Lux International

Gemma Sparks

"I want to see you all on the floor in 5 minutes!" KitKat declared, her stern voice echoing the slightest bit in the ballroom where she stood waiting for all her dancers.

KitKat was the dance teacher of hundreds of ballroom dancers, but most importantly, she was my dance teacher. I had been taking lessons with her since I was old enough to eat solid foods. Her real name was Katherine, but since I was spending so much time with her, she had allowed me to give her a nickname a few years after I first met her. The only catch was that she came up with one for me too. She was KitKat and I was Gemstone.

I finished buckling the strap of my peach coloured, two-inch dance heel, and shimmied into my costume. Normally we didn't practice in our costumes, but we had a competition day after tomorrow and this would be our last rehearsal. It was also why KitKat mandated us to be here at 6:30 A.M. instead of our usual 8.

My frock was a candy apple red. There were rhinestone flowers travelling diagonally from my right shoulder to the end of my torso. The rest of the fabric was dressed with fringe which would look brilliant when I was cha-cha-cha-ing to Michael Buble's "Save the Last Dance For Me". It was a one shoulder costume with one long sleeve, and the bottom fabric tapered off diagonally to the left making my right leg more exposed. Finally, I clipped on the lace piece that went around my neck, and hurried off to the ballroom.

In my rush I rounded the corner before the entrance sharply, and slammed into a defined male torso. It was covered in a white t-shirt with a black plaid button-up - unbuttoned - over it. And it smelled like woods and spice.

"Whoa mate! You alright?" I heard him say in a clear Australian accent as I toppled to the ground.

"Uuuuh...yeah. I think I'm alright" I answered, grabbing the hand he had offered. I pulled myself off the ground and gazed at him.

He was a bit taller than me, but I was wearing my heels, so in reality he was probably about four inches taller than me. He had a lovely face; high cheekbones and a sharp jawline gave it an air of severity and maturity. However, grey eyes fringed with lashes any girl would kill for, full lips, and messy chesnut hair were more cheeky and fun, and the instant he opened his mouth, I could tell which side he had chosen to embrace.

"Either you hit your head hard on that floor when you fell, or you're admiring my face. Because nobody stares dumbly for that long. I'll just assume it was the latter." he smirked.

"Don't let it get to your head," I huffed. "I know other people who are just as handsome as you. Maybe even more so." I blushed and ducked my head thinking of my best mate and dance partner, Ryan Harris. I had fancied him for some time now.

"No worries." he replied with an edge of ice in his tone. I was taken aback for a second. Hadn't he started the playful banter? Why had his mood suddenly shifted? Sensing that an awkward silence had fallen, he flicked my ark and grinned. "Shouldn't you be on your way somewhere Purple Eyes?" I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"You're so clever...Sperry." I mustered, glancing at his black boat shoes as we headed toward the ballroom. He started laughing.

"That was so ripper." he said with sarcasm in his tone. Seeing the confused look on my face, he corrected himself. "I mean fabulous. Sorry, I forget that you don't know all my Aussie slang. The name's Chase though." he asserted as we stepped onto the gleaming maple floor. I saw that KitKat was already leading warm ups.

"God save the queen!" I whisper groaned and hustled over to my spot.

Showing up late the week before a performance wasn't appropriate, especially since KitKat counted on me to be an example to the rest of the dancers. I was one of the best, and I wore the knowledge of that like a badge of honor. I was a talented dancer, so I didn't have to try too hard to get the moves, but I usually stayed for hours after class with Ry perfecting details. Fortunately for me, KitKat was more preoccupied with Chase's presence than my late arrival.

"Chase!" she exclaimed. "I've been looking forward to meeting you!"

Wait...what?! I was taken aback. KitKat knew him?

"G'day Ms. Katherine." Chase greeted her with a polite nod. "I'm excited to be here!"

"Well, let's make the introductions then! Shall we?" KitKat grinned and gestured toward us. "Chase has arrived from Australia and he's going to be visiting here for a while. He dances back in his hometown, so he wanted to continue during the time he's here. About a week ago he found my studio, called me up to ask about it, and now here he is!"

I glanced over at Chase who stood confidently smiling with his arms crossed. Atypical, as people being introduced usually felt awkward, and wanted the introductions to be over as soon as possible.

"Since we're competing in a week, he'll just be observing us for now. But after that, he will be practicing the new routine." KitKat continued explaining. "This is also great news for you, Arianna, because you no longer have to practice with Jason as your partner."

"YES!" Arianna shouted, jumping up. Everyone cracked up, including Chase, but he didn't know the real reason why we had.

Arianna was such a flirt, and it had been ironic that she was the one who joined without bringing a bloke her age to partner with. She had been dancing with Jason, KitKat's not very good looking, middle aged assistant. We all sensed how much it pained her. On the other hand, as I looked at the girls now, I saw jealous eye-rolls from some of them. I breathed a mental sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to compete with any of them for Chase's affection because Ryan was the only one I was interested in.

"Alright!" KitKat clapped to get our attention back. "I'm gonna start the music, and we're running through this. Give me everything you've got!"

We scurried into the starting position with our partners, and KitKat hit play on her iPod dock. The beginning notes of the the music began, and I simply let my body do what it did best. It was like clicking the cruise control button in a car.

'But don't forget who's takin' you home, and in whose arms you're gonna be. So darlin' save the last dance for me' Michael Buble crooned through the speakers while Ryan and I attacked every beat. It was the kind of precision that only came from hours of repeated rehearsal. Right, left, right, spin, kick; each move silently ran through my mind right before it was time for me to perform it. There was nothing but music, dancing, and the lovely boy in front of me. The way I wanted it forever.

"Again!" KitKat trilled, popping my fragile magical bubble. "If all of you danced like Ryan and Gemstone, we wouldn't be running this a second time!"

I couldn't help but flash her a toothy grin. I knew that even if everyone had been absolutely perfect she would have made us do it again, but it was her approval that counted. The song restarted, and I once again gently placed my right hand on Ryan's broad shoulder. Peering into those emeralds he called eyes, I desperately searched for that gleam of magic I occasionally saw. My searching was in vain this time; he was just going through the routine we had danced together countless times. There wasn't any passion in his eyes for me. Who did I think I was fooling anyway? I was only another girl he danced with. I didn't bloody understand why my heart refused to accept that.

We finished dancing the second round, and KitKat set off to give each pair her comments on how their performance was. Some hours later, practice finished for the day. Giving Ry a hug goodbye, I padded off to the dressing room to shower and change into fresh clothes.

Peeling off my sweaty dance gear, I chugged my lemon Pellegrino, switched on the shower, and stepped under the soothingly cool water to wash up. After I was done I put everything away, gathered my belongings, and headed out to meet my mum who was waiting to drive me home.

"Cheerio, KitKat!" I said as I waved goodbye.

"Fabulous dancing today Gemstone!" she called back. "I'll see you Monday."

I pushed the door open and was instantly greeted with a hot twelve o'clock sun that was only bound to get hotter as the day went on. I scrunched up my face, disgruntled with the weather. My light skin only liked the sun at night. It came with the purple eyes as well as the other benefits of being born with Alexandria's Genesis. And speaking of purple eyes, I suddenly heard someone shouting.

"Ay! Purple Eyes!"

I craned my neck trying to see who it was, although that wasn't necessary. His Aussie accent couldn't hide anything.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" I frowned.

"Do you need someone to take you home, mate?" he asked, leaning out the window of his red Ferrari.

"No, uumm..." I scanned the parking lot. "My mum's right over there." I pointed in the direction of a deep sea blue, metallic, 5 series BMW.

"Talk to you Monday then!" he said slipping on his designer aviator sunglasses and driving away.

I stalked off to my car shaking my head in disbelief. What kind of regular teenage lad had a Ferrari? Then again, I didn't know much about him. Maybe he wasn't regular at all.
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Hey guys, this is the beginning of what will hopefully be one of my big works. Let me know how I can improve it. :)