The End of Forever (5 page)

Shara arched an eyebrow. “Amy?” She asked, intuitively.

“She’s such a pain sometimes.”

“So what’s Amy done this time? She did a terrific job on the readings for your dance.”

“I know,” Erin shrugged, frustrated because she could never put into words how she really felt about Amy. Unable to think of anything, she took a bite out of her cake.

“Having a good time?” Ms. Thornton asked as she walked over to where they stood.

“Super,” Erin and Shara said in unison.

“I really think your number was outstanding, Erin,” Ms. Thornton said. Shara excused herself, and Ms. Thornton continued. “You just keep growing and maturing as a dancer.”

“Thank you,” was all Erin could manage. Her instructor’s opinion meant more to her than anybody’s.

Ms. Thornton studied Erin thoughtfully, then said, “In fact, I’d like to recommend you to the Wolftrap Dance Academy in Washington. The director is always looking for the brightest and the best. I’m sure I could get you in on scholarship this summer. Of course, Allen will want you to turn professional and go
to New York.” A knowing smile crossed Ms. Thornton’s face. “But I know you’re geared for college, and after you get your degree, you can still pursue a professional career if you want.”

A dance scholarship with Wolftrap! Erin didn’t know what to say. Ms. Thornton put her hand on Erin’s shoulder. “We’ll discuss it in more detail later, but I’d like you to start thinking about it now.”

Before Erin could utter a word, one of the girls came over. “Ms. Thornton, we’re out of sodas.”

“Already? I thought I bought plenty.”

The girl shrugged. “I guess we were really thirsty.”

Ms. Thornton puckered her brow and spoke almost to herself. “Well, I’ll just have to run to the store.”

“I’ll go,” Erin offered.

“I don’t know.…”

“I don’t mind. My car’s right outside.”

Ms. Thornton glanced around at the stage full of girls before turning again to Erin. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. Here, let me give you some money.”

Erin tagged after the teacher, who retrieved her purse and handed her some cash. “Buy a whole case. That should hold us for the rest of the party.”

“I’ll be back in a flash.” The news about the scholarship had lifted her spirits so much that Erin felt she could have flown to the store.

“Don’t forget your raincoat,” Ms. Thornton called before Erin could open the backstage door.

“Oh yeah.” She dashed to the dressing room,
found her coat, and was again almost out the door when Amy stopped her.

“Where are you going?”

“To the store. We’re out of sodas.”

Amy grabbed Erin’s arm. “Oh let me go! Please. I’ve had my license for a whole week, and I still haven’t had a chance to use the car.”

Erin paused. “But I told Ms. Thornton I’d go.”

“She won’t mind if I go instead. You said I could drive your car as part of my birthday present.”

“How about if we go together?”

“Ugh!” Amy made a face. “I want to drive by myself this time. Pretty please? I’ll be your best friend.”

Erin thought about the cold, damp March weather and about her car heater that was on the fritz. And about how much she’d love to corner Shara and tell her about the Wolftrap Academy and the dance scholarship. “If I let you go for me, don’t mess around. Get the sodas and come right back. Okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’m meeting Travis, remember?” Erin remembered. “I’ll be back in a jiffy ”

Amy started out the door, and a blast of damp wind hit them both, making Erin shiver. “Where’s your coat?”

“I think I left it in the dressing room.”

“You’ll get soaked. Here take mine. And here’s money for the sodas. Get a whole case!” She yelled as Amy jumped over puddles and dodged raindrops.

She watched as Amy struggled with the car’s stubborn door before climbing inside and starting the engine. In the glow of the mercury lamppost, the car
looked hard and colorless. Amy waved and turned toward the street, the headlights’ sweeping arc cutting through the darkness and the pouring rain. Not knowing why, Erin stood at the door and watched until the taillights had disappeared completely into the night.

“What’re you doing here by the door?” Shara’s question interrupted Erin’s vigilance over the parking lot.

“Just watching Amy. She went to the store to get more sodas.” Erin stepped inside, and the heavy door snapped shut.

“You look like it’s bothering you.”

“Ms. Thornton asked me to go, and I let Amy badger me into going instead.”

“So?”

Erin shrugged. “Nothing, I guess.” She looked at Shara and suddenly remembered what Ms. Thornton had said about the Wolftrap Academy. “Hey, guess what? Ms. Thornton really liked my dance, and she’s going to recommend me to the director at Wolftrap.”

Shara’s eyes grew wider as Erin told her. “That’s excellent. Would your parents let you go to Washington for the summer?”

“They’d better! I figure if I work really hard between now and June, I can convince them that this is really important to me. I mean, this is the chance of a lifetime. Wolftrap was started by people who were trained by Martha Graham.” Erin said the name of the
modern-dance pioneer reverently. “Can you imagine?
Me
working with teachers like
that.”

Shara seemed sufficiently impressed. “I guess it’d be like me getting a recording contract. You’re lucky you have someone like Ms. Thornton helping you.”

Erin knew that was true, and she was determined to fulfill Ms. Thornton’s faith in her.

“Hey Erin! Shara!” Donna Gaines called. “Come on out here. Ms. Thornton’s gonna show us the tape of the show.”

The girls hurried back to the main stage, where everyone was sitting on the floor, eyes glued to a TV that had been propped on the table beside the half-eaten cake. Ms. Thornton asked, “Back with the sodas, Erin?”

“I—um—I let Amy go get them for us.”

The rest of the dance troupe moaned. Someone said, “Amy! Good grief, the party’ll be over before we see her again.”

“Yeah,” someone else added. “Amy has two speeds—slow and no-show.”

Laughter rippled through the group. Erin felt as if she should say something in her sister’s defense, but nothing came to mind. After all, it was true.

“Settle down, ladies,” Ms. Thornton directed. “Shell be here eventually. Lets start the tape.”

Erin dropped to the floor next to Shara and drew her knees against her chest, watching the screen intently. The sound quality was tinny, but the images were clear and sharp. One after the other the dance numbers proceeded across the screen. The girls
pointed at themselves, with several groaning over mistakes. By the time her number started, Erin’s palms were sweating. She wanted so much for it to be good.

On the tape she heard Amy’s voice and vaguely wondered why it was taking her sister so long to return. Erin concentrated on her movements, evaluating them critically. Her leaps were high, but she decided she needed more arch to her back. She made a mental note to work on flexibility. Could she ever be ready for a place like Wolftrap?

Applause sounded as the tape ran out and electronic snow splattered over the screen. Everyone began to stand and stretch, and Erin pulled herself up too.

“Is that someone pounding on the backstage door?” Ms. Thornton asked.

“Maybe it’s Amy,” somebody suggested. “Her timing’s perfect. The party’s over.”

“I’ll get it,” Erin called, rushing for the door, determined to throttle her sister for blowing such a simple mission. She jerked open the door and looked right into Travis Sinclair’s face.

“Where’s Amy?” he asked. Erin realized that Travis was mad. “She said shed be waiting right here by the door. I knocked real quiet, but she didn’t open it, so I had to beat on it.”

“Gosh, Travis, is it eleven o’clock already?”

“Eleven-fifteen. Hey, Erin, it’s wet and cold out here. Do you think I could come in?”

Flustered, Erin held open the door, and a dripping Travis stepped inside. “This was supposed to be a
subtle exit,” he grumbled. “Now it looks like half the worlds in on it.”

Erin turned to see the Terpsicord girls as well as Ms. Thornton emerging from the backstage shadows. Ms. Thornton asked, “What’s going on?”

Erin felt her cheeks grow hot. How did Amy always manage to put her on the spot? “Um—this is Travis Sinclair. He was supposed to pick Amy up and take her—er—home,” she finished lamely, hating herself for lying.

Ms. Thornton looked doubtful. “I was about to give out some awards for our work here tonight,” she said.

Travis shifted, jamming his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. “I could wait here by the door.”

Ms. Thornton glanced at her watch. “It’s late, Erin. What time did Amy leave anyway?”

“Ten-thirty.”

“Even Amy should have been back by now.”

A small shiver of fear shot up Erin’s spine. “I can’t imagine what’s keeping her. Maybe she had car trouble. I mean, my cars old, and sometimes it gets cranky.”

“We could drive around and look for her,” Travis suggested.

Several girls offered to take their cars and look also. “No,” Ms. Thornton said. “You all stay put. Erin, you and Travis go. But be back here in thirty minutes whether you find her or not.”

Erin agreed and ran behind Travis through a pelting
rain to where his car was parked. Her teeth were chattering, and Travis, fiddling with the heater buttons, asked, “Which way did she head?”

Erin pointed, and he drove out of the lot and down a dark, deserted road. Erin chewed her bottom lip, peering through the side window. It was hard to see through the film of rain, so she kept rubbing the palm of her hand over the glass, even though it didn’t help. “I should have never let her go in my place,” she said miserably.

“Don’t worry. Knowing Amy, she ran out of gas and is sitting in some diner munching out.”

Erin was touched by his attempt to comfort her, but she knew that she’d had a full tank of gas. The rhythmic slap of the wipers matched Erin’s heartbeat.
Steady,
she told herself.
Everything’s fine
. “I don’t see any cars broken down along the road,” Travis said after he’d driven several miles. “What store do you think she might have gone to for the drinks?”

“I don’t know There’s a bunch of minimarts on this street and two grocery stores farther north.”

“Then we’ll stop at all of them and ask if anyone’s seen her.” Travis made a U-turn and headed back toward Briarwood. “We’ll start at the one closest to the school and work our way down.” Erin clutched her coat—Amy’s coat—closer to her body. “Are you cold?” Travis asked, turning up the heater.

She was shivering, but she was sweating too. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

They stopped at each brightly lit store and described Amy, and each time the sales help shook their
heads. In one of the larger grocery stores, Travis talked to the store manager while Erin canvased each checkout girl. The answer was always the same: “Sorry, haven’t seen her.”

After having no better luck at the second of the big supermarkets, Travis sat in the car brooding and staring out at the falling rain. “Wed better keep going,” Erin told him.

He turned to face her in the bucket seat. “We’re ten miles from the school, Erin. She wouldn’t have come this far.”

Erin grew agitated. “You don’t know that for sure. It’s too soon to give up.”

“I’m not giving up. It’s just that she must have gone somewhere else.”

“But where?” By now Erin was really scared, because even Amy wasn’t this irresponsible. They sat in silence. The rain beat on the metal roof, and Erin felt a headache coming on.

“Maybe she went home,” Travis ventured.

Instantly Erin brightened. “I’ll bet you’re right. She probably wanted to change clothes before going to the movie. Let’s go check my house.”

Travis started the engine, and Erin caught sight of the digital clock on the dashboard. “Ms. Thornton!” she cried. “We promised her we’d be back in half an hour.”

“Is there a phone at the theater?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll go back and call your house from there.”

“The more I think about it, I’ll bet that’s just what happened,” Erin insisted. “Honestly, my sister can be
so
thoughtless sometimes. I know you like her Tree spirit,’ Travis, but you’ve got to admit that sometimes she’s her own worst enemy.”

They returned to the back parking lot of the theater, and Erin jumped out before Travis had turned off the engine. She raced through the rain, stepping into puddles and feeling the water sop through her sneakers and thick socks. She forgot to turn up her coat collar, and cold water ran down her neck. She pounded on the stage door, and it opened immediately.

“Did you find her?” Ms. Thornton asked.

Travis came through the door, and it banged hard behind him. “No luck,” he said. “We hit every store for miles, but no one remembered seeing her.”

“We thought that she might have gone home for some reason,” Erin said, her voice sounding breathy. “I thought I’d call my house from here.”

“Of course.” Ms. Thornton led the way to a small office and flipped on the light.