So I fist my hands at my sides and widen my stance as I look around, glare around actually.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
Seriously, Callie?
Such a stupid question.
Of course someone’s there. I heard a sound, and if someone is wanting to do me or this place any harm, he’s not going to tell me.
So stepping closer to the door, I try a different approach. “Okay, don’t tell me. It’s fine. I’m not an idiot. I know you’re there. I heard you.”
I narrow my eyes as I keep searching the darkness for the intruder but come up with nothing.
“Yeah, that’s very mature and scary. Not talking.” I shake my head and take another step closer to the door. “But the thing is, you made a mistake. You picked the wrong girl to mess with. I don’t scare easily. Oh, and I know how to punch.” I nod as I keep looking around and moving closer to the door. “Yeah, I can do some real damage if I want to, buddy. And maybe right now you’re thinking, hey, this girl is tiny. She can’t hurt me. But know this, I have four brothers. Four. And they’re all tall and burly and muscular. They’re all athletes, actually. Ever heard of the Thorne brothers? Yeah? I’m their sister.”
I’m super-duper close to the door now as I continue, “So if you think you can overpower me, remember that my brothers will come after you. I will make sure that they come after you. I will make sure that they hunt you down and make you pay, you got that? So either show yourself or leave. Right now!”
I sort of flinch at the end but whatever.
That should get the message across that I’m not to be messed with.
Also, I’m one step away from the door and getting inside so if there ever was a time to dare him, this is it. So I wait for like three seconds before I jump inside and close the door with a bang.
And then I’m packing up.
I’m getting out of here.
The next bus should be here any minute so I change into my dress and close up. I run out through the front door and as soon as I cross the street to get to the bus stop, the bus is pulling in.
When we take off, I look out the window.
I look at the studio, the dark road that still stands empty.
I look at it and look at it, even as it grows smaller and smaller, and my breaths somehow both quicken and slow down. And my body is filled with both relief and a strange disappointment.
But then I see something.
A flash of white.
Bright as the moon.
Sparkling as a neon sign.
White. His color.
My mouth falls open and I press my nose to the window.
But whatever I saw, a flash, a burst, is so far away and getting further by the second.
Before I can confirm anything, we take a turn and the road disappears.
***
It’s Friday.
Which means we’re sneaking out, my friends and I.
That’s the only thing I’m focusing on.
The only thing.
The other things — thing — is totally out of my mind. Because there’s just no point thinking about it, you know? Because what happened last night — what I thought happened last night — never really happened.
It never did.
I only thought that it happened. I only thought that I saw something. A flash of white.
When in reality, I saw nothing.
In reality, I snuck out to dance, and in the process saved the Blue Madonna from an intruder.
I mean, if there was an intruder.
Maybe that was my imagination too, but who knows?
So yeah, I’m not going to think about what I felt last night or what I thought I saw. I’m only going to focus on tonight, on the fact that I’m sneaking out with my friends to go dancing and it’s going to be amazing.
Every Friday — like Thursday, Miss Alvarez is on duty — we get low-key dressed up and sneak out to this bar called Ballad of the Bards to go dancing.
It’s in Bardstown and one of the bartenders, Will, is Conrad’s friend.
He lets us in as long as we don’t drink any actual liquor since we’re all underage. He’s also nice enough to keep our weekly sojourns a secret.
Apart from Blue Madonna, it’s one of my favorite places in Bardstown.
Even though it’s located in kind of a shady part of town and the neon sign over the door flickers and goes on and off, I always get a cozy feeling from this place.
Not to mention, I love their music.
So Ballad of the Bards, like any other dance bar, is famous for its music. But their choices are unconventional. Instead of playing dance beats, they play sad music.
They put on songs about lost lovers and broken hearts, with deep violins and heavy, thick bass.