Fates Intertwined

32. | Pieces of a Puzzle

"Do we really have to come to this stupid thing?" Eric grumbled as the four of them took their seats, following Nara.

"Yes. We are here to be supportive of our friend who managed to get the lead even though she's only been here for three days." Nara answered. "If you have a problem with it," She leaned forward to look down at the three. "Suck it up and deal."

Eric stuck out his tongue and Nara gave him a snarky look in response. Zyran and Aurora sat in between the two, staring at the stage. Aurora suddenly turned to Zyran, but he was already looking at her. She didn't question it.

"Has Lina been in a ballet before?" She asked, brows furrowed.

He nodded. "Yeah. She dabbled in it in high school, but she didn't really talk much about how she got into it. Just that she was good at it and enjoyed it."

"Hm." She hummed, turning back to the stage. The lights dimmed and the chatter amongst them quieted as the curtains rose. It wasn't hard to figure out where Lina was.

She was front and center, despite her head being downcast. She demanded the audience's attention, capturing it and holding it like a lifeline. Aurora was honestly surprised at just how well she knew ballet, especially given that she only had three days to practice.

She hadn't seen Lina in those three days, but she had seen Victoria. She'd smile at her and stop her for a conversation, despite how much Aurora tried to avoid her.

She didn't particularly enjoy the way that Victoria looked at her. A spark in her eye that she had only seen once before. In Van Helsing. And she didn't want to compare her to such a cruel man, but she couldn't take the risk. Not with her friends' lives on the line.

So she watched. Watched as Lina danced and performed with grace and passion. Control. She controlled her body better than she had ever seen. It was almost as if ballet was made for her.

When the curtains drew at intermission, Nara stood up. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom and get some popcorn. Anyone else coming?"

"I'll go." Eric announced, standing and following Nara, along with many other people, out.

Chatter flowed easily in the auditorium, Aurora leaning her head back with her arms against the arm rests. Zyran's eyes sat closed, but he wasn't asleep.

Aurora turned to him then, and as if he could feel her gaze on him, he turned. "Yes?"

"What do you enjoy?"

"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed.

"What are your hobbies?" She asked, a curious glint in her eye.

He shrugged. "I used to swim. I can draw."

"You draw?"

He leaned back against the arm rest with a brow raised. "Why are you so shocked?"

"I just— I didn't expect you to draw." She explained with a shrug. "What do you draw?"

"People. Places. Animals. Really anything. Nara got me into the whole drawing bit." He shrugged.

"Nara seems like the person to draw." She replied.

"Surprisingly, she gets that a lot." He chuckled. "I think it's the hair."

"What's with that? The color in her hair?"

He shrugged. "She hated how bland her hair was, so she dyed it. It used to be full pink at one point."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I still have the pictures. Wanna see?" He pulled out his phone before she answered. Either way, she wanted to see. He pulled up the picture of the group of them, zooming in on Nara whose hair was short and bubblegum pink. "That was ninth grade."