"You mustn't let your shoulders get so heavy, I can see the weight you're carrying from a mile away," Madame Lenore called out, tapping my shoulders as she delicately sashayed around me towards the next group of dancers.
I had, unfortunately, been paired with Gordon Zachariah, who was the least graceful person on the dance floor and probably should have considered a different hobby before jumping in head first. But here he was, attempting to lead while also taking on the role of the woman despite how many times Madame Lenore tried to correct him. His palms were sweaty against mine, apologizing after every time he stepped on my toes – which seemed like he did with every single step – only to lose where he was as he was counting out loud. I would correct him, trying my best to be as polite as I possibly could, but eventually I took over counting as we danced around the other people, trying not to bump shoulders with anyone.
Gordon was a sweet man, but the man was truly born with two left feet, or maybe it was two right feet – heck, whatever feet he had they were opposite to what they should have been. I knew the only reason he was taking the class was to meet women, as he had been unlucky in the department of love and had only one serious girlfriend for a few years before she decided to leave Harrow Hall once and for all. I wanted the best for him, but if he was expecting to pick-up women at the dance class, he was going to have to try extra hard.
I broke my concentration long enough to look over to John and Elaine, who were steadily improving with every ounce of guidance that Madame Lenore poured into them. John was clearly nervous but Elaine continued to talk him through every direction, taking the time to make sure he understood what he had to do before she continued to dance with him. I liked how his cheeks were so red as he tried to keep up pace with Elaine, as if it was the first time he had ever danced with a woman. There was something oddly romantic about how it seemed like John was courting Elaine in the most gentlemanly way possible. His respect for her was visible from the moment that they met, and the last few times we had all been together had proved just how much he thought of her. Clearly Elaine loved the attention, as was to be expected, but I think what she loved more was the fact that John put so much attention to detail in how he treated her and spoke to her. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be jealous or not, but I couldn't help but feel overcome with all sorts of emotions that were so strange to me.
The song came to a triumphant end, the entirety of the class breaking into applause before facing Madame Lenore who looked quite pleased. She gripped her hands together in front of her, scanning all the faces – old and new. "Now I want you to leave your partner and to dance with someone else. This will be a test of how versatile your body is regardless of the chemistry you have formed with someone else," She said, clapping her hands as people began to mill about as they looked for a new partner.
I could tell Gordon was extremely nervous to find a new partner, but I squeezed his arm gently as if to reassure him that everything would be fine. I watched as Elaine paired up with another gentleman who I wasn't entirely familiar with, but he seemed pleasant enough. John stepped up to me, extending his hand towards me as I gently placed mine in his. He pulled me in close to him softly, his palm resting on the small of my back as we extended our arms out to the side and cautiously began to dance. He was very nervous, I could tell by the small beading sweat above his eyebrow. But I was no better, my hands were still moist from Gordon, and it didn't help that just being in the same room as John made me flustered to the point where I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.
"If you keep this up, you may have to look into a career in dancing," John said softly as the music boomed through the dance hall. I laughed, shaking my head at him, "You're too funny."
He pulled me in a bit closer to him, his fingers gently pushing into my back as if he were about to give me a massage. "In all seriousness, I think I may have you beat."
"Oh, do you?"
He nodded, stepping back so that he could gently twirl me around before clasping our hands back together and assuming our original position. "I didn't think I had a rhythmic bone in my body, but I guess tonight has brought something out in me."
I almost stumbled over his feet, but he quickly corrected the situation, causing both of us to laugh. Apparently I had much more work to do. "I'll chalk it up to me being a slow leaner," I replied, steadying my hand on his shoulder.
"You'll just have to practice with me more often."
"Want to know something kind of funny?" I asked, pulling the conversation away from what he had said. My heart was beating far too fast and it felt like all of the blood had rushed to my head, so I needed to calm myself. "I don't think we've even exchanged phone numbers yet."
He smiled. "Are you asking me for mine?"
"You caught me," I laughed, feeling him once again pull me closer. "How else would I be able to call you up for late night dance practice?"
He couldn't help but laugh, his feet stopping in place almost throwing me off. "Sorry, that sounds like a euphemism that people use for a booty-call."
"Not at all what I meant," I scolded and found myself laughing as well.
The song finally came to an end, but John and I barely noticed that the music was no longer playing and subsequently no one else was dancing. Finally we stopped, our chemistry was beyond dance partners – there was something much stronger going on beneath everything and I couldn't figure out what it was. That was until I felt the world quake underneath me, my vision slipping from me like a heavy sheet of snow falling on top of me. I was transported from the dance class and into the eyes of John, watching his vision flood into my own.
He was upset, but more worried than he was angry. Something was bothering him to the point where he couldn't stop pacing in front of his truck, the headlights illuminating the darkness in front of him. The moon was casting a glow onto the ground as crickets chirped nearby, beyond that there was nothing but the sound of his feet crashing against the gravel. He stopped to check his wristwatch before looking over the top of his truck, seeing something in the distance. His shoulders collapsed from the tense posture they had been in, relief washing over his face.
Do you have any idea how stupid all of this is? He called out to an unknown figure that was approaching. I should call the police right now, put an end to all of this.
The person didn't reply, leaving John to stir further in some other worries that he had stored away for a later date. He anxiously washed his hands over his face a few times, leaning up against the hood of his truck as the figure stood nearby. He looked over, having heard them mumble something but it was inaudible to me.
You have got to be kidding me, John replied as he pushed himself away from the truck, kicking a patch of gravel into the darkness. In what world do you think that's okay? I've had enough of this – I was finished with this before any of it began. You don't have anything to hold against me anymore.
The person said something else that clearly upset him more, stepping forward to bridge the distance between them as he shoved his finger in the person's face. You leave her out of this, he snapped.
I had never seen John act this way, let alone raise his voice in such an aggressive manner. Nothing about how he was acting seemed right, instead he seemed panicked. The person nearby motioned to something on their body, which caused John to halt in his steps, glaring at whatever the object was before exhaling sharply.
The premonition flashed away from what I had seen and went back to later on in the evening as John tried to fight away another figure as they pried open the driver's side door, pulling him out. From this point on the premonition completed as it always had – John struggling, rolling down the towards the shore before the knife was forced into his throat.
I snapped back into reality, gasping as I instinctively reached up to grab my throat. I was facing John, who immediately looked shocked as I gripped onto my neck tightly, unable to pull myself from the images that were still flashing through my mind. John asked me if I was okay, but his voice was muffled like someone had shoved my ears full of cotton. I stared at him blankly, feeling reality seep back in like a cold breeze brushing softly through a window. As I realized what had happened, I looked around to notice that everyone had stopped dancing. They were all watching me as though any minute I could fall to the ground, feeling Elaine's soft hand place on my shoulder. The second that her skin met mine it felt like pure ice, snapping me into a second premonition.
I could see wet cement and a polished pair of shoes on someone's feet, the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. Everything was getting foggy and the sound was blaring in and out of my head as if one second I was deaf and the next I could hear perfectly fine, sending a sharp pain through my head right behind my ears. I could hear a dial-tone intermittently, unable to pinpoint where it was coming from. Suddenly the feet in front of me came to a screeching halt, losing their balance as sparks flew by, only to have something smash into the side of the person who I was watching. I could feel the pain rippling through my legs, the impact sending me flying across the pavement. Everything went black.
~~~
"Ellion!" A voice called out, feeling warm hands quickly guide themselves under my head. "Are you okay? You must have passed out."
Every noise was so loud to me that I had a hard time distinguishing footsteps and random chatter in the background from the person who was talking to me. Splitting pain ran through my head like an army of tiny little men with cleats on, and there was a tender spot on my tailbone as well as one of my shoulder blades. I managed to pry my eyes open, seeing the spinning images of faces looking down at me come into view. I blinked a few times as my vision restored itself, trying to make sense of what had happened.
"Here, I got her some water," Madame Lenore said, passing a Styrofoam cup to Elaine who was standing by John, using his shoulder to balance herself.
I tried to sit up, but the crowd of people around me quickly protested, shoving something soft underneath my head. Elaine carefully got down on her knees, which I really wished she hadn't because I knew how difficult and painful it would be for her to try to get off of the floor, placing the back of her hand against my forehead.
"A little damp and heated, but no more than the rest of us," Elaine concluded. "Did you eat today, honey?"
Of course that would be Elaine's first thought, as it was the same for every mother – it was like a switch that couldn't be turned off. I nodded and finally sat up from the floor, but not without the careful hands of John as he reassured that I wasn't going to pass out again. I motioned to everyone that I was okay, just a little shaken up. No one seemed to buy it, especially Elaine who was trying to force me to drink some water and, to appease her, I took a sip. The crowd dwindled around me, giving me some space as Madame Lenore ended the class and said to practice before next Thursday.
"Should I take you to the hospital?" John questioned, his hand wrapped tightly around mine. There was no way I would step foot in a hospital, especially because I didn't need to see a doctor. It wasn't often that I got a premonition so strong that it knocked me off of my feet, but there were the rare occasions when it did happen. This, however, felt different – stronger. "It was the weirdest thing, it looked like you saw a ghost," John said, his fingers squeezing around mine. "I could have sworn you weren't in your body for a minute there. It was almost like you were looking straight through me."
"I'm okay, I swear," I said, gently removing my hand from John's so that I could use my loose tee shirt to sop up some of the excess sweat from my forehead. "I might be a little anemic or something like that – I tend to faint every now and again."
"More of a reason for you to go to the hospital, Ellion," Elaine added.
I assured them both that I was okay, finally getting to my feet despite how unsteady I felt. I used every excuse in the book to convince them that I was fine, that nothing was wrong with me and I would make sure to book an appointment with my family doctor just to be sure. Mostly I just felt tired, not only from the premonition but from all of the dancing we had done; I needed my bed and a good nights rest. With that thought in mind, we gathered our things and left the dance hall with many apologies for interrupting Madame Lenore's class.
John dropped Elaine off first, both of them telling me to stay put in the truck. I told John to make sure to lock all of the windows and doors after Elaine was safely in bed, he promised he would and told me not to worry. As he was exiting the house, he made a show of checking the front door three times before gently jogging back to the truck. He slid in beside me, making sure I was still okay before driving me back to my house. Even though I told him numerous times that I could get back safely into my bed, he refused to let me walk alone in fear that I may pass out again. I very well could have, but I didn't want to be a bother. He wasn't taking no for an answer, helping me into the house. I asked if he wanted to sit for a few minutes on the couch, noticing that dad had finally gone to sleep in his own bed instead of passing out in the living-room. I offered him a drink of his choice but he immediately ushered me over to the couch, sitting down with me.
"I'm worried you're going to fall down again and crack open your skull like an egg," He joked, throwing his arm around the back of the couch as we settled in. "Please don't go all Humpty Dumpty on me, I'm not sure I could put back your pieces as nice as they are now."
I laughed. "I promise I won't sit on any walls."
"Because I'm not anywhere near a king's man – or a king's horse, for that matter," He said as I eased into the couch beside him, feeling my thigh press softly against his. We were so close that it felt intimate; his arm was practically wrapped around me. He looked concerned, gently bringing his hand around to tuck back a stringy strand of my hair before resting his arm on the couch again. "Are you sure you're alright? I've never seen anyone fall that hard and not get seriously hurt."
"I'm not going to deny that there are spots on my body that will be aching in the morning, but it's nothing that a few Tylenol won't fix," I replied.
"And I can't convince you to go to the hospital?"
I shook my head. "Afraid not."
He sighed with resignation, shrugging his shoulders before seemingly relaxing closer to me. "You're a tough cookie, Ellion."
I'm glad he thought so, but some days I felt just the opposite of that. On the inside I was panicking, trying to piece together each premonition about John and now the new premonition that didn't make the victim clear at all. There was nothing tough about me when it came to premonitions – instead I was more likely to cry and get emotional as I sorted through the realization of the impending death. Unfortunately I didn't have that option at the moment, so I did my best to conceal it until a later time when I could be alone to sort through how I felt.
Right now all I could think about was how drained I was, fighting to keep my eyes open as my lids got heavier with every second that I sank further into the couch. John said something to me, but apparently I had been dozing off. I snapped awake, apologizing for not hearing what he said. I mumbled something else to him, but it was completely incoherent at this point. The last thing I remember is him gently placing my dad's afghan over top of my lap, feeling the warmth envelope me.
~~~
I could hear the sound of a shower nearby, instantly pulling me from my sleep. The living-room was lit up with the morning sun and there were birds chirping happily outside of the window, feeling myself cuddled into a shallow breathing chest. I carefully tilted my head up to see that John had spent the night with me, probably having fallen asleep not long after I did. I didn't want to wake him, so I stayed very still. Dad would be leaving the bathroom any minute and he would most certainly see John and I on the couch, unsure of how he would react. I figured, if anything, he would shake his head disapprovingly, but moreover he'd be pleased that we hadn't fallen asleep in my bed.
John had wrapped his arms around me; one arm was cradled behind my neck with his hand gently grasping my bicep, while the other arm was tenderly wrapped around my waist as he held me close to him. I could hear his heart beating against my ear, the soft murmurs like a lullaby that were beckoning me to fall back to sleep. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help relax back into him.