Reflection

8

My eyes widened before scanning the room. Couples were dancing elegantly and gracefully. I turned back to Adam, who still had his hand out and was waiting patiently. I bit my lip and took his hand.

"What's the matter?" he asked, noticing my expression. "I thought you were a great actress."

"Actress. Not dancer."

"Ah. So you don't know how?"

"No," I answered, not able to keep from gulping. My hand in Adam's was clammy, but he didn't seem to notice as he led me to the center of the room.

"We'll have to fix that," he replied. He put his hand on my waist. I put mine on his shoulder. "There you go," he said. "You know that much."

"Doesn't mean I know anything useful," I grumbled. He laughed. "Just follow my lead."

Before I knew it, I found myself dancing and spinning along with him. It was easy-he did all the work. "I don't need your help, you know," I said as I started to get the hang of it. "With dancing?" he asked, his eyebrows pulling together.

"No," I answered quickly. "With blending in. I can do this by myself."

"Is this because of what I said about proving yourself?" he asked, and raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know I heard that?"

"I didn't, but I do now."

I sighed. I walked right into that one. "You know, if you want to prove yourself, this is not the way to do it," he said.

I raised my chin a little. "I don't need to prove myself to you."

"No, you don't," he agreed, leaning down to look me in the eye. "But you want to."

I didn't answer as I twirled, my red curls spinning around me. "Why's it dark?" I asked, changing the subject. He glanced out the window I was looking at.

"Time is different here. It's backwards. If it's day in your world, it's night here, and vice versa."

I nodded. "So it's reflected."

He grinned. "Yeah."

"There you are!" said a now familiar female voice. Elizabeth ran up and halted next to us, in the middle of the dancing crowd. Couples threw her dirty looks as they bumped into her, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "I've been looking everyw—" she stopped when she saw Adam.

"What the heck is he doing here? Where's James?"

Adam snorted and spun me again, but Elizabeth paid him no attention. She stared at me, waiting for an answer. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I thought he was going back to talk to you."

Elizabeth shook her head. "He was supposed to. He must've wandered off again. James is still a newbie, you see. He's only 50 years old."

My eyes widened. "So, if 50 years is considered a newbie...how old are you?"

"I just celebrated my 137th birthday last week," Elizabeth responded proudly. "And Adam here is three hundred and...what was it, Adam?"