The week passed quickly with Dominika’s full schedule, and she barely had a chance to catch her breath as she slipped into bed each night before she had to get up again the next morning. She was exhausted but running on a hearty supply of adrenaline. They were so close to audition day, and having Daphne’s party to enjoy tonight seemed the perfect end to a hectic week before the big day tomorrow.

Dominika left the house that morning with a pretty party dress stuffed into her dance bag amongst the clothes and ballet slippers in various stages of wear. She was glad she had the hindsight a few weeks ago to purchase matching pumps for formal events and now she had a complete outfit. She had told Donna casually in passing earlier in the week that she would be staying back late at the company that night to rehearse and had reminded her this morning, covering her tracks. Dominika felt guilty, but she was almost sure they’d never find out, and nothing bad could possibly happen to her at a little get together at a friend’s place. It wasn’t like she was wandering around the city at night by herself. Daphne would drop her off in the car park, John would pick her up like he did every other day, and she would go home safe and sound with no one any the wiser.

She was satisfied with her plan as she worked through the day’s rehearsals, side by side with her friends. As their last run-through drew to a close, Dominika texted John and reminded him that she’d be staying back late at the company that night, just in case he’d forgotten and turned up to find her missing.

Daphne was waiting for her on the steps outside as she left the building, bag over her shoulder. Daphne waved as she approached.

“Hey, what held you up? I almost thought you weren’t coming”

“Sorry” Dominika apologized “I wanted a new pair of shoes for tomorrow and I couldn’t find any in my size”

“You’re the same size as me, I have tons of spares at my house. Let’s go”

Dominika followed her friend to where her car was parked on the edge of the lot. Daphne drove a little two-door Volkswagen with shiny red paint. She unlocked the doors with her remote and threw her bag in the backseat. Dominika climbed in the passenger side and attempted to shuffle her feet around and find a place on the floor that wasn’t littered with paper or empty water bottles.

“Sorry about the mess” Daphne said, blushing as she turned the keys in the ignition. The engine roared to life and they were out of the lot and onto the main road in seconds.

“Studying?” Dominika asked, laughing, as grabbed a crumpled piece of paper from the floor and held it up. It was choreography notes which had been scrawled all over in red pen.

“My room is small. My car is my office”

Daphne blasted music from the radio as they drove but turned it down as they reached a quieter part of town. The sun was low on the horizon now and the streets were beginning to slip into the shadows. The street lights hadn’t turned on yet and it gave the neighborhood a creepy vibe.

“So tell me more about him” Daphne said suddenly, casting a glance at Dominika for a moment before she turned her attention back to the road.

“Who?”

“You know who! Your special man friend, whatever you call him. This mysterious boyfriend of yours” she ranted.

“Oh, Gerard” Dominika said softly “There isn’t much to tell”

“Sure there is!” Daphne retorted “How old is he? How long have you been together? Is he cute?”

Dominika rolled her eyes at the onslaught of questions and ticked her answers off on her hands as she spoke.

“He’s 22, 23 in March next year. I don’t know what you classify as ‘together’ so I’m not sure how to answer that question, and yes, he’s cute. Very handsome in fact”

Daphne grinned out the windshield as she asked the next question.

“Have you done it with him?”

Dominika’s face blushed bright crimson.

“What?! No! It’s not like that for us” she said, waving her hand at her friend “at least not yet”

Her heart jolted in her chest as she considered that thought. There would come a day when it would be like that for them. Contemplating it made butterflies flutter in her stomach, but a little thrill of excitement was mixed up in the emotion too. Dominika wasn’t ready for that kind of intimacy with Gerard or anyone for that matter just yet, but she knew the day would come. Maybe soon. Maybe when he came back to America again. She shook her head, trying to clear the thought before her cheeks would flush again and betray her.

“We’re here” Daphne announced as they pulled into the underground car space of a lofty white brick apartment complex. Dominika gathered her bag and shut the door behind her, waiting for Daphne to lock the car before she started to walk again. They headed towards a set of elevator doors and Daphne pressed the up arrow, turning back to her friend as they waited.

“Harriet should be here any minute, then we can make jello shots”

“Jello shots?” Dominika asked, confused.

Daphne shook her by the shoulders dramatically.

“Oh come on! You can’t tell me you’ve never had jello shots! God, what do you guys do in Russia? I thought you were supposed to be heavy drinkers”

Dominika shrugged.

Daphne’s apartment was on the top floor, a beautiful classically styled space that was spacious and airy, making it feel more like a house than an apartment. Almost every piece of furniture was beige or neutral in color, and fit in perfectly with the white and earth-toned walls.

“This is beautiful” Dominika said as they stood in the large living room, facing the colossal glass doors that led onto the stone-paved terrace. A beautiful view of the city, just beginning to light up at dusk stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Thanks” Daphne said. She placed her bag on the countertop of the adjoining open plan kitchen and opened the refrigerator “want anything to drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you. So how many people are coming tonight?”

“Hmmm” Daphne mused, her voice muffled as she leant down, examining the contents of the fridge “ten or fifteen I guess, not including us of course. It won’t be a huge do or anything, we can’t party too hard or too late when we have auditions tomorrow. Besides, I have to drop you back at the company at ten thirty, don’t I?”

“Yes, please”

“So did you tell your Aunt you were going to a party in the end or not?” Daphne asked, retrieving a bottle of diet soda from the bottom shelf.

“No, she doesn’t know I’m here, she thinks I’m staying back late to rehearse. She’s…conservative. I don’t think she’d approve”

“Just don’t get busted” Daphne laughed, swigging from the bottle.

“As long as I’m back at the parking lot in time she’ll never know”

Daphne winked at her reassuringly.

“You can count on me”

---

Two hours later, Daphne’s apartment was a hive of activity and noise, music resonating loudly through the large open space. The glass doors to the terrace were slid aside and people sat around chatting in both the lounge room and on the cushioned seating on the balcony. The kitchen island was crowded with bottles and bottles of various drinks, some alcoholic and some not. Boxes of pizza were stacked on the living room table, the remnants of a massive order that had arrived an hour ago. Dominika sat close to Daphne on the outdoor lounges, sipping from the red plastic cup in her hand slowly. She wasn’t interested in getting intoxicated tonight after her last experience with Gerard in the warehouse. Drunk Dominika was way too extroverted and said things she shouldn’t. There was just enough in the cup to give her a little buzz and ensure she slept soundly that night.

Daphne hadn’t had anything to drink but seemed to be drunk off the atmosphere, absorbing the happy carefree mood in the air. Her red hair blew around her face in the city wind that gusted across the terrace, icy and cool. She beamed at Dominika as they made eye contact. Harriet was off talking with a group of girls from the company that were crowded around the stereo, flicking through tracks.

The couch dipped next to her suddenly and she turned to find herself face to face with a tall boy she’d seen inside earlier. He had blonde curly hair, brown eyes and a tan, and he smiled at Dominika as she looked away shyly.

“Hey there” he said, his voice deep and coarse “how come no one’s introduced me to you yet? What’s your name?”

“Dominika” she replied softly.

“Wow, where are you from?” he asked, noticing her accent.

“Russia” she said flatly. He shifted a little closer to her on the seat, and she shifted backwards towards the safety of her friend who was currently too engrossed in her conversation to notice Dominika’s discomfort. Something about the boy’s demeanor made her feel uneasy.

“Are you here because of all that war shit going down over there?” he asked. Dominika couldn’t believe how insensitive he sounded. Granted he didn’t know she was the Princess, but she had obviously fled her home country because it wasn’t safe there for her.

“Yes” she replied coldly. He seemed to sense he had struck a nerve and changed the subject quickly.

“Are you Daphne’s friend?” he pressed. She sipped on her drink and closed her eyes for a second, wishing she could will him away.

“Yes. We do ballet together. In fact, I’ll have to be leaving soon, we have an important audition tomorrow and I need to be up early”

“Aw, come on, the party’s just starting! You can’t leave yet”

“Not yet” Dominika agreed “but soon”

He continued to ask questions and press her for answers, seeming completely oblivious to the fact she was growing more and more uncomfortable. She tried to nudge Daphne in the ribs discreetly for some back up, but she was so absorbed in her conversation that she didn’t notice. Dominika decided to excuse herself and go to the bathroom to see if that got rid of him.

In the dimly-lit bathroom she sat on the closed toilet seat for a moment considering her options. This guy was surely harmless right? Just a little too eager and bad at reading body language. He was annoying, but he wouldn’t be game enough to try anything in a crowded apartment full of people. She laughed to herself for a moment, realizing she was probably overreacting. Her experience with males had been so limited that she was more often than not unsure how to react and gauge the situation. Nothing to worry about, she reassured herself. She flushed the toilet to make it seem like she’d used it and washed her hands in the sink.

When she opened the bathroom door, her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a scream as she came face to face with the annoying blonde again. Wow, this guy really couldn’t take a hint.

“Sorry” he laughed “didn’t mean to scare you”

“You almost gave me a heart attack” Dominika breathed, clutching her chest as she struggled to even out her breathing again.

“I just wanted to ask you something while I had you alone” he said, taking a step towards her. She backed up a step and her back found the hard door of the frame. She grasped for the handle and prepared to swing it open, just in case.

“I better be getting back to my friends” she started, trying to slide sideward away from him. He blocked her with one arm against the wall and leaned even closer to her face.

“Come on, hang out with me. Let’s go somewhere quiet so we can talk”

“Please let me go back” she said, an edge of desperation in her voice.

“Half an hour” he bargained “just come with me for half an hour and I’ll leave you alone after that”

Dominika was panicking so hard she hadn’t even considered using her most obvious weapon against the forceful male.

“I have a boyfriend, he doesn’t let me hang out with other guys” she squeaked. His arm dropped immediately and his face contorted in anger, making him look scary. Dominika shrunk in her place, trying to make herself look as non-threatening as possible. His sudden shift from friendly to angry was frightening.

“Then why have you been leading me on all night, bitch? Typical female. You’re just a cock tease”

Dominika took the pause in his ranting as an opportunity and slid away from him, speed walking down the hallway and back onto the terrace where Daphne was still cackling away with her friends.

“Take me back to the company, now. Please” she said, voice filled with urgency. Daphne searched her eyes, confusion on her face. She didn’t understand the tone in Dominika’s voice.

“Are you ok, Domi?”

“Yes” Dominika said, swallowing hard “I’m starting to feel unwell, I think it’s best if I go home”

She gave Dominika one last, long look before she gave in.

“Okay. Let me get my stuff and we’ll go”

Daphne gathered up her keys and purse and met Dominika at the front door where she waited with her bag over her shoulder.

The drive back to the ballet company was awkward and silent, Daphne sensing there was more to Dominika’s sudden departure than she was letting on. When they pulled into the parking lot, she cut the engine before turning to her friend again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Daphne asked. Dominika nodded in the darkness.

“I’m sure. Everything’s fine. Thanks for the lift back. I’ll see you tomorrow”

As Daphne’s car drove away from the lot and disappeared down the road, Dominika sat on the steps of the reception and waited for John to arrive, never wanting to be at home and in her bed more than at that moment.

Notes

Longer chapter this time! Get ready to hold onto your hats people because from the next chapter we are heading back into vital parts of the story. Thanks for reading! <3