The Grand Mistress

An immediate chaos flooded the whole Mara Ballet Company. Simione's cries and screams of pain can be heard all over and everyone felt terrified. Soon, an ambulance was called and Simione can be seen being carried over by a stretcher, Lyndon with her.

"Sisi…." Lyndon was running beside the medics to look at Simione and he could see her tears, so was her pain. Immediately anger rose to his veins. When Simione was loaded in the ambulance, the medics forbade him to come so he could only watch the ambulance go with the girl in it.

Horrified and lost, Lyndon combed his hair in frustration.

"Lyndon!" He heard his mentor calling on to him. Everyone in Mara Ballet was horrified, especially that they all knew Simione was Don Benedicto's granddaughter.

"It was Feather!" He told his mentor right away and looked around to check on the culprit who immediately vanished into the thin air. "She's the one who did it, I saw her!"

"What are you talking about, it was an accident," His mentor bent over to look at him. "The stage manager already had a meeting with the team that made the props. It seemed like they had been negligent in putting marbles in it. Somebody missed to check it,"

"It was Feather that cut the rope. I saw it, mentor!"

"No sharp thing can cut such a big rope like that..how could you say this!"

"Mentor!"

"Shhhhh..." His mentor shut him off and looked around to see if someone had heard. There were people around them but he was glad they were off a good distance. "Look, this is your chance. Remember your mother is dying,"

"Mentor, what are you saying?" Lyndon felt utterly surprised at how the man acted. He never expected such a thing for him but it seemed like he already knew this but refused to acknowledge it.

"This is the only thing that I can think of and Feather helped me…you should be thankful…"

Lyndon's eyes went big at the revelation. "How…how could you?"

"Your mother….." The mentor mentioned her again. "She doesn't have much time, you have to dance on the big stage this time. Only Simione was making things difficult for you. With her gone, you sure be able to have a chance,"

"This is a crime! Mentor, how could you do this?" Immediately Lyndon's shoulder went heavy knowing the truth. "Did you force Feather to do this?"

"Listen….." His mentor dragged him to somewhere with less people this time. "Listen boy. If you think your mom was okay with all this…..you are very wrong. Just two days ago, she went to confide to Feather's mother about how he wished you to play the Pinocchio and Feather heard it all. She took pity on your mother. You should not blame her. She did  what he could for you,"

"Did you give her that sharp thing?"

"I didn't know where she got that. But the marbles inside were my doing," His mentor confessed. "She just asked me to load it in secretly,"

"Mentor, what you did is unforgivable and huge!" Lyndon felt more frustrated at this confession. "You asked me first if I want this! Look what you did to Simione!"

"Simione already has everything while you and Feather don't!" His mentor glared at him. "Look boy, I did this so you could play Pinocchio so your mother can watch you dance on a big stage. You don't want to send her away with nothing right?"

Lyndon went silent. Of course he wanted to dance on the big stage for his mother. That was the only thing he could do for her at this time but at the expense of Simione, he didn't know if he could bear that.

"But Simione…..what's going to happen now? Besides, everyone in the props team might be fired…" Lyndon pointed. "Don Benedicto will sure not forgive this,"

"This secret will only remain with the three of us. The CCTV cameras were taken care of besides, they wouldn't suspect it was messed up intentionally. They will only think the cameras died down because of the falling debris caused by the fall of the props," His mentor assured him. "For those who have been fired, we can compensate them in other ways. As for Simione….I honestly don't know the extent of the injury. However, she's Don Benedicto's favorite granddaughter, and her future is bright. She excels in other things too aside from ballet. She'll forget ballet soon. Unlike you and Feather, this is the only profession you had ever dreamed of. You and her should be in the ballet industry no matter what"

"Mentor…..this is so evil…."

"You can compensate Simione with other things if you feel bad about her," His mentor was now getting angry that the boy wouldn't stop talking about Simione. "Lyndon, no matter what, you should stay out of this. Think of your mother!"

"Besides, if you speak on it, it's not only Feather who will be ruined," His mentor's pleas now turned into threats. "Do you think only Feather will suffer? You are a smart boy, you should know that if you implicate Feather, the girl will point a finger at me. Since I am your mentor, then you two don't escape everyone's fury!

"But I didn't do this!" Lyndon's mouth dropped at the threats as reality hit him. Indeed if things would come out, his name would surely be dragged into it.

"Prepare to say goodbye to ballet once you speak," His mentor's threat went intense. "Losers and cowards will have no place in it.

His mentor then took Lyndon's jaw and had him look at him. "You choose your fate, boy. Give justice to Simione or give justice to yourself? You choose!"

"Besides, this is the real face of the ballet industry.. You should get used to it if you want to go far," His mentor told him last before he left the boy with his balled and shaking fist as well as his tears of anger that fell from his green eyes, hot and guilt consuming.