Chapter 5

Mara was first into the dance studio, suprise suprise,

"Are you not all danced out then?" Asked Melle Dupont

Mara laughed, "Impossible,"

The others traipsed in, dressed assortedly in - shorts, t-shirts, tracksuit trousers, rugby shirts, skirts, and all wearing trainers.

Melle Dupont looked at them all, "No no no! No shoes in dance studio! You will all go out, take them off, and then come back in."

Neither Fergie nor Torin were wearing shoes, "You tell her!" Hissed Fergie,

"No you!" Torin pushed his twin

"I asked first, you go!"

Torin shrugged, and walked over to the dance teacher, "Uh, miss, there's something I need to tell you," He gabbled,

"Uh, slowly please, I do not understand your accent,"

"Oh, Right." Torin started again, "There's something you need to know."

"Which is?"

"You can't let Fergie dance miss,"

Fergie butted in, "Or Tor, Torin isn't allowed to dance either miss!"

"Whyever not!"

"He's got the devil in his feet," they both said,

Melle Dupont looked at them quizically,

"It's what our dance teacher said,"

"Back in Ireland,"

"You did dance back home?" Melle Dupont asked, "What type?"

"Irish," Fergie grinned, "What else?"

"And our teacher said, that we weren't to dance, because we had the devil in our feet."

By now the rest of the kids were in the studio, watching intently,

Melle Dupont smiled, "I wish to see the devil dance," she nodded to the pianest in the corner of the room, who struck up an irish jig, "Dance please," she said to the twins.

Fergie started first, his feet tapping unconrollably,

"Stop it Fergal Caley!"

Fergie grinned, and took his brother by the hands, "Dance with me!" he said, his eyes on fire.

Tor reluctantly started to tap his feet, then, stamp.

Thud, thud, thud, The beat started.

They started to jig, feet flying, faster than you can imagine, bodies perfectly still, arms by their sides, thump thump thump, the beat was faster. The pianest sped up, the fire of dance flying around the room. Faster, and faster.

Eventually, the pianist, exhasted, stopped, but the beat went on. The twins danced, faster and faster, keeping their beat by each other.

Fergie started to slow first,

"Faster," Tor grinned,

"No!"

"End it then!"

"You end it first,"

Tor shook his head

Simulataneously, the twins froze.

Mara grinned, and clapped, everyone else follow suit,

"That was, that was fantastic!" Alex was stunned,

Ally scowled, "Guys shouldn't dance,"

"To the contrary," Satu declared, "Male dancers are some of the strongest and most flexible men around,"

Fergie grinned, "And are therefore bloody good in bed." He laughed,

Tor blushed, "Maybe, but I still maintain girl dancers is the best,"

"Oh yeah," Mara grinned, making poor Torin blush even more.

Tor muttered something in gaelic,

Fergie laughed, "Yeah yeah, and you're welcome to, you know what my stance on girls is."

Seiji laughed, "From what I gathered you don't have any stance on girls,"

Ash laughed, "You're so sick minded,"

"You're the sickminded one, in that you got the joke,"

Melle Dupont clapped hands, "Children, our dance class will begin now," she turned to the twins, "And I think the devil dances very well."

The dancing they did wasn't particularly hard, and insanly boring for anyone that had done any type of dance before. A few minutes before the end of the lesson Melle Dupont clapped her hands, "Right children, now we will see what real dancing is like." She smiled, "Mara, did you bring your practise shoes."

Mara nodded, and went to her bag. Quickly she laced up her point shoes. "Ready,"

"The adage we did yesterday." Melle Dupont looked at Mara's blank and horrified expression, "You know, demi detourner, bouree?"

Mara nodded, and as the pianest struck up the slow waltz, she began to dance.

As the bell rang for the end of school, Mara fell gratefully into the last arabesque.

Melle Dupont beamed at her, "Well done Mara," she turned to the rest of the class, "We will meet again next tuesday, will we not? You are dismissed."

Everyone started to file out of the room, chatting, releived at the end of their first proper day at school. Tor shyly walked over to Mara, who, slowly and painfully was taking off her pointe shoes.

"I thought you were fantastic," he said, blushing,

She grinned, "Not really, I need to do so much more practise," she turned to face him "You and Fergie are brilliant, I wish I could dance like that."

Tor laughed, "What, Irish dancing?"

Mara nodded earnestly, "Yeah, it looks fantastic, and it must be such good practise for your footwork,"

Tor grinned, "It's nothing but footwork," he sat down beside her, "Would you really like to learn?"

Mara nodded again, "It's always something that's fascinated me, it's so different to most classic western European dancing,"

"Right, well, I don't really understand that, but maybe," Tor blushed, "I could sort of teach you a little bit?"

"Would you?"

"If that's ok with you?"

Mara grinned, "Thanks," she bent down to take her shoes off,

Torin looked with morbid fascination at the bloody mess that was her feet, "Uh, your foot's bleeding,"

Mara laughed, "Yeah, that's what pointe shoes do to you, it's only because I did loads yesterday and so they haven't healed properly,

Tor laughed, "It's a good job my brother's not here, he faints at the sight of blood."

"Really?"

Outside, Seiji was just getting changed, when Art appeared from no-where, and grabbed him by the waist, "You're late Furu-Yama,"

"I was, I had to change,"

"But you're changed now right?"

Seiji looked down at himself, yes, Art's version of changed was just wearing a pair of trousers, and his shirt with like two buttons done up, "Fine fine, I'm coming. Anything I need to bring?"

"Yes, a 2B and a 4B,"

"What?"

"Pencils,"

"Oh right, I was a bit confused there." Seiji grabbed the afore mentioned pencils. He squealed a bit, as Art picked him up and carried him over his shoulder to the art room.

Toni looked around for J, "How long do we have before prep?"

"About half an hour,"

"Ok, I'll have to do violin practise after then," she scowled, "Stupid prep, I can't beleive it's going to take us that long to do the essay they set us in french, and that math exercise, I mean, 100 words, and 15 questions, it's hardly difficult.

They wandered to prep together, held in the PSHE room, the only room big enough to hold both first year and second year students. Miss Ellins sat at the teacher's desk, her marking infront of her. The first years had to sit in the front half of the classroom. They wandered in chatting, and sat down.

Miss Ellins glared at them, "There will be no talking in the prep room, at all."

Ally rolled his eyes at Mikey as they sat down side by side, next to Charlie, who was already sat there. Mikey got out his jotter,

This sucks, he wrote

More than anything, uh oh, she's looking Ally scribbled back, then started to get his books out.

Five minutes late, Seiji rushed in, dropping all his books with an allmighty crash, Miss Ellins looked up,

"And?"

"Sorry I'm late, I've got a note," Seiji searched his pockets and pulled out a much folded bit of paper, "Art, I mean, Mr Tevelen said I had to give you this,"

Miss Ellins looked at the peice of paper, and frowned, "Drawing, really? With Artur? I can hardly beleive that."

Seiji nodded, and looked at her with innocent eyes, "He is the art teacher."

"Right, well, go and sit down,"

Seiji slid into his place beside Fergie, he glanced down, and surruptisiouly did up his flies, he grinned at Fergie and shook his head.

Prep drags on for hours and hours, it is the singularly most boring lesson in the whole of the world. With no talking, and normally very little to do, I know people who have died of boredom during prep. This isn't true, but it makes good writing.

As the bell rang for the end of prep, a huge sigh spread across the room, everyone started to get up, and out of the room. After supper everyone headed back to the boarding house, apart from Toni,

"Where you going?" asked J,

"Chapel,"

"What? Why?"

"Why not?"

"Oh, right,"

Seiji went back to art room, "I uh, I wanted to finish it," He looked hopefully at Art,

"That's fine, if you can cope without me, I have stuff to do,"

Seiji grinned, "You mean people to do,"

"People, plural? I'm offended, just Eagle,"

Seiji shook his head, "I'll see you later then,"

By half past nine, all the first years, were back in their dorms. Eagle wondered back to bed, tactfully not making eye contact with Seiji, who was drawing in his sketch book,

"What you drawing Seij?" Asked Alex,

"Nothing," Seiji hugged his sketch book to his chest, "It's not finished,"

"Aww, can't I see it anyway,"

"No, I hate people seeing my work if it isn't finished, I get, uh, really angry,"

"Fine, that's cool,"

Eagle looked at his bed, slightly confused, "You're Raven," he said, pointing at Raven who was lying on his bed, "You're my sister,"

"Yes?"

"You're a girl, what are you doing here? Girls aren't allowed in boys dorms,"

Raven shrugged, "Matt's in here, he's a girl,"

"Am not!" yelled Matt from the bunk above,

"I don't like my dorm, they scare me, they're all," Raven paused, not having the vocabulary to continue, "Well, Mara and Nienna are ok,"

"What about Toni and J?" Asked Matt,

"Well, they kind of," Raven blushed, "I think they're very good friends,"

Alex sat up, "What? What do they do,"

"Uh, um, well," Raven stood up, and put her bookmark back in her book, "I ought to be going back, it's nearly lights out."

"What? You can't do that? You have to tell us?"

Raven shook her head, and then turned to go,

"Whisper it to me," Said Eagle, then I can tell them when you're gone,

Raven thought about it, and then turned. Standing on tiptoe, she whispered into her brother's ear, who's expression turned to utter disgust,

"It's not nice," Said Raven simply, and walked out of the room,

"What did she say?" Alex asked,

Even Eagle blushed, "Uh, they're kinda like, uh, well, kinda like Seiji and Art, if you get my meaning,"

Alex laughed, "You mean their lesbos,"

"Yeah, nice, very...succinct,"

Mr Rothborne poked his head around the door, "Light's out in a few minutes chaps, so I suggest we start getting into our PJ's"

Fergie smirked as the teacher shut the door, "I'd like to get into PJ's with him,"

They all laughed as they started to undress,

"Wait a second," Alex paused, "No-one here actually wear's pajama's do they, I mean, most guys just sleep in their boxer's right?"

They all thought for a second,

"Well, I guess Mr Rothborne wears PJ's then," Seiji supplied, "Besides, I expect Ash does,"

"No, Ash probably wears a nighty" Alex laughed,

They were all in bed by the time Mr Rothborne returned, "Night night then boys," he grinned, and turned out the lights,

In the dark of the dorm, for a few minutes, nothing stirred. The heavy laboured breathing of people trying to get to sleep. Then the door swung open a little bit, Art tiptoed in. He went and sat on the edge of Seiji's bed.

"Seij," he whispered, stroking the side of Seiji's head, "Will you come up to my room?"

"I thought we agreed, I'll spend every other night here,"

"But, but, I, I miss you," Art mumbled,

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

"I miss you," Said Art, clearer this time, he lay down beside Seiji, "I really do Seij, I can't sleep without you,"

"You've managed perfectly well before,"

"But, but you weren't so close before, you were miles away, and then it wasn't an option,"

Seiji grinned, "If you really miss me that much, stay here with me."

Art froze, "I can't do that, I'd be slaughtered, I'm not even meant to be here now!"

"But you are, and no-one cares,"

"Well, well," Art sighed, and gave up, slipping underneath the duvet, "But I have a double bed," he complained,

"Yes, but I'm really stubborn,"

For a few minutes, there was silence again, and then a knock on the door. Art froze, "If you stay still, who-ever it is, may not notice us,"

"Come in," Alex called,

Ash wondered in, duvet in his arms, tears rolling down his face,

"Ashley!" cried Fergie, slipping out of bed, and throwing his arms around the boy, who was indeed wearing pink pajamas, "What's the matter?"

"They, they," he sniffed, "They threw me out,"

Alex sat up, "You can sleep on the bottom bunk of my bed if you like,"

"Really?"

Fergie kissed the side of Ash's head, "There you go, you can sleep in here from now on, although I warn you, it's mighty strange,"

Art had started to breathe again, knowing that Ash wouldn't tell on him. Ash didn't even give them a second glance, he just fell gratefully into bed.

For a few more minutes, there was silence again, and then, more sniffing.

Tor swung his head over the side of his bunk, "Shut up Ferg, I'm not getting into bed with you, just because you cry."

Fergie glared at him, "And what makes you think that's why I'm upset," he said, and turned away to face the wall. The crying continued

Tor sighed, and climbed down the ladder. Gently he stroked Fergie's bright red hair, "Sorry Ferg,"

Fergie grinned at him, and grabbed him around the waist, pulling him into bed, "You're such a sucker Torin, you really are."