Calore Dance Academy// Red Queen AU

Chapter 84

Hey all! Here's another chapter before I head back to college. Although I cannot say for sure, I'd expect CDA to get wrapped up in another 15 to 18 chapters that I'm going to try my hardest to finish this summer, if you were wondering. I hope everybody has a good end to their school year. 

As always, give this chapter a star and leave some comments on your thoughts and feelings. Enjoy! 

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"Did you find out anything new?"

The flame at the table's center engulfs my vision, dancing inside of its glass container. The bronze color matches the hue of the restaurant in Greenwich Village that boasts a black and white checkerboard vinyl floor, elegant juniper-green tablecloths, and an infinite number of wine glasses. Servers float throughout the room in white linen shirts and bow ties as they transport pasta and bills worth a king's ransom. The paintings, hung upon deep mahogany wood walls, are in red overtones that bleed into the ambiance of the room.

"No."

Tearing my attention from the candle, I glance at Maven. He's elected against wearing a costume to Cal's party, instead donning a near-all-black ensemble consisting of a black suit jacket, black slacks, and a dark-blue button-down. I don't like that we're matching. I wear a black dress with lacy trim and a sweetheart neckline, a pair of sheer black tights, and lustrous Mary Jane heels. On either side of my pristine, low-resting bun, a hair comb adorned with black and silver feathers graces my scalp.

The Academy girls decided to take up Ptolemus's idea about costumes that can pass for typical semi-formal attire.

I decided to go as Odile. The Black Swan.

The rosy lipstick and silver eyeshadow complement my mascara well.

But I can only run my tongue over my teeth so many times to wipe any extra lipstick off before I have to really answer Maven's question. We've already finished our dinner, now just waiting for the check.

"I mean," I continue, searching for the right words. "They're getting close to the end. They say they're almost ready to get the FBI involved, finally put him and his associates behind bars. I don't think that they're looking for any more help from you, if that's what you're wondering."

Maven and I sit adjacent to one another at the table, close enough so that we whisper easily enough. The forbidden, traitorous words still have my heart beating.

To be honest, Maven's done very little for the Scarlet Street Fighters. If they had it their way, Maven wouldn't be involved at all. His principal role is to keep his mouth shut, act as my cover, and keep them informed regarding the doings and whereabouts of his father.

"But you have new work, don't you?"

I bite my tongue before my throat can bob. I do have new work. I'm not supposed to talk about it, though. Not even with my partner in crime.

"Not as of the moment, no," I lie.

Even as I force myself to maintain eye contact with my boyfriend, I watch as a look of disappointment crosses his face. I can't say he doesn't know how to read me.

"What is it?" he murmurs.

"Nothing," I answer, my mind buzzing to find a legitimate excuse for my silence.

It's just that I've been given a task that I'm very much not looking forward to, that involves somebody very close to Maven.

The longer that he peers at me, eyebrows furrowing, the greater I sense Maven's chagrin grows. Even if I vowed to the Street Fighters to keep a secret, he'd expect me to share it with him. We are dating, after all.