Chapter 1

Milene’s POV

“Stand up straight, your hips are slightly bent”

I loosened my hair band so my hair could fall freely on my shoulders and then I took a peep at the other girls to see what their posture looked like so I could know what I was doing wrong.

“Don’t just stare at them..” Miss Dennis barked, I could hear the frustration in her voice.

We have been going on with these rehearsals for weeks and with each day it always feels like we are missing something.

I bent my neck sideways making my hair fall to my face thereby covering my vision and then I stumbled a bit causing the girl by my side to fall on her butt.

“What did I tell you about letting your hair loose, Milene?” She barked again, there was a little bit of red tint on her face indicating how angry she was.

“I am sorry, miss Dennis” I looked at Janet, the girl who I had mistakenly tripped “I am sorry” I said lowly and then I stretched my hands to her but she ignored it, getting off the floor without my help

“I don’t know why they let you dance with us, you should be with the grade two’s, you lack the balance and we have been going over this routine over and over again because of you” she snarled while the other girls snickered.

“You know her daddy paid huge money for her to be here so she has to keep up” one of the other girls said.

I had not bothered to look at who it was, I don’t know the names of half the girls that were here even though I rehearse with them every other day. They just see me as some sort of privileged kid who had bought her way here and they are not wrong.

The queen’s ballerina’s club is known to house the most talented ballerina’s in the city and every month they host a show where the most influential men in this city come to watch them dance. My father thought it would be a good idea for me to be part of them so he bribed my way through so he could network with the top dogs.

“That is enough girls” Miss Dennis spoke up again but this time around she sounded calm, I caught her staring at me and she looked a little bit skeptical.

“Let’s take it from the top” she ordered.

I parked my hair into a ponytail and then took my previous position beside Janet. She gave me a dirty look and a little smirk grazed a lips.

“Milene!” I hear Miss Dennis call out to me “don’t just stare, hold her hands”

I blinked twice, I must have forgotten the first steps. I reached out to hold Janet’s palms while the music began to play..

*******

My phone had been pinging non-stop since I got out of rehearsals, I wanted to take a break from the stress by going to my favourite cafe to get me cup of cappuccino but the texts from my mother looked urgent and I wondered who had been admitted at hospital because each one of the texts had indicated for me to leave my class and come meet them at some hospital.

The last one of the text read “Meet us at Bourne’s hospital”

I stared at my phone for an unhealthy amount of time before I finally decided to book a taxi to the hospital. On getting there, I found Olivia at the reception sitting alone.

“Liv”‘I called out to her but she just stared at me blankly not uttering a word “what is wrong?” I asked but instead she placed her head on my shoulder and then I felt tiny drops of tears falling on my palms.

“Everything is going to be alright, Liv” I said even though I was not sure what the problem was and why she wasn’t speaking to me.

My mum later appeared with one of the doctors, she looked dull and a little bit sad but still I had no idea of what is happening. Her eyes met mine before she turned away again to focus on whatever the doctor was saying.

“Milene, get your sister home” I hear my mum says from the other side of the hall.

Even before I could lift Liv from the chair, she was already standing on her own walking towards the exit “what happened?” I asked my mum worried.

“Your father just passed, take Liv home while I conclude his movement to the morgue” she said plainly, the words rolled out of her mouth as if she had not just announced the news of my dad’s passing to me.

Everything felt light, in no time my vision was covered with tears “why are you still standing here in tears?” My mum reprimanded me “Go get Liv now” she ordered.

I had totally forgotten about Liv, I ran to the direction she had walked passed and then I saw her standing close to the flowers staring at nothing.

******

Some days later

My mum did not allow my father’s body to stay in the morgue for too long, she had suggested we bury him immediately and that is exactly what we did.

I stopped going for ballet classes which I should be happy for because I never really liked ballet and I only went because of my father but I felt empty now, I had no reason to keep up with it but staying home all day meant I had to put up with all sort of people coming in to give their condolences.

Some of the people that came to give their condolences had made it known that they were not just here to sympathize with us but instead my father had borrowed some amount of money and they wanted to know when the debts would be paid.

I watched my mum from the sidelines trying to put up a face, convincing the people that still had all our valuables but in truth we had lost everything with my father’s death and there was no way we would get them back with time given to claim back the properties.