Hes lost in his mind

Chapter 20 : P.A.Q.T - Elegance

"welcome back to P.A.Q.T, girls. It was a very good performance last time, but now we must move on to something a little more... elegant. Our topic will be 'elegance'. The first elegant topic I am sure you will find lovely. We are going to do 'ballet'."

I sighed again. Why did I have to be so perfect for everything a Queen needed to be able to do? Whilst I'd been taking ballroom dancing lessons, my teacher had said I was as elegant as a cat, and she said I should try ballet.

My dad hated the idea - he said ballet was for pussy's. my mum wouldn't swerve - she could already see my trophies, my CROWN.

I felt the same as my dad. The idea of me in pink tutu's made me want to Barth, and I told mum there was no way. But she pushed me into going to one lesson. She made me keep going, and no matter how I hated the lessons, I was good.

I never did end up winning any trophies - my dad put a stop to it before that could happen - but I was pretty good. I sighed.

"DON'T steal the limelight from me again," Molly spat complete an utter venom at me, and I sighed. "sorry to brake it to you, but GET OVER YOURSELF. Honestly, you've no chance. Please try and stop."

"OK, girls, settle down. Just go the the changing rooms at the side and change into your tu-tu's, and then we'll see how good you all are,"

I slipped of into the changing room labeled '6' and found a small purple tutu. I would never like the things, but I could deal. I slipped it on and went outside.

"these things are ridiculous," Cat growled, picking at the firm sticky out bit where the skirt was. "they're ridiculously SHOWY," Macy joined in.

"I had to deal with them for 6 months when my mum made me go, remember? Worst days of my life, I swear to you."

"but you were good at it," Cat sighed. "you're gonna win this competition, A. I just know it."

"another talent?" Macy sighed. "OK, we've lost the war, Amelie. You won - you get Damien."

"not so fast," I told them. "I don't LIKE Damien. You do. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have me."

Cat sighed. "again with the pretending, A? We all saw you last night - you can't deny it anymore! Why can't you trust you're own best friend? We're supposed to tell each other these things!"

I began to cry.

"Cat if only you knew," I cried to her. "you know about my voice, right?"

Cat nodded. "you never told me, but I noticed years ago," she told me.

"well, Damien doesn't love me - he heard me sing! It's all a fake - a spell my voice has cast on him. I just wish I knew how to reverse it!"

Cat thought for a minute. "but doesn't the effect of your voice wear off? I mean, it shouldn't last all this time, should it? It never has before,"

I sighed. "no, it hasn't. I'm still trying to work that one out-"

"well, if my informations correct, there's still hope! Maybe the singing wore off yet he already had you and still loved you? Maybe-"

"he doesn't really love me and my spells just gotten stronger? I mean, it's been a while, Cat, I try not to sing - I hate to tell ya, but I don't really fancy drooling men..."

"you always put a downer on things, A! He seems a little less drooly then the other guys, don't you think? Less... hypnotised, more... FREE to love you.".

"err, I don't think so. None of the men actually DROOLED - they just all acted like they needed me, like an animal needs a beating heart, like I fitted into their soul. Damien seems..."

"different? Admit it, A, Damien doesn't act soulless around you. If he needed you THAT much, why didn't he just eliminate us straight away? Why keep this competition going?"

"I-" I was just about to answer when the Queen called "girls! Surely you are dressed-"

"we're coming!" we all called at once, and giggled and we ran over.

"excellent! Alright, girls! Has anyone ever done ballet before?"

I didn't want anymore attention, so I kept my arm down. Molly shoved hers up into the air. She'd gone to the same ballet class as me, but she'd never been able to actually do anything.

Suddenly I felt my arms being shoved up from underneath, and found that Macy and Cat were shoving my arms up, and it was clear they didn't want Molly to win. I scowled.

"OK! 1 and 6, can you please do a demonstration for me? Surely you know the simple dance of the 'Alohette'?" (authors note: pronounced Al-o-tet, and I have been notified that some people don't know how to pronounce 'Damien' either. So, Damien is pronounced Day-men.)

It had been invented in 2020, for simple beginners. I knew it off by heart, and scolded myself for this. I didn't want to lie to Queen, so I nodded. Molly looked unsure.

"alright, 6, then. Please demonstrate to the group the 'Alohette'."

I sighed and got into position one. It started with first to third arabesque positions twice before leading into all sorts of jumps and twirls, leaps and bounds, before I finally did the arabesque positions once to finish the routine.

"and that, girls, is the Alohotte. I don't expect you to perfect this, and 6 clearly has done," she smiled at me and I tried hard not to stick my tongue out back, "simply to try it. OK, girls, begin."

It was funny watching everyone try - Cat couldn't do it at all, and Molly was obviously a lost cause - but Macy was doing OK. She'd got the hang of all the positions - she was just trying to put them together.

I wondered when it would end, because i didn't like ballet and doing the Alohette over and over again was getting boring. I turned to the Queen to see she was walking over to me.

Oh damn.