to focus on the task at hand: getting through tonight alive. And not messing up my steps.
I roll out my shoulders, inhaling and exhaling through each stretch. “What do you think they’ll have us dance?”
Rose shrugs, brushing the wand of her lip gloss over her lips. “Not sure. Anything they give us, I’m sure we can do.”
As if on cue, Delila shoves through the curtain, clapping her hands. Below rock bottom is a place called hell, and I’m pretty sure Delila was the interior decorator. “Come on. Both of you on stage. I want to see a duology first. Freestyle with each other.” She mumbles under her breath, “Let me see what the fuss is about.”
Butterflies quiver in my belly. I’m not really a freestyle dancer. I’m more of a choreograph type of girl, but I find my legs moving and following Rose to the other side of the curtain.
It’s bright. As in, pure daylight. I was expecting a gloomy shade, so I at least didn’t have to see who was sitting out in the crowd. My eyes catch what props I can see from here.
A clear tank. I think I’ve seen that on some Criss Angel TV show.
A gymnastics balance beam.
The trapeze equipment.
Three massive rings connected by long metal bars. I can imagine what that’s for. I’ve seen it before. At least I’ve seen something similar to it, but this one looks different.
A couple large hula hoops.
Four black dirt bikes with a Harley Davidson emblem on them.
“—Dove?” Delila snaps from the front seats. Ringside. “When you’re ready.” I ignore the crowd that’s seated a few rows behind Delila because I know that The Brothers are behind her, and I see another pack to the left, who I’m guessing is the bitch and her pack from earlier. There are other people scattered around who I don’t know yet.
I lick my lips and give a quick, reassuring smile to Rose. Her eyes peer back at me with cocky reassurance, a small wink in passing. As if we’ve done this before, as if we’ve shared the same floor. I instantly feel a little more at ease as the music starts.
It’s not what I expect, and my eyes close as the soft melody of the piano taps through my eardrums. I sway from side to side at the haunting melody, allowing the music to seep into my pores and take the reins of my body. Possess me. The notes continue as I float around the room, my eyes closed. I reach one hand out in an eagle float, and my fingertips touch Rose’s gently. My eyes blaze open onto her as I twirl into her body. The music drops and a light electric guitar starts playing. I pulse my body softly until I’m on my knees in front of her, rolling onto my back and arching off the floor, my hands pressed behind my head, bringing myself up into bridge position. The song changes to “Lovely” By Billie Eilish, and my eyes connect with Kingston from upside down. He keeps me anchored to the spot, his palm covering the bottom of his mouth. I push up from the ground and lose myself in the song, never looking away from Kingston. I don’t know where Rose is, and I can’t find it in myself to care. The music has taken over, and my blood is pulsing to the rhythm. It’s hypnotic and poisonous, but I want to swallow it all and then feed it to King. When the chorus kicks in, I snake my hips while my hands come beneath my shirt; I slowly remove it from above my head, so I’m standing in nothing but a sports bra and my sweatpants. Kingston kicks someone beside him, his eyes remaining on mine. It’s just him and me as the energy we both exude sucks everyone into a dark vortex. It could almost be intimate, if he didn’t want to kill me. Intimacy is just like murder; they both make your heart race and your palms sweat while leaving your thoughts in disarray, but then when you’re done, you’re left with the remnants of someone else’s soul or blood on your hands. When the song comes to a close, he removes his hand, and instead of finding an expression I thought he was giving me, he’s scowling.
He pushes up from his seat and storms out of the tent.
The music cuts, and I freeze, that vortex we sucked everyone into now cracked open. I didn’t realize