𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 | mileven au.

FOUR...

CHAPTER FOUR
"BACK TO THE FUTURE!"

eleanor ives let out an annoyed groan as she reapplied another tissue of gauze that was stained with rubbing alcohol onto the noticeable gash that cut into her ankle, the embarrassing result of her mother's actions in a drunken rage.

as she pushed her fingers deeper into the cloth in order to force more pressure to stop the cut from bleeding, she leaned her head against the vending machine she was sitting by. her lips puffed out in disappointment as she watched the blood reappear within seconds of removing the gauze.

just as she was about to tear off another piece of the fragile cloth, she was stopped by a meek voice that belonged to a girl who was no taller than four feet with blonde pigtails that bobbed ever so slightly as she spoke.

"what happened?" the unfamiliar child squealed with a gasp so quiet that it was barely audible. she played with her hands behind her back, just as any child who appeared to be around her age would.

"oh, i just tripped when i was dancing! these shoes can really hurt sometimes!" eleanor used a soft voice with the stranger, pointing down at her pointe shoes as a reference. she nodded in return, gnawing at the bottom of her thin lips.

"does it hurt?" the girl perked up once again, slumping down beside the injured dancer and watching her ankle in amusement.

"just a little bit, but i'm sure it'll feel better soon!" eleanor reassured her, sending her a small smile as she removed one of her pointe shoes to place a band-aid over the wound.

"can i try on the shoe?" the jubilant girl asked hopefully, grinning widely. the band-aid that was just about to make contact with her skin had now been placed back in the cheap paper box.

"yeah, it might be a little big." eleanor informed her, the blonde nodding in understanding as she removed her small sneaker, wiggling her toes in order to show her new friend that she was more than ecstatic to try on the slipper.

el slipped on the shoe ever so carefully, striving to make the blistering shoe at least somewhat snug for the petite child with half of her teeth missing who clearly hadn't ever worn a pair of dance shoes before. a loud snigger of delight escaped from her small lips, the shoe that belonged to a fifteen-year-old making her feel like the grown-up girls she saw in her favorite infomercials, or like the ones she saw in her favorite cartoons every saturday morning. she drummed her foot across the ground, fascinated by the gentle taps that would come from the magical shoe she found ever so fascinating.

"you get to wear these all the time?!" the younger sister gasped, catching el off-guard as she scooted closer towards her and presented the shoe.

"holly! i told you to stay by me!" a male voice from the other side of the wide corridor interrupted the short-lived conversation, the girl who el could now presumed to be named holly let a pout rest on her face. eleanor pushed a small smile on her face,  putting her hand out for holly to shake.

"well, holly, it was nice to meet you. i'm eleanor, but my friends call me el." holly pleasantly shook her hand, in awe of the ballerina she had just spoken with.

"can i call you el?" holly implored sanguinely, her head titling to the side as she bit at her chapped lip.

"yeah, of course... but you should probably go find your parents." el informed the euphoric toddler, tightening the harrowing shoe around her foot, the pain becoming more intolerable than usual due to the worsening cut. as holly skipped away with rhythm in her quick steps, el recognized a familiar face waving an awkward hello.