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The hours slipped by into days, days into a week.  Her eyes shadowed by circles, Arabella lifted a weary leg into an arabesque, fighting the yawn tugging at her jaw.

“Arabella!”  Miss Odette clapped her hands, frowning as she hurried to her star pupil.  “What is the problem?  You’re dancing like a marionette.  You’re Clara!  You must have passion, zest!”

“I’m sorry, madame.”  Arabella dropped her arms wearily, her head hanging.  “I will try again.”

“Hey Odious–I mean, Miss Odette.”  Leonette stepped forward, her worried eyes sweeping over her friend.  “Can I talk to you a second?”

As her friend took the teacher aside, Arabella took a long swig of her water bottle, drawing a hand wearily across her forehead.

“You know what you need.”  A strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, friendly and comforting.  “You need some good food and music.”

Arabella grinned up at Justin, her eyes flickering.  “It’s Friday, isn’t it?  The days all run into one another after so many practices.”

“You ready for more dancing?”  Justin twirled her around and she giggled.

“Dancing with the Rat King?  I’d love to.”

“Good.  I’ll meet you at the club at eight then?  I’ve got some things to take care of first.”

Arabella nodded.  “It sounds wonderful,” she said fervently.  “I hate to admit it, but I can’t wait to not be Clara for awhile.”

“Me neither.”  Winking, Justin grabbed his bag.  “I’ll slip out while old Odious is distracted.  See you there!”

“See you.”  Reaching for her water bottle, Arabella jerked back as a porcelain hand snatched it away.

“Oh, Arabella, you don’t want this water.”  Jocelyn sneered, handing her a brand new bottle instead.  “Here, this is nice and cold.”

Arabella wrinkled her forehead.  “Thank you.”  Suspiciously, she broke the seal on the bottle and took a swig.

“Well, Max and Gabriel told me to make sure you were as happy as possible.”  Jocelyn’s eyes flashed as her lips stretched into a mirthless smile.  “After all, I am your understudy.  And I want to study your dancing as perfectly as possible.”  She laid a hand on Arabella’s arm, her long nails raking against her skin.  “Are you nervous about the opening night?  It is just in a few days after all.”

Arabella closed her eyes briefly.  “It’s so much, in so little time.”

“You poor dear.”  Jocelyn gnashed her teeth together.  “But at least you have Alaric.”

Arabella grimaced.  “Yes.”

Jocelyn’s teeth ground together, the words grinding out in a snarl.  “I heard that he gave you a gorgeous”–

“Hey Arabella”–  Leonette gestured from across the room.  “Come here!”

“Excuse me.  And thank you for the water.”  Grateful for the excuse to peel Jocelyn’s sharp nails off her skin, Arabella hurried across the room, leaving the barely touched bottle behind.

“Arabella, I had no idea.”  Miss Odette enveloped her in a hug, squishing her to her bony chest.  Over her shoulder, Arabella peered at Leonette.  Leonette winked, pressing a finger to her lips.

Pulling back, Miss Odette cooed, “Arabella, I had no idea.  Leonette told me all about your Aunt Petunia.  No wonder you’ve been so exhausted!”

“Aunt Petunia?”  Arabella glanced at Leonette’s twinkling eyes.  “Yes, yes.  It’s…terrible.”

“Leonette suggested she take you home and help you relax for awhile.  And I think that’s a wonderful idea.”  Miss Odette pressed a thin hand to her lips.  “With opening night so soon around the corner, we can’t afford to have our star down!”  She leaned forward, lowering her voice.  “Max and Gabriel would be furious with me if I worked you into the ground and Jocelyn had to take over.”

Arabella winced.  Even from across the room, she could feel Jocelyn’s eyes boring into her back, twin jealous lasers.  “Right.”

Hiding a grin, Leonette grabbed her hand.  “Come on, Arabella.  Let’s go change before we go to your house.  We’ll have some healthy salads and get you to bed early.”

“Such a wonderful girl, Leonette.”  Miss Odette beamed.  “Take good care of our Clara, won’t you?”

“Of course.”  Leonette’s lips twitched with repressed mirth.  It wasn’t until the two girls tumbled outside the classroom that they burst into giggles.

“Thanks for saving me.”  Arabella wiped her eyes, gasping for breath.

“No offense, but I was saving myself too.”  Leonette shuddered.  “One more minute in there and I would have died.”  Grabbing her friend’s arm, she skipped toward the dressing room.  “Justin’s taking you out tonight, right?”

Arabella blushed.  “It’s just a friend thing.”

“Whatever.”  Leonette grinned, steering her friend into the dressing room.  “He’s crazy about you.”

Smoothing her bun, Arabella flushed.  “What are you going to do?”

Opening up her locker, Leonette beamed.  “Alaric asked me out to dinner.”

“Really?”  Arabella frowned.  “I mean, I’m glad.  I just…”

“Just what?”  Leonette cocked a dark brow, her eyes narrowing.

Biting her lip, Arabella shook her head.  “Nothing.  He just seems kind of arrogant, that’s all.”  The last thing she would do was spoil her friend’s happiness by telling her about the mysterious locket that she had never recieved.

“Of course he’s arrogant.”  Leonette shook out her hair.  “He’s the best dancer here.  I’d be a snob too.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”  Reaching into her locker, Arabella gasped.  “Look, the key!”

“The key?”  Leonette cocked her head.  “To the snow globe?  I thought there was no key.”

“It must have fallen out of the packaging.  It was right here in the bottom of my locker.”  Her face lighting up, Arabella picked up the snowglobe in one hand, raising the key towards the bottom.  “I wonder what song it plays.”

“I wonder who it’s from.”  Leonette grinned.  “My guess is on Justin, since Alaric asked me out.”

Keeping her face and voice neutral, Arabella nodded.  “Of course.”  Her stomach clenched at the lie, but her friend nodded in satisfaction.  Sliding the key into the bottom of the snowglobe, she turned it several times.

Nothing.

Sighing, Arabella placed the globe down.  “I guess it’s broken.”

“It’s still pretty though.”  Leonette pulled on a dress, fluffing her hair.  “How do I look?”

Arabella smiled.  “Gorgeous, as always.”

“Well, I’m off to my dinner with the Prince.”  Leonette grinned and wiggled her fingers.  “Call me tonight and tell me how things with Justin go.”

“Ok.”  Arabella waved as her friend slipped out the door.  Alone in the silent locker room, she stared at the snowglobe, tracing the glass with her finger.  The ballerina stared back at her, wrapped safely in her prince’s arms.   Frowning at the snowglobe, Arabella twisted the key again.  This time, a delicate melody whispered from the tiny globe, the minute ballerina and her prince slowly turning.

“Oh!”  Arabella sucked in her breath in delight.  “How wonderful!”

The tiny ballerina and her prince swayed, the music growing faster and louder.  As the dancers spun, the tiny globe tinkling fiercely, Arabella’s head began to swim.  Clutching her temples, she fell to the ground, the snowglobe still clutched to her chest.  Her eyes shut and her breathing slowed, her fingers wrapped tightly around the singing trinket.

The locker room door swung open.  Creeping inside, Jocelyn crouched down, lifting up Arabella’s still head.  Sliding a gold chain with a gold locket around her neck, she grinned.

“I always wanted to be Clara,” she whispered, her dark eyes glittering with victory.  “Thanks for making it possible.”

And as she cackled, Arabella slept, lost in a world of dreams no longer her own.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have a new recipe tomorrow and a new Butterfly Dress Friday!  Stay tuned!

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