Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

by A. R. Breck

  Tonight, I get to see our families for the first time since I was eighteen years old. My stomach twists and turns with every moment that goes by. Our engagement party has been put off long enough, everyone's schedule not aligning with the next person's. But this weekend is the weekend everyone was able to come out. This evening we're just having our families over for a small dinner here, and my stomach has been in knots all day.

  It doesn't help that next week is my audition at Julliard. I've practiced long enough. I'm ready. Roman thinks I'm ready. I could perfect my routine with my eyes closed. There isn't a move that hasn't been done one million times by my body. My toes, feet, legs, arms, every limb has been put through hell during this last year. It's been hard, the hardest I've physically beat my bones and muscles. But the time has come, and in only a few days I'll know whether or not I'll be attending Julliard.

  Roman's hands lift, circling my neck before curling around my chin. He tilts my head up, and I look into his eyes, seeing his warm brown eyes with specks of gold flickering back at me. "It'll all be okay," he says, as if he knows my worries are more than just about seeing our parents tonight.

  I press on my tiptoes, reaching up and touching my lips to his. His fingers press into my cheeks, a possessiveness overtaking him as he takes control. My lips open, and I slide my lips against his, needing his comfort when I'm feeling so out of sorts.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Roman pulls back, looking down at me with a smile. My eyes are wide, and I bite my lips, excitement and nerves hitting me again.

  I shouldn't be nervous at all. The excitement over seeing my parents is going to tear me in two, but I haven't seen them, or Roman's parents, in so long. I can't help the flicker of nerves mixing in as well.

  "Do you want to…?" he turns toward the door.

  I press my hand against my stomach, taking a deep breath. "You get it."

  He nods, walking toward the door. I hear as he unhooks the chains and opens the door, and then their voices float through the room, my mom’s in particular. My breath catches in my chest. I stay in the living room, not sure I'd even be able to take a step without crumbling to the ground. I inhale a shaky breath, hearing my mom’s voice again, "Where's Luna?"

  Suddenly, she's there, walking around Roman and straight toward me. I let out a choked sob, my arms reaching out for her. She rushes toward me, wrapping me in her warmth and the smell that I can't explain as anything besides my mom—warmth, a hint of incense, and a little marijuana. I bury my head in her chest, crying into her shirt and drenching it with my tears.

  "My Luna. I've missed you so much, baby," she murmurs against my hair. I feel a pair of arms wrap around my back, warm and strong, and I cry harder, sensing my dad before I even see him.

  "Luna, Luna, Luna, you've grown so much." His voice is a rasp against my back. I separate from my mom, curling into his arms. He hugs me tight, his arms slightly shaky as he holds me.

  "I missed you," I cry into his chest. "I'm so sorry."

  "There's nothing to be sorry about, Luna. All that matters is we're here now. All of us." My mom runs her hand down my hair, and it's so comforting I want to curl into her arms and never leave.

  "Hey, sis," I hear from behind me. I turn around, seeing Harper, so grown, in nice jeans and a sweater. Her long hair lays in a straight sheet down her back. Her makeup is flawless. She's a woman now, and for a moment, I almost don’t recognize her.

  "Harper," I cry. It's been so long. So, so, fucking long.

  I hear another voice clearly behind me, and I wipe my face, turning out of my parents’ arms and see Nora standing there, so old, so fucking beautiful. Her curly hair is to her shoulders, a pair of tight jeans covering her legs with a band tee on top. "Look at you," she says to me, shaking her head. "How in the hell did you get even more pretty?"

  I cry-laugh, rushing into her arms and pulling her against me. Her thin arms hold me tight, and we rock back and forth. She's a little peanut in my arms, but then again she always has been.

  I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder and look, seeing Goldie with a watery smile on her face. "Luna, how are you doing?"

  I pull her into a hug, and Cypress comes up behind us, his smoky scent and tall figure wrapping us all into a group hug.

  After a while, we all separate, and I look at my family. They're all so much the same, but so much different. Each of the parents have crow’s feet around their eyes, aged over time but still perfect. My parents still dress like hippies, my mom in a flowing dress and my dad's hair a little too long. Roman's dad has on a black leather jacket matched with a pair of jeans, and Goldie is wearing her own leather jacket.

  Our family, back together again.

  We sit for hours, talking, remembering. We were planning to go out to eat, but we lose track of time and miss our reservations. We end up ordering in, Chinese food from my favorite spot down the street. We all sit on the floor, laughing and crying. We talk about plans for our upcoming wedding.

  There's only one place where we feel we should get married.

  At home, on our beach, between our houses with the glistening water lapping in front of us. There's nothing that sounds more perfect, and it makes me grow excited. I can't wait to go home, to see the cornfield across the street. To visit the park we used to go to everyday. To see how much has changed in our little town and see what's stayed the same after all this time.

  Our night is perfect. We stay up until well after nightfall. It makes me sad, wishing I wouldn't have stayed away from my family for so long, the people who mean the most in the world to me. I missed so much time, so many memories lost. But we're all together again, and I promise to make up every moment.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  ROMAN

  I sit in the station, my heavy, black boot tapping against the floor as I watch the clock. Luna has her audition today. She'll be waiting for me, watching for me. She's taken so much time and energy to prepare for this. I can't wait for the moment she gets on that stage. When she finally has the opportunity to show off her fucking amazing talent. She's going to blow everyone away. She doesn't even know how good she is, always downplaying her moves and acting like she isn't the best there's ever been.

  She is. She's the fucking best. I've spent hours upon hours throughout our lives watching videos of professional ballet dancers, and I know without a doubt that she's better than every single one of them. Hands down.

  I glance at the clock again, groaning under my breath as I wait for my shift to be over. I took an overnight shift so that I could take the morning off and be at her audition. I haven't seen her all night, and I'm sure she's a damn wreck. I doubt she slept a wink, too nervous about making the wrong move, about stumbling, about not being perfect. She needs to know that she could never do no wrong. That she's perfect in every move she makes. Nothing else matters when she's on the stage.

  Nothing.

  I look at the clock, seeing it's seven forty-five. Only fifteen minutes left until my shift is over, but I’m hoping I can leave a few minutes early so I can be there on time. Luna's audition is the first one today. Nine o’clock. Traffic is hell in the city during the morning, but I'll fucking sprint there if I have to.

  I watch the second hand tick by, ready to bust out of here at any second. I grab my things from the desk and stomp to my locker to hang my uniform up. Another slow night. One phone call for an elderly lady who smelled an odor in her apartment. Come to find out the neighbors were just smoking a bit too much weed below her, and the scent was making its way through the vents and upstairs. Other than that, it was quiet, not a call.

  I shut my locker, ready to bust out of here a few minutes early.

  Footsteps pound my way. Multiple footsteps. I turn around, seeing my chief rushing toward me with a ton of my crew behind him. "We've got to move."

  My eyes widen, looking at the clock. "Right now?"

  "Yes, now." He rushes to his locker, grabbing his hat and jacket. "Move."

  "Sir, Luna's audi
tion…" I can't miss it. I can't miss it. I can't miss it.

  He shakes his head, an urgency in his tone. "We need you for this, man. I'm sorry."

  I feel the panic radiating off him. Opening my locker, I take my things back out, sliding my coat onto my arms. "Do you know what it is?"

  The other guys are outside, and I hear the firetruck sirens starting up, the alarms loud and urgent.

  "Not much was said. Just that we need to go. Now." He doesn't spare me another glance, running out of the station and toward his truck.

  I follow him, seeing Dylan already strapped up in the back.

  He frowns when he sees me. "Luna?"

  I shake my head. "I'm going to miss it."

  He slaps my back, a worry in his eyes. "We’ll get you back soon. Maybe you can make it to the end of her audition."

  The firetruck jolts forward, the sirens loud in my ears as we fly down the road. My hair blows in the wind, and an instant sweat breaks out from the heavy clothes, even in the cool fall air. I bring a hand up, wiping my forehead. "Yeah, maybe."

  "Sorry, man." His voice can barely be heard over the blaring in my ears.

  "Yeah, me too," I mumble to myself.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  LUNA

  It's dark.

  I peak around the edge of the stage, seeing the judges sitting behind their booth. So intimidating.

  The stage is grand.

  So many seats, all black and encased in a rich fabric. Four different sections surround the stage, all of them filled with rows upon rows upon rows. It’s dark throughout the auditorium, the only light cast upon the stage. The dark gray, smooth floor that's waiting for me.

  There are a few other people out there, a few of the other people that are auditioning today. My eyes scan every seat, every row, every section.

  Where is he?

  I look up at the clock above me, seeing it’s a few minutes before nine. I know he was going to try and sneak out a few minutes early. He didn't want to miss a moment of my performance.

  I take a shaky breath, running my hands down my black leotard. The black tutu is beautiful, shifting with every step I take. My hair is so tightly slicked behind my head, my temples hurt, but not a hair is out of place.

  I'm perfect. I'm ready to go. But how can I go without Roman? This dance is just as much for him as it is for me. We're in this together, we have been since day one. I don't know if I can go out on that stage without him. I don't.

  I feel a hand on my shoulder and spin on my heels, hoping for one thing but coming face to face with another.

  My ballet instructor.

  My eyes widen, my jaw going slack. "Leona," I gasp, "What are you doing here?"

  She grabs my arm, giving it a squeeze with a bright smile on her face. "I couldn't have my favorite student go on without watching her, now could I?" Her hands trail down to mine. She squeezes my fingers. "How do you feel?"

  "Like I'm going to be sick," I mumble, pressing my hand to my stomach.

  She looks me up and down, critiquing and appraising me at once. "Look at how much you've grown. Still the perfect ballerina." She clucks her tongue, shaking her head. "I'm glad you got back into it, Luna, you were made for this."

  I glance over my shoulder, my eyes flitting over the seats again. Still no Roman. "I don't know… Roman isn't here yet."

  Her eyes soften. "Still with that boy?"

  I lift my hand toward her. "Engaged, actually."

  She runs her finger over the diamond softly, watching it shimmer in the dark light. "Mmm, I would have guessed nothing less. You guys had something special, I will give you that."

  My stomach twists into a knot. "He told me he'd be here. I want to wait until he gets here."

  Her eyes narrow. "You aren't waiting for anyone. This is your time, Luna. You either take this chance, or you let it go."

  "I don't want to let this go, I just—"

  She shakes her head, grabbing my hands again. "Listen, I've known since the first day you walked into my small studio that this is what you're meant to do. If Roman is late, he's late. I can see in the way you're standing that you've practiced to death on this routine. Your spine is straight, your toes are already pointed…" she sighs, "Luna, take a chance. Go for it. This is your destiny."

  I gnaw on my lip, knowing she's right. I'm meant to dance. I'm meant for every second of this. If Roman is late, then he's late. But I can't wait any longer. I have to do this.

  He'd want me to do this.

  I nod. "Okay. I'm ready."

  She glances up at the clock. "Good, because you're late. Get out there." She turns, ready to walk out to the auditorium. "Wait, what song are you playing?"

  I smile at her. "Did you have to ask? You should already know."

  She grins, giving me a single nod before leaving the back of the stage. I watch as she walks down the side steps, taking a seat right beside the panel. With one last glance and one last check at the door, I press up on my toes as the first notes of Canon in D begin. I lift my head, snapping my spine straight, and make my way out to the stage.

  The lights dim as I walk out, and I dance. I dance like every note has a clear path to my heart. My toes ache, my eyes water, but I stay strong. I dance like this is the best dance, the only dance, the last dance I'll ever do. I feel tall, like the tallest person in the world as I trail across the stage. Every move, every step is perfect. Not once do I falter, or slouch. The music runs through my blood, playing me for a puppet. The music plays, and plays, and plays.

  I feel alive.

  I can't stop the smile that breaks over my face from dancing on this stage. I've waited my entire life to be here, to perform, to do what I do best. This is where I'm meant to be.

  My toes barely touch the ground as I dance from foot to foot. I spin, my fingers wrapping around my ballet slipper as it lays flush against my side. I keep my chin up as I leap, my spine held so straight, so perfectly aligned it aches. I leap into a split, feeling like I float across the stage as the notes from the music lift me higher than I’ve ever been before.

  I’ve never danced this well. Ever.

  My spine arches as I bend back, the crescendo of the music moving my body with each note that flows through my veins. I don’t step a foot out of place during the entire routine.

  I am perfect.

  My body hums by the time the last note hits, and tears are streaming down my face. I end in a leap, my back to the judges. Taking a large breath, I can't stop the tears from streaming down my face this time. I'm sure my makeup is smearing, rivers of black trailing down my pale cheeks.

  I turn around slowly, breathing through my sob. I watch the five sets of eyes, Leona’s included, all staring at me.

  No sounds. No clapping.

  Nothing.

  I bow, and then I hear the chairs screech. Glancing up, I see them all standing.

  Wiping their eyes.

  And then they clap.

  My hands go to my mouth to muffle my sobs. A smile breaks out behind my hands, even though I know I'm supposed to keep a professional face on stage.

  "Well done," one of them says.

  Standing there, I look out, my hands falling to my sides when I still see no Roman.

  Where is he?

  I glance over my shoulder, hoping to see him backstage, but he isn't there either.

  "Luna?" I turn around, seeing the panel staring at me.

  "Yes?" I clear my throat, putting on a small smile.

  "This might be a little premature," a man says, glasses perched on the tip of his nose, "but I wanted to welcome you to Julliard."

  My eyes go wide, and I turn toward Leona. She's wiping tears from her face, and all she does is give me a slight nod.

  My throat releases a small cry, my legs shaking as his words hit me.

  I'm in.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much," I cry.

  They sit back down, giving me a small smile.

  I can't contain my sobs, so I give them a wave
and run off the stage.

  "Oh my God," I cry, running toward the dressing room in the back. I grab my black t-shirt, burying my face in the soft fabric. "I'm in." My shoulders shake as emotions run through me. Euphoria, so much damn excitement, and shock. But more than anything, I feel a hint of disappointment fraying the edges.

  Where is Roman?

  I frown, tearing out of my clothes as fast as I can. I slip into a pair of jeans and my shirt, which grow damp with splotches of tears. I put everything into my bag, switching out my slippers for a pair of tennis shoes.

  It's after nine now. He should be here. Unless he's sick and he couldn't make it. But he sounded fine last night before he went into work.

  I wipe my tears, releasing my hair from my bun as I walk out. It's busy on the streets, crazier than normal as I hail a cab. The streets are crowded, people rushing up and down the sidewalks, walking across the streets like everyone is in a hurry.

  What's going on?

  A cab pulls to the curb, and I hop in, giving him the directions to our apartment.

  "Do you know what's going on outside?"

  He barely looks over his shoulder, giving me a small shake of his head.

  I frown, sitting back in the worn gray seats as I watch chaos ensue around me.

  Something is wrong.

  I roll down the window as we drive, a wave of smoky air hitting me in the face. I cough on it, waving my hand in my face and roll the window back up.

  "Wait, what is that?" The cabbie slams on his brakes as we hit dead stopped traffic. Cars are honking, people are standing in the middle of the streets.

  "What's going on?" I ask him, attempting to look around all the different cars and people flooding the area.

  I open the door, ignoring the cab driver as he shouts at me. I slip out onto the street, the air a little dense. My eyes widen as I walk toward the chaos, seeing a skyscraper with huge flames and smoke coming from the top of it. Large, billowing puffs of dark gray, nearly black, smoke fill the sky. People run around me, knocking into my shoulders as they attempt to get through the crowds.