Of Doves and Dragons

Chapter Twenty-six: The Choices We're Left With

"And if the sadness won't ever go away, I suppose I'll build it a home so it has a nice place to stay."

-Tristan Prettyman, Don't Work Yourself Up

They landed in an classroom. One wall was layered with windows that caused the afternoon sunlight to oversaturate in its intensity, vaguely giving the atmosphere a nostalgic tone. Some twenty odd desks were pushed haphazardly along the walls leaving a wide hole in the middle of the room.

A young woman with the longest legs sat on the edge of the large desk at the front of the room, pointedly ignoring the perfectly good chair placed behind her. One of her legs was crossed over the other, hands clasping the edge of the desk, framing her as attentive. Her dark auburn hair was pulled up into a messy attempt at a professional bun, a few strands escaping and swooshing past her temples. She wore a pair of slick black rimmed glasses that didn't distract from her pretty face, or the mischievous gaze that went hand in hand with the slight upturn of her ruby painted lips. She was the kind of beauty that was understood and could not be debated. Confidence and nonchalance bounced off of her in waves as she stared fondly at the center of the classroom.

A girl was bent low to the ground, wearing a black dress that was tight at the top and flared at the waist. She stood up tall on the very tips of her toes delicately, her thin arms spread out like a bird about to take flight. One foot raised to tap against her knee before she kicked it out with a dramatic point. Still balancing on pointe, she reached her arms high above her before spinning around in circles after circles. It was only when the figure slowed down that Ember noticed her own face blurred in the spins.

Though she wasn't moving, Ember's entire body seized tight like the strings of a viola. Her younger self span around and around in a perfect daze before slowly drifting into a staggeringly difficult pose and becoming as balanced and gracefully as a sensuous statue. The woman began to slowly clap, her smirk turning into an only partly concealed smile. The younger Ember relaxed her stance fluidly, her chest rising and falling rapidly; a familiar blush painting her cheeks.

The odd singular clapping came to an abridged halt. "That was beautiful Diane. Miss Adams has certainly been keeping a rigorous course."

The younger Ember brought her hands to rest on her stomach delicately, still attempting to catch her breath. "You know I would prefer it was you Miss Georgina."

Miss Georgina's eyes softened considerably and she straightened her posture before hopping to her feet gracefully. "And I would prefer to be the one to teach you. I suppose we'll both just have to settle for me simply being your French professor."

A frown marred the soft face of the younger Ember. She leaned forward and hesitantly whispered, "Did it really happen as they're saying it did?"

Miss Georgina rose a perfectly plucked brow. "That depends on what is being said."

The younger Ember chewed on her bottom lip. A wrinkle formed in between her brows as her eyes debated. "They are saying that you snuck a man in. That the two of you were caught in a...compromising position in the studio."

The woman sighed deeply. "That, unfortunately, is true." She walked back around her desk, distancing herself from the inquisitive girl. "It was lucky that Mrs. Cornetta only took my dance classes away. I suspect when they find a suitable replacement for my French classes, I will be politely asked to leave the premises."

"Why?"

Miss Georgina tilted her head, "Why what, honey?"

The younger Ember shifted on her feet. She swayed awkwardly with her fingers fumbling over each other. "Why did you sneak a man in here?"