I had no idea if I spoke the questionsaloud.
“Right, well. I can’t very well leave you in the middle of the street like this, can I? Especially not when you keep attracting the attention ofRedcaps.”
Red caps? What the hell was that? Little men who wore redcaps?
The rustle of clothing sounded by my ear, and then two strong arms slid underneath my body. The pavement fell away, and a sweet, sweet smell filled my nose, one of fresh grass, honeysuckle and lilac, and the forest air after heavy rain. This strange man who had found me was now…carrying me. To somewhere. I started to struggle, desperately trying to crack open my eyes, but it was nouse.
He chuckled. “You know, the guys and I have been making a bet about who you belong to. I’m betting on Spring, of course, with those brilliant green eyes of yours. That blonde hair. But you do have a little fire in you, so Liam is convinced you’re his. And of course Kael thinks you’re his, what with the way the Redcaps are so drawn to you, though he doesn’t seem particularly happy about it. And Rourke? He couldn’t care less, but that’s an Autumn fae foryou.”
He was speaking gibberish. Pure nonsensical gibberish. English yes, but none of it made any sense. It was as if he’d jumbled up normal words and put them together in a way that made them sound as if they were a completely different language. Or maybe that was my scrambledbrain.
Regardless, I didn’t hear any more of it. There was something soothing in the soft sweet scent of him and his strong arms that gently held my body. It dulled the panic and fear that had been raging through mygut.
Consciousness left me, and the next thing I knew, I was back in Bree’s bed. Alone. The only thing that made me feel as if I hadn’t imagined the whole thing was the single lilac flower stem left behind on the bedsidetable.
Chapter Six
“I’ve foundthe answer to all your problems.” Bree was practically bouncing up and down, even though it was stupid o’clock in the morning. The sun streamed in through the thin gauzy curtains. Apparently, today was the longest day of the year, which meant sunrise had happened at an ungodlyhour.
“Since when were you a morning person?” I asked as I shielded my eyes from the glare of the sun. “And also, I think we need to get you some thickercurtains.”
“Get up, get up,” she said, eyes sparkling. “There are worlds to conquer. Or a theatre, atleast.”
She shoved a bright purple flyer into my hands, the kind you found on cork boards in university buildings. Sighing, I took the page and began to read, and then immediately sat straight up, the covers falling off myshoulders.
“You see?” Bree asked in a gleeful tone of voice that matched the new hectic beat of my heart. Because I did see. Very, very muchso.
“A choreographer, for an Off Broadway theatre,” I breathed. “No previous experience required. It sounds too good to be true,Bree.”
“It’s right there on the flyer. In bold Helvetica.” She grinned. “I called them and got you a slot fortonight.”
I dropped the paper, as well as my chin. “What?”
“They’re doing things in an audition style, I guess. All you have to do is go and show them what you’ve got. It should be a piece of cake for you. I’ve seen your dance routines. You’re the best damn dancer Iknow.”
“Yeah, but Bree,” I said, shaking my head. “They’re going to get a lot of ‘auditions’ for this. It says no experience required, but there are going to be people going for this who have actually choreographed shows before. I can’t compete withthat.”
“You can, and you will,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt to try, does it? Show that asshole step-dad that he’s wrong aboutyou.”
With a deep breath, I gave Bree a nod. Lately, it felt as if my entire life was spiralling out of control. It was time to do something about it, and getting a full-time choreographing job would be a greatstart.
* * *
We wereat the entrance of the theatre at eight in the evening. Apparently, they’d been doing ‘auditions’ all day, and were planning to go until ten. A lot of competition. Way more than made me comfortable. I felt jittery and unsettled, and my palms were slick with sweat. I was in the exact opposite frame of mind that I needed to be in, and I couldn’t help but remember that I often felt like this before one of my weird panic attacks, hallucinations, or whatever you wanted to callthem.
The guy who had carried me home yesterday had felt soreal, but Bree was convinced that I was conjuring things in my imagination because of the stress. But that didn’t totally explain what had happened and how I’d been able to smell such a vivid scent. The honeysuckle, the post-rain freshness of the air. He’d felt solid, steady. And if he hadn’t carried me back to Bree’s? Then I had no idea how I’d gotten there bymyself.
Still, I needed to push those thoughts aside until this interview-slash-audition was over. My best dancing was always done with a clear, fresh head. When I was emotional, my dancing reflected that. It was more chaotic, more strange. Technique didn’t matter as much as dancing out all thepain.
Inside, the lobby was hushed, and voices echoed from a door held ajar by a box full of props. My heartbeat flickered, and I pressed my palms against my black jeans. My dreams were inside that theatre, ones I’d had for as long as I could remember. If I screwed thisup…
“I need to go to the bathroom before I go in there,” I finally said, turning to Bree. “Meet you in abit?”
She gave my arm a squeeze. “You’ll be fine, Norah. You’re good at this. Go splash some cold water on your face, and then go in there like you own the place. I’ll see you after. Break aleg.”
I cracked a smile, grateful for Bree’s words. Quickly, I found the bathroom and took in several deep breaths to steady my nerves. She was right. I was good at dancing. I might not be good at anything else, but I knew I was good at that. All I had to do was go up onto a stage and perform the steps I’d done a hundred timesbefore.
It was time to stop hiding behind myfears.
