders,

  “I can live with that.” Margo said nodding, I began to nod with her,

  “That is quite good.” I said, as Kian moved along the wall,

  “Jacob?” he said, so I turned to look at him, he nodded his head towards the wall so I went to him, reading what he was.

  First Year Scholarship is awarded to;

  JACOB KENNEDY

  ��

  Chapter 15

  Cameron was the only other person awake when I finally got around to waking up. I’d manoeuvred the maze of people sleeping on my bedroom floor and managed to not step on, or wake any of them up as I went to the bathroom.

  I decided to then go downstairs, as I didn’t want to have to fight my way back into bed. Cameron was walking around with a bin bag when I reached the living room, the doors to the other half of the room were still closed as he picked up cans and other debris that had been left around the place.

  “Quite a party.” Cameron said, I looked towards him, he smiled. “Hung over?”

  “Probably.” I said, he laughed.

  “Your father is.” He said simply, I smiled as I leant back against the computer desk. “He woke up. Swore at me and went back to sleep.”

  “Yeah. That sounds like Max.” I said, he nodded smiling at me, so I smiled back,

  “Are you ready for this Jacob?” he asked. I shrugged lightly.

  “Connor said he’d stay today. Pack with me. Whether he still will in his state is debatable, but…” I said, then took a deep breath in, “yeah, yeah I’m ready for this.” I said, he nodded to me then hugged my shoulder, kissing the side of my head.

  “Either pick up a bin bag, or get a shower.” He said, I laughed.

  “That bad?”

  “You smell of ale.” He said, then he smirked at me. “Funny really as I’m sure you were drinking spirits. I’m going to make a killer fry up. Which I know will kill off my twin brother, but remedy my husband.” He said raising his eyebrow at me, I laughed.

  “Well, I guess I’ll go and get a shower then.”

  I could smell bacon when I got out the shower, it grew stronger as I got closer and closer to my room. I opened the door to my bedroom then sighed, as I had definitely forgotten about the maze of people on my floor. Although, now Connor had woken up. He was sat, his back against my bed rubbing his eyes as Kian remained asleep, his head now on Connor’s lap.

  “Morning.” I whispered, he looked at me, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust.

  “I think I drank your house.” He said, I laughed, stepping into a t-shirt and a pair of joggers then sitting beside him.

  “I think you had help.” I said, looking towards Margo who slept at the foot of my bed.

  “Was a good party.” He said, I laughed. “I’m going to fucking miss you.” He said, so I looked at him.

  “Yeah,
I’m going to fucking miss you too.” I said, he sighed then kissed my shoulder, so I lifted his head and kissed his lips lightly.

  “If he woke up now, he’d be so confused.”

  “He’d think you went poly on him.” I said, looking down at Kian as he continued to sleep.

  “God I need to pee.” Connor said as we both looked down at Kian, I laughed.

  “Wake him up then.” I said, Connor groaned, I grinned at him as he sighed.

  I went downstairs again, once Connor had gotten enough will to move Kian and go the toilet. I waited for him at the top of the stairs, then went down with him, watching his confusion as he saw Caspar, then Cameron.

  “I must’ve drank far more than I thought.” Connor said as Caspar continued to moan at Cameron for making food.

  “Come grab something Jacob.” Cameron said, “and Connor, meet my twin brother Caspar.”

  “Twin?” Connor repeated, I nodded to him as he frowned then came to sit beside me at the kitchen table. “Did I meet you last night?”

  “You did.” Caspar said amused, “you asked me if I smoked weed because I looked like the kind of guy that would.” He said, Connor looked at me mildly alarmed.

  “You were pretty drunk by the time the adults arrived.” I said, he whimpered lightly then began to eat the bacon sandwich Cameron had offered up to him. Frankie and Cory were the next to appear, both looking far too fresh as they’d obviously slept on our couch.

  “You’re a good wife Cameron.” Cory said as he took his own bacon sandwich and took a seat.

  “Thank you. I pride myself on my housewifery.” Cameron replied, then placed a variety of different strength coffees on the table. Kian appeared once we’d moved to sit on the couches, he looked pretty unhappy with the idea of being awake, as he sat beside Connor, leaning his head on Connor’s shoulder. They whispered to each other until Connor laughed and threw the blanket that was at our feet over Kian’s raised knees.

  “Food?” Cameron asked, Kian shook his head as he groaned burying his head further into Connor’s shoulder.

  “So, when do you go then?” Cory asked, I looked at Cameron as he blew on his coffee cup.

  “We leave the day after next.” He said nodding to me, “layover in Singapore, then onto Australia.” He said,

  “Classes start after the summer?” Frankie asked, I shook my head.

  “Classes start in July.” I said, Cory laughed.

  “Oh yeah, school terms are completely different.” He said then looked at Frankie. “The start of the year, is the start of their school year. You’ll be going in on term three? Right?” he asked, I nodded.

  “Still in your first year?” Kian asked, I smirked at him slightly but nodded all the same.

  “I won’t do my end of term assessments until December now.” I said, he tutted as he raised his head so he could lean his chin on Connor’s shoulder.

  “Mines in like two weeks.” He said, Connor smiled.

  “And will you have sobered up by then?” he asked, Kian pulled his tongue as Max appeared.

  “Oh sleeping beauty.” Frankie said, Max raised his middle finger to him. It made me laugh.

  “Do you want food?” Cameron asked, Max began to nod. “Bacon?” he added, Max hummed then went and took Cameron’s seat once he’d stood to go into the kitchen.

  “Do you know where you’re going to live yet?” Cory asked, as Cameron came back, he passed a plate to Max, who sat up better on the chair to let Cameron sit on his knee.

  “Sam’s house.” Cameron said as he looked at Max, Max nodded.

  “Sam’s letting us live there whilst he studies then we’ll figure everything else out.”

  “Any jobs?” Frankie asked, Max smiled as he picked at the bacon. “You’ve got a job?”

  “I have. Sam’s starting up his company and has asked me to dance in it.”

  “You’ve never been a part of a company.” Frankie said, he sounded mildly surprised, as Max nodded to him.

  “I know. I’m pretty excited for it.”

  “And yourself?” Cory asked, Cameron laughed.

  “I won’t be working for the first few months, a bit of a holiday, but I’m going to be in a revival of The Boy from Oz come November.” He said, then smiled at Max as he continued to pick through the sandwich.

  “I’m devastated though.” Max said, we all frowned at him, especially me, as we’d had multiple conversations in the last few weeks that stated that moving to Australia was the best-fucking-thing that could have happened to all of us, with Max’s company place, Cameron’s almost instant casting in a musical and my schooling. “I won’t get to watch you two attempt at being parents.” he said, Frankie and Cory both gasped at him.

  “Actually, yeah. I’m pretty devastated about that too.” Cameron said thoughtfully, I smiled at him as he winked at me.

  Frankie and Cory, drove Kian and Margo back to the boarding house when they both felt as if they’d sobered up enough to face the world. Max went for a shower, whilst Cameron continued to tidy up with the help of Caspar, and then progressed to moving things we were taking into boxes, whilst Connor and I stood in my room, packing away all my things, whether I was taking them or not.

  “Oh my god. We were little.” Connor said, I turned my head to look in the direction he was stood, he held my framed picture of us, the bubble wrap poised in his other hand. “Pride?” he asked, I nodded.

  “We were sixteen.” I said, then sat on my bed, he sat next to me,

  “This is my second favourite picture.” He said, I frowned at him,

  “What’s your first?” I asked, he laughed as he took his phone off my bedside table, he scrolled through it, then turned it to me. “Oh my god.” I said laughing as I took his phone.

  We were nine, definitely nine because we were at the holiday camp, the home had taken us to when it was being renovated. We were on the beach, both in just our trunks. I still had my thin wired glasses that I wore for too long during childhood. I had loved them because they had little cartoon characters over the arms, and I wouldn’t change them, not until I was eleven and Ste advised it’d be wise too.

  Connor had his cap on sideways, the peak to the left, he had a spade in his left hand, holding it up as if to show it off, whilst I had the bucket, it was full of sand, and you could see the sand falling out of it in the photograph. I remembered it was Adam who had taken the picture, he’d have been thirteen, maybe fourteen and he had been put in charge of the little digital camera for that holiday.

  “That’s definitely my favourite picture.”

  “We’ll definitely be recreating it in Australia.” I said, Connor raised his eyebrow,

  “You think I’ll be able to get to Australia?” he asked, I nodded to him.

  “Definitely, I will be paying for you to come and see me, at least twice a year, and with your boyfriend, I’m sure he’d not miss the chance to watch the Sydney ballet.”

  “True. He hasn’t shut up about it, since you announced your choice.” He said amused, I laughed quietly, then I hugged him tight, and he hugged me back.

  ***

  “Welcome to my humble adobe.” Sam said as he turned the key in the large door that appeared to be just made out of windows.

  In fact, the entire house appeared to be made out of windows but there was no way you could see in, that intrigued me as I walked into the house, then I lost my breath.

  “Obviously, this house isn’t lived in. Live in it for me, put pictures up, make it a mess.” Sam said amused to Max and Cameron as I walked into the kitchen.

  There were no walls, no doors everything was open, you could walk from the living room to the kitchen with ease, the whole house had wooden floors and white walls, with the occasional exposed brick pillars to separate the rooms.

  “Oh he’s found the pool.” Sam said, so I turned from looking at the fridge, to looking out of the big glass windows that lead to the pool. I walked towards them, pushing the doors open and standing outside. “It’s
heated.” Sam said as he came to stand beside me, I moaned.

  “I want to make as much money as you do. Some day.” I said, Sam laughed so I looked at him. “Where are you going to live?” I asked, he smiled.

  “I have a flat.”

  “A flat?” I repeated, “that doesn’t sound right.”

  “A condo.” He said amused, I laughed. “I prefer it there, it’s smaller, a better size for just me.” he said, I nodded to him as Max and Cameron came out onto the patio.

  Sam began to tell them important things about the house, and apparently on how to manage the pool, so I walked away from them. Walking around the pool and leaning on the fence, looking out of Australia.

  Frankie and Cory had dropped us at the airport. Cory telling us everything, and anything he could remember about being in Australia, places to go, to eat, to see. The ballets, the beach.

  Everything, he’d spoken for the entire journey then he let Frankie say his piece at the airport. Where he stood, hugging Max tight, and talking quietly to him for the good part of ten minutes. Caspar had followed behind, with Connor in his car, and had almost not let Cameron go as they hugged themselves.

  I had squeezed Connor to every inch of his life, as I’d already said my goodbyes to Kian and Margo the night before in the boarding house. I’d had a session with Ash, more of a social call than a therapy session, where we just spoke for the hour and he wished me well. Arlo had been outside the therapy room when I left, he hugged me tight, as had Miss Olivia.

  Madame Rose wished me luck and gave me an affectionate pat on the shoulder. I’d spent the night in the room I shared with Kian, we ordered pizza and drank sugary drinks. He made me promise I’d tell him when I arrived, and if I didn’t, he’d be on the phone to Elijah to make sure I had in fact arrived.

  “I’m going to go call Frankie, let him and the rest of them know we’re here.” Max said, I turned to nod to him.

  “Want something to eat?” Cameron asked, Sam laughed.

  “Give over sweetheart, first lunch here is definitely on me.” he said, Cameron smiled at him. “Besides we need to talk in depth about your new role, no?” he said, Cameron nodded then pointed towards the house. I shook my head, so he left me on the patio. I looked out over Australia and took a big deep breath in. Then, I let it out.