Black Adagio

by Potocki, Wendy

  All the things he was saying were so true. As if reading her mind, she did have a hard time trusting—and never felt worthy enough to be loved, but there was no reason for her to live that way forever. If she did, she'd let her mother win. Taking his advice, she broke through her hard shell. Yielding to the music, she was no longer thinking about technique.

  As the crescendo neared, the classroom disappeared. The notes swirling around her, they became a part of her. Driving her legs into the ground, they lifted her torso. Her image in the mirror filmy, it was as if she were gazing at it through diaphanous gauze. Her insecurity stilled, the change in perspective allowed her fragile ego to drop its protective coating that kept her from experiencing life. It was no good being surrounded in such sadness. No good to think that just because something happened one time, it would happen again. Staring at herself, she found that she didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. All her critical judgments about what she was were discarded. Only an instrument to be used by a muse, she stood on the precipice ready to jump off the cliff.

  Initiating the movement to execute a developpé à la seconde, it was here she usually fell apart. Instead, she fell into it. In another world, it was a world of happiness and mirth. A world where there wasn't anything but music and dance and endless possibilities.

  Her toe lifting, she brought her leg out from underneath. Extending from the knee, her leg unfurled. Holding it to the side, her foot was fully pointed, her leg no longer heavy. Not weighing her down, it didn’t pull her off her supporting side. As light as a feather, Melissa breathed into the movement. Alexei was so right—the music was telling her when to move. From the corner of her eye, she saw she'd attracted an audience. Una and her grandmother standing in the hallway, they wandered in, Una keeping a hand over her heart.

  From the ceiling, sparkling sequins seemed to fall like snowflakes around Melissa. Like the sun, she occupied the center of all things. Time became like putty. No longer the taskmaster, she could slow it down or speed it up with silent commands. Everything moving around her in perfect balance and symmetry, Alexei's hands gathered her up. The signal that she was almost done, there was only the fouetté that ended in the handless fish dive. Taking a deep breath, she relevéd. Her right leg flashing out, she whipped it to second. The force causing her to rotate several times, her shoulder stopped the momentum. Deliciously seduced into executing a perfect ending, her back arched. Clenching her hamstrings together, she posed in his arms, looking up into his handsome face.

  Letting the majesty of the moment sink in, they held the pose for a long time. The sound of applause drawing Melissa out of her dream, Una and Anna were clapping. Kurt joining in, Justin did also. Only Zoe remained outside the circle of adoring admirers giving kudos to the young girl.

  “You were marvelous, my little dancer,” Una gushed, tears glistening in her eyes. Rushing to her, she grabbed her hands, kissing her cheeks. “Oh, my Alexei has brought it out of you! He is a genius, and you are a beautiful dancer!”

  “I agree,” Anna said gently. “You’ve always reminded me of my daughter. She was the best that ever was, but you? You can be this good—maybe better,” she acknowledged with a wry smile.

  Melissa didn't know what to say. Alexei had unlocked a part of her that no one else had reached. Gratefully thanking the well-wishers, she turned, hugging Alexei around the neck.

  “Thank you!” she said in a fervent hush.

  Taking her by the hand, he stared into her eyes. “I did nothing that wasn't there. It was you, Melissa.” Leading her to the front of the classroom, he spoke in an authoritative tone. “If I can have everyone's attention. Thank you all, but the competition is over. I have found my star. Melissa Solange will be my Desirée. She will dance with me.”

  Not believing her ears, the startled faces of the others encircled her. Looking on in wonder and surprise, she didn't blame them for feeling that way. Experiencing much the same, a flush of embarrassment reddened her cheeks. Humbly standing, she was overwhelmed by the urge to cry.

  Kurt ran to her, hugging her lightly before kissing her cheek. Justin shook her hand, while Zoe took two steps backwards as if struck by lightning. Snatching her bag, she angrily left the celebration.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “Do you see him?” Melissa asked as she poked Collette in her ribs.

  “See who?”

  “Oh, dear Lord! The guy I told you about!” she whispered, clearly annoyed that Collette was ignoring her.

  “Where?” her friend asked. Whipping her head around, she tried to catch sight of the man in the black leather jacket that Melissa insisted was following her.

  “Forget it!” Melissa snapped. Thrusting her mittened hands into her pockets, the numerous plastic shopping bags hanging around her forearms made a rustling sound. “He's gone now! You think you could do me a favor by taking one thing I say seriously?”

  “Hey, I'm sorry, but why are you getting so upset?” Collette replied. Rethinking her cavalier remark, two friends had vanished and here Missy was convinced she was being followed around. It was enough of a reason. “Never mind. I understand why you are,” she allowed. “I'll look from now on.”

  Melissa took the peace offering. It wasn't worth fighting the entire world—especially after she'd made that breakthrough in class. Still not believing that she was cast as Desiree, it was a dream come true. However, the victory was tainted with guilt at feeling happiness in the midst of the tragic circumstances.

  “I'm sorry, too,” Melissa acquiesced, giving her a small smile.

  “Melissa!” Todd shouted. Running up from behind, he took her arm.

  “Hi, Todd!” she responded. “You remember my friend, Collette.”

  “Yes, it's nice to see you again. Sorry about the other day. Hope they weren't too rough on you.”

  “No, they just wanted to find Tina—like we all do.”

  “Any word?” Melissa asked.

  “Oh, plenty of words—none verified, but we'll soon have help. The FBI is getting involved.”

  “Don't know why they didn't before this,” Collette remarked.

  “Well, it’s because Brandi Cappella seemed to have left voluntarily, but now with two girls gone …”

  “The whole thing is unbelievable,” Melissa remarked. “I hope they find them.”

  “They will,” he said pausing. “You two doing some Christmas shopping?”

  “Yeah, and I guess celebrating,” Collette replied.

  “Celebrating?” Todd queried.

  “Yes, Melissa received some great news. She won the lead in the upcoming production.”

  “What?” Pushing back his hat, he put his hands on his hips. “That's fantastic!” Reaching out, he gave her a hug. “Look, I’ve got to do a double shift today, but tomorrow I’m off. I'd love to take you out for an official celebration. You're welcome to come too, Collette.”

  “I don't know.”

  “I think you should go,” Collette prompted. “It really is an achievement, and your having fun isn't going to have anything to do with whether Tina and Brandi are found.”

  “I suppose, but I feel so bad about being happy when all this is going on,” she admitted.

  “No reason to. You’re allowed to be happy. One has nothing to do with the other,” Collette consoled.

  “What about you?” Todd asked Collette.

  “Oh, no, I don't want to ruin the evening by tagging along.”

  “You wouldn't be ruining anything!” Melissa countered.

  “No, you wouldn't. In fact, I'd like you to come,” Todd insisted.

  “Okay, then. Yeah, sure, why not,” she giggled.

  “Done. See you both at 7:00,” he said giving Melissa a quick kiss on her cheek, and taking his leave.

  “He's such a nice guy,” Collette commented, watching him sprint away.

  “Oh, him you watch!” Melissa remarked sarcastically.

  Collette pinched her buddy’s arm through her thick winter jacket.

&
nbsp; “Ow!” Melissa squealed, giggling lightly. “Oh, there's the bus!” Taking off, she waved her arm for Collette to hurry. Paying their fare, they took seats in the back. Stretching out their legs, they let their packages spill onto the ground.

  “This feels good. How many hours do you think we're on our feet?” Collette asked.

  “I have no idea, but it feels like about a million.”

  “Our poor feetsies,” her friend complained, removing her boots and wiggling her toes.

  “They hurting you?”

  A look of contempt flushed the usually complacent features. “You kidding me or something?”

  “Whoa!” Melissa remarked, holding up her hand. Digging through one of her shopping bags, she pulled out a rectangular box, passing it to Collette. “Here. I was going to wait until it was closer to Christmas to give it to you, but why when you're this grumpy.”

  “A foot kit?”

  “Yeah, it's got a vibrator, a roller, and ball. Even some kind of aromatherapy relaxant for your stinky feet,” Melissa quipped.

  “They do not smell!” she chuckled.

  “Maybe not to you, but to the rest of us that are subjected to that odor, p-hew!” she teased, holding her nose as Collette tore open the package. Wasting no time, she took out the small wooden roller. Placing it on the floor, she ran her foot over it.

  “Ah, that does feel good! Thanks, pal. You are the bestest. I'd give you your gift, but I'm in heaven right now.”

  “You bought me something? You sneaky little ...”

  “Uh, uh, uh! Dirty lips sink ships or something like that. Besides, you snuck in a gift, too.”

  “I suppose. So what'd you get me?”

  “Something for that B.O. happening in your armpits,” she joked, Melissa giving her a playful shove. Quieting down, Collette continued to massage her feet.

  “So what happened today?” Collette asked, breaking the silence.

  “What do you mean?” Melissa asked, leaning into the corner. Looking out the window at the wintry landscape, Holybrook looked like a postcard.

  “I mean today … in rehearsal. Kurt was going crazy about something you did. So was Justin—until Zoe threatened to cut him off from the benefits that come from being her friend. Snark, snark.”

  “Really? Kurt and Justin said something? I don't know, Collette. I was having trouble with the adagio, and Alexei began coaching me. And suddenly I was like ... I don't know ... in a whole different world. Everything felt so easy. Like my flesh melted away and I was like a ... skeleton!” she exclaimed, hunching her shoulders.

  “That's not a good analogy,” Collette quipped, laughing. Melissa joined her realizing how gruesome it sounded.

  “Sorry, but there was this lightness. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. Usually we get so bogged down in our bodies, but it felt like it wasn’t there. It was so fantastic, but scary.”

  “Scary?”

  “Yeah, I, I don't know how to describe it, but I lost myself. I wasn't Melissa any longer.”

  Collette contracted the bridge of her nose, trying her best to follow the bizarre explanation. She snapped her fingers.

  “Oh, I know where you're going with this. The old Melissa dissolved,” she said spreading her hands out as completing the fantasy, “leaving the new prima ballerina, Melissa Solange!”

  Laughing at the humor, out of the corner of her eye, she saw an old black car. As the bus came to another stop, it ducked behind rather than passing. An elderly lady boarding, she stopped to chitchat with the driver. It wasn’t long before the bus hit the highway. Missy’s suspicions on high alert, she kept her eye peeled for the two-door. Not spotting it, it had either turned or was still lurking behind. The situation bothered her since most drivers did anything to avoid being stuck behind a bus.

  Fast approaching the last stop, they gathered their packages. Collette put her fashionably shaggy boots back on.

  “Collette, I want you to look around when we get outside.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there was this car. I don't know if it’s still there, but if it is, I want you to see. I don’t want to be the only one this time.”

  “Okay, I'll look. Promise.”

  Departing through the rear exit, Collette immediately acquiesced to the request. Spotting a black car on the shoulder of the road, it looked like it was waiting.

  “Does this have anything to do with a black car?”

  “It’s still there?” she asked anxiously, not turning around.

  “Yes,” Collette said adjusting her collar. “But it's just parked, or something.”

  “Let's walk. See what it does,” she said, taking a few steps. Both advancing a few more feet, Collette checked. “It's moving,” she whispered, suddenly concerned.

  “Okay, well, there's plenty of traffic, so let's stay calm. Nothing's going to happen at 4:00 in the afternoon.”

  “Yeah, crime is suspended in the daytime. It's a law.”

  “That's not what I meant and you know it. Just make sure to try to get a look at the driver if the car passes by.”

  “And if it doesn’t?”

  “Then I make a call to Todd. Pronto.”

  Keeping a steady pace, they clung to each other for support. The car approaching, it quickly gained speed as it rushed by.

  “It was him!” Collette squealed, pausing and grabbing Melissa's hands.

  “Him, who?”

  “The guy you pointed out! The one with the poof on top of his head!”

  “I thought you said you didn’t see him?”

  “Of course, I looked! You were so right about that nut job. That was spooky! He looked right at me! Like this!” she said, giving an evil glare.

  “Yeah, well, he probably realized where we were going, and that we were going to turn off on that private road. He'd really be out of place on it.”

  “You should tell Todd about this.”

  “Don't worry, I will. Now, come on,” she said, taking Collette’s hand. “Let's hurry before that creep returns!”

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Hoping the snow would cool his rage, Larabee walked around Holybrook. It wasn't bad enough that he had to work double shifts to find two idiot girls that probably ran off with the wrong guys; Carol had followed through on obtaining that restraining order. As of Friday, 2:15 PM, he wasn't allowed within 100 feet of her or her troublemaking teenage daughter. To drive home the point, the online tracking of his Christmas present showed the package had been refused. It was just what he needed to set him off. He felt like killing someone.

  Stomping down the sidewalk, he decided to grab something to eat. Since the craziness started, he hadn't had time to go grocery shopping. He usually left that sort of nonsense to the women in his life, but there was no one filling that particular position. It wasn't fair. None of it.

  He'd had some problems with women over the years, but he'd really cared for Carol. She'd been different. Independent enough to have gone back to school and obtain a degree so she could support herself and her daughter, she was woman enough to let him take the lead. She was soft ... gentle. Even her lovemaking was like being with an angel. He’d started to change his ways, spending less and less time at the strip club, and more time at home. He had planned on eventually giving up the wild times spent with loose women, but her damned daughter had to go and squeal. What difference did it make if he wanted to stop and have a drink? A man needed to relax after a hard day. Besides, who was that little piece of filth to talk? He’d done a little snooping around, and found out that she'd slept with half the sophomore class. She certainly was no one to talk, but she did—about things she didn't know anything about. She filled her mother's ears with lies, alleging that he’d put his hands on her in order to cop a feel. It was so ridiculous. Of course, he'd touched her, but it was as a surrogate parent to the girl that apparently was bound and determined to see that her mother remain alone.

  The bright lights of the diner attracted his attention. It'd been awhile s
ince he stopped in Manny's. Remembering the good food and good conversation, he headed for it. What the hell? Maybe Bonnie could tell him what happened to those two bimbos that disappeared since she professed to know everything else. Maybe she could even tell him what was up with Carol's stuck-up, snot-nosed daughter. Too good to have him share her home, she was nonetheless willing to let anyone and anything crawl between her legs.

  “Brent,” Bonnie commented, giving a half-hearted greeting.

  “Bonnie,” he said, hanging up his coat and blowing into his frozen hands. Looking around, the place was pretty well deserted.

  “Almost closing time,” she remarked, pointing to the clock. Having lost track of time, she was right. Already 10:30 PM, on weekdays the diner closed at 11:00 PM.

  “Too late to get something to eat?” he asked.

  “Not as long as you eat fast, or order it to go.”

  “Take out? Good idea. I'll take Special #1 to go. And some coffee, to drink here, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure, knock yourself out. Pick any spot. They're all my tables at this hour.”

  He took the booth furthest away from the door. Remembering that it was the one spot that spared you from wintry blasts from customers entering and leaving, there probably wouldn’t be too many at this hour, but better safe than sorry. He sat picking at his nails, growing more and more angry and confused.

  “Here, you go, Brent. Food will be ready in a minute,” she said placing the bill face down. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, Bonnie. Just fine.” Running his hands through his hair, he stared into the face that had once been the hottest thing in town. Where had the years gone?

  She didn't like the way he was looking at her, but then he'd always given her the creeps. Once a good cop, if anything went on, he'd be all over it. In the past few years, he made that philosophy exclusive to women. It rankled her that he didn't treat her sex with respect, but you didn't get tips by being critical.