Siobhan had always wanted a dog. She wanted a puppy to raise and have at her side until the day it died. It would protect her at all costs and love her forever.
She asked her parents for one only once, and they told her that a dog could maul her to death and that it wasn’t worth the risk. Dogs were unpredictable, they said. She didn’t really believe them, but left the matter alone all the same.
Her mother had loved ballet. She took Siobhan to every performance that happened in the city, and would excitedly inform her daughter that ballerinas were the most incredible people. Her eyes always glowed when she watched dancers fly through the air, and though Siobhan didn’t really understand the appeal, she still found herself impressed by the strength displayed on the stages.
After her mother’s passing, Siobhan continued to attend the ballets. She never could appreciate it in the same way, but she wanted to understand what made her mother love it so much.
A debut performance was set to go on downtown, with new dancers straight from the Academy in the west. Siobhan had nothing better to do, so she bought herself and her nanny two tickets.
It was nothing she hadn’t seen before. The stars were talented, indeed, but they were surrounded by young people who couldn’t have been dancing for more than a year.
Siobhan was bored. She almost fell asleep. Until the dancers cleared out and another act began, and two girls stepped into the spotlight.
Their roles were as two young girls possessed by demons, and Siobhan almost believed they were.
The taller of the two moved in unnatural ways, contorting herself in a macabre dance of evil. The other, meanwhile, did the same—they were in perfect sync. But something about the second girl made the movements seem so much more… alive. Yet not, at the same time.
The princess couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Her hair was dark, skin ashy, and lean muscles accentuated her frame. She was the most beautiful thing Siobhan had ever seen.
And in a single moment that must have lasted for centuries, Siobhan could’ve sworn that their eyes made contact. And she saw something dangerous in the girl. Something nonhuman, almost animalistic.
Siobhan had never wanted anything more than she wanted this girl to be hers. It was the same desire she held for a dog, but much, much more intense. It had progressed past desire—it was need.
She watched the girl dance, enraptured, until the curtains closed and the intermission began. She leapt from her seat, edged past her snoring nanny, and immediately made her way backstage.
It took a few tries, but she eventually ran into the director; the woman who brought the dancers here from the Academy.
“The demon number. What are those girls’ names?” she demanded.
“Arina and Wick,” the woman said, clearly distracted by something over the princess’s shoulder.
“Which one is the shorter one?”
“Uhh…” The woman took a moment to think. “Wick. Why do you ask?” She did a sudden double take, realizing that Siobhan was not a member of the crew.
“I would like to purchase Miss Wick,” stated Siobhan.
The woman gaped at her, before bursting into laughter. “Very funny, little girl. My girls are not for sale. Where are your parents? Do they know you’re back here, making ridiculous requests?”
Siobhan stood taller, frowning. “Madame, I am the future Queen of this land. I am not requesting. I am demanding.”
The woman’s smile faded, and she took in the young girl’s appearance. Her eyes widened. “Ah. Apologies, your Highness.”
“That’s better. Now, how much for Miss Wick?”
“Her tuition has come to fifty-thousand coin. Pay that off, and she’s yours.”
Siobhan smiled, for the first time since before her mother’s death. “Fantastic.”
Her nanny was woken, paperwork was signed, coin was exchanged—and then, they went to fetch Wick.
Siobhan’s heart was thrumming faster than ever. She tapped her foot repeatedly, mind abuzz with nothing but thoughts of the dancer.
The door reopened, and she walked in. Hesitantly, as if she was afraid. She caught sight of Siobhan and immediately dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Your Highness,” she mumbled with a curtsy, the grace of which could rival and angel.
Siobhan leapt forward and took Wick into a fierce hug.
“You’re mine now,” she whispered, “and we’re going to rule the world.”
Wick was frozen, clothes still damp from sweat. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to do.
“Wick,” Siobhan said, as if her name was the most important word in the universe. The princess drew back and their eyes locked.
And then, Wick understood. She didn’t have to say anything; she knew what to do.
This was her purpose. To belong to Siobhan. This is what she was born for.
Her eyes softened, and she let a small smile cross her face.
Siobhan beamed, and took her by the hand.
It felt right. Wick felt complete.
Siobhan no longer wanted a dog.