R R I - REHABILITATION & REINTEGRATION INITIATIVE

Characters: Jeremy and Kasper
Setting: Kasper’s room, after lunch

( the real story )

Character: Susanna
Setting: The gym, midday

There was essentially nothing that could have pulled Susanna away from the gym now. She'd lapsed just a little in her workouts the past few days, what with everything going on, but no more. Especially now that she had her ballet bar set up. It was just a small detail, not even the most important thing, but it made her feel far more normal than she'd felt since they'd first put those cuffs on her wrists. For the first time since she'd received her gifts for doing that private entry, she was fully dressed as a ballerina: leotard, tights, skirt, shoes.

She had music playing loudly in the gym, truly not caring whether or not anyone came in and disapproved of the volumn or choice in music. She went through exercises that were as ingrained in her as breathing, losing herself in the ritual, the routine of it all. It did a wonderful job of keeping her mind off of the man who seemed to relentlessly linger around the edges of her thoughts.

Reece was not like any man that Susanna had slept with before. He was confusing and frustrating, and she just really didn't want to figure him out. Last night had been a mistake. She really should not have drank with him. She'd said things she shouldn't have. Sure, she hadn't come right out and said anything completely irreparable. She didn't think so, anyway. And this morning, when she'd snagged Reece after seeing that other man leaving him at the park bench, she'd been relieved that he'd seemed more than happy to perform the task of putting the ballet bar together in relative quiet. She hadn't wanted to talk about the night before, and so she was glad that it didn't come up. Not that she'd helped things with that whole touching his hand and saying "Thank you" thing when they were finished. It had felt like more than it should have.

And her thoughts had wandered to him again.

This was ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. She'd do better to just write him off entirely. Whatever thoughts he might have stirred up in her last night were best left alone. And there really was no reason for Reece to occupy her thoughts so thoroughly anyway. She didn't particularly like him; Ryan's personality was far more to her liking, though she could see now that advertising that would likely make things very difficult for her in the long run. The way Ryan had spoke with her yesterday morning and the night before truly had concerned her once she had enough distance from it to evaluate things. He was not in enough control to be trusted. Not in this situation. God, how she wished they were on the outside, that their every move wasn't being watched.

Susanna sighed in frustration, transitioning from the exercise she was doing to some closing stretches. Her mind was just far too busy to focus on dancing now, and she really ought to go shower and change before her meeting with Wu.