The To-Do List

Time to Dance

Vivian arrived at the Boysin mansion. Pulling into one of the many parking spots in the driveway, she turned the car off and took a deep breath. She checked her face in the rearview mirror; nothing in her teeth, makeup looking good. She stared into her own eyes and saw confidence. A face was set with determination. She practiced her smile and winked a few times. She took another deep breath and opened the car door. Stepping out, her dress caught the dusk sunlight and shimmered. She locked the car and dropped the keys into her clutch. Instantly she heard the music coming from inside the house and the chatter of all the people. She walked over to the sidewalk and looked up at the huge house. She put on her rehearsed smile and walked through the open front door. She was greeted by the butler and asked for her name. Vivian Shamblin was announced as she descended the staircase and all eyes were suddenly on her.

Necks snapped towards the staircase and the sound of breath hitching was all she could hear. She broadened her smile and confidently looked straight ahead. There he was, standing with his brothers aways across the hall. When all the chatter had stopped, he looked up from his conversation and locked eyes with Vivian, his eyes widening. He crossed the ballroom with large strides and met her at the bottom of the staircase.

The room was still silent. "I didn't quite catch your name," Jayline spoke smoothly, returning her warm smile. "Vivian Shamblin", she replied. The chatter resumed and the music began playing again. It was like time had frozen for Vivian to enter and she felt like a princess. Jayline bowed and Vivian curtsied. "May I have this dance?" Jayline asked confidently, extending his hand. Vivian smiled and nodded as she took his hand gently.

Jayline led them to the center of the ballroom and they began dancing. "The Shamblin residence huh? You have two sisters?" Jayline inquired. "Yes, I have two older sisters. I was adopted when I was young, they're all my stepfamily," Vivian paused for a second as she twirled and saw Killian enter. "My father is.. out of the picture." Jayline nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that, it must've been hard to grow up without a strong father figure." 'Was that a question or a statement?' Vivian wondered. She shrugged, "I mostly raised myself. My stepsisters and mother are not overly fond of me, so I was my own strong figure". Jayline nodded, looking impressed, "You've done a fine job with yourself," he said kindly. Vivian smiled, 'he's so easy to talk to and he's so charming. He seems like a halfway decent fellow', she thought to herself.

The two of them easily fell into step with each other and their rhythm was flawless. She twirled around and around, landing softly against his strong chest. Their eyes met and they smiled. Vivian began thinking that if Jayline wasn't a Fang, she might like him. She chuckled to herself at that thought. The song ended and another began, a fast-paced rhythm with a dance everyone knew. Everyone came into a formation on the dance floor and began dancing, some keeping up with the fast-paced rhythm, while others fell behind. As the mass turned away from the entrance, she noticed Jillian enter. Vivian and Jayline were both keeping pace with the song as it was halfway done. It sped up again and people began falling away like flies until there were a handful of dancers left on the floor. The song sped up for the final time and Vivian kicked into the upcoming freestyle mode, then came back to the central dance, never missing a beat. Jayline fell away and then there were three left. Vivian smiled smugly at Jayline and gave him a wink. The hardest part was coming up, a switch in the rhythm. The switch came and Vivian kept with it while the other two fell away; the song ended and everyone jumped to their feet cheering for Vivian. Vivian caught Jillian's eye and a motionless nod was exchanged. Vivian collapsed onto the floor, sweaty and exhausted, but smiling. "That was incredible!" Jayline complimented her, awed. Vivian smiled, "That's my favorite dance. I may be able to ballroom dance, but I can barnyard dance just as well," Vivian took a bottle of water someone had offered her as Jayline chuckled at her comment. She dabbed her sweaty forehead with a handkerchief as the music resumed at a much slower pace and the crowd around them dispersed.