Dreamwalkers: The Awakening

CHAPTER 18

"Dance? We have to dance?"

"Yes," Dr. Milton explains. "It's all part of the extravaganza."

This night just keeps getting more ridiculous. "You never mentioned this before."

"Maybe that was because of the reaction you had to speaking. You made it through that in one piece. You'll make it through the dancing as well."

"I don't know how to dance. Especially not in front of two hundred people."

"Asher will lead you through it. All you have to do is let him."

Contemplating making a run for it, I lean back in my chair, clenching my hands in my lap. Zoë tries to hide her chuckle. "I don't know what you're laughing at. You have to dance too."

Ash chimes in. "They've had us practicing for weeks now. We're actually pretty good at it. Well, I am. Idris is just okay." Idris rolls his eyes and laughs as he nervously rubs his palms on his legs.

A male voice comes over the sound system. "Ladies and gentlemen, please turn your attention to center stage for tonight's entertainment."

The lights dim to near blackness and people shuffle in their chairs. A spotlight surges on, directed at a couple posed in the center of the room. In the arms of a statuesque man, a woman bends backward and stares deep into the crowd with an expression of sorrow on her face. Her partner holds his gaze on her neck as if his life depends on it.

A melodic instrumental piece erupts from a small orchestra arranged near the back of the room. The couple begins their marvelously choreographed routine, moving with fluid motions from one end of the floor to the other and back again. Her dress sparkles in the spotlight as she twists, twirls, and dips around the dance floor. Several other couples dressed in coordinating costumes emerge from darkened areas and join the dance.

"Please tell me we aren't jumping in to this," I whisper to Ash.

He laughs before reassuring me. "I'm not that good."

Oohs and ahhs ring out as acrobats wrapped in long ribbons of fabric descend from each corner of the dance floor. Nearly exact copies of my dress, their body suits were clearly designed to mirror me, just as the dancer's dress compliments Zoë's.

Somewhere beyond the bright lights, I catch another glimpse of the face that looks like Dr. Hoque. As the dancers move and the focal point changes, the man once again gets lost in the shadows. Zoë gives me a questioning look but I brush her off with a shake of my head.

The orchestra swells to a fevered pitch as the dancing becomes furious and the acrobatics more intense. Suddenly, the music pauses and the performers freeze. After a moment, it rebuilds itself into a fiery conclusion, sending the crowd to their feet, cheering and clapping.

The moment I've been dreading arrives. "And now ladies and gentlemen, our guests of honor will lead us all in dance."

The band plays an elegantly refined melody as Ash and Idris lead us onto the dance floor. Avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room, I focus on Ash and following his lead. As promised, they lead us through gracefully executed maneuvers giving the impression that we've all done this before. "Relax. You're so tense." Ash instructs while trying to maintain a smile.

"I'm miles outside of my comfort zone right now. Relaxing isn't an option."

Much to my delight, our tablemates join in, followed by the benefactors, taking the focus solely off us. The dance floor can hold at least three times the crowd it carries now, but nobody else joins in.

"See. Not so bad, right?"

"Not now that the others have started dancing."

He pulls me in, closing the gap between us and making me incredibly uncomfortable. My body tenses and I resist. "Calm down," he whispers. "They're loving it." I look around the room. Everyone I can see is looking at us, smiling, eating up every second of the show. His hand drops to my lower back in a far too familiar gesture.