The Calling (11 page)

That wasn't possible. Mrs. Anderson got up and put her arm around Miki as she scraped food from plates into the garbage disposal.

“We really have missed you, Miki. I know you're busy with this new project, but you're so much a part of our family now. I even find myself worrying about you. I'm sure your mother worries about you, too, she just doesn't tell you so. So I won't either. But don't be so scarce around here. Promise?”

“I promise. I love coming here. You know that. You can't get rid of me.”

I just have another family now, too, Miki added to herself. Maybe not a politically correct family with a father, a mother, and two point five children. But one she had felt close to. She just needed to get back over there and recapture that closeness. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as she imagined.

Fifteen

T
HIS TIME IT
was Davin who waited for them at the stage door. When he locked the door behind them, Paige looked at Miki. She was already nervous and Miki saw she was really freaked out by someone locking the door behind them. Miki, used to being locked in, shrugged and led the way to the theater. With all the vagrants in the neighborhood, locking the door was probably a good idea. Some of the street people would probably be glad to hide in the old building, move in and sleep there.

“Why have you brought Paige?” Davin asked. He disapproved. Miki could both see and hear that.

“She really wants to see the show in progress, Davin. Remember she's a dancer, too. We started classes together when we were kids. And, Davin, let her try out. You said when I came in that you needed several new dancers. You haven't hired any.”

“We don't have any money.”

“I don't need money,” Paige said quickly. “I'd be glad to dance for the experience. Later if you make a ton, I can get a salary.” Paige finished speaking just as they reached the theater. Suddenly she reached out and gripped Miki's arm.

Miki looked at Paige in the dim light, then followed Paige's wide eyes, staring at Davin's hands.

They were perfectly healed. Not a red spot, not a blister, no scarring. There was no indication that he'd ever been burned.

“Your—” Miki swallowed hard. “Your hands are healed, Davin. That's wonderful. What did you put on them? I thought your burns were a lot worse.”

Davin looked at his hands as if he too was surprised they were healed. Then he shook his head. “I heal fast. And the burns weren't bad. I'm glad you're all right.”

For the first time, Davin looked at Miki in a normal way. The way he'd been looking at her for days, as if he really cared for her.

“Barron,” Davin called up to Barron where he stood watching Primavera and Romney try a new sequence. “Miki has brought her friend who's also a dancer. Maybe we should look her over. We could use her for backup or as an extra victim.”

“Victim?” Paige whispered to Miki.

Miki grinned. “Sometimes one or more of the dancers pretends to be the vampire's victim. I told you that, remember?”

“Wow, I didn't remember. I'm glad you straightened that out.” Paige's hands shook. Miki knew exactly how she felt. She squeezed Paige's arm.

“You'll be great. Relax if you can.” Miki reminded herself to relax. She was a lot more nervous than she realized. She had taken a chance, bringing Paige here. Now she felt responsible for Paige's performance, for her behavior as well. If she was afraid of the company, Miki would feel silly.

“All right.” Barron motioned to Paige to come onto the stage. “Miki, you sit this one out and watch. Paige—that's your name? All you have to do is relax and be carried from dancer to dancer. Look graceful. If they set you down, turn slowly or collapse gracefully onto the floor. Someone will pick you up again.”

Miki pulled her feet up under her, curling into a front seat in the old theater. The plush felt velvety under her. She tried to relax for Paige, but realized her heart was thumping double time and her hands were shaking. She wedged them under her.

The swings were set in motion, and the dancers flew. Sometimes they leaped to the floor and spun away to the back ropes, climbing halfway or all the way to the top. Sometimes they swung, then flipped off the smaller trapezes about mid-stage. The music was languid, seductive. Miki knew it would be hard for her not to relax if she was dancing. She wished she had whispered to Paige to listen to the music, to let it fill her.

Paige, the victim, was passed from Davin to Romney, back to Davin, then to Kyle while he was on the black trapeze. Then she was handed down to Primavera and Rima who carried her gracefully back and forth as if they were presenting their vampire friends with a meal. Each in turn bent their lips to Paige's slender neck and pretended to drink her blood.

Paige did a great job of being a limp, rag-doll body. The scenario was totally believable. At the end of the music, they lay her under a pretend tree in a small cemetery-painted backdrop of graves and gravestones upstage right.

Miki jumped up, skipped up the stairs onto the stage, and ran to Paige. “You were great, Paige. You looked just like a victim.” Miki knelt beside Paige to pull her to her feet.

Paige acted almost drugged. She had gotten too far into her role. It took her a few minutes to sit up and get to her feet. Then she leaned on Miki to walk back to an audience seat.

“Are you all right, Paige?” Miki started to feel some concern.

“Whoa, I guess so. I'm dizzy. Was I good? Was I all right?” Paige blinked her eyes rapidly and put one hand to her head. “I feel as if I've been in a trance, and it's hard to get out, to come back to real life.”

“You were terrific.” Miki knew how Paige felt. She searched in her dance bag. “Here, eat this. I always carry a peeled orange for quick energy.” She laughed. “Don't keep pretending to be drained of blood, though, Paige. You scared me, since the scene looked so real.”

Romney and Kyle stood beside them. “You made a great victim, Paige,” Romney said, giggling. “Kyle said so, too. We were impressed.”

“Thanks.” Paige took the orange and sectioned off a piece. When Miki saw her eating, she ran back onto the stage herself, ready to dance.

“Okay, you'll do more trapeze work today, Miki,” Barron ordered. “You're picking it up fast. I want you to start on the red—you're a victim in this number, too—then swing off as if you're being chased, flip up onto the black swing. Davin will jump up with you, and you'll give in to him.”

Davin grinned at Miki. “I like that scenario.”

Miki shivered. She liked the idea, too, but she would never say so to Davin.

She did as directed, loving the height to which she took the swings. She spun and whirled, chased first by Primavera and Rima, then by Romney and Kyle. She climbed the back ropes, jumped off, gave them a good chase.

She headed for the black swing, jumped and caught the bar. But just as she clung to it and reached the height she needed to spin and sit on the bar, she felt the right hand rope give way.

Before she could grab it with her other hand, and before she could regain her balance and jump off gracefully, she fell onto the stage floor with a loud thud. Pain shot along her right hip and down her leg.

Sixteen

D
AVIN WAS BESIDE
Miki in seconds. She could feel his anger even more than the pain in her leg. Deep, dark anger, not directed at her, but frightening to her nonetheless.

“You didn't fall.” It was not a question. “Are you all right, Miki? Tell me you're all right.”

He helped her sit up and even though her leg hurt, she could tell it wasn't broken. For a few moments, though, she leaned on him, snuggled close to his chest, listened to his heart thump, felt his warmth. Heat from his body stilled her cold fear.

“I—help me stand. I think I'm all right. Maybe I need to walk around some—if I can.” Miki groaned and got to her feet with Davin's help. She limped a little, walking a couple of steps.

Davin supported her, but they both stopped beside the velvet swing. Miki could see that the dangling trapeze before them had broken. Davin, after being sure she could stand, stepped closer to examine it. He took the trapeze in his hand and stared at it, rubbing his finger over the broken end.

“This did not break by itself. The rope was cut enough so that the weight of the next person on it would cause it to snap.” Davin's eyes circled the dancers, all standing in a semicircle around them. “The rope was cut after we danced with Paige. Who meant for Miki to get hurt?”

Davin held the frayed end of the velvet-covered rope in one hand. Miki could see for herself that it had been partially cut, then raveled and broken easily with her weight. All the dancers could see the same thing.

Rima was the only troupe member who wasn't looking directly at Davin as he questioned them. When she did look at him, Miki could see that Rima was afraid of Davin. His question was probably answered when Rima turned and left the stage, walking into the wings and out of sight. Primavera turned and followed her. Had she helped Rima?

Did Miki have two enemies? She had felt that Primavera liked her, wanted her to dance with the troupe. Was she wrong? Had she just wanted all the dancers to accept her, to like her?

“Call us when you're ready to rehearse again, Barron,” Primavera said as she left.

“Outsiders have always caused trouble.” Elah spoke before Miki realized he had joined them. “Send them home while there's time. We don't need them.”

Davin stared at Miki as if trying to decide whether or not to follow Elah's wishes. Miki had limped around until she knew her leg would be all right. She would have a bruise and sore muscles, but no real or lasting damage.

“I'm all right, Davin,” she said. “I don't want to leave. I want to dance with you.”

“This is a nuisance.” Barron's booming voice contributed to the conversation, making a decision. “Get rid of them both.”

Suddenly Miki felt afraid. Barron's “get rid of” didn't sound like “fire them, let them leave the troupe,” but “get rid of” like “kill them.” She couldn't think of why he had spoken with that tone of voice, but she didn't feel good about his attitude.

Miki walked toward Paige, wanting to have her close. “We'll leave for tonight. That way you can talk among yourselves. You can decide together if you need two more dancers. If you really don't want us in the troupe, that's okay. I love dancing with you, but I realize you're short of money, and need time now to put the show together before you open.”

There had never been any mention of an opening date. Miki hadn't seen anyone working on the old building to bring it up to code. Repairs would have to be made before they could have an audience inside. Opening night was a long way off.

Davin's eyes on Miki were sad. She knew that when she left tonight she might never see him again. She was filled with a sadness, a pain in her heart way beyond that in her hip.

“Let them go, Barron,” Davin said. “I'll see that they get home all right. We can talk later.” Davin didn't wait for an answer from Barron, he just started steering Miki and Paige toward the stage door ahead of him.

“We can get home all right, Davin,” Miki said. “You don't need to—”

“I'll go with you.” Davin's voice said not to argue with him, so Miki didn't. Her leg ached now. Maybe she was hurt worse than she realized.

Outside, dark clouds swirled and seemed to glow against the navy blue sky. Fog lowered like a sinister scrim across a stage. The air was filled with a miasma that felt oppressive and sinister.

Miki wished that Davin had asked to borrow Barron's car. She realized that he was going to ride the bus with them. She had never seen a darker night. Nor one that felt so strange. The air was heavy and threatened rain. The city seemed to be suffocating under high humidity and stagnant air.

While they waited at the bus stop, the old woman who lived on the streets in this neighborhood passed them. At first she hugged her threadbare coat tightly and stared at her basket. Something caused her to look at Miki, then Davin, standing between Paige and Miki. She frowned, crossed herself, and hurried away.

Davin had seen the gesture. He laughed. “Crazy old woman.”

But Miki had seen the fear in the old woman's eyes. She didn't feel like laughing. Suddenly she was tired, hurting, and feeling discouraged about ever getting to dance with Davin again.

Paige looked as if she would fall asleep on her feet. “I don't know what's wrong with me, Miki. I'm exhausted.”

Fortunately the bus came. Davin helped both Miki and Paige on, then seated Paige alone and himself alongside Miki. Even though it was fairly early in the evening, the bus was empty.

Davin put his arm around Miki's shoulders and pulled her close to him. She leaned against his chest and could have slept herself. Instead she whispered, “I know Rima hates me, Davin. I'm sure it's because she likes you and thinks I'm a threat. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do about it.”

“There's nothing you can do.” Davin didn't tell Miki she was wrong. “Rima has always been spoiled. She likes to have things go her way all the time. I'll speak to her.”

Would that help? Miki didn't think so, but Davin knew Rima better than Miki did. All Miki wanted right now was to snuggle close to Davin and forget everything else—her aching body, the dance troupe, the fact that she might be out of a job as easily as she had gotten one.

She didn't think she could forget Davin. Was he going to say good-bye and expect her to never think of him again? If he wanted to, he could call her, he could go out with her even though she wasn't dancing with the troupe. She didn't know if she should tell him that or not. He was older, more sophisticated. He could figure that out for himself.

At Miki's stop, the bus driver had to wait for them to wake Paige and help her stumble off the bus. Miki wasn't going to let her go home by herself, even though she lived only two more stops away. The driver was polite about their being slow, but he pulled away the minute they were all on the sidewalk, sending a blast of exhaust fumes around them.