CHAPTER 4

Catherine couldn’t comprehend what her mother was saying as her eyes and her mind was still fixated on the ballerina. She even thought that how could that professor criticize her.

            “It’s an emergency!” Catherine gained consciousness when her mother’s voice had gotten louder. Her mother sounded like she was in trouble so Catherine told her mother that she’ll be there immediately.

            She wanted to watch more, however, her mother needs her right now at her ballet class. She saw that there was ambulance outside her mom’s ballet school when she arrived so she hurriedly went inside and saw Courtney. the leading ballerina, got injured.

            Catherine went to her worried mother and asked, “What happened here, mom?” Anita did not seem to hear her daughter as she had gathered all the students when Courtney had been taken to the ambulance.

            “We all feel worried and it is such a shame that sort of incident has to happened, however, the show must go on. So the audition for the leading role will be on Monday until Wednesday.” Anita announced and suddenly everyone in the room became quiet.

            “You’ll be posting again and handling flyers?” Catherine’s voice took the attention of the ballet dancers and they have thought that it is quite absurd of her to ask such thing but they knew they had to keep going.

            “Yes and that is already being handled.” Anita replied and then after a few seconds they heard one of the ballerinas gasp.

            “Why not let Catherine have the role?” She exclaimed and a lot of them agreed

            “We already have our roles and it would take a lot of time if there will be some changes.” Another one said and Anita would love the idea but she knew that her daughter would not agree to that suggestion.

            Anita clapped her hand “No, she had stopped her training for seven years and it would take ages if it was her to have that role…This concert is a stepping stone for aspiring ballet dancers, therefore, we will find someone immediately that is fit for this role.”

            They knew that they can’t change Anita’s mind once she already have made a decision except that if one could offer her a better idea but they got none. Their rehearsal continued with Catherine watching them and it seemed that she couldn’t take that ballerina off her mind but then again, she doubts if that ballerina could handle this role.

            The training ended late so when they arrived home Catherine’s father had made their dinner. As soon as they sat her father started the prayer and after that he passed the rice bowl to Catherine.

            “So how are you, ladies?” Her father asked and this conversation during dinner had been happening ever since her father and mother became a couple. It was some sort of tradition and she used to talk about a lot of things but after Felipe’s disappearance she never really talked about things, anymore.

            “Well Courtney had landed badly and got a serious sprain. My students seemed passionate about making our daughter have the lead role.” Her mother began this dinner report and Catherine saw her dad pleased about that.

            “That means Catherine had to start training.” Her father happily said, however, her mother disagreed to the idea since Catherine had stopped dancing for 7 years and it would take years before Catherine master the basic movements once again.

            “Well then speaking of that, there’s a talented girl in my class and she kind of reminds me of you, sweetie. She’s both beauty and brain. She’s passionate about the literature and not only that I have heard from some students that she’s good at ballet.”

            Catherine was grateful that there is a student that appreciate her father’s lecture. A lot of students finds Literature boring and that the way her father’s teaching is too traditional that makes the class more uninteresting. However, for Catherine she finds a bit of joy in her father’s class so she sits in whenever she has time and to also increase the attendance.

            Catherine finishes her food quickly and went to her room. There were folders in her desk — containing documents from all sorts of orphanage. She might have thought that Felipe might have had been taken to another orphanage and that she has contacted all the parents that have adopted to every orphanage that she could find but none was close to the description of Felipe’s appearance or personality.

            Catherine just recently managed to persuade the authorities to have the copy of CCTV footage of her brother getting kidnapped by bribing them. She took part time job when she turned 16. She lied about her age and lied to her parents that the part time job accepts 16 years old applicant. She only stopped the part time job when she started doing thesis and another reason was she already have enough money for bribing people and even paying someone who could help her track her brother down.

            She imagined how grown up Felipe is by now and how she would tease him that he has a crush or have a new girlfriend. How they would both laugh and cry about their academic matters. “I’m almost there, brother.” Catherine muttered.