Nameless by Erin McCole Cupp

Author:Erin McCole Cupp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cyberpunk, jane eyre, science fiction, romance, Jane Eyre retold, classics retold, bronte sisters, charlotte bronte
Publisher: Erin McCole Cupp
Published: 2016-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The next night was spent by everyone, including Kirti and me, once again in the studio, once again lounging rather than working. I was tired and perhaps a bit cross, but La Blanca seemed to be the one who needed to chill.

The girls had been teaching Kirti some complicated dance that involved countless steps and an obscure algorithm for interacting with other dancers. From my usual hidden nook, to my untrained, PLED-shielded eyes, Kirti seemed to be catching on pretty quickly. La Blanca, however, did not agree. She was sitting on the couch she'd shared with Thorne on that first night, but Thorne was across the room. He was listening with uncharacteristic interest as Fiasco told the gory details of how he slaughtered Prettyboy's character in some actie last night.

La Blanca interrupted, storming into the dancers in the middle of the room, calling Kirti a clumsy little monster. Every inch of La Blanca's exposed skin—which made up for a great deal of the surface area between the gem-set toenails on her bare feet all the way up to her center-parted, straightened black hair—had been painted a glaring shade of bronze. Her eyebrows had been painted with diamond chips. Reflective cosmetics had been applied to the tops of her cheekbones, making her aqua eyes look like gaudily-set jewels.

The other girls stepped back to make way for the golden, leggy diva, who was barely dressed in blood red hot pants and a black mesh halter top. Kirti, however, held her ground.

“Why are you still here?” La Blanca demanded. “I said you're doing it wrong!”

Pause for translation. Then, Kirti replied with admirable composure. “I am trying to learn, Miss.”

La Blanca's gilded smile twisted into a mocking grimace. “I'll teach you, bastardita!”

She shoved Kirti into a blandly surprised guest. Kirti gained her feet once again, hair flying in a thousand directions, her jaw set in fury. I watched her tiny fists clench as she took a fighting stance.

“Hey, uh, Blanca, babe,” Thorne interrupted, leaving his barstool. His voice was cheerily mocking, as if he were speaking to a child. “It's nearly half nine. You haven't even finished your third martini. How can you leave it all by its lonesome self at this early hour?”

Just then, for the first time while among this audience, Thorne and I let our eyes meet. He looked as grave as I felt. He was deliberately redirecting La Blanca's anger towards himself, giving me a chance to get Kirti out of the room. Furious, I vowed to speak with Thorne about his girlfriend's behavior at the next opportunity.

Kirti was now looking to me, her face etched with silent outrage. I made a small beckoning gesture. As she put her shaking hand in mine, I led her back towards our own respective bedrooms. Again I praised Kirti for holding her temper.

“I wanted to hit her back,” Kirti said, pouting, clearly struggling. “I really wanted to, but violence is never the best option, right, teacher-ji?”

“That's right, nickhee.”

As reward for her good

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