The Darkness Within

Muses and Monsters, Chapter One

A/N I've begun posting the book Muses and Monsters! Chapter One's below, if you enjoy a MFM steamy romance with so much spice it's almost too hot to handle, go check it out :)

Chapter One

Eliana Pierce

A chorus of congratulations rings through the overcrowded dressing room, as every single person who's part of this dance program—and therefore a de facto member of the affiliated company, Greywood Dance Co.—has made their way back here to celebrate a successful performance night. Even those who weren't cast in the show have filed in for the unofficial dressing room afterparty. The small room is already bustling with costume racks and odd out props here and there, so squeezing an additional thirty people into a space meant for a dozen is just asking for claustrophobia problems.

The structure of the show that was just performed was very unusual—the entire thing was put together in the last four weeks, from casting to blocking to costumes to rehearsals, which meant absolute chaos for anyone who'd made it onto the cast list.

I shrink closer to April, the one friend I've made since coming to campus a month ago to attend the pre-year retreat for the dance team. Like me, she's here on a full-ride scholarship, which is a far cry from our ridiculously wealthy peers. She's also the only other freshmen who made it into the cast, and with a significant role to boot. Ironically, my only friend played the evil queen whose goal was to put me in an eternal sleep.

April's absolutely stunning—somewhere in the vicinity of 5'7, a good four inches taller than me, she is all long limbs and sheer grace. With pin-straight black hair, golden skin, and gorgeous almond eyes that hint to her Asian heritage, my first impression on meeting April was a healthy dose of apprehension—she's one of the best dancers in the company, and so gorgeous it's hard not to feel a bit ugly next to her. Then she took my hands in hers, told me that scholarship girls need to stick together, and asked if I'd be willing to work on techniques together. That was all the invitation I needed to glue myself to her side, and in the last weeks alone, she's already proven to be a true friend.

Aside from keeping the bitchier girls in the company—who don't like that two freshmen got roles in the first show of the season—in check, she's stuck by my side and doesn't seem put off by my quirks. In short, I already adore her.

April threads her arm through mine, giving me a bright smile that's at total odds with her wicked queen makeup and costume. "We fucking killed it. I've heard dancers who do well in the first show are guaranteed to get recast throughout the season—we're gonna have offers from companies coming out of our asses by the end of the year."

When I first auditioned for the show, I had no expectations to even make it into the cast, as freshmen rarely make it into any productions. Evidently, some of my past performances in high school had already caught the eye of the ballet master assigned to the dance department, so I made it into the second round of auditions before even meeting my instructors.

I have never felt fear in my life like I did when my name made it onto the cast list, as the leading role, no less. Primarily because—aside from this being the biggest role of my life with only four weeks to prepare—it made an enemy out of every girl in the dance program. Nobody's direct in their distaste of me, of course; it's all fake smiles and laughs in front of my face, but I know that I'll have to watch my back for the rest of the year.

"Did you see how many scouts were in the audience?" I ask April, trying to ignore the seven female glares coming from varying points in the room that are directed at us.

"I saw one from New York City Ballet—this program isn't a joke," April responds. "Your Pas de Deux's with Sean were absolutely golden, I wouldn't be surprised if other schools try to steal you away now. You gotta promise you won't leave, though. I can't be the only scholarship girl among these bitches."