The Black Swan

Chapter 27

"Emma! Pick up the pace! You're falling behind!"

Emma grimaced and tried her best to keep up. Next was the lift. The lift she had been dreading. She ran, as gracefully as she could.

"Graceful, Emma!" Apparently not graceful enough.

She leapt up into Killian's arms, the arms that she had felt safe in, the arms that had betrayed her. She wobbled and made Killian's fingers slip. They both fell to the ground.

"Cut the music!" Jefferson screamed. His head was in his hands as he walked over to Emma. "This production is coming up fast! I can't have the lead not being able to properly dance! Take five, everyone. Emma, go home. Get some rest. If you dance like that again, Tink will play both swans."

Emma got up, without taking Killian's offered hand, and headed to the changing room. She took her things and left.

"Emma! Emma, wait!" Tears sprung in her eyes.

Killian grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. She started crying.

"Love, what's wrong?"

"Everything is wrong, Killian."

She shook herself out of his embrace.

"Jefferson is just a little stressed, and you've just had an off day. You'll be fine."

"No! Everything is wrong!" She shouted. "I can't stay at home! My mother hates me, and I'm being haunted by ghosts that won't ever shut the fuck up! I'm constantly being told I'm gonna die if I don't break a curse that I know jack shit about! And on top of all the paranormal fuckery, I learned that my boyfriend never cared about me, and is cheating on me!" She barely got her last words out.

"What? What are you talking about? I'm not bloody cheating on you. I care a whole fucking lot about you, Emma. Tell me what the fuck you're talking about."

"Oh cut the crap, Killian. I saw you with Milah the other day. You didn't have anything to say about her little strip show. I waited for you to protest, not one word was said."

"It's not what it looked like. I stayed silent because I didn't want her to break down crying because I yelled at her. I asked her to leave a couple minutes later, and she did. Nothing happened."

"Oh sure."

"I'm serious! And what did you mean about me not caring about you?"

"I know you fucked Tink," his face went deathly pale, "Have a fancy excuse for that one?"

"That was before we were together."

"It tells me that I'm not anything special to you. You didn't have a relationship with me because you liked me, it was for the thrill of it. A secret relationship. Young girls seem to fascinate you. Older ones too. Why don't you for once find someone your own age!"

Emma turned to leave but Killian caught her arm again.

"Emma don't say that. It's not like that at all. What happened with Tink was stupid. Emma I...Emma I love you."

Emma had tears pouring down her face.

"You don't get to say that! You do not get to say that to me after you've lied to me! I can't do this, Killian. Just leave me alone."

And so he left her alone. He let her walk home in the cold, and went back to dancing.
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"This is all bullshit. It's all been in my head this whole time. I'm like Nina from Black Swan. Always imagining things."