𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕒 ~ 𝕁𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝔼𝕤𝕔𝕦𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒 𝕏 𝕆𝕔

2:Cold

[1899]
It all happened so quickly, the boat robbery went wrong. Law men and Pinkertons swarming. Then we're up in the mountains. My hands were shaking from how cold it was, Foubre was also cold. Every so often she lets out an angry nay.

"We'll be fine girl." I say with a soft voice while patting her neck. After a while more of riding we come to a stop at some cabins, I hitch my horse and make my way to one of them.

I sit in one of the chairs and tried to warm up which didn't really work. I only really have thin jackets, so I had to layer with a thick vest and shirt.

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair, then put my hat over my eyes so I can try and have some peace to think.

Pirouettes, the tips of my toes stung now. 'Who cares?' I thought. 'There just feet right? They won't leave scars right?' The music stopped meaning it was time to end the spinning.

I slowly came to and end and then went into first position. "Good, good." My mother started clapping with a smile.

"Now go ahead and get your stretches done before you leave, I don't want you sore for you big day tomorrow!"

I sigh and go to the barre placed by the big mirror on the other side of the room. I grabbed on with one hand and the other on my knee. I slowly lifted my leg up stretching them.

After that I slowly lowered my leg again and made my way to the changing rooms.
'The big day, the day I have to impress the mayor.'

"Juliette! Stop lounging around and go help start a fire!" Grimshaw snapped me out of my thoughts for the millionth time. "Alright, alright vous vieille sorcière!" I yelled back getting up and fixing my hat.

I walked over to the fire where Lenny was struggling to light a match. "Poor you, cant even start a fire." I joked with one of my best friends.

He try's to put the match aflame again but fails. "Ugh! I can't get it!" I grab the match box and match from him and easily get it going with one strike. Then bring it to the wood with ease.

"You're such a baby." I lit the logs on fire then throw the match in with it. I pass the match box back to him and stand up again.

"Shut up." He laughs out making me laugh along.

I walked back to the chair I sat in and relaxed in it, the smooth wood under my feet makes me think back to the old days. This would be such a nice dancing place if it wasn't so cold.

I thought to myself. I used to dance for fun, to show all my emotions, to show the world how I felt. Now it just feels like... Dancing? Just a thing people do.

Where are my Pointes?

I think back to the black Pointes I wore for dancing, they were soft, smooth and black. I wore them every time I went dancing. They hold so many of my memories.

I pull my satchel out and look in it, I found pictures of me then but no Pointes. Probably on my horse. I was determined to get them now.

I sat up and went to the door, I opened it and started walking to my horse. I approached her with ease and went through my saddle bag. After a little bit of searching I felt the familiar cloth on my hands and pulled them out, my black Pointes.

I put them in my satchel and went back to the cabin, it was freezing so I speed walked. I opened the cabin door again and came inside. Then walked back to the seat and pulled them out. No one was paying any attention so why not?

I rubbed my thumbs over them to feel them, they still were very smooth and slick. They still probably fit. The other voice in my head protested. No! Don't think about that! You promised to never dance again! Remember? I sighed and tried to reason with myself to feel the feeling again.

It was such a good feeling to dance, to put all of my sadness, happiness, anger, love into it. Why not do it again? I remembered the day I said I wouldn't dance again. 'I'll never dance again, it makes me blind.' Is what I said all those years ago...

It's to cold anyways, why would you wear these on your feet in this weather? That thought was correct, I don't want to try to do anything crazy with these on.

I stuffed them back in my satchel and actually started to relax, not letting any noise or person bother me.

(After a little nap)

I wake up to the name of 'John' being yelled around the cabins. He's back?

I get up and put my arms up as high as I can getting a good stretch in, I look to the voices and people coming barging in with a very injured looking John.

"Mr. Marston?" I say walking with them to a cot nearby. "Miss. Baker." He says casually but still looking in a lot of pain. "Your an idiot." I chuckle and help him lay down while the others got bandages and medicine. "I know, that's why everyone deals with me." He chuckles out with me.

(Teeny tiny time skip...)

John just finished with stitches, the painful noises made everyone cringe on there seats. Me, Karen, Javier and Lenny sat together in our small friend group. We've all been good friends for years now, but my closest is still Sean.

I snap out of my thoughts when Karen's ginger snaps in front of my face. "Yoo-Hoo! Juliette? Pay attention!" She yells at me while I giggle. "Sorry. What were you saying?" "I was asking why don't you tell us about your family life again!" All three of them seemed very interested in my family for years now, they still ask for me to tell them my 'secret.'

"Which part?" I almost burst out laughing from her angry face. "Why not the part when your mother tried to get you to do ballet?" She suggests. "Well, I do remember a pretty weird story." She nods while Javier and Lenny start listening in from their conversation.

"One day my mère-Mother took me to a small building and tried enrolling me in a private ballet class." I lied.
My mother actually enrolled me in a private ballet class and I stuck with it for over ten years until an incident.
"I did one class and felt like I was dying," I giggled at the memories of my first time. "Going on he tips of your toes aches and stings while stretching like an elastic makes it worse..." I actually love the feeling...

"How are you so flexible then?" Lenny bumps his elbows into the side of my stomach. "Just seeing them be so normal about being in the splits? Made me wanna be like them! Not the dancing but the flexibility, yeah." I lied once again. I danced with them... They wanted to be like me.

"Ces jours me manquent." "What?" Karen asks what I said. "Rien." "Huh?!" She asks once again what I said. Me, Javier and Lenny laughed. "I don't speak gibberish Juliette!"

"It's French!" "Uh-huuh." She exaggerates it. "I can teach you ya know, then we can talk trash about these boys." I point to the boys and whisper the last part. "What'd you say chica?" Javier has a playful but angry face, the same for Lenny. "Rien rien."