My body ached but I pushed myself upon the tip of my toe and wondered if it was possible for eyelashes to hurt. If so, then they did. I felt the hands of Elis--the dancer in the role of the evil sorcerer--around my waist as I began to twirl, my satin clad foot at my knee creating a triangle. I spun round and round, then stopped sharply, stepping out of the circle of Elis' arms into an arabesque. I plastered a conspiratorial grin on my face that was almost in his direction, but allowed the audience to see the plotting nature of the dance between the sorcerer and the fox.

I fluttered in a circle around Elis, every inch of my body giving protest, but I ignored it as Elis pulled me close and turned me in a gentle circle as I raised myself up on my toes, one leg thrown back into an arabesque in attitude. When Elis finished the rotation, he dropped to one knee, his hand in mine. I dipped my body towards him so that the leg that had been in attitude was now vertical, making a straight line with my supporting leg. I held like that for a measure, muscles barking in protest. Applause drowned out the soft music of the orchestra in the pit below me. I pulled my leg down from the air and settle it in front of my supporting leg, before giving a deep curtsy to the audience.

I would have less time in between my last dance and the next--a pas de trois--where my fox character would attempt to eat the ibis character who would be in the middle of warning the maiden the sorcerer fancied. The end of the pas de trois occurred when a young hunter, who the maiden loved, would enter and kill the fox.

But I had a few minutes before I had to go on stage, so I wandered down to the orchestra pit, careful so that the conductor didn't see me and shoo me away. I sidled up next to a dark haired boy holding mallets over a timpani towards the back of the pit: Ari.

I had never been very good at sneaking and the flick of his amber eyes in my direction told me he was very aware of my presence behind him. Despite the fact that he knew I was there, I crept up behind him and rested my head on his shoulder. He whacked me, not gently, with the mallets. My arm smarted from where the hard mallets had connected with the soft flesh of my shoulder. If I was lucky it wouldn't bruise. I scowled though Ari couldn't see and brought my fingers near him, about to pinch. Ari's brown hand snaked out and crushed my hand in a tight fist.

"Nice try." Ari whispered, his grin quicksilver in the dim lighting of the pit. He rose the mallet in his free hand and crashed it against the instrument. "But you're not quick enough, cub."

I rolled my eyes, wrenching my fingers out of Ari's bone crushing grip. I forced a sigh. "One of these days I'll get you."

Ari's chuckled. It caressed my ear, velvety, and low. "I doubt that, but you can try, cub."

I shook my head at him, wisps of blond hair falling in my face, having come free of my tight bun. I looked closer towards the front of the pit and spied Shaw's black head. His eyes looked half shut as he drew his bow across the strings of his violin. I didn't bother saying goodbye to Ari as I turned to go, but I should have known better than to think that I would get away that easy.

"Break a leg." Rumbled Ari's voice.

"Dick." I shot back in the darkness. Ari's grin illuminated the dim space told me all I needed to know about what he was thinking. I hissed back at him. "Stop thinking dirty thoughts."

He chuckled as I ascended back onto the stage.