Chapter 5
761 Words
Flavia pov
"You did wonderful! Perfect! It was excellent!"
Jac gushes like he did before his mood went sour and things seem back to normal after a good
performance.
"You all did very well!"
Many of the dancers sit on the ground and rub their sore feet, but I'm just too full of energy for
that now.
Though the shows been over for at least ten minutes, I bounce on my toes excitedly.
"What will the next show be?"
Jac smiles and pulls a clipboard off the random desk at the edge of the room.
"This as it is every year was a hit, so we will follow in succession as we have done in the past
years and keep the same show order as always. This next week, we will be practi-"
"Nothing."
Everyone's eyes snap to the doorway and I stop bouncing at the sound of a familiar Russian
accent.
The weight of Dimitri's words hit me and I'm close to tears in two seconds flat.
I knew it.
He's taking away our theatre.
I look at the ground and let my dark waves surround my face so nobody can see my despair.
I just got here and now it's over.
"The shows are not a hit. You only had 450 people in the audience tonight. That may have
sufficed in the past, but no longer. Your rutines are fine and your leads," he says looking at me
with a small smile, " are amazing, but it's the same every year. The same ten shows. Nobody
wants to spend loads of money on the same entertainment. This will be the last Nutcracker play
in these walls for a very long time," he announces.
There are gasps and the tension has me unsteady, so I move to sit beside Malcom.
"Who is this guy?"
Dimirti must have heard my friend because his eyes are already on us when I look up.
"Forgive me. Where are my manners? I am mr. Ivashkov, your new... Boss. Owner. Supervisor.
This is my theatre now. You are all under contract so for the next year don't even think about
trying to quit. There should be no problems, but we are making changes. Construction starts
tomorrow and will continue throughout the next two weeks. After that, the shows will continue,
but I will handpick newer, better performances to do. We're bringing the concept of theatre back
to America and next time you perform, it will be a full house."
The dark eyed man seems so sure of himself and the confidence exerting from him spreads like
waves.
Many of the dancers seem unhappy, but Jac looks like he's swallowed something sour.
Probably because of his precious Nutcracker being taken away.
"Make sure you stay in shape while the theatre is being redone. I expect you all here on the 24th
when construction is finished. We will discuss the next performance then."
With one last glance my way, Dimitri turns swiftly and exits the room, leaving a trail of silence
in his wake.
.................................................
I unlock the dingy, rusted, metal, grey door to my apartment and sigh in exhaustion when I walk
through.
After the entire performance and the stress of possibly being fired, I ran the five blocks down the
road through my unsafe neighborhood.
Finally catching a break, I plop down on my bed in the single room apartment and leave my gym
bag on the floor.
I smile knowing it was great performance, but the new boss gives me an uneasy feeling.
There's something dangerous in his eyes, and though his touch was firm, it was also caring.
I know nothing about this man other than he's the new owner of the theatre as well as his name,
but he's infiltrated my thoughts.
Like a Russian spy.
I giggle at my bad joke before turning serious. I have two weeks off. To keep in shape, I'll
probably practice at a random gym with Mitsy and Malcom, but what will I do with my free
time? Wander the city? The dangerous area I live in makes me uncomfortable so I don't know
how I feel about going in and out so much, let alone walking through it to get to the safer parts.
I suppose I'll figure it out as I go.
There's not much I can do besides ballet.
I'm not a good reader. I can't write because I'm a bad speller. I don't have a phone because I don't
know how to work one.
Ballet it is.
Ballet, ballet, and more ballet.
- Writer
