Red Pointe Shoes

Chapter 3

AN: Look! It's another chapter! It's a miracle! Haha yeah .-. Anyway, the chapter is dedicated to facekix for his wonderful suggestion and encouragement in his PM. c:

Update: How on earth do you dedicate a chapter from your phone? Alex, if you see this- just pretend the dedications there. :D

Chapter 3

The punch lands on his abdomen, and he grunts in grudging acknowledgement of the pain. I sense that this is my opportunity so I grasp his sweat slicked arms and shove him while I use my leg to hook his legs out from under him. He falls. The boy takes a millisecond to recover before swiping a leg at mine, attempting to knock me off my feet. Too late though- I have already spun away and around him to deliver the knockout kick. He moans.

And he doesn't get up.

I grin in triumph when the referee- an eighteen year old Trainee waves a green flag. One to Sentenial, NIL to Amun. The crowd in the stands cheer loudly, and I pause to acknowledge with a smile and a wave before holding out a hand to my competitor. He scoffs and pulls himself off the ground, glaring at me through the eyeholes of his mask. "That was a fluke girlie, I'll put you on your back one day." The threat, made with a heavy cockney accent, is so venomous that the innuendo isn't funny or crude anymore. Thanks to him, I know who he is. Who else has such a thick and prominent accent? Evan Harding, right hand man to James Loyer. This is partially the reason why I never speak as Sentenial- It is too easy to track someone down by her voice and accent. I put my fingers up to my lips and blow him a kiss.

I look forward to seeing you try.

With another grin at the crowd I slip away to the exit, not removing my own mask yet. The night air rushes at me as I briskly walk through the field that separates the Arts wing from the Martial Art section of the school. This is considered as no man's land and many students come here in the day time to study or fool around. At nighttime, it is quiet and empty without the shouts and chattering of students, but I am used to this. There is a shed near the berry garden, it is hardly visited and often locked.

That is, unless you have the key.

The gardener here is a friend of mine- a botany major who spends his free time tending the gardens for his study. A while ago, he gave me a key and allowed me to use this shed- though for what he had no idea. That's the good thing about Davis, he doesn't pry.

The shed is clean and almost empty, save for a small box in the corner that is filled with spare changes of both my dance and fighting apparel. I remove my mask and carefully places it in the box, followed by the wig that has made Sentenial's hair black. I cover it up carefully with a small sheet of plastic before laying a couple of old and rusted gardening toold on top of it.

You can never be too careful.

I check my clothes for any signs that I have been anywhere else than the library. Brushing a bit of dust off my yoga pants, I am good to go.

***

The halls next day are filled with hushed whispers about the finals of the Underground Championships- Even on the Dancer's side. It is tonight, they say, and Dante might actually have a rival this year. They don't know who she is though- All they know is that Sentenial is the girl with raven black hair who never stays to gloat after a fight.

"The Championships are tonight!"

I swivel my head to my right, catching sight of Nat, her eyes bright with excitement. I find this odd, for she has never been interested in the Underground happenings before. "So?" I ask her warily, wondering what she has planned.

"I heard that one fighter is really hot- That Dante guy?" I immediately stifle a groan. I know her well enough to see where this is going. "... And I got us passes to the finals!" There is a loud bang as I drop my pointe shoes on the ground. Faking a breathy laugh, I bend down to retrieve the pair of red hard blocks of wood that we call shoes. My mind goes into panic mode as I try to think of a hundred believable excuses to get me out of this.

Coming up with a blank, I decide to wing it. "Where on Earth did you manage to get us passes?" I ask skeptically, raising my eyebrow. Nat waves a hand dismissively as she replies, "That doesn't matter! Don't you want to go and ogle the hot guy?" Her answer leaves me suspicious- Nat isn't one to keep secrets. So why is she hiding this?

"Tell! You can't leave me curious!" I command dramatically, pointing a finger at her. Nat adamantly shakes her head, and I sigh. "I might have to practice for the auditions, so I don't think I can make it. Sorry Nat." I sigh apologetically.

"But you don't need to practice, you're good enough already!" The raven haired girl protests, shaking her head wildly. "Overconfidence never did anyone any good." I smile wryly, before nudging her in the direction of the dance rooms. "C'mon, lets go before we're late."

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That's pretty much it for this chapter- The next one will be more interesting though!