Cursed

by Smith, Ava

  Sarah either doesn’t hear him or pretends not to as in a matter of seconds she, too, vanishes from his sight.

  CHAPTER 9

  The following day, Andre continues his depressing tour of the theatre. It does little to cheer Daniel up and by mid-morning he looks ready to collapse. To make things worse when he passes Sarah in the corridor later she ignores him completely. Daniel chuckles about it since he’s never met anyone so dismissive in all his life. Since Isobel and Robert are the eyes and ears of the theatre they realise their boss is a little out of sorts, so Isobel tries to offer Daniel the perfect pick-me-up.

  “Why don’t you come and have lunch with us, Mr MacGregor?” she says.

  “No, I don’t think it would be a good idea,” Daniel replies.

  Isobel is adamant. “I’m not taking no for an answer, sir.”

  Isobel and Robert lead Daniel further into the theatre until they reach a crowded canteen.

  “Feast your eyes on the cream of the dancing world!” Isobel remarks.

  Daniel glances round and sees there are at least 200 people there today and they sit at tables in threes, fours and fives, completely absorbed in their own little worlds. Isobel, Robert and Daniel make their way to a table a little away from the others and take their seats. As soon as they settle Robert passes Daniel one of his delicious ham and cheese sandwiches.

  “Thanks!” Daniel says removing the cling film.

  “I hear you met the feisty Sarah yesterday,” Isobel comments.

  “I certainly did!” Daniel thinks for a moment and asks, “Is she all right? She seems a bit troubled.”

  “She’s just odd.” Daniel chuckles and Isobel insists. “Really, she is. For a start she only dances matinees. Emily dances the evening performances.”

  “And she always leaves at 5 pm on the dot,” Robert adds.

  Daniel takes a bite out of his sandwich and asks casually, “So does she have any family? Does she live on her own?”

  Isobel smirks as she tells him. “She lives with her uncle in a creepy old house on the edge of town.”

  Daniel doesn’t ask any more questions about her but the more he hears about Sarah’s strange behaviour, the more intrigued he becomes.

  That afternoon, Daniel makes his way to the foyer at 5pm sharp and catches a glimpse of raven hair flitting past the theatre doors.

  * * *

  An hour later, Sarah’s secluded home lies empty. In her bedroom her ballet shoes are arranged neatly on the floor alongside her ballet clothes, and the grandfather clock in the foyer chimes 6 o’clock except there’s no one to witness it. That’s because Victor and Sarah are driving down the same long, winding roads Daniel took a few days earlier. Sarah looks out of her window and sees the sign for Hope Lake, but stares at it impassively. She cannot look forward to its beauty because she’s seen it too many times.

  When Hope Lake finally comes into sight it’s moments from darkness and the sunlight blends into a sea of oranges and reds. The only sounds that can be heard are those of a few frogs and crickets that seem to engulf the place. Victor parks his car on a tall mound and he and Sarah step out. She doesn’t even look at him and instead offers an unenthusiastic,

  “See you soon.”

  Uncle and niece walk down opposite sides of the mound and Victor disappears from view while Sarah reaches the water and takes off her clothes. She wades in and becomes completely submerged. The water ripples gently but it gets more and more intense. It begins to generate a power not of its own and several seconds later... Sarah re-emerges as a pure white swan. She swims round the lake and meets Victor, who has also transformed into one of these elegant creatures. The pair blends into a flock of 30 swans already on the lake until they can no longer be separated from the others.

  Even in this form Sarah is thinking about tomorrow, wondering if her childhood dream is about to come true. She is so preoccupied that she completely ignores her swan friends and they in turn leave her alone. They know Sarah’s not like them because she walks the space between two worlds: the human world where she is the best dancer who ever graced the earth, and the swan world; where she is born of nobility and worthy of being called Swan Queen. The young dancer stays awake the whole night and a sense of trepidation grips her when she sees the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon. She swims eagerly to the centre of the lake and lowers her head as she waits for the change.

  * * *

  The new day happens to be sunny and bright and is filled with the promise of extraordinary things. Several miles away from Hope Lake the dancers at the Odette Carmichael Theatre arrive well before their 9.00am start. The moment the doors open scores of ballerinas rush into the building and make their way to the rehearsal room corridor. By two minutes past nine every female dancer in the company crowds round a single sheet of paper that is pasted on the wall next to Rehearsal Room One. Among them are Emily, Amy and Isobel who jostle for pole position alongside everyone else.

  “Can you see it yet? Amy asks.

  “Who is it?” Emily yells.

  Sarah joins them a short time later and watches the girls degenerate into an ugly scrum. She was going to wait until everyone had left to check if her name is there but curiosity bubbles up in her so she pushes past a couple of the girls to finally see the page. She skims over the words ‘“Odette/Odile – Emily Pope”’ and glances down to see the most magical words ever written on a sheet of paper “‘Odette/Odile (matinee) – Sarah Mitchell.”’ Her face lights up while everyone else’s drops. She can’t believe what she’s seeing and she has to steady herself against a couple of the girls.

  “I knew they’d give it to her!” snaps Maya Saunders, a girl who had no chance of getting the lead.

  Sarah doesn’t pay any attention to the snide comment but as she looks round she sees all her ‘friends’ stare at her with hostile eyes. She pushes past them and races into the changing rooms where she promptly bursts into tears.

  “I did it!” she gasps looking up at the ceiling. “I completely and absolutely did it!”

  Sarah leans against the wall and covers her face with her hands totally absorbed in the moment. But now the real work begins, not just for Sarah, but for everyone in the theatre.

  Scarcely 20 minutes later, Isobel and a team of three female dancers are standing with their hands linked while they wait for Elizabeth Smith’s signal. Elizabeth is a veteran of the dancing world and she has graced the stages of New York, St Petersburg and London. Her long hair almost touches her waist and she holds the posture of a seasoned professional. Despite appearances, she is one of the strictest choreographers around, not to mention the best, and she nods to them.

  “Begin.”

  The dancers cross the room performing the ‘pas de quatre’ from Swan Lake, a sequence requiring four dancers to link hands and dance the same steps with tip top precision.

  The dance has barely begun when Elizabeth hollers, “Stop!”

  The girls do as they’re told and Elizabeth walks up to Isobel.

  “Something the matter, Miss James?” she asks.

  “No, Miss Smith,” Isobel replies.

  “Good. Then I suggest you stop treating this dance like a wake!”

  “Yes, miss.”

  Isobel links hands with the girls and tries not to show how angry she is that her name wasn’t on the sheet. To be a part of the ‘Corps de ballet’ after all these years is nothing short of humiliation. She squeezes one of the girl’s hands too tightly and it forces her to scream. Miss Smith frowns at Isobel and she quickly loosens her grip.

  Meanwhile, Sarah is still in the changing room getting ready for her lesson with Miss Smith. She takes her time getting changed this morning and she doesn’t care that the other girls are talking about her because she is the one chosen for the part of the Swan Queen. She appears somewhat smug about it, but as she bends down to pick up her ballet shoes, a couple of the girls walk into her and make her stumble back. Sarah ignores them and finishes tying up her shoes. As she le
aves the room she knows she has to work harder than anyone else to prove her worth. Miss Smith, Isobel and several others are already waiting for her in Rehearsal Room Four so as soon as she walks in Sarah marches over to Ian, her 25-year-old dance partner, and takes up the pose. Things start off well but she can feel her shoes chafe at the heel every time she moves. After a few minutes of practice Sarah limps to the bench and removes her shoe to see spots of blood on the fabric.

  “No stopping, Sarah. I want to get the first few moves down perfectly before the morning is over,” yells Elizabeth.

  “Yes, Miss.”

  Sarah walks to the centre and starts to dance once more. She grimaces because the pain in the heels of her feet becomes excruciating. The other dancers who watch her can see the anguish on her face and Amy steps forward to say something but ultimately keeps silent. The lesson is three quarters of the way through before Elizabeth yells out,

  “That’s enough!”

  Sarah stops dancing and looks helplessly at her teacher.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

  Elizabeth can see how upset Sarah is so she tells her pupil.

  “Take a rest and after lunch I want you and Ian to join me in here.”

  Sarah rushes out and runs straight to the changing room where she carefully removes one of her ballet shoes. When she examines her foot she sees the skin is peeling off at the heel and the wound is starting to seep. If she were at home she would bathe it in a weak soap solution and apply soothing oils to it. There are no such remedies at hand so Sarah has to hope that time will be the cure. She really should have gone somewhere else because an hour later she is startled when the changing room door flies open and a stream of silly girls wander in; among them is Isobel.

  “You know I’ve been thinking. If you can’t dance the way a Swan Queen is supposed to dance, perhaps you should give up and let someone better take your place,” remarks Isobel.

  There’s little point wasting her breath so Sarah dodges past Isobel and storms out of the room. She gasps when she sees Daniel walking her way because she knows she is trapped.

  “Hello,” Daniel says walking up to her.

  “Hi.”

  “I think congratulations are in order.”

  “Well I might not be in the role much longer,” Sarah says, laughing.

  “Oh, I think you will be. I hear Elizabeth Smith only chooses the best.”

  She raises her eyebrows at him since he’s the last person she thought would make her feel better.

  After lunch, she has recovered enough to restart rehearsals with Ian. Daniel strolls into Rehearsal Room Four and observes Ian lift Sarah up in the air shortly before he puts her back down gently. He makes it look so easy and Daniel marvels at the man’s stamina. Ian repeats the lift a dozen times but Elizabeth shows no sign of giving the poor guy a rest.

  “There’s something about the way you’re reacting to him,” Elizabeth tells

  Sarah. “You come across more like brother and sister rather than star-crossed lovers.”

  Sarah steps away from Ian and Elizabeth appears deep in thought; it’s clear no one must interrupt her at this time. Daniel laughs quietly to himself because the woman looks like she’s about to claim check-mate at the world chess championship final. Elizabeth Smith turns ever so slowly to Daniel and gawps at him a while. Sarah and Ian frown and before Sarah realises the awful thing that’s about to happen, Elizabeth says,

  “Would you oblige us for a moment, Mr MacGregor?”

  “Me?” Daniel asks looking puzzled.

  “Well, I am looking in your direction.”

  Sarah grimaces as Daniel walks haphazardly to the centre of the room. Elizabeth marches over to Sarah, grabs hold of her hand and leads her to Daniel.

  “Now, I would like you to hold Miss Mitchell in a way becoming of true love,” she tells him.

  “Sure, OK,” Daniel agrees.

  “I really don’t think we should do this. There are rules against strangers touching the dancers,” Sarah protests.

  “Miss Mitchell, I am pretty certain that with both Ian and I here Mr MacGregor will not mistreat you in any way,” Elizabeth replies.

  So Sarah remains silent as Daniel walks behind her and very gently wraps his arms around her waist. After which he moves forward until his chin is practically resting on her shoulder. Sarah’s breathing hastens and she tries to stay as still as possible. Daniel holds her a little tighter but surprisingly Sarah doesn’t resist and just allows her body to go limp. Ian stares ardently at the couple and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

  “It’s a shame the two of you aren’t dancing for real. You would set the place on fire!” Elizabeth comments.

  Sarah immediately steps forward, plucks a bottle of water from inside her bag and proceeds to gulp it down. It makes the others glance at one another and an uneasy silence gushes over the room.

  CHAPTER 10

  The next morning, Felicity, Andre and Daniel are sitting in a smallish room with papers stacked haphazardly on the shelves. It’s been a tough morning for Felicity as she has had to watch Daniel take on the same duties she once did. She keeps her beady eyes on Daniel all through the morning but hardly says a word. So it’s left to young Andre to pick up the pieces. He spends the next hour explaining the ins and outs of the business to Daniel. Daniel on the other hand, spends the next hour drawing pictures in his notebook.

  “And then there’s the problem with the overdue salaries,” Andre says.

  Daniel continues to draw. “How overdue?”

  Felicity answers him. “Three weeks.”

  “I’ll ask Dad for a loan.”

  Felicity glares at Daniel and is clearly not amused.

  “Secondly, we have a photo shoot taking place later this morning which involves everyone.”

  Daniel looks up sharply. “Everyone?”

  Andre confirms. “Everyone.”

  “How absolutely wonderful!”

  Daniel returns to his drawing and Felicity watches him carefully; the veins on her forehead start to throb and, she grows more restless until she just can’t be in the same room as him anymore.

  “Excuse me I need some air!” she snaps.

  She leaves the meeting with seven minutes to go and Daniel remarks casually,

  “I expect she’s upset because I’m in charge.” Andre is about to leave too when Daniel comments, “Oh and one more thing, I think we should have the photo shoot here at the theatre instead of in some dusty studio.”

  “Whatever you say, sir,” Andre answers.

  Word is sent out to the dancers that they are to turn up at the theatre rather than the studio for the shoot. For the first time ever the various assistants organise photo and camera equipment to transform Rehearsal Room Four into a photographer’s dream. Sarah and her fellow dancers go through a number of costume changes and make-up sessions to create the perfect portfolio of snaps. Daniel shows up well before the start of the shoot and is more of a distraction than anything else but Sarah endures it as best she can. He watches the 150 strong troupe take turns to flaunt their modelling skills and it slowly drives him mad. So by 3.00 pm he has earned a well-deserved break.

  “You look good today,” he remarks walking up to Sarah.

  “Do I?”

  “Yes I thought you were...”

  Sarah turns to him. “Let’s get something straight. I am not interested in you. And I will never be interested in you. I am here to work, please let me do so in peace.”

  She marches away and speaks to Emily, the other ‘Swan Queen’. Daniel continues to watch her and sees her practise a pose for the next shot where she bows gracefully to Emily. His eyes narrow as he’s reminded of the white swan bowing to her friends on the lake.

  The shoot ends at around 4.30pm and no one is more relieved than Daniel. He thanks the photographer for all his hard work and glances at Sarah before leaving the room. She shakes her head and is grateful to be free of him for once, but she still has to listen to
the girls talk about him.

  “He is so gorgeous!” Amy exclaims.

  “He’s rich too,” Emily adds.

  “I know. Have you seen him drive around in that car of his?” Isobel asks while removing her ballet shoes.

  The girls giggle like a trio of immature schoolgirls before leaving the room together. Sarah rolls her eyes and makes her way to the benches where she sits and waits for Elizabeth Smith’s arrival. Now that she’s alone, she stares up at the clock on the wall like someone awaiting a verdict. When the clock strikes 4.45pm she stands up and walks slowly towards the wall.

  “Where are you?” she murmurs.

  “I’m right here.”

  Sarah spins and sees Elizabeth standing by the door.

  “So, are you ready?” Elizabeth asks.

  Sarah nods and the practice begins. She repeats the one movement over and over as Miss Smith instructs her.

  “Move your arms higher. And your feet back.”

  Sarah does as she’s told but always keeps her eye on the clock. The longer it passes the 5pm deadline the more uncomfortable she feels, until, she just can’t continue and she steps back, saying,

  “Thank you, Miss Smith. But my Uncle is very sick and he’s probably expecting me.”

  Elizabeth’s face turns sour but she answers politely. “Okay, but I want you to practise before you go to sleep tonight.”

  “Oh, I will,” Sarah promises.

  She gathers up her things and rushes to the door, but as she pulls open the door she hears,

  “The part for the Swan Queen is not set in stone. Any hint of a compromise and it will be taken away.”

  “Yes, Miss Smith.”

  Sarah leaves the room, dashes down the long corridor and runs down the steep staircase. She makes it into the foyer and dodges a cleaning woman to get to the theatre doors, but as she pulls on the handle she finds the doors locked. She pulls again but it’s obvious they’re not going to open and she steps back in tears. Just then a gentle voice tells her.