my demon~ Kino

oh?

Chapter 11:

For a long time that's what we did. She drank, I wanted to say something, and ended up having sex instead. Just like a cycle round and round and round again. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, but I knew it was wrong. It felt wrong, but was I supposed to leave her? Just like that? That option felt very more than terrible to me, so I stayed.

Plus, I wouldn't be able to find another like her.

Alaia made me feel safe, like I had nothing to be ashamed of. Like, like I was normal for what I had. I mean, I know now that I don't have anything to be ashamed of, but I don't think I would've got here without her. She helped me find myself, she helped me become myself.

It wasn't until our second casting, that I discovered something.

The same show company was having a similar show, and asked some of the members of the old cast to work for them again, Alaia and I included. So, like the smart little dancers we were, we immediately accepted. Though the last one was a smaller show, this one was much, much bigger, and was being shown in a bigger place as well. The bigger the show, the bigger the cast, the bigger need for background dancers.

Thankfully no Paul.

One day, we were making pairs again, lining up in rows along the mirror in the front of the room and watching people desperately try to dance with each other, but ending up looking like two people doing their own separate things, or two dancers way too similar. Unlike me, Alaia was tested with more people than I was. There was one guy — who's name I don't remember — that tried to do a lift with Alaia, unknowing of her feisty personality. Alaia complied with the lift, but on her way down "accidentally" slipped, and almost took his head off with her leg. Though he was somewhat injured, it was funny.

I remember waiting against the mirrors, Alaia and I sitting separately due to the instructors orders, and praying for me to be paired with Alaia again. Not only would it be better because I already knew how she danced, but because we could practice together at one of our apartments.

But, almost as if they wanted to drive a wedge in between us, the instructors didn't pair us together. About three hours went by, and Alaia and I had tried pairing up with every member out of the 50 member casting (including some of the speaking roles). There were maybe, two or three people we hadn't danced with yet, but those people already found their partner before we got the chance to.

I mean, it was sitting right in front of their eyes. Alaia and I were destined to dance with each other. Why didn't they just put us together in the first place??

That's when it hit me.

The smirk on Leah's face as she looked at my distressed, frustrated expression. She looked as though she made finding my pairing a competition — a bet of some sort — and that smirk on her face proved that she won whatever prize that was set between the instructors. They sent everyone who was paired home, and told those that weren't to say. Leah said that it would be a shame if there were a lot of people left, but the slightly upraised tone of her voice was anything but solemn.

Everyone but Alaia, Leah, and I left — even the other instructors. At the time, I thought the instructors should be really ashamed of leaving early, even if Leah could handle pairing us both together, all instructors should stay till the end.

Trying my best to ignore the bubbling anger inside, I focused on Leah.

Leah smiles, "You do know why I left you two behind right?"

"And worked us like dogs just for us to stay longer?" Alaia snorts, rolling her eyes slightly while crossing her arms.

I rest a hand on Alaia's shoulder, a slight signal for her to let up on the attacks for a moment. "Is it cause you wanted us to help with choreo or? Maybe cause you really wanted to see if we were a good match?" I guess, slightly squeezing Alaia's shoulder for slight comfort.

Leah grimaces at our failed guesses, and slaps a hand to her face before dragging it down.

"You got tested with everyone," she asks, confirming.

"Right"

"None of them worked."

"Uh-huh," I nod.

"Soo...." Leah trails, expecting an answer. But my heart is beating too fast in my chest for me to be able to speak.

Leah's face flattens before she speaks like she's extremely disappointed.

"You're seconds."