Chapter Dedication: @jilyan32, thank you for the insightful comments! Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

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𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀

When my morning practice with Madame ended, I found myself in the garden appreciating the beautiful flowers. As usual, it was peaceful outside, the garden wasn't that busy today with ballerinas sprawled across the field in small groups reading books or talking freely. It was a comfortable and tranquil atmosphere. I was tired, I found myself yawning throughout the day after the party the night before had taken all of my energy.

My hands were touching some beautiful dandelions, I smiled at the sight how magnificent they looked. Leaning down, I inhaled slowly, taking in the delightful smell of the flowers. Feeling something furry against my leg, my eyes dropped to the sight of small, snowy bunny than had passed me and was continuing to bounce around the garden. There were many little animals that the company had; we had lots of rabbits and kittens running around the gardens, many of which were yet to be adopted so were given to us. The staff took care of them, keeping them pampered and clean.

I lifted myself off the ground at the sound of someone calling my name. Craning my neck a little, my eyes landed on Iris, who once again, was fighting to catch her breath as she jogged toward me, crushing many growing flowers in her way.

Looking at her with great curiosity, I couldn't help but stifle a little chuckle at how disconcerted she looked; her cheeks flushed and her hair already a mess - the usual.

"Hey! I heard about the party!" She breathlessly began, running her hand through her hair as she attempted to pat it down. Standing before me, she inhaled deeply as she tried to catch her breath. I sighed, nodding. "Yeah. It didn't go so well."

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern, her eyes wide and full of worry. She huffed, "that jerk. He's always got problems and this one just had to be on Camille's birthday - is she alright?"

Brushing down tights to get rid of the small pieces of grass, my mind trailed back to the party as I thought about how upset Camille was. "I've sent her some messages but she hasn't replied yet - wait," I abruptly stopped, making Iris stare at me with more curiosity. "When I came in today-"

"Oh, those. . ." She groaned, both of not wanting to think about what we saw that morning. "I got rid of them. Don't worry." Coming into work that day, there was a large pile of teddy bears and chocolates waiting for me at the entrance and they weren't from Leonardo.

I nodded, fiddling a little with the bottom of my dress as I tried to shake the uneasy feeling in me. I was still being watched; still being obsessed with. It wasn't easy trying to forget that someone always had their eyes on me and being completely unable to do anything about it until they are caught. I wanted so desperately to be free from the eyes of someone so sinister and creepy.

Iris gave me a reassuring smile, saying softly, "Don't let this person mess with your head." I smiled back although inside, I was still feeling slightly afraid.

I decided to shift the conversation onto a more lighter note. "You've been free from me for a while, how's life treating you?" Iris laughed, her face immediately brightening up. "Damn right, I've never been happier to be away from you, bitch." I rolled my eyes, chuckling a little. She sighed blissfully, looking up to the turquoise sky. "Been on a few dates, slept. . .a lot." She tried to stop herself from giggling and I raised an eyebrow, leaning in slightly.

"Alone?"

"Hmm. . ."

Her cheeks blushed as she lost eye contact with me and grinned. "Well, since I actually get to get home on time now, there's been more. . .opportunities." I laughed, glad that she got to spend more time with her boyfriend. Iris asked, "how's Mr Rich Guy treating you?"

With a little head tilt, I answered, "I guess things are okay. I don't know," I sighed again, thinking back to the night before. Was I too cold with him? "He's hard to get through. But at least, he's doing what the police can't, I'm glad he's taking the case more seriously."

Iris nodded, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. "Well. . .think of it this way, you said that he's got a pretty awful past, like you I suppose. It would make sense that he's quite closed off, also he's a guy." My eyes focused more on her as I took in her words. She shrugged, "guys are a lot more concerned about their 'masculinity'. He won't unravel too much to you because you're a woman."

"But that shouldn't matter," I countered, frowning a little. "Surely, gender shouldn't matter when it comes to feelings. . .right?" Iris shook her head, looking more thoughtfully. She was right. "When Gabriel had that car accident, he didn't want to admit that he was still scared to drive afterwards, he wasn't wanting to walk everywhere, he was just avoiding the car." My face softened at her words, thinking about what her boyfriend had been through months before.

"Some guys find it harder to be more honest with girls. It's not their fault I guess, it's more. . .socialisation. Plus, the older you get, the less you want to share about how you feel." She smiled at me, giving me a comforting tap on my shoulder. "It's about being patient, like you have been. I mean look, now Gabriel's the one picking me up and driving me places." She chuckled, her eyes shining in the sunlight. "It's alright, Ria. Anyway, like you said, he's still there for you in other ways; he updates me on how you're doing-"

I widened my eyes in astonishment. "What-"

"-he's helping us find the stalker, took you into his home. I'm sure sooner or later you'll be handing out genuine wedding invites." Iris was wise and that was what I loved about her. I needed to stop complaining and worrying about Leonardo and I and start thinking more deeply about why he was so distant. I shouldn't force him to talk, to become more engaged with me but at the same time, I had make sure he was comforted in the same way he was helping me. "You're right, thanks Iris."

She waved her hand a little before checking her watch. "Shit, you've got practice in a few. Listen," she pulled out her little, messy notepad and began her updates as a manager. "I was supposed to tell you that Luna has been AWOL for a few days - I don't know what's going on." My eyebrows furrowed at her words.

"Again?" I groaned. It wasn't easy mothering my sister. "Forget it, she'll appear again asking for something." We started walking back towards the entrance of the building where a group practice was going to be held for the Grand Performance.

"I don't know, Ria. . .this time - I mean, she's missed practice this week, been on and off last week. She keeps skipping school and her teacher has been saying that she failed all her vocal classes," Iris implored, struggling to catch up with my fast walk again.

"It's because she's hanging out with those assholes," I chided, feeling annoyed at the thought of her as I continued to walk at fast pace. "Those ones from the other school." I despised her boyfriend who was some privileged dancer from another company, and Luna knew my hatred for him, but despite my protests, she kept hanging around him.

"Yeah, but the girls in her block were complaining about the mess her and her friends have been leaving. There's been some fights. . ."

I rolled my eyes at her behaviour. Luna couldn't keep herself away from fighting. Even though she had a soft appearance, her inner self was quite violent. "Leave her. I'm sure she's fine. The last time this happened, she got even more angry at me." I shook my head at the thought of another argument as we moved up the stairs. Iris sighed, she was giving me those pleading eyes of hers that I could never reject.

"Fine, I'll check up on her. . later."

She beamed at me before turning the page of her notepad and continuing, "um. . .your uncle is still handling the sponsors. . .the menu today is grilled sweet potatoes with some fancy sauce. . err. . .oh, and Rosa's been sick. I'm not sure if she's coming in today." I nodded, feeling a little concerned for her. I needed to see her, she was never ill. We reached the door as Iris placed her notepad away.

"Make sure you eat well, and don't overwork yourself this session." Giving her a comforting smile, she left as I entered the practice room.

"- the Buck family are seeking answers to their daughter's tragic death and hope for any key information regarding the ballerina snatcher. Fans are questioning the involvement of the dancer where Dorothy's body was found. . ."

The uncomfortable feeling I had when I entered the dance room was strong. I placed my bag into one of the cupboards by the wall and made my way to the corner of the room where I began my routine stretches in preparation for the lesson. I always hated group practices. Before the whole stalker issue, I still felt the same uneasy feeling inside, though I never let it show. Dancers were competitive despite the wish for harmony within the company. It wasn't easy for rise to the top in ballet; it took years for many established dancers to become a known name in the industry. It was normal for me to receive unpleasant looks.

Avoiding eye contact with anyone, I was sat in a split, stretching my lower body and hoping they would turn off the news from the small television mounted on the wall. It was all that was circulating around in the media; I knew the company was trying to suppress it but it didn't stop word from coming out. I focused on myself, ignoring the usual whispers and glances and hoped that the teacher would come in soon.

"Princess Aurora."

I lifted my head to see the prince, Lucas, offering me a wide smile. He extended his hand and I took it, standing up and smiling back. "Lucas." His azure eyes were focused on my face. One thing about Lucas was that his eye contact was intense; he had this way of staring that was like he could see into your soul through your eyes. My breath hitched as I noticed how close he was standing to me. He looked as though he was about to say something but I beat him to it.

"Have you seen Rosa? Iris said she hasn't been feeling well." It seemed my consideration for her wasn't reciprocated by him. He broke eye contact and cleared his throat as he shook his head. "No. . .um, I think she got sick after the performance a few days ago." Some dancers had been participants of an event days before and Rosa and Lucas were part of them. I nodded, though still feeling uneasy. His change in behaviour had me feeling something wasn't right.

I spoke up with a sharp question, "are you aware that you've been making her feel distant from you?"

His eyes widened at my words, shocked that I had brought up a subject he didn't expect me to know about. "N-No. .why would she?"

With a deep sigh, I added, "you know Rosa's sweet. Don't break her heart." Lucas looked away again, clenching his jaw. My eyebrows furrowed, suddenly I felt like he was looking at me differently. "What's wrong?" I more softly asked him, unable to see much emotion on his face. "What is it that you're distancing yourself from her?"

"Why do you keep pushing me to her, Ria?"

I bit my bottom lip and could feel my heart rate slowly increasing at his words. I could sense was coming and desperately hoped he wouldn't do what I felt like he was going to do.

"I like you."

My eyes must have bulged out of my sockets, my mouth opening at his words. My eyebrows knotted together as I inhaled deeply.

"For years, Ria." He held my hand that had my engagement ring on all of a sudden. My eyes darted around the place, hoping that no one was watching us. I felt angry that he had been leading Rosa on.

I couldn't hide the incredulous look on my face. I couldn't even look at him, my eyes landed upon Rosa who came into the practice room with her head hung low.

When Rosa came in, I saw exactly what Iris meant when she said she was ill.

Rosa looked stunning in her usual leotard with the front of her thick hair slicked back, having a bun on the top of her head, showing off her beautiful curls. She would seem to other people perfectly fine. But when I looked at her eyes, I could see a tinge of redness in them. She looked so full of sorrow that I immediately felt like running over to her and hugging her.

She didn't look over at me when she entered which I was glad because if she did, it would feel more like a crime for talking with Lucas about such things.

I ripped my hand away from his. "I'm going to forget what you've just said," I decided, my tone sharp. My eyes drilled into his. He sighed, clenching his jaw as I glared at him. "How dare you think like that while dating Rosa," I whispered in fury, trying not to draw attention.

I moved back a little. His eyebrows creased as though he didn't understand why I became so cold all of a sudden. "You're going to ignore this? You don't have any feelings for me?"

"Lucas!" I whisper-yelled, shocked that he was pressing on further. "I'm engaged!"

"I don't understand, Lucas. You guys have been dating for months - you asked her first. Now you're saying - what the hell?" I hissed in a quiet voice, my eyes quickly going to Rosa who was busy stretching elsewhere. "Am I missing something here? I thought you liked her!"

"It's you, Ria," he defended, his vibrant eyes intensely gazing at me. "She meant nothing to me. She's just your friend." I almost scoffed, exhaling and placing my hand on my forehead. "You jerk. ." I whispered under my breath as I realised how messed up the situation was. "You don't deserve her."

"Ria-" he began, trying to take my hand again but I swiftly moved it away, giving him a cold look.

Madame entered the room and silence filled the once noisy hall. My face crumpled as I continued to think about the situation and the fact that in that session, Lucas and I were supposed to dance together.

"Commençons! En face!"

It was awkward - it was so awkward to be held by him as he spun me around in the air; his strong hands on my waist as he held me up, twirling me. At least it meant I wasn't using my feet as much. Nevertheless, Madam Paola was satisfied and complimented our so called 'chemistry'.

Despite the success between us in dancing, the rest of the practice was awful. From Rosa avoiding contact with Lucas, to me struggling to mask the glares forming on my face. It was a mess between the three of us.

When practice ended, I rushed over to my bag and grabbed my water bottle, quickly downing a few gulps of water before following Rosa out of the practice room before Lucas could even speak to me.

"Rosa!" I called breathlessly, watching her walk quickly down the stairs. Her head snapped upwards from below as she stopped and her wide brown eyes met mine. "Maria?"

I caught up to her downstairs and asked if we could talk in the cafeteria. She nodded in agreement and started laughing on our way there. I looked at her in surprise as she said, "you look stressed, what's wrong?" She seemed a little less sad than earlier.

We entered and ordered our food before sitting down besides the window once more. It was already getting dark outside, the sun was setting and the sky was beginning to turn deep yellow as the sun drowned in the blue sky.

"What's wrong with me?" I repeated, unable to read her face. She chuckled again, looking at me in confusion.

"You know about Lucas, don't you?" Her smile was quickly wiped away at the mention of his name. She sipped some water from her pink water bottle and didn't answer. "I'm sorry, Rosa."

"What for?" She asked in surprise. I frowned again, feeling bad. She sighed, giving me a small smile. With a gentle shrug, she replied, "it's not your fault who he likes or doesn't like." I shook my head as I held her hand across the table.

"No, seriously," I continued, my shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Ria! I'm fine, it's seriously not your fault," Rosa responded sweetly, squeezing my hand gently. I still felt bad for getting her hopes up, for being the one Lucas actually liked as she said. "I don't blame you. I'm angry at him only, so don't stress." She was sincerely looking at me and I hoped she was really okay. "I broke up with him first. He told me after why he was acting all weird and it's not your fault."

The food came to the table and as Iris said, it was sweet potatoes and what seemed to be a lemon herb sauce and some vegetables.

"He's an idiot for losing you," I told her, mentally accepting that Lucas was no longer a friend.

"Damn right," she chuckled, although I knew she was still hurting. It wouldn't be easy to let go of someone she had been with for so long.

"Hey, we should do something," I suggested, hoping to brighten the mood. Her eyes lit up at my words and she nodded quickly. "Movie night?"

I nodded quickly, nothing topped an evening to ourselves watching Disney movies.

"Definitely!" She smiled, her eyes full of excitement. I was glad to see her in higher spirits.

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~ Author's Note ~

Back to Maria's POV!

Iris gave some insight as to why Maria might be feeling a little distant from Leonardo! Does her thoughts on 'masculinity' have some truth to it?

Luna's change in behaviour was brushed off by Maria. Will this be a simple cause for no concern or a later issue?

Lucas is a jerk!
Rosa and Maria's friendship will give them strength throughout the book, so keep reading to see how they rely on each other from time to time!

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