Chapter 22.
G race! Grace!’
Her voice sounded so faint in the distance. I had only known Miss Hogg for about four months, but without her help and guidance, I would not have achieved all that I had. She’d sacrificed every Saturday throughout November to help me catch up on the college work I had missed and guide me through my routine so that it was ready for this moment.
I could heard the music of the dance before mine begin. My palms began to sweat and my heart beat faster.
‘Grace! Grace!’
Her voice sounded much louder now as I began to come to my senses. I still was not ready for this. I gazed down at myself and noticed how skinny my legs and arms had become. The bandage at the base of my neck where I had been bitten began to itch and then I shivered as I recalled what had caused my horrific injuries, although Ben had mostly healed me, this bite mark was taking much longer to recover.
Daniel, the black wolf had almost killed me just to try and take my purity from me.
Why did I have to be from a blood line of spellcasters?
He had destroyed both of my precious red coats. I had only just barely escaped from Daniel. If it hadn’t been for Ben, I would not be alive.
My protector.
The boy I loved.
My white wolf.
I wished he could have been there, sitting out in the crowd. But he has chosen to run away, in the hope that it would keep me safe from him. And, of course, to find Daniel and make sure that he never returned.
‘Grace? Grace, are you ready?’ hissed Miss Hogg
I snapped out of my thoughts, again. The scars on my legs looked too visible for me. How could I let the audience see me in this way?
‘Grace, are you ok?’ She asked me, concerned.
I shook my head and I could not fight back the tears anymore. A mixture of nerves and missing Ben got the better of me. Miss Hogg placed her hands on my shoulders, they were soft and warm, and she looked at me straight into my eyes.
‘Yes, you can do this. I believe in you. I know it has been really tough for you but you’re a fighter.’
Those soft fingertips of hers wiped away my tears. I gazed into her face and saw that caring smile. I was grateful to have such a lovely dance tutor like her. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here now about to perform. So I had to do it for her. I took a deep breath and clenched my sweaty palms.
‘Ok. I am ready. Let’s do this.’
Miss Hogg hugged me tightly, then I heard the rest of the dancers cheering me to go on. They all knew I nearly died but they did not know why. And they never would. A warm, fuzzy feeling hit my tummy and my fast-beating heart began to slow. It was wonderful to have support from my classmates.
‘I will go and introduce you,’ Whispered Miss Hogg.
She walked to the stage. Over and over, I told myself, ‘I can do this.’
She signalled me to come onto the stage. There was no going back now, I gave my blonde bun a quick tighten and leapt to centre stage. The bright lights dazzled me for a second until I got my focus. I had a quick look at the audience, then I glanced towards stage left. Miss Hogg was ready to hit the button for my music. She gave me the thumbs up and I gave a slight nod to signal I was ready. The music began to play. It started off slowly, I swayed my arms gracefully in time to the lyrics. The stage lighting faded to different tones of colour, smoothly around me. I straightened my legs and pointed my toes as I slowly pirouetted around the stage. Then the song switched to an upbeat tempo along with my body movements, changing rapidly. From kicks to splits to flips, all of these movements I was doing would not have been possible without the help of Miss Hogg.
I didn’t know that at the back of the room, Ben was standing there, watching over me. This dance was to express my gratitude and love for him. I only spotted him when I had to flip myself to the floor and then gaze up to the audience. In that moment, seeing him, I felt of all the kisses we had exchanged and the power of the moment that he had saved my life. The energy from these memories surged through me and into the routine that I gave to this sell-out crowd. I ended with a back flip, into the splits. I froze in that position and there was a pause. Then the audience erupted with a roaring cheer and a standing ovation. I stood and bowed. I could not believe it. I had done it. The applause and cheering didn’t seem to be coming to an end any time soon.
Then I sensed someone standing right next to me. I turned to see who it was.
‘Ben?’
Was I imagining this?
‘What are you doing here?’
I hadn’t noticed that as the applause had exploded, he’d rushed through the auditorium and leapt onto the stage.
He didn’t even answer me. He just took me into his arms and kissed me. It was so wonderful to feel his embrace, once again. My protector. My lover. Back with me again.
The End
Epilogue
T he soft sound of smooth music filled the
