Dancing With Wolves (Sophie)

[Elena Cate Strogen]

The music buzzed in the floorboards like a siren's call, though it went unheard by the girl moving to its metronome. It's not until things are silent that you realize how loud you truly are, and Elena missed the little noises that she used to hear when she danced; the slap of her feet against the floor, the little pants of breath when she got worked up. However, even if she could no longer hear the music, she could still feel it, sharp and delicious as it worked its way through her bones. This was the closest she could get to her old state of musical euphoria, and as a second best it wasn't bad.

She moved primally, instinctively, with her eyes shut tight and her shoes shed in the corner so she could feel the vibrations from the speakers with the best accuracy, shaking and shuddering to the thumps of the bass. Her skirt, long and ruffled, swirled about her knees as she moved, twitching with the movement of her hips. Tossing her head back, she sent her hair tumbling out of its sloppy bun and down over her shoulders as she wound down, Elena twirled quickly on nimble feet and came to a halt as the music stopped. She opened her eyes to see the dance instructor noiselessly clapping her hands together to tell them to gather up for the end of class. Elena followed the other students to the side of the room, feeling a sort of exhausted calm settle in her skin. She swiped a towel from her bag and scrubbed it over the back of her neck to wipe up any sweat that may be lingering. She also took a long swig from a bottle of water, her skin hot and flushed from the exercise. She gathered with the teacher without really bothering to read her lips. One thing was for sure; being deaf definitely made tuning people out easier. If she didn't want to listen, she didn't have to, and no one could tell the difference. If they wanted to complain, they should learn to speak in sign language like she had; why should she be the only one to adapt for her disability, the only one inconvenienced? They couldn't exactly act like she was doing something wrong by being deaf.

She pulled her arms back in a languorous stretch, feeling the ache that was bound to barrage her muscles by the morning. Dance was always a good workout. Best of all, it brought her comfort. She was immersed in the music still, even if it went unheard. A little flicker of a pleased smile playing around the corners of her lips, Elena snatched up her bag and sketchbook, and prepared to leave.

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[Sophie Marie Martin]

Sophie had been watching the girl out of the corner of her eye for the entirety of class. Not bad, not bad. The dancing was nice, but the presentation could be better. She was slim, but not to the point where she would pose a threat. That was all good. She was very pretty. Everything about her was refined--- the shape of her face, everything about it reminded Sophie of some elegant royal in Victorian Europe. Oh, yes, she could work with this. She circled like a vulture, light on her toes, observing the girl, unseen.

Deaf. That was something new. Sophie wasn't usually a fan of obvious disabilities. She didn't want to have to talk down to her 'friends'. They had to be able to keep up most of the time. But, she'd seen this girl's eyes. There was intelligence there, and that was a plus, though it might pose some problem if she proved too clever.

No, Sophie could handle that. A girl that gorgeous HAD to be her friend. There was no question of it. The girl had to be at least the second prettiest girl in the school next to Sophie, by her estimation. And, the pretty ones should stick together.

She watched as the girl prepared to leave, moving with grace even when she wasn't dancing. There were of equal height, almost exactly. This would be perfect! They could share clothes and such. Sophie couldn't wait to take that girl shopping. She could obviously use some help there. Sweat pants... really? And that bag? No way. Sophie would fix that. The girl was going to have some decent dancing attire to match that aristocratic face before the end of the week.

Sophie stepped over and stood in the girl's way before she could leave. The girl read lips, she'd seen her, so she didn't speak loudly, but instead enunciated every word. "You're really good." She said, with a predatory smile. "And, you're super pretty. We should be friends. Let's walk together." There wasn't a question. It wasn't an offer. It wasn't up for debate. They were going to walk together.

[Elena Cate Strogen]

Elena was carefully gathering all of her thick hair to rest on just one shoulder, out of absentminded habit, when the other girl stepped in front of her. She was fairly tall, though not in comparison to Elena who stood at just about the same height, and sandy haired, with bright blue eyes. Very pretty, far too thin, and extremely self-possessed. She looked together in a way that Elena hadn't thought possible after an hour of dance class, and while Ela hadn't really noticed her before as she'd been too involved in her own head, she was noticing now.

Elena lifted her head and arched one dark eyebrow in a querying fashion, watching the girl's lips as she spoke. She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she did, still uncomfortable with the sensation of seeing someone speak without hearing it happen, but adept and skilled enough at reading lips by now that she could almost imagine the words that followed. "You're really good. And, you're super pretty. We should be friends. Let's walk together." Her accompanying grin was wolfish, sharp on her angular frame. Elena decided on the spot that she liked it, though the more she looked at the girl, the less healthy she seemed. Beautiful, yes, but her skin was stretched too tight over her bones. Elena gave her an assessing look with a flick of her eyes, and adjusted the strap on her bag cursorily, just for something to do while she considered.

Then again, it hadn't really been a question, had it?

Elena didn't pause for long, but she flicked quickly over every option in her mind, not one to jump straight into a decision without thinking it over for a moment first. Her mind was quick, and her hesitation would only last a few seconds, but her assessment probably showed in her eyes as she flicked through the variables and outcomes.

She could refuse if she so desired. Elena was not easily cowed, not even by this confident girl with flashing eyes and a powerful gaze, this girl that looked like she knew she would never be refused. She probably had perfect hearing too, though not perfect pitch. She knew Elena was deaf, judging by her careful enunciation and direct eye contact (it was frustrating, how many people slurred their words together when they spoke), yet she had approached her anyway in a refreshingly straightforward manner and asked to be friends. The last time Elena had asked for a friend so simply was elementary school. This girl knew what she wanted and had no qualms about putting herself in the spotlight or on the line, an attribute Elena did not often share.

At the very least, it could be interesting.

Elena trapped her lower lip between her teeth, and then released it again, the corners of her mouth curving up into a grin. She extended a slender hand for a handshake, and tried to remember to moderate her voice. She couldn't hear what she sounded like anymore, but she knew her own vocal chords well enough that she knew the reverberations that accompanied softer speech versus those that approached a shouting tone, and she was careful to keep her voice low when she responded. "Sure. I'm Elena." She flicked her eyes over the other girl, and nodded slightly. "You're pretty too."

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[Sophie Marie Martin]

"Sure. I'm Elena." "You're pretty too."

A compliment. That was a perfect start. Sophie knew she'd picked the right girl already. She seemed sharper than she'd even appeared before she'd spoken. Her words were carefully spoken, clearer than the words she heard from many hearing people. Very nice. If Sophie hadn't known that Elena was deaf, she might have been fooled into thinking she could hear. She wondered how the girl had lost her hearing. An illness probably. Maybe an accident, some traumatic head injury. She didn't look very scarred up.

That face couldn't have been in any serious car accidents. She smiled at Elena. "Thank you." She did get that a lot--- not as often as she used to now it was always "you look like a model" but then it was followed by whispers about her weight. Oh, but those whispers were like music to her ears. They might not see it now, but her thinnest was one of her best attributes. Some day they'd know. Maybe when they looked in the mirror and saw all of that fat on their bodies. Then, they'd realize that they were the crazy ones. They were the disgusting ones. "That's a pretty name, Elena." It was a pretty name, aristocratic like the rest of the girl. She was so glad that the girl's name was Elena and not something stupid, made up, or common. "Fitting." She said. "A pretty name for a pretty girl. Some people have it all. Don't we?" She was paying them both a compliment, unashamedly. Why not boast? Humbleness was so overrated. People who were humble generally just pretended to be that way in order to fish for compliments, or even worse, they genuinely had a reason to be humble as they had nothing to boast about.

She glanced back at the mirrors that surrounded the dance room for one last time--- taking in the way they were of the same height--- light haired and dark haired, with contrasting face structures but both gorgeous as goddesses. Oh, yes. She thought. I've found my match.

The locker room was a place of untold horrors for many girls. That was not the case for Sophie. She loved seeing who looked like what under the layers of clothes--- who looked fit in a sweater but out of shape in a sports bra. She could rate them that way, and compare them to each other. Then, she'd compare them to herself and would feel infinitely better about herself. Yes, this was one of her favourite games to play. And, now she had a follower. Maybe, in time, she would tell Elena about the game too. Maybe two could play the rating game. Their lockers were too far apart. She had to leave Elena to go get her things. This bothered her. She'd have to make the girl who had the locker next to Elena switch with her so they could be closer. It shouldn't be hard to do. The girl next to Elena had a low self esteem and would take orders from anyone. Sophie would barely even have to ask. She'd just compliment the girl, and then complain about how far her locker was from the showers and wait for the girl to offer her own locker. It was that easy. She showered quickly and changed into her clothes, then waited by Elena's locker for her new 'friend' to get out of the shower. She persuaded the suggestible girl in the locker next door to Elena's to switch lockers seamlessly. All went according to plan, just the way she liked it.

[Elena Cate Strogen]

Elena bit down on a pleased grin, eyeing the other girl interestedly. She caught the calculating glances this other student had been throwing at Elena and herself. She was not someone who did things based on spontaneity, no matter how out-of-the-blue her invitation may have seemed at first. There was a reason behind her friendliness, and Elena found that she didn't really mind. Manipulative or not, this girl was intriguing, and her attempt at connection (likely based in shallow judgment, judging merely by the words that had been exchanged so far) was daring in a way that Elena found admirable. Anything was better than listless boredom, and something about this girl promised excitement, promised a change, an overhaul.

Having come to a decision, Elena met the girl's sly blue stare with her own contrasting gray eyes, tipping her mouth up in something resembling a smirk. "Thank you." She responded to the second compliment in studiously measured tones, a bit of the perfectionist that Elena had always been shining through as she polished off her voice like a trophy that resided on the top shelf; shiny, but too high up to really be useful. Elena's hearing used to bridge that distance, but now her silver tongue flickered just beyond her reach. However, just because she couldn't hear it or use it to the same extent anymore, that didn't mean it couldn't still serve a simple purpose. She wanted to make a good initial impression on this interesting individual, and while she would lapse into talking with her notebook eventually, she might as well prove that she could say more than a few words with her honey-hued voice first. "I suppose some do have it all." Elena wasn't keen to include herself in that group, but she dealt the other girl an openly approving look. Threw her a bone, as it were. She looked like she could use some form of sustenance.

She trailed the other girl to the locker room, watching her rather than the women in various states of undress around them. Though bisexual, Elena was never all that interested in ogling random individuals, and it was more interesting to see that calculating, icy blue stare flick from person to person, dismissing each and every one. Elena felt validated to be chosen by someone so picky in a way that she hadn't since she had lost her ability to truly sing. The praise that had come with her voice had always been an added bonus, and while she wasn't someone that focused or cared much about her popularity, the approval was a warm glow that had something primal inside her purring contentedly.

She nodded goodbye at her locker and stripped quickly to enter the shower, enjoying the hot stream only long enough to remove the grime accumulated by the class. There was no reason to dawdle when someone was waiting for her for once. She exited with a towel tied tight around her, and quickly redressed, huffing out an amused little sound when she returned to her locker and realized that the other girl had apparently taken possession of the locker next to hers. Interesting. She could have just as easily attempted to have Elena relocate. Elena squeezed an extra stream of water from her hair and then tied it up with practiced fingers, still minding her voice carefully when she spoke again. "Easy to scare off, I suppose?" The tone was light, airy, and somewhat colored with amusement. Though Elena generally tended to be kind, she didn't know the girl that had been moved and it wasn't as if she was being hurt by the change. It was harmless. Elena, now satisfied with the state of the hair that she had slicked into a low, damp ponytail, inclined her head toward her classmate. "You never told me your name, you know." She studied her for a moment, wracking her brain for a name she knew had to be there, somewhere. "Sophie, I believe." She came to the conclusion abruptly, and hoped she was right. This girl -who was most likely named Sophie- did not seem the type to take kindly to the idea of being overlooked. "Something you'd like to do now?"

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[Sophie Marie Martin]

"I suppose some do have it all."

Another compliment? Oh, yes. She'd made a very good choice. Compliments it Sophie like a drug and filled her with liquid bliss. "It's the way of the world." She said, almost coquettishly. Her voice was smooth and feminine, something that could bend people to her will. She could have been a singer if she had any heart. She'd taken piano lessons when she was young. It was almost a requirement when you came from the upwardly mobile nouveau riche class of her mother's tribe. Piano recitals were always hell for Sophie. No matter how she practised she could always find fault in her playing. Everyone had said she was a blossoming child prodigy. Oh, they showered her with compliments, and she ate them right up. But, the compliments only pressured her further. She practised until all hours of the night. She'd been very good. But, then one day there was this other kid. Another little girl with swift, dexterous, musical little fingers. A little girl, Sophie's age, who had heart behind her playing, unlike Sophie who was more of a technical player.

They'd given that little girl a standing ovation. Sophie's incredible performance was as good as forgotten. She quit piano the next day, and so did the other little girl. Though it might have had more to do with that tragic accident, which had rendered the girl's fingers bent and useless. Sophie had been oh so sorry to hear about her little accident. It must have been terrible to have her dreams crushed at such a young age! Six years old, and not a prospect in the world! How tragic! Even with the competition eliminated, Sophie hadn't gone back to playing the piano. She'd tried the harp for a time, and had gotten pretty good at that too. But, she'd never really felt the same about the harp, or the harpsichord, or the clavichord, or the or the flute, or the old Wurlitzer that they'd had installed in her outer bedchamber. Even if she had become the very best at any of those, none of the other instruments would begin to give her the same thrill the piano did. The piano was so clean, so precise. And, she'd been good at it. Good enough to laugh at the competition. She'd always loved a little unhealthy competition.

She'd taken private singing lessons when she was nine because her mother's best friend's children were taking singing lessons, and they couldn't have Sophie deprived of any opportunities. Her voice had been pretty but cold. It made people uncomfortable. She'd never had a chance at being the best at singing though. Her voice was pretty like the icicles on trees, while other children had voices that were pretty like the sun. She'd stopped the lessons as soon as she was allowed, much to her mother's disappointment.

Sophie couldn't be more pleased with her choice for a 'friend'. And from what she could see, her new companion was ever bit as fit without her shirt as she was with it. She managed to take it all in at a glance--- Elena's well toned body. It wasn't all bones like Sophie liked herself to be, but it was definitely beautiful in the traditional sense. It was perfect, because Elena didn't repulse her as most people did, and yet she wasn't going to be any competition. They were two very different kinds of pretty. Elena was pretty like... like an actress. And, Sophie was pretty like a runway model. They were both jaw droppers, but each served a different purpose. Different jobs working for the same cause. The cause of perfection. She looked like she probably worked out, and if she didn't, she was gifted by the cosmos. If she worked out, then Sophie would have a gym buddy! Oh, it was all going so well! She could sing for joy if she was the type to express her emotions openly.

Sophie's eye was so practised from scrutinizing so many bodies in her lifetime that she could take in every curve of a person at a glance. It was like she had photographic memory, really, except it only really worked for bodies. She could memorize bodies, tabulate their pros and cons, calculate the time and effort it would take for improvement, and decide on exactly what colours suited them, what shapes would compliment their bodies. It was so easy with other people. Oddly enough, she seemed blind sided when it came to deciding for herself. She always seemed to see that there was something 'off' about her body. Too bulky here, a bit misshapen there. But, she could never pinpoint exactly what it was that made her imperfect. And, because of that she was never completely certain as to how to fix her problems. That's why weight loss was her go to solution. That's why it always took her so long to get ready to go anywhere these days. She found more and more imperfections it seemed. Her skin was nearly perfect most of the time. She no longer got her period, so she didn't have to worry about getting acne then. She used a ridiculously expensive face cream and cleanser to keep her skin even, and drank a lot of water. Still, malnutrition had robbed her of that 'healthy glow', something that she couldn't replicate, no matter how she tried, with make up or skin treatments.

She'd already memorized all the bodies in the room. Now she was wondering where Elena was. She hoped that she wouldn't take too long. There was shopping to do before the stores in town closed. Quand on parle du loup... And, there she was. Very good.

"Sophie, I believe."

She smiled tightly. "Yes, Sophie Martin." She'd overlook that moment of forgetfulness. The girl seemed worth it.

"Something you'd like to do now?"

"Let's go shopping. On me." Sophie said. "I saw a little lace thing the other day that will compliment your eyes."