The Grand Mistress

When the girl and Hawk reached the wheel, no one was around aside from a few horses that were tied on the corner. Hawk expected that whoever was the girl's date, he should be there already waiting for her. For who would make a pretty girl wait?

"Your date seemed to be late," Hawk murmured. ​​

"Well I'm pretty early for our agreed time," She reasoned. She didn't even correct Hawks words when he practically emphasized the word date and Hawk's annoyance only surged up. So it was really a date?

"Don't you have any place to go to?" The girl asked him and Hawk thought perhaps the girl was already bothered by his presence. However he really can't leave her alone especially when he doesn't know yet what kind of person she will be meeting then.

"None really," He answered in a low voice. He felt like the girl was already shooing him away although her face doesn't seem to be bothered by him. She was still all smiles and was very polite with all her words toward him.

The girl did not anymore ask Hawk more questions to the boy's relief. They stood beside the wheel for a few minutes without doing anything until the girl, probably out of boredom, climbed on the basin of the wheel that surrounded it.

"Careful or you might fall!" Hawk shouted in an instant yet the girl ignored him. She spread her two hands in the air like she was flying and balanced herself as her foot walked into the small platform of the basin.

"Watch me," She told him and proceeded to close her eyes. She then started to dance slowly at first until she found a rhythm to sing and followed it.

Hawk was caught off guard upon seeing her dance. He didn't expect he would see such a beautiful scene then. The girl with her very light feet, turned, swayed and jumped like a swan full of grace. She hummed something in the air while her eyes were close and such music ran to Hawk's ears sweetly.

Hawk as a young Monsanto, had seen quite so many professional performances while he was in the capital. But none of those performances he had seen can match the beauty of the dance the girl gave him. It was so perfect in his eyes and the feeling that comes upon seeing her dance was like Hawk travelled to a dreamlike place where there was nothing but all pure bliss. He can't take her eyes off her and even though he was aware that his jaw dropped at the sudden performance the girl gave him, he couldn't just help it.

It was a good five minutes of bliss and then she stopped humming. Her feet also stopped, opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"How was it?" She asked him immediately with eyes that imitates the color of honey. Her straight natural and voluminous chestnut colored hair was everywhere and she just pushed it back head uncaringly. Some sweats sparkled at her head which she didn't mind to wipe.

"Was it good?" she asked again even before Hawk could answer her first question.

"..." Hawk still awestruck wasn't able to give his answer.

"Was it bad?" The girl's face contorted into something that told him she was worried that the boy didn't like her dance at all.

"No no no," Hawk shook his head and waved his two hands in front of him, "It was really really beautiful,"

"Really?" Her small little face brightened up.

"Really! Swear to my bones, it was really beautiful," He confirmed with thorough adoration.

"Do you think I can get in then?" She asked him as if she knew what he was talking about where in fact Hawk had no idea what it was.

"Get into what?" Hawk asked.

"Oh I'm sorry," It was only then that she realized she hadn't told him yet. "I applied in a ballet school, my teacher in the dance class helped me,"

"You are a dancer?" Hawk's eyes went big with the revelation. No wonder she danced so ever gracefully, he thought. When Hawk first saw the girl at the basket court, she looked so tomboy no one would ever thought she was a dancer in town.

"Um yes," She confirmed. "My papa enrolled me with the dance school at the far end of the village. I kind of liked it since then and had been training real hard,"

"You mean you didn't like dancing at first?" Hawk didn't know why he asked that but somewhere in between her lines he got an idea she only liked dancing when she tried it but it's not really her natural preference.

"Yep," She confirmed, glad the boy brought up. Truth was she kind of regretted showing off her skills to him including the fact that she was a dancer to him. She had just met the boy a few days ago and they weren't really close in the first place to make her open to him. Besides, none of the boys they played with knew about her dancing and she didn't intend them to know as dancing for her was somehow so girl-like, something the boys won't probably prefer. However, there was something in this boy she liked about, perhaps his ignorance to many things.

"My grandmother is actually a dancer. She used to own the ballet school where my papa enrolled me," She added and somehow her face lost some warmth upon her words.

"I see. So your grandmother stopped teaching in that school?" Hawk asked and regretted the words as soon as it came out in his mouth because the girl became more sad upon hearing it. He wanted to change his question then or withdraw it but he was disturb by the sound of approaching horse.

"Hiyyyyya!" Someone yelled and the horses neigh and stomped all over the place. Hawk himself was shocked but despite it, he was able to grab the girl immediately and ran to one corner away from the approaching horse. He was afraid it might run through them.

"Papa!" The girl shouted when she realized who the horse rider was.