For my new Invisible Friends, Twirl is the story of a star-crossed ballerina named Vivi and her handsome cowboy named Wade, who have stumbled into a international ballet scandal and a old Texas legend that might possibly lead to riches! To catch up in the archives, go to the Never Ending Stories Tab at the top of this site.

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As the music blared overhead, the beat drummed into Vivi’s wooden toe shoes as they waltzed across the stage.  Wade’s strong fingers were entwined with hers, his other hand snugly on her waist as he guided her around stage.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Vivi whispered as they rose and fell in unison.  “I missed you so much.”

“I was dying without you,” Wade murmured.  “I just sat in my truck most of the time, not going anywhere.  Just staring, not even listening to the radio.  I haven’t even tried to find the treasure since you’ve been gone.  And now with Margaret out of prison–”

“She’s out?” Vivi gasped as Wade dipped her, then flipped her up.  “Wade, we don’t have much time!  We’ve got to go figure out that last clue!”

“Sure thing, darling,” Wade promised.  “I brought everything in the truck for you to look at anyway.”

Vivi grinned.  “You know me.”

“That I do,” Wade confirmed.  “And I know you’re itching to go searching.  But just let me do this first.”  With a grin as bright as the stage lights that stung Vivi’s eyes, he raised his arm and twirled Vivi from one end of the stage to the other.  Spinning her in his arms, he dipped her low and pressed his lips to hers.

Vivi’s heart burst into a million butterflies fluttering in her soul.  Raising his head so his lips were only a breath from hers, Wade stared into her eyes.  “Vivi, I can’t live without you.  In fact, I…I…”

“Yes?” she whispered, her heart frozen in her chest.  If he was going to say what she thought, it would be the best day of her life.  She had been hoping, waiting for him to say it first.  The crowd tittered and whispered, their eyes locked on the action.

Wade took a deep breath.  His blue eyes widened.  “Vivi, I l–”

“Vivienne Markov!”

Peeking around Wade’s shoulder, Vivi saw Vladimir storming across the stage toward them.  The audience gasped, a thousand chairs creaking as curious patrons leaned forward.

Pulling Vivi upright, Wade pulled her behind him and crossed his arms.  “Sir, we’re in the middle of a performance,” he drawled.  “Don’t you reckon you ought to take a seat?”

“Shut up, hick,” Vladimir hissed.  “This does not concern you.  Move out of the way.  I need to talk to my daughter.”

“Oh, it does concern me,” Wade drawled, his voice tight with anger.  “And she’s not your daughter.”

“Wade, please,” Vivi murmured behind him.  “You don’t understand what he’s capable of.  He’s a very dangerous man.”

“Don’t worry, Vivi,” Wade muttered under his breath.  “I got a plan.”

“Why does everyone but me have plans?” Vivi muttered bitterly to herself.  “And why does no one inform me about them?”

“Wade?” Vladimir sneered.  “Ah, yes!  The cowboy.  The star crossed lover with all the sappy e-mails.  How quaint.  As amusing as it is that you think shuffling about the stage in your rustic gear is a performance, you’re ruining my daughter’s future.  Get off the stage now.”

“Wade,” Vivi hissed, poking him in the back.  “Don’t do this.  I can take care of myself.”

Ignoring her, Wade raised his chin and narrowed his eyes.  “You get any closer to her and I’ll make sure you regret it.  Vivi’s never dancing for you again.”

“Waddddddeeeeee,” Vivi hissed, poking him in the back.  “Don’t ignore me.”

Wade grinned.  He reached back behind him and squeezed Vivi’s hand.  “Trust me,” he whispered under his breath.

Vladimir threw back his head and laughed, his wild cackles piercing the air.  The audience shrank back with fearful murmurs.  “Really, cowboy?” he mocked.  “I suppose you’re going to pull out a gun and rope me into submission?  Perhaps we’ll have a drawl at the OK saloon with Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp?”

Wade grinned. “Nope,” he replied, crossing his arms and smirking.  “I’m just going to arrest you.”

“How?” Vladimir sneered.  “You’re not a sherriff.  You can’t arrest me.”

“I can’t, but he can,” Wade replied, raising his arm and pointing.  Vladimir whirled around, bellowing in rage as Susanna and her father strolled out with three other police officers.  Susanna rushed over to Vivi, wrapping her arms around her friend.

“Isn’t this great?” Susanna squealed.

“How…What…Who?”  For the first time in her life, Vivi couldn’t even think of a full sentence, much less form one.

“I told you I had a plan,” Susanna boasted.  She and Wade gave each other high fives.

“Vladimir Markov, you’re under arrest for domestic abuse and battery to both your spouse and child, kidnapping, attempted murder, blackmail and a bunch of other stuff,” Susanna’s father drawled with a pleased grin.  “And that’s just for this week. There’s no telling what they’ll get you on for that 16-year-old girl you killed.”  Vladimir turned white as Susanna’s dad added, “I’m thinking statutory rape, murder, evasion of the law…”

“You have no right to arrest me here!” Vladimir screamed, stepping back as one of the other officers stepped toward him.  “You have no proof!  I have done nothing wrong!  I’m just a concerned father trying to provide the best future for my child.  I’ve spent hours and hours dedicating my life to her!”  He flung out his arms, pointing to the media snapping away below.  “I’ve done everything for this moment!” he screeched.  “I’ve sacrificed everything so she could be the world’s best dancer.  She will pick up where I left off.  We’ll dance in Rome, Paris, London!  People will be begging to see Vivienne.  Don’t you see?” he shouted, grabbing Susanna’s dad by the collar.  “Dancing is Vivi’s destiny!  She is my legacy, my protege.  If anyone is to be punished, it should be her for insolence, not me!”

“Insolence?  You’re the one who’s trying to relive through me.  I suppose trying to slit my mom’s throat and forcing me to dance was part of that?” Vivi yelled.  “You’re not even my real father!  You just told my mother you would kill her and take me if she tried to resist!”

The audience gasped.

“That’s a lie!” Vladimir shouted.  “You lying, little brat!”

“Oh yea?” Vivi taunted, peeking over Wade’s shoulder.  “Prove it!  While you’re at it, why don’t you tell the press about killing that girl years ago?”

Vladimir hissed, his eyes wild with fury.  “You little”–  He lunged at Vivi, his hands extended for her throat.  Vivi ducked as Wade’s fist slammed into his face.  Vladimir crumbled on the floor as several officers dove on him.

“This is better than Gossip Girls,” one lady muttered from the front row.

Shoving off the officers, Vladimir slipped away and climbed to his feet.  Forcing his chest to stop heaving, Vladimir plastered a woeful smile on his face.  Chuckling, he turned back to the officers.  “You know how teenage girls are,” he pleaded, holding out his arms in a shrug.  “Ungrateful and dramatic.   Vivi’s always acted out for attention.  You can’t believe her.  She’s just a kid.  A confused kid.”

“But I’m not.”  This time, the audience sucked in its breath so loudly Vivi thought a giant vacuum had been turned on.  Her mother strolled across the stage, a satisfied grin on her face.  Vivi’s mouth dropped open.

“Holy crap,” she muttered.  “It’s Tracy!”

Susanna grinned.  “She looks good, doesn’t she?  You wouldn’t believe what 12 hours in a salon can do.”

Vivi stared at her mother.  “12 hours? More like 12 years,” she muttered under her breath.  Her mother’s mousy hair and pale complexion had been replaced by golden waves and bronzed skin.  Her hunched frame was transformed to a proud, tall stance, her drab clothes with a crisp white suit that hugged every curve and skimmed in all the right places with silver stiletto heels.  She fluttered her thick eyelashes, her white teeth gleaming.  She looked identical to the magazine Vivi had seen her in.  No, Vivi corrected herself, she looked better.

Even Vladimir looked shocked, his black goatee quivering.  Tossing her hair, Vivi’s mother turned toward the audience.  Media flashbulbs exploded like a row of firecrackers, and reporters began to shout questions from the audience.

“My name is Tracy Taylor,” Vivi’s mother shouted, raising a single finger to point at Vladimir.  “And this man has abused me and kept me captive in his home for 17 years.  He has threatened to kill and kidnap my daughter and me if I didn’t agree to his demands.”  A sob choked her, and she turned towards Susanna’s dad.  “Please, Lieutenant, put this man away before he tries to steal or kill someone else’s daughter!”

“What?” Vladimir bellowed.  “No!  No!  You can’t do this to me!”  He struggled as an officer forced him around, slamming him to the ground and digging a knee in his back.   As he snapped the handcuffs around his wrists, he recited, “You have the right to remain silent.  Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

“You’ve got this all wrong!”  Vladimir cried, writhing against the officers as they marched him off the stage.  “I’m innocent!  I’m a devoted parent!  Mrs. Angelson did this!  It’s all her fault!  All her fault!  Get her!  Not me!”

“Don’t worry,” Susanna’s dad drawled as he followed the officers off stage.  “We will.  She’s our next stop.”

The audience and media leaped to its feet, applauding and cheering.  Even the backstage crew was cheering as it prepared for the next act.  “This is much better than last year,” one reporter muttered.  “We might get front page on this one!” another whispered giddily.

Beaming, Tracy scurried over to Vivi.  “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”  Vivi looked at her mom pointedly.  “And I think you are too.”

“Thanks to Susanna and her dad.”  Vivi’s mom wrapped her arms around Susanna.  “I was so upset by what you said last night…I realized I had gone too far.  You were giving up your life for me, when I should have given my life for you.  So I went to Susanna and her dad, and they helped me figure out this plan.”

“And you drove down last night?”  Vivi looked up at Wade, who slid an arm around her shoulder.

He grinned, looking sheepish. “Actually, I drove down a week ago.  Susanna was worried if I came to you, your dad might get violent.  So I crashed at Damien’s place and waited to surprise you here.  I kept checking on you though.  I’d come walk by your studio and stuff, but I made sure you never saw me.  Even if I couldn’t talk to you, I wanted to be near you.  I wanted you to be ok.”

“Damien was in all this?” Vivi gasped.  “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything, darling.”  Vivi’s mom kissed her forehead.  “Just go live your life.”

Straightening her shoulders, she walked back to the center of the stage.  “I’ll be answering questions in the lobby,” she called.  “Thanks, and good night!”  Slinking down the stage like a cat, she sauntered into the lobby.  Nearly a hundred reporters and photographers raced after her, shouting questions and flashing photos.

Susanna grinned and nudged Vivi.  “Shouldn’t you be going?”

Vivi nodded.   Her chin quivered and her eyes filled with tears.   She grasped Susanna’s hands in hers, her voice shaking.  “I don’t know what to say…”

“It’s a miracle.”  Susanna laughed, throwing her arms around Vivi.  “You’re my best friend.  You would have done the same for me.”  Vivi nodded, burying her head in her shoulder, and Susanna gave her a final squeeze.  “Now go find that treasure!”

Sucking back a shuddering breath, Vivi wiped tears from her eyes and nodded.  Looking up at Wade, she smiled.  “Ready?”

“Ready.”  Grabbing her hand, they ran off the stage.

To be continued….

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow we have a Critter Confessions from Pumble and more whimsical fun next week!