Dance for a chance Part 2

"Rumba!" The host in the center of the stage yelled into a microphone. The band paused for a quick moment to take a breath, the tempo then changed to the tempo of a rumba. The dancers gliding across the floor came to a fast stop and separated from each other, and began to dance rumba.

Amongst the crowd of dancer's the host has his eye on one pair of dancers. It was a woman leading a man. The woman was of tall stature, which she accentuated by where high heels. Despite it being five days into marathon, not a single sign of tiredness appeared on her body or face.

The opposite could be said about her dance partner. He appeared short compared to her although he is of normal height for a person of this world. He wore dress shoes that had a heel made of wood. He dressed on in black, a mistake because he didn't think of how bright the lights would be. Underneath the slacks made from fine fabrics were bruised shins, purple and on the verge of turning blue. His shoes and socks wet, not from sweat of dance but from blood caused by the fabric rubbing his skin constantly. He hung upon her, depending on her for support as his legs has given up but still faintly move to the rhythm.

"Malstilla," He whimpered in her ear, "Please be kind to me, I know what you can do, it is unfathomable to my mind. You can do something as simple as give me one million. Please." Tears begin to swell in his eyes. They drip from his eyes to his face, some land on his shirt and on Malstilla's dress. She smiles brightly and holds him tightly, not prevent him from collapsing but rather as to keep him captured.

"Oh poor baby, Adrian" Malstilla said sweetly in his ear. "You said that this was nothing! You have a promise to uphold as well, I know that you're in a tight pinch of money. You will do anything to get it, right?" Malstilla shot a glance at the host and made eye contact. He let out a small wink and smile in return, not as to flirt but rather reciprocate what was given.

He grabbed the microphone and spoke, grabbing the attention of all the dancers who turned their heads but not their feet, "Quickstep! Everyone hold on tightly it is about to be a whirlwind of speed coming your way!" The band again took a deep breathe to prepared themselves. The rhythm of the music changed significantly turning to a 4/4. The band players that used trumpets or wind instruments took quick breaths when they could. Drum players wrists felt strained. The atmosphere has changed, the air got hotter, the dancers felt strained in order to keep in rhythm of the tempo.

When Adrian heard the music change whatever light he saw at the end of tunnel has dimmed down, turning darker than any known abyss he had seen. His body felt heavy, with each note played adding more weight. For a moment he swore he saw the host make eye contact with him and smiling at him. To spite him? To show that he has the power in this situation, no that would be foolish to think so, for the devil holds him in her arms. He turns his attention away from the band players and the host and looked Malstilla, gazing in his eyes.

Her smile that once held warmth looked cold. Her hand that once guided his body so gently felt like vices made of steel, unforgiving and unyielding. Her pearls, so shiny in the lights reflected their luster catching the eyes of many, causing looks of jealousy and envy. Her red lips no longer looked like they were made that way from lipsticks but rather blood. Her eyes that once looked gentle and meek seemed to pierce right through Adrian.

Malstilla grips him tighter and brings him in closer. She shifts his body weight and makes him stand up right. He grits his teeth in pain as he is forced to bear his whole body weight on his blooded and weaken feet. Stepping on hot charcoal doesn't rival what he had felt, for it far out performed such childish feeling.

He follows Malstilla's lead perfectly. A lock step followed by a chasse, all different moves in different combination, never repeating. For every step Adrian takes his shoes made squishing sounds as his shoes are beginning to be full of blood and dead skin. A small trail of blood .Tears swell in his eyes, obscuring his vision, Malstilla being his only guide. His knees buckle but doesn't fall, straining himself to keep his legs straight and moving. He is desperate. Malstilla shoots another look at the host, a devious smile appears on her face.

"Tempo change!" He shouted with much joy in his heart. "Come on boys, speed it up! Speed it up! " The players took a short pause to break, a moment of deafening silence filled the room. Panicked filled the heart of all the dancers, their feet already heavy from fatigue had more weights added.

Yelps of pain could be heard from every other directions, all for different reasons. The Cordero couple cries out in pain as the leader took a step too slow, causing the follower to trip backwards. Two pairs of dancers crashed in each other, knocking each other out of the marathon, each too tired to argue about it. The Montague couple has tears in their eyes, as each of them are keeping different rhythm of the music, causing them to bang their shins against each other and step on the others foot. Many thin trails of blood could be seen wherever a coupled danced.

Wails of pains in all tones and styles filled in the rooms. All of them desperate to win for that prize. Subjecting themselves to this dancing torture, all for the grand prize of two million dollars. Oh, how it would solve all of their problems. A new house? A good looking spouse? A new life? All that and more can be granted if they win. All they have to do is endure the music and wait until there is a change in genre or if the tempo slowed down. A musician playing a wind instrument passes out from exhaustion, falling out of his chair, a stagehand quickly shows up and drags the knocked out off stage. Another musician occupies his seat and picks up where the rest of the band currently is playing.

Malstilla gazes around the dancing hall and smiles. Joy courses through her body and grips her dancing partner tighter. Another hop and a side step, Adrian follows suit with tears in his eyes. The pearls that hung close to her neck felt like they were loosing. She sees them all, man leading woman, woman leading man, woman leading woman, and man leading man. All of the couples toss quick gazes at their partner as they share each others pain. 'THIS IS IT!' She tells herself as she saw leader swing his leg too hard with his dance partner, fracturing it so much the bone pops out. They feeble attempt to stay in the marathon but a stagehand quickly appears and shoos them away "PUSHING FOR PERFECTION. PUSHING TO WIN EVEN IN THE HEAT OF FIREY PAIN!"

She grabs Adrian's hand tightly, breaking his hand in the process. They spin in circles at blazing speed across the hall and back, they do moves that would amaze any panel of judges. Malstilla smiles as the music plays quickly and as dancers fall.

She shoots another look at the host. When the host saw her he turned pale in fear, for he knows what she wants. He grabs the microphone shakenly, his throat feels tight, breathing has turned difficult. He holds the microphone to his lips and takes a deep breath.

Doors swung loudly open, cutting off what the host was about to say. "MOTHER!" A voice filled with rage rang throughout the dancing hall. The music died down quickly.

"You never let me have fun" Malstilla grumbled as she kept on dancing.

"Just because I taught you everything you know," "doesn't mean I taught you everything