Mitchell's Revenge

Anja’s long black skirt swirled around her ankles as she sat heavily on the edge of the bed. Everything hurt. Her feet, her ankles, her shins and calves. Even her shoulders and neck ached. She prised the suede soled practice shoes from her feet and threw them to the floor. She swivelled her legs up onto the bed, lay down on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She stretched her legs out and pointed her toes, flexing her feet back and forth.

Three months had passed since that terrible day by the lake. Yuri and Anton brought her up to the homestead and introduced her to Daria. Anja came to think of her as the blonde bitch with the ice blue eyes. She was the most vengeful person Anja had encountered in her short life.

Tatiana’s death had changed everything. After scaring her half to death on the day she arrived, Yuri left her with his wife. Anja learned that she was to live with the Orlov family here at Noo as their adopted daugther. She would not be returned to her family under any circumstances. If she spoke about her past with anyone on Tarasov she would put her parents and brother in danger. And if she tried to escape, well, she knew what would happen to her.

Her dream of going to flying school was crushed completely as Daria explained her plans for her future with the Orlovs.

“Both my daughters ran away from home,” she said to Anja. “To work in space. They left me! You will not.” She glared at the blond child standing in front of her.

Anja’s knees finally stopped shaking and she stared back at Daria. She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight from side to side as she waited.

“You will live here with us,” Daria went on. “If you do as you are told you will have the run of the homestead, you will be well fed and properly cared for.”

“Am I going to go to school?” Anja asked.

“You will have classes here,” Daria replied. “You are going to learn ballroom dancing.”

“I’m what?” asked Anja incredulously. “What for?”

“There is an intergalactic ballroom dancing championship in twelve months’ time. You are going to be a champion. You will dance to win. If you do not, there is always Lake Ladogat.”

“Are you crazy?” asked Anja before she could stop herself. “I’ve never danced in my life!”

Daria stepped towards the girl and gripped her shoulders with both hands. Her grasp was surprisingly strong for such a slight woman. She brought her face close to Anja’s.

“You will put away any thoughts of what you can’t do, and focus on what you can,” she said quietly. “My own daughters disappointed me so much. Fighting like boys all the time and ignoring my wishes. All I wanted them to do was learn to dance and be champions!”

“You’re crazy,” said Anja trying to step back from her. Daria released her grip on Anja’s shoulders and slapped her hard across the face.

“You will not defy me!” she spat. “If you want to live, you will do as you’re told.”

She grabbed Anja’s upper arm and dragged her down the corridor of the homestead to what was now her bedroom. She pushed the child towards the bed and slammed the door behind her. There was a loud click as the door was locked.

“Think on your situation,” she said loudly from the other side of the door. “You really don’t have much choice. When I come back you will behave.”

Anja lay down on the bed and cried for what seemed like an age. Eventually she ran out of tears, closed her eyes and went to sleep. She woke several hours later with a nasty bruise forming down the side of her face and the realisation that she had no choice but to comply. The months of school work and dance practice began.

Today was her eleventh birthday. She hadn’t told anyone. As she lay on her back on the bed Anja thought about her mother, Sibil, and how she would be coping now. She thought about her father, Tim, and her half brother Jake. She had to believe they would be looking for her and try to rescue her.

She thought about their apartment in Covington and how different her life was then. She remembered standing with her parents on the little balcony off the living room and looking skywards to watch the pylon racing. The events were held every few years when there were enough pilots in the Karhu system to take part. The competitors were required to have a bright neon signature for their craft so that the people watching from EQ2 knew who was who.

The races were held at night, so that everyone could watch. Bets were placed and the city was thronged with people watching as Anja had done, hoping they would be winners too. She loved watching the little craft as they skipped and danced around the pylons, then suddenly blinking out if they missed the turn at the end of the course and flew into the wormhole. She thought watching the race was like looking at fireflies blinking and dancing in the night air.

Anja watched Lucy and Jake compete many times. Lucy often won. Anja loved watching the races. That was why she wanted to be a pilot. To race like Lucy and Jake. To fly, and be free. And now here she was, caged like an animal and being trained to fulfil someone else’s dream.

The only comforting thing that had come from the last three months was a subdued friendship with Anton, which was helping to keep her sane. Anton explained to her that she would compete first as a junior, in the age group under twelve years. He said that the Tarasov families started their children dancing as young as eight. They learned how to dance, how to compete and how to handle the pressure of competition.

His mother’s plan was to groom her as a future adult champion. He said that the couples earned a lot of money at the competitions when they won. He explained how Daria and Yuri had been intergalactic champions before they had children. He said his mother was sought after as a coach because she knew how to develop champions.

If Anja worked hard and did as she was told she was treated cordially by Daria. She had a nice room, all the books and other resources she needed for her school work, and endless pairs of practice shoes and dresses. The ballroom was adjacent to the house. Her school subjects were handled by a tutor who came to the homestead from Achernar three times a week.

She was eating well and had grown taller over the last three months. Her shape was changing from the dance practice. Her legs were becoming finer and her hips narrower. There was not an ounce of fat on her body. She was gaining muscle. Her posture had improved. Gentle strength training once a week was building her core strength for dance.

She turned her liking for facts and detail into learning the correct figures for each dance. She learned their names and the way to do them. Up until now she worked with Daria and practised on her own.

She listened to music constantly, trying to identify the beats and rhythms so that she would be able to dance in time. Daria told her this was the very first thing the judges looked for from the dancers on the floor. If they could not dance in time they were dismissed immediately as contenders in the competition.

In three months Anja had learned to stand up straight, with her shoulders back and down. She had learned to hold her arms up in the right position for ballroom, and how to shape her feet correctly for the Latin dances. She learned fast and found that practicing for hours was better than being stuck in her room on her own. At least she could listen to lovely music and move freely around the ballroom.

The championship was nine months away and she had not yet danced with anyone other than Daria. Anton told her some weeks ago that they were looking for a suitable partner from amongst the Tarasov dancing families. He also told her that the Championship was being held on Tiberion. This information gave her hope that by returning to her home system her family might just have a chance to rescue her. She put that thought to the back of her mind and focussed on doing exactly as Daria asked.

Anja stretched her aching body along the bed. She had about half an hour to rest before the family’s evening meal and the regular questioning from Yuri on her progress. Sometimes he came to watch his wife teaching their adoptee. He’d stand at one end of the ballroom and watch them quietly for half an hour or so. Anja could see his reflection in the mirrors that lined one wall of the ballroom as they worked. Sometimes his face looked sad.

This afternoon he did something different. He interrupted Daria and ordered Anja to sit on the floor by the wall and watch. He selected a piece of music and walked his wife to the end of the ballroom. Together they danced a soft and flowing waltz. Both their faces changed as they moved together to the beautiful music. They smiled as they moved smoothly around the ballroom.

She watched their feet rising and falling to the music. She watched their upper bodies and arms, which were controlled but relaxed. They had obviously been very fine dancers. As they rose and fell to the music Anja finally got a sense of what it was about. And it was lovely.