Rising by Holly Kelly Page A

balcony, which seemed to float above the floor. Her excitement built and she had to check herself to keep from bouncing like a toddler in a candy shop. The upcoming performance was a Chinese orchestra with dance performers. It was supposed to be incredible. Sara loved music. It didn’t matter the style or genre—if it was good, she adored it.
    Xanthus slipped his arm around her shoulders and she practically purred. It just felt so right being here with him. But how would he feel about her deformed legs? It was easy for him to say he’d like her regardless of what her malformed body looked like. He’d never actually seen it. How would he react to seeing it in the flesh?
    Sara could still remember the reactions doctors had had when she went in for an appointment after leaving her mom. She’d gone in search of hope, but found only despair. The doctors couldn’t have looked more shocked if they’d seen a green alien with squirming tentacles. After days of tests and collaboration, they’d told her the only way she could have any semblance of a normal life was to have it surgically removed. They’d told her there were thousands of people living with no legs and she could go on to have a normal life. But as long as she clung to her deformity, she’d be a freak.
    They were crazy, insane. She’d never been back to a doctor since. But, deep in her heart, she wondered if they were right.
    She looked over at Xanthus. What would she do if he rejected her? She didn’t know if she could take it. And when did she start caring so deeply about him? They’d just met. This was their first date. Who knew if there’d be a second? However, the thought of him rejecting her had her terrified.
    “Sara, what’s wrong?” Xanthus whispered in her ear.
    “What? No, nothing’s wrong.”
    “Is it someone in this hall? Why are you afraid?” He glanced around, looking for the cause of her distress.
    This man was too observant. “It’s nothing, really.”
    The lights dimmed and the music swelled. Sara forgot her troubles the moment the music began. Thankfully, Xanthus seemed to relax too. The next hour and a half they were treated to an amazing performance. The music was lively—a beautiful mix of harmonious tunes paired with nimble, energetic dancers. They moved as one with the music, so much so that Sara became convinced that the music and dance couldn’t possibly exist without each other.
    When the last note had been played, the dancers exited the stage. Sara smiled and sighed. “Wow. That was amazing.” She looked at Xanthus.
    The smile on his face didn’t diminish the intensity of his gaze as he looked into her eyes. “Yes, it was.”
    In that moment, she felt as if they were the only two people in the concert hall, and she very much wanted to kiss him. From the look he was giving her, he was thinking the same thing. His hand brushed feathery soft against her cheek.
    A spike of adrenaline sent icy shoots through Sara’s bloodstream. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman stumble on the balcony and sway backward, teetering over the railing high above. Sara turned her head in shock, knowing she was about to see a woman fall to her death.
    Xanthus uttered a low oath and raised his hand toward the poor woman just before she fell. Sara felt a concussion of energy coming from him, almost like an intense banging of a large drum, but with no sound. The woman looked as if she were being shoved from behind, which of course was impossible since there was nothing behind her but open air. Still, she pitched forward into the arms of a man who was reaching for her. They both fell into the crowd of spectators.
    “How did you do that?” Sara’s voice rasped in a low whisper.
    “I did nothing,” Xanthus said, low and hard, suggesting there would be no argument.
    “But I felt…”
    “I did nothing, Sara.”
    S he felt tears burning in her eyes. He’d put on a hard mask and she could tell he was furious. She wasn’t sure if he