On the Edge of Eternity

The next afternoon I stood in the empty ballet studio in my pink leotard, tights and my old but favorite pair of pink satin point shoes. How long had it been since I pirouetted across a hard wood floor? I felt so at home here, with the mirror paneled walls, “Okay, I have the cd player, and some water,” Lindsey said sitting down across the room from me.
“Hey would you, put in the second cd, for me?” I asked as I took my place at the bar in first position , and prepared to start my warm up, when the music started I began, my demi-plies.
“Whatcha doing?” Lindsey asked as she opened a bag of potato chips.
“Demi-plies.”
“Dude is everything you’re going to be doing is in French isn’t it?”
I laughed, as I bent in to a grande-plie, “Oui.”
“Damn you, Amber.”
“You can put on a pair of the soft slippers in my bag and I can teach you some stuff if you want.”
“You want to teach little miss clumsy me ballet?”
“Yeah sure, so you won’t be sitting there doing nothing, besides you complained about not exercising.”
“Yeah but I’m not dressed to dance. And there is not way you are getting me in a leotard.”
“I think I have a pair of shorts and a tank top in there.”
“Fine,” she said, “I’ll be right back.” By the time that Lindsey had returned, I was already doing my fifth position plie, “ Why don’t I get the pretty shoes like you have?”
“You don’t start off with pointe shoes, Linz. Do you know how many years I danced in those kind of shoes before I moved on to pointe shoes?”
“How long?”
“Seven years.”
“Shit, Amber, why did you ever quit?” Lindsey asked as she popped one last chip into her mouth.
“I was told I was too fat to dance.”
“What that’s ridiculous!”
“No really, I was the biggest girl who danced under my teacher.”
“That’s still bullshit, you aren’t fat, like at all!”
“Its these girls that got me in trouble,” I said grabbing my breasts and rolling my eyes , “ I wonder,” I said as I stepped out in to the middle of the floor.
“Wonder what?” Lindsey asked.
“If I can still do this,” I said as I slowly began to slide into a split.
“Holy shit!” Lindsey shouted when I was flat against the floor. I smiled, I was back, I now knew I could do anything.
And so the afternoon slipped away to the sounds of piano concertos, and satin ballet slippers. I perhaps spent a little too much time en pointe, but I didn’t really care, it felt so good to be dancing again, “Hey Amber, I think I’m gonna go grab something to eat, you want to come?”
“How about you grab me something and meet me back here and I should be done.”
“You’re going to work yourself to death!”
“Nah I’ll be all right.”
“I’ll be back,” Lindsey said as she slipped out the studio door. As soon as the door shut I jumped into a series of Fouetté rond de jambe en tournants and straight into an arabesque. Then from behind me I heard a single person applauding, Lestat.
“Bravo, Bravo, encore, encore!”
“Hello Lestat,” I said a smile spreading across my face.
“Bonsoir ma petite danseuse étoile!”
“How long had you been there?”
“Long enough to know you’re an amazing dancer.”
“I’m hardly amazing, I don’t even know how I can still do some of the stuff that I did.”
“Perhaps its my blood.”
“Do you think so?”
“Oh yes.”
“Then give me more,” I said smiling, advancing on him, almost desperate.
“All in good time my love, all in good time.”
“Why aren’t you already at the set?”
“We’re taking the night off, we just finished the third video.”
“And Ben, Larry and Alex are already shit faced.”
“They aren’t drunk is that’s what you mean.”
“What are they fucked up on?” I asked my mothers fears ringing clear in my head.
“What aren’t they doing?”
“Oh,” I said, recalling what my mother had said about her not wanting me to get involved with hard drugs, and hating myself because curious me wanted to know what they were like but smart me screaming no. I sat down on the cold hard wood floor to stretch and cool down. I felt Lestat walk around me and begin to massage my shoulders, I rolled my head in to his chest, “Lets go out tonight.”
“Ah, ma cher I was already planning on it.”
“Oh really?”
“I have reservation for Ortolan.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s a French restaurant.”
“Of course. And could we catch a late movie?”
“What movie?”
“I kind of want to see Inglorious Bastards.”
“Brad Pitt?” Lestat asked smiling.
“He’s nummy.”
Lestat laughed, “He is indeed.”
It was my turn to chuckle, “Maybe you should make him a vampire.”
“Could you see Brad Pitt as a vampire?”
“Yes, and he’s be almost as sexy as you are, my handsome lion.”
“Almost?”
“Yes just almost.”
“Do you have a list of people you would make vampires if you were one?”
“Oh yes, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Gary Oldman, and David Boeranaz, oh and Johnny Depp.”
“No Lindsey? Lestat asked laughing.
“I was just naming off the famous dudes I would make vampires.”
“Oh I see.”
“You know if you want me to give in to you, and accept the dark gift, you could give me another present,” I said my voice heavily flirtatious.
“And what would that be?”
“Brad Pitt.”
“That would be a gift for the both of us,” Lestat muttered.
“What was that?”
“Am I not enough to satisfy you?”
“Your too much for me.”
“Too much?” Lestat pulled me into him, as he began to kiss my neck.
“Not here Lestat, let me go back to the hotel and shower and we can go out for dinner.”
“Ah ma cher, you make us sound as if we’re an old married couple.”
“Eww that doesn’t sound fun at all,” I said pouting.
“That’s why I brought you something to change into here, and,” Lestat sniffed me, “ You don’t smell, so allow me to take you on an adventure tonight, at least a small one.”
“What about Lindsey?”
“I caught her on her way out and told her not to worry about you.”
I learned something that night. I hate French food. I already knew I hated caviar but now, there is no way in hell you would ever get me to try any other French food. But I forced it down so I wouldn’t insult Lestat. I even pretended to like it. That could have been stupid as he might take me there again. Ugh! What terrible things I get myself into. I also learned that Quinton Tarintino movies that are mostly in German or French are still bad ass, and Brad Pitt is still beautiful even though he was getting quite old. Lestat had to agree. Then after the movie we went to the beach. I loved the ocean at night. The sounds of the waters crashing on the beach. Even thought we were surrounded by the city I felt as if we were the only two beings left on the planet. But Lestat did have that effect on me, quite often. We danced on the sand, and even standing there I was almost lulled into a sleep that was until I felt Lestat’s fangs break flesh, and I gave into him all too willingly.