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Celine hasn't told her the details, just that they need to find the other two hunters and fast. So that's why they're here, at a prestigious dance academy. Rumi is allegedly trying out the class, seeing if the instructor is a good fit. As if Celine hadn't been teaching her every style of dance she knew as soon as Rumi took her first steps.
Dancing, singing, and hunting. That was her purpose and she was an expert. Celine had made sure of it.
There were hushed whispers from the other students as soon as they had stepped in the room. Rumi had hoped maybe they wouldn't be recognized but of course that was too much to ask for, especially when Celine stood right next to a Sunlight Sisters poster. Even the girls who didn't recognize her at first flicked their eyes back and forth between her in the flesh and her on the poster. Then their gazes drifted to Rumi, further recognition dawning on their faces.
Everyone froze, even the instructor, when Celine cleared her throat. Everyone except a tall girl with bright pink hair and a scowl on her face.
“I thought we were here to learn how to dance, not to gawk at some chick who happens to have her face on a poster.”
The instructor finally snaps out of her daze and glares at the girl. “Mira,” she snaps, “show some respect. Do you even know who that is?”
Mira huffs and shrugs. “No.” Her voice is sharp, deep, and crisp.
Rumi's gaze darts up to Celine, terrified of how she's going to react. But she just smiles, tight-lipped. The kind of smile Rumi knows can crack in an instant. She hates seeing that smile directed at her, but she's not sure that it brings her any comfort to be out of the line of fire.
“Celine of the Sunlight Sisters,” the girl standing next to her says sharply under her breath.
Mira just shrugs. “Never heard of her.”
Jaws drop, but the instructor is quick to steer everything back on course. “Right, well, everyone this is Rumi, she will be joining our class so everyone be on your best behavior”
“Might be joining your class,” Celine snaps. “We're just getting a feel for things right now. Go on, Rumi, I'll be back in an hour."
Rumi nods and takes her place at the back of the class. The instructor leads them through some stretches and then a basic warmup dance. Something Rumi could do in her sleep, but she's here to observe not to learn.
Most of the girls around her are stiff, hitting the moves perfectly but with no personality involved.
Except one.
The tall girl from earlier - Mira Rumi reminds herself - moves with a sort of defiant confidence that has Rumi's gaze snapping back to her as much as she tries to watch everyone equally.
The instructor has Rumi step to the side as she runs the rest of the girls through a routine they've clearly been working on for a while. Rumi is sure she could pick it up by the end of the class but she's trying not to show her hand too early. If the girls found out they were recruiting for a new band led by Celine and formed around Rumi she's sure they'd swarm her and ignore the instructor. This isn't about trying out it's about ensuring whoever she finds is capable of both choreography and fighting demons.
"Ok time for a short break,” the instructor says after about 4 runthroughs. “Rumi, we'll try to fit you in once we're back, sound good?"
Rumi smiles and gives her a thumbs up. “Yeah, I think I've got the routine down enough to give it a try.”
Mira, who has already plopped down on the chair next to her scoffs. “Ok nepo baby, let's see what you've got,” she hisses in Rumi's direction. Rumi just rolls her eyes and pads over to her gym bag where her water resides. She downs a few gulps just to give her hands something to do while she surveys the class again.
Three girls are gathered in the corner next to the chair Mira is in, whispering and glancing in Rumi's direction every few seconds. She gives a tentative wave and they beckon her over.
“Is it true your mom was a Sunlight Sister?” one of them says, eyes wide.
“Is Celine your mom?” Another one says at the same time.
“Are you going to join the class?” The third one says right on her heels.
“Um,” Rumi says, overwhelmed, “yes my mom was a Sunlight Sister, no Celine isn't my mom, and I don't know yet. Like Celine said, we're still trying to find the right one.”
“Well don't let Mira the Monster over here discourage you from our class,” the first girl says.
“Yeah, I don't know who she thinks she's trying to fool her but I'm sure she'll be gone soon enough,” the second girl says. “Maybe you can take her spot; you'll certainly fit in better.”
“She's never going to get cast in anything anyway, she's too tall and has such a bad attitude.”
They are not trying to be quiet and Rumi can't help but glance over her shoulder. Mira is looking back at them with the scariest face Rumi has ever seen - and she's seen Celine after realizing her patterns were spreading.
Mira stomps her way over to them. “Got something you wanna say, Nepo Baby?”
Rumi shakes her head, eyes darting between Mira and the other girls.
“Oh come on, freak, you're going to scare her away.”
Mira has her hands clenched into fists at her side, shaking with rage. Rumi raises her hands in surrender and slowly backs away. She does not like where this is going.
One of the girls slowly raises her hand and shoves against Mira's shoulder, hard. “Why are you always such a problem.”
Then all hell breaks loose.
In the blink of an eye Mira has captured the girl by her wrist and tossed her over her shoulder like a rag doll. The girl hits the floor with an “Oof.” Mira doesn't even look, too focused on the other two girls who are charging at her. She ducks below their punches and sweeps out one long leg sending them toppling onto the girl already on the floor. The scramble to get back on their feet, but Mira is faster. She places a hand on top of each of their heads and shoves them back down.
Then she turns on Rumi, fists raised again and panting heavily. Her eyes are wild and unfocused and every inch of her body is tensed up with energy just waiting to be unleashed.
“You want some, princess?” Mira spits.
Rumi doesn't have enough time to react before Mira's first is connecting with her eye with a sickening thud.
“Ow,” Rumi says intelligently.
“Ladies that is enough! You three, get up and back in line. Mira, my office, now.”
Mira curses under her breath and storms off.
“Rumi I do apologize deeply and I promise this is not a normal day in our class. Mira will be …. Dealt with.”
“Oh, it's ok I've seen enough,” Rumi says. “I think I'll go call Celine and wait in your office. Thank you for the opportunity.” She bows and scrambles out the door before the instructor has a chance to respond.
She follows the sound of stomping footsteps out of the classroom and down the hall. Rounding the corner she hears a door slam.
Rumi pulls out her phone and shoots off a quick text to Celine.
I think I've found her. I'm going to talk to her and see if she's interested. Please come pick me up when you have a chance. Also bring an ice pack.
Rumi knocks gently on the door to the office. She turns the handle and slowly opens the door. “Can I come in?” she says gently.
“What do you want?” Mira says from the chair behind the desk. Her shoulders are shaking and she's got mascara running down her eyes. She quickly swipes at her cheek when she realizes Rumi can see.
“I liked your moves,” Rumi blurts out.
Mira scoffs, “they aren't my moves it's just a routine we've been working on.”
“Oh no I didn't mean those moves,” Rumi says. She continues upon seeing the look of confusion Mira throws her way, “You're a great dancer, of course, you wouldn't be here if you weren't. I just meant I liked your fighting moves. It was three to one out there and you took them down like it was nothing! I barely had time to react before your fist was in my eye. It was awesome! You ever had any formal training? In fighting?”
Mira blinks at her. “I mean, basic self defense classes when I was like 10 but otherwise no. I just seem to find my way into fights. A lot.”
“You'd be very good at it, with the proper training. Just something to consider,” Rumi shrugs.
Mira just stares at her.
“Would you, um, be interested? In formal fighting training?” Rumi tries again.
“Sure?” Mira says, clearly still confused.
“Cool, cool, good to know.” For some reason Rumi's confidence is shaken and she doesn't know how to bring up the rest of it.
“What is happening here?”
“Oh, um. I maybe should wait until Celine gets here?”
Mira narrows her eyes. “Okaaay…” she says. “Am I like, about to get disappeared for giving you a black eye?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that. Well. Sort of. Maybe. Only if you want to though!”
“If I want to get disappeared?”
“Just there would be some formal training involved, you'd probably have to move to our compound for a bit. Maybe forever depending on how things go.”
“Are you trying to recruit me for a cult? Is that what this is?”
“No, no I-”
“Because I'd totally be down.”
“Oh. Uh. No. Not a cult, just a pop band? Maybe? But also, uh, fighting… something sometimes? I really should have waited for Celine…”
“You want to recruit me for a pop band/fight club? Because I gave you a black eye? Am I hearing this right?”
“I’m not explaining any of this right,” Rumi mutters. She's saved from her embarrassment by her phone vibrating in her hand, Celine's name flashing on the caller ID.
“Hi, Celine,” she says. She covers the mic with her hand. “Give me a minute?” She says to Mira.
Mira just blinks at her.
“-you ok? What's going on??” Rumi catches the tail end of Celine's sentence as she steps out in the hall.
“I'm fine,” Rumi says, “I think I found someone! She's really good at dancing and I've already had a chance to see her fighting! She gave me a black eye!”
“She- you- a black eye??? Rumi, what did you do?”
“Nothing, I swear!”
“I'm 5 minutes away, try not to cause any more trouble. Please. We can't afford any bad publicity right now.” Celine hangs up before Rumi has a chance to respond.
She turns to see the instructor racing down the hall at her.
“Rumi I am so, so sorry about all of that, I promise that is not the norm in our class, please give us another chance,” the instructor pants, desperate.
“I'm going to wait for Celine to get here,” Rumi says, “she will have more information on the… future.”
“Right, right, of course.” The instructor begins pacing back and forth in front of the door.
Celine bursts through the hall in a flurry.
“Let me see,” she snaps grabbing Rumi's face. “Clean shot, very quick bruising, no bleeding, no broken bones. Very impressive.”
“Right?” Rumi says.
Celine whirls on the instructor. “Who did this?”
“I assure you, she will be dealt with,” the instructor gulps.
“That was not what I asked. Who did this?”
The instructor points towards her office. Celine opens the door and Rumi trails behind.
Mira is now hanging upside down from the chair, phone in hand.
“You,” Celine points, “you're responsible for-” she gestures to Rumi.
Mira's face goes pale, but still she says, “yeah. What about it?”
“Follow me,” Celine waits for her to get up from the chair before grabbing both Mira and Rumi's wrists in each hand.
Mira looks at Rumi with panic in her eyes. Rumi gives her a smile and a thumbs up.
They walk past the instructor like that, all the way out of the building and into the car waiting for them out front. Mira's face is still that pale color, and she's shaking, but her expression remains stoic and determined.
Celine practically shoves them into the back seat. She turns around to face the instructor who is calling after them and gesturing wildly.
“Sorry, by the way. About, you know,” Mira gestures to her eye.
“Don't worry about it, I heal fast,” Rumi waves her off. “It's not the first black eye I've gotten and it definitely won't be the last. Although, usually the black eyes happen in fighting training not dancing.”
Celine opens the front door to the car and says over her shoulder “and I trust you will be discreet about this. Situation.”
“Of course,” the instructor says pocketing what Rumi knows must be a hefty check.
“So, Mira is it?” Celine says. Mira nods. “Mira, what do you know about demons?”
Three hours, one phone call to her parents, and a hastily signed contract later and Mira's bags are in the car on their way to the compound. Rumi's got an unsettlingly large smile on her face the whole time.
What have I gotten myself into?