Page 68 of A Shade of Myself
“The mother in large part. Also, it’s easier to teach dancers like Giselle. She was identified right away as the one to throw effort behind and Rory just sort of slipped through the cracks. I’d like to say that if I’d been more than a junior instructor back then that I’d have stepped up and steered Rory down a different path but…” She shrugged. “There’s always politics.”
“That’s really sad,” I said. If Rory’s abilities had been nurtured, would we be at this point today with a missing sibling and a potential demon illusion? “Did the girls ever get to dance together? I didn’t see any trophies with both their names on them.”
“No. Rory generally trained at the level below Giselle.”
“But the girls got along?”
“As far as I remember.” She excused herself to answer the phone.
I tucked the application form into my purse and, thanking her, headed directly back to the ballet company. Wondering if there was a good way to break the news to Giselle that she had a younger sister, I called her on the subway ride back to Manhattan, asking if she had a few minutes to speak in person.
She agreed, arranging to meet at a sushi restaurant across the street from the ballet company because she’d finished for the day and was starving.
I did a cursory search on the train ride back. A few different Rory Muellers popped up online, but they were either men or the wrong age. None were a potential match.
I slumped against the seat, the train car rattling over the tracks. Was the illusion I’d experienced a warning, as Tatiana believed, or someone trying to alert me to the truth? I easily came up with pros and cons for both scenarios.
By the time I joined Giselle at the sushi place, there were several small, delicately crafted plates on her table, but she’d polished off the food.
I ordered a green tea and some vegetable gyoza, and sat back, considering my client. “Do you know anyone called Rory?”
The piece of fish Giselle had just picked up slid off her chopsticks and onto her plate. She frowned, needing a couple of attempts to successfully grasp hold of it, then shook her head. “Should I?”
Both Giselle and her best friend were certain that Giselle was an only child. I’d broken the illusion of Sadie’s death in no time, so why hadn’t Giselle remembered Rory yet? Had they been estranged before this happened?
The server brought my food and, thanking her, I poured sauce over the steamed dumplings and drank some tea to buy me time while I sorted through my thoughts, but there was no easy way to break it to her. “She’s your sister.”
Giselle started coughing, hurriedly reaching for her water glass and gulping down half the contents. “That’s impossible.”
I pulled up some photos that I’d taken of the dance trophies and showed them to her. “I confirmed it with someone at your old dance school. Rory Mueller is your younger sister.”
Giselle covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “But why can’t I remember her? Who would do such a thing to me?”
“I don’t know.” I swallowed a dumpling and while it was light and delicious, it sat in my stomach like a stone. Giselle would have mentioned if someone claiming to be a sister who she had no memory of had contacted her, so where was Rory? Was her silence by choice or something more nefarious? I lay my chopsticks down on the plate.
Giselle had said she felt like her life switched tracks a month ago. Was that when this Rory incident happened or was that simply when Giselle’s subconscious had started pushing her to remember Rory and she’d forgotten about her sister for longer than that?
“Danika didn’t know you had any siblings either,” I said. “Have you been friends the entire time you’ve been with the company?”
“Does that mean I forgot Rory for three years? That can’t be right.” The young woman’s eyes filled with tears, and I bowed my head hoping she hadn’t made the connection to the next logical conclusion. “I don’t believe I’m the kind of person who wouldn’t talk to her own sister for three years. So why haven’t I heard from her? Where is she?” She was twisting her napkin so hard that her fingers had gone white.
I grasped at the only straw I had. “You should speak with your parents. If they remember her, she might be perfectly fine, but someone is keeping the two of you apart.”
“I can’t,” she said softly. “I had an eating disorder for years. It’s not unusual in my world but my mom didn’t exactly discourage it. It takes grit to make it as a dancer and she pushed me to be the best but…” She shrugged, her eyes downcast. “I had to separate myself from her when I went pro.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand, and she gave me a grateful smile. “What about your dad?”
“He always went along with whatever Mom wanted.”
“What if I spoke with them? I could say I was doing a PR piece and wanted some background info. That way I could find out if they remember Rory.”
“Would you?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you, Miriam.” Giselle touched her “G” necklace, tugging the pendant along the chain until her hand rested over her heart. “I can’t believe I have a sister. This is the best news ever. Maybe even more than getting into the company.” She laughed. “For sure as good as. You’ll reunite us, right?”
“I promise.” In my head, I heard Tatiana groan, but Giselle’s eyes sparkled, and she looked at me with such hope. What else could I say? I was furious at whomever was behind this and I’d do anything I could. Giselle wouldn’t have to live with unanswered questions like I had. She might be heartbroken now, but I’d find her sister, no matter what. Besides, even if all I found was Rory’s grave, then technically, I’d still be reuniting them.
I snorted. And my boss said I wasn’t cynical.
