Getting some of their life back.

Just over a week had gone by since the Jack Evans situation was resolved, and William and all others affected were trying their best to get back a semblance of normalcy in their lives. For William, part of it meant catching up on the material he’d missed from skipping some days of university.

He was at the library, having borrowed the notes of some of his classmates and copying them into his own notebooks. He’d been at it for a few hours already, and that meant…

‘Wiiiiill! I’m boooored!’

‘Shut up. I’m busy now.’

‘The girl who lent you the pink notebook was cute. Ask her out when you return it.’

‘I think I need a break from meeting new people, Ishtar. I need to strengthen the relationships I already have.’

‘They wouldn’t mind.’

‘But I would. Seeing a new girl would mean scheduling dates and such, and you know we have too much to do to keep adding things to the list.’

‘Okay, fine. It’s almost eight, though. You really should get going.’

Will checked his brand new phone in a panic. First thing he noticed was that there weren’t any new messages. The second thing was that Ishtar was right. He hastily put away all the notebooks in his bag, threw it across his shoulder and bolted out of the library.

He went out to the street, saw that the bus was about to reach the stop, and kicked it up another notch. it wasn’t anywhere near close to his top speed, but students around still watched him sprint from the library to the stop at speeds that would definitely get him into the football team as a running back.

Will managed to get in the bus and had to pretend to catch his breath. He wasn’t anywhere close to being tired, but he didn’t want to raise too many suspicions. If the past ordeals had taught him anything, it was that he wasn’t the only one in the world with supernatural abilities.

He found a seat and brought out his phone again to text Reina.

-Will: I’m on my way.

-Reina: You’re running late. Anna and I are here already.

-Will: Sorry. I was catching up on my notes.

-Reina: It's not us who’ll be mad if you don’t make it.

-Will: I’ll make it!

He’d run if he had to. He was confident he could outrun a bus now.

Even after that short back and forth ended, Will continued to stare at the black screen of his phone.

‘Stop it.’

Will clicked his tongue and pocketed the device.

There was a lot of traffic, as he feared. If he stayed in the bus, he’d be looking at 10 more minutes before he made it. He had five. The easy choice was to get off and run the last six blocks.

He sprinted through downtown, smoothly evading the other pedestrians until the building with the sign ‘Independent Arts Theater’ was in sight. Reina and Anna were there, by the brightly lit entrance. Both were dressed in casual clothes, but not any less sexy for it. Same went for him, as he’d gone to university wearing black pants, a white shirt and a dark blue sweater vest just for this.

“So you did make it in time,” Reina teased him.

“I said I would,” Will insisted. “I’d be insane to miss this.”

“Let’s go to our seats. The show’s about to start,” Anna told them. She looked at the tickets. “Room 5, seats D5, D6 and D7.”

Will and the two girls went into the theater. The lobby was surprisingly large, with a green carpeted floor and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. When he heard ‘independent theater’, Will pictured something more… humble. Showed what he knew.

They quickly found room five and their seats. Fourth row, right in the middle and with a very clear view of the stage in front. Perfect seats. Will sat in the middle, with Reina to his right and Anna to his left. Other people were coming in as well, most of them around their ages, too. Even so, the room with seats for about 100 people wasn’t full. There must have been around 40 to 50 people in total.

Will reached for his phone by habit and checked it again. No new messages. A delicate hand suddenly covered the screen. He looked at Reina, who gave him a wry smile and a shake of her head. Will grimaced and pocketed the phone again.

“I know,” he said.

The lights in the theater dimmed, and through the speakers, somebody’s voice came.

“Welcome everyone to the Independent Arts Theater. The members of the Apaplac Dance Group thank you for your presence. We politely ask that you turn off your phones and remain silent for the duration of the performance. And please, enjoy the show.”

The lights turned off as the curtains slid to the sides to open the stage. A soft, slow drumming was heard. It slowly increased in tempo and volume until there was a final, loud bang that synchronized perfectly with the single light shining on the stage. And under that light was a familiar face.

Ruth was dressed in a bra richly decorated with glittering sequins and beads that pushed up her chest, a fitted golden belt around her hips and a full-length orange skirt. Her hair was done in a high, wild ponytail, and she wore matching golden (or golden-looking) jewelry on her arms and around her neck.

The drums began again, following the fast tempo it had left on, and Ruth began to dance to the rhythm. Will’s eyes were glued to her, to the flexibility and speed with which she moved those sexy hips, to the very deliberate shaking of her chest, to her swaying arms that seemed to be in sync with the flow of her skirt. But most important of all was that pure, delighted smile.

There was not an ounce of shame or embarrassment in her whole body. Ruth owned her outfit, her movements, her sex appeal. She danced for every single person watching. Her movements demanded attention, dared anyone to try and look away from her.

Will began to feel a faint but noticeable and familiar heat as Ruth kept dancing. He managed to **** his eyes away for a moment to look around himself. Everyone watching was entranced by her, even Reina and perhaps especially Anna.

He leaned back on his seat and watched Ruth’s performance. That part must have lasted about five minutes, but he was sure it felt like a glorious eternity to everyone else.

Two other dancers, dressed just like Ruth, joined her for the next part. And yet Ruth still stole all the attention. Her presence was a beacon. Will tried to pay attention to the other two girls, but it was out of a shallow sense of pity that they had to dance next to Ruth.

The entire performance lasted about an hour, and when it was over, the group got a standing ovation.

Ruth got a standing ovation.