(Listen to Dandelions by Ruth B)
It was a late evening, the school building was eerily quiet as the students made their way home. Alexis was in the ballet studio as usual, he was wearing his usual black attire, his hair disheveled from a long day of classes and rehearsals. He stands in front of the mirror, his reflection looking back at him with a detached expression.
His mind started to drift elsewhere, remembering what Hanaria had told him, "Beauty shines in your dance when you're honest with yourself." he sighed in frustration, "If only it was that easy." he muttered,
Meanwhile outside the studio, Hanaria was left inside the dojo cleaning the equipment. As soon as she had finished she made her way to the vending machine to grab an energy drink before heading home. Walking through the corridors, she heard a soft thud and saw light coming from the ballet studio.
"Who could be at it this late?" She muttered to herself as she passed by the studio, catching a glimpse of someone inside. She slowly peers from the door, recognizing Alexis almost immediately.
Intrigued, Hanaria slowly slips inside, a soft smile creeping on her lips as she sees Alexis completely in the zone. Not wanting to interrupt him, she took out a sticky note and wrote on it before attaching it on the energy drink and leaving it on the bench beside the door."
As Alexis had continued with his usual routine, a fellow ballet dancer walked up to him. The boy had a short stature, messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Why don't you try smiling?" He said, looking at Alexis while he was in the middle of his routine.
"Hah?" Alexis said in an arrogant tone as he paused the music from his earphones, turning to the boy with an annoyed look for interrupting him.
"Your character is supposed to be dancing on a field of dandelions, feeling the gentle breeze on your skin, barely touching the ground causing the dandelions to release their seed in the air like tiny, floating wishes," the boy added, smiling widely, "Once you engrave that vision in your head, you couldn't help but smile do you not?"
Alexis paused for a moment, he was right, suddenly everything made even more sense, from Hanaria's words to this fellow ballet dancer that suddenly came up to him.
"Kenjiro!" A girl holding a speaker called up to the boy, "There you are, let's go practice our routine." She said, dragging him away.
"Well, good luck on your routine Alexis.." Kenjiro said, smiling at him before following his dance partner.
Alexis turned back to the mirror in a deep sigh, heeding Kenjiro's advice to engrave the vision in his mind. He slowly envisioned himself dancing in a field of dandelions, feeling the walls of the studio fading away as his mind began to drift. He was now dancing alive and free, in a vast, open field of dandelions beneath his feet. The air was filled with its seeds floating in the air like magical wisps. Alexis danced among them, his movements were light and free as if the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders.
But as he continued to dance, the clear blue sky started to dim down revealing a red blood moon, transforming the once harmless and gentle dandelions into deep crimson petals that were sharp and pointed. The field was no longer the peaceful sanctuary that he had imagined, but a haunting vision of red spider lilies like drops of blood on the grass. He felt like he was being suffocated by the thick air filled with the metallic smell of blood.
Memories of his grandmother's passing, and the loneliness it followed, the expectations of everyone that he wished to exceed, the desire to prove to his father that he had made the right choices, and the fear of eternal despair, all of which began flooding through his mind.
Suddenly he felt dizzy, the once graceful dance became a desperate struggle as the spider lilies began wrapping its sharp petals on his feet, pulling him down into the ground.
The beautiful yet terrifying blooms had overwhelmed him, eating him whole, shackled with no escape.
Just as he felt himself drowning in an indescribable emptiness, he felt a hand grab his arm, pulling him out from the lilies' grip. The hands were firm yet gentle, slowly lifting him up from the ground. Alexis looks up, eyes filled with fear only for this to dwindle down once he sees Hanaria smiling before him. Her presence became a beacon of hope in the midst of his misery.
"Alexis," she whispered, her voice calm like a sweet lullaby yet firm as rock, "You're not alone."
As he took her hand, he felt the burden ease from his mind. Though the spider lilies remain unchanged, he was no longer afraid. She led him into a dance, their movements in perfect harmony as they took each other's hands, gliding through the field of spider lilies.
As they danced, he felt his fear begin to fade as the corner on his lips began to lift, showing a sweet and genuine smile that hasn't been in his face for a long while. Alexis felt the weight in his chest fade away with each and every step they took together. The trauma that once gripped him so tightly he began to loosen up. The red spider lily that once reminded him of pain and loss has slowly transformed into a promise of renewal.
The field that once haunted him became a sanctuary where he could find peace. Alexis looked into Hanaria's eyes in gratitude one last time. Once the music ended, the walls of the studio formed once again.
He dropped down onto his feet but this time, his usual cold gaze turned into a genuine smile. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was actually dancing with not just his body.. but his soul.
As he felt in the moment, he didn't notice Aurora watching him, "Looks like someone finally got through to him." She smiled, noticing a note on the bench. "Could it be?"
"Miss Aurora," Alexis called out after noticing her presence.
"Wonderful performance, Alexis." Aurora smiled proudly, "Don't forget to close the lights when you're finished okay?"
Alexis nods before drying his face with a towel.
"Also, someone left you a little encouragement." Aurora added, hinting at the energy drink on the bench. "I'll be going now, be careful on your way home."
As soon as Aurora had left, Alexis walked up on the bench where the energy drink was sitting. He took the drink and read the note attached to it, "Don't forget to treat yourself kindly, Yin." he read, looking at the cute doodle showing a thumbs up.
Alexis lips curled slightly, before sitting on the bench. "What a weird girl," He muttered, his smile soft and genuine.
