After this semester, Emi was heading back home to her family. She’d decided. She’d go to school in London and maybe try to get into Juilliard or something. At least at Juilliard, she could be closer to her Uncle Rico and Aunt Ceci in New York. This whole being away from home and being away from the family just wasn’t working out for her. Maybe she was spoiled. Maybe she was too used to being a part of a big family, but the loneliness was threatening to swallow her.
The only thing that kept Emi at school this long was her passion for dance. When she stepped onto the dance floor or onto the stage, nothing else mattered. She wondered if that was a shallow take on life. If she was selfish for feeling this intense amount of emotion and commitment to an artform. Her mother had given up her dreams of being a prima ballerina to bring Emi into the world. Emi wasn’t so sure that she’d give up dance for anything. Not even for kids. In the year she’d been at the Centre Danse du Marais, she hadn’t made many friends. There was only Anne-Laure who was a pain in the butt, but still a pretty nice person nonetheless. Still, Emi didn’t feel obligated to keep in touch with her when she returned to London. Was there something wrong with her that she couldn’t hold on to friends? She hadn’t even held on to any childhood friends. With a sigh, Emi submitted applications to the London Ballet and to Juilliard. Maybe it wouldn’t look good on he resume, but after Christmas, she would be saying Au revoir to Paris and hello to London or New York city.
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With great ambivalence, Emi boarded a plane from London to Paris. She would miss home, as she always did, but honestly she was looking forward to getting back to her craft. Due to her uncle’s death, London had brought about a family reunion of sorts. Of course, it wasn’t a cheerful occasion, but it was nice to see everyone again. All the kids were growing up, and really quickly too. Emi’s cousins - the twins - Eryn and Mya were three years old now. Emi hardly ever got to see them since they lived in South Africa with Emi’s aunt Bella and uncle Nathan.
Then there were the Barthels from New York; the family Emi was closest to. Jesse was three years old now too. Then there was also Rhys. Emi’s 17-year-old adopted uncle. He was in no way connected by blood, but Emi considered him family anyway. The only thing that set him apart from true family, at least when it came to interacting with her, was that he was incredibly flirty towards her. Rhys seemed like one of those ‘bad boys’. A total flirt, a tough guy, but Emi had a feeling that he really was a sweetheart on the inside. She’d invited him to visit her in Paris, but mainly because he was so insistent on visiting. She’d made one thing clear though: he could visit but he would not be staying in her room, and the flirting had to stop. “Goodbye, my Ballerina,” he’d said the last time they met. They’d chatted over some sweet pastries and coffee/tea, and then parted. Perhaps Emi had met a new friend for life. Gods knew that she found it difficult to find and keep friends. Rhys was a bit rough around the edges, but Emi looked forward to him visiting in Paris. Until then, it was time to adjust to student life again. |
Emilia at a glanceNames: Emilia Paris van Loon Archives
April 2017
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