"Ha-ha, I'm kidding." Adeline laughed, clearly amused. "It won't stab anyone unless I give it an order. ...Stab!"
The wristwatch suddenly snapped a needle-like pin outward for Brian to see.
"This pin is used to catch insects that get into the mansion. That's why everything stays so spotless around here. Put it away!"
At her command, the needle retracted back into the watch.
Adeline then walked over and sat down on her bed.
"Can I ask you a stupid question, Brian?" she said. "If there was something from your past you wanted to erase, how would you free yourself from it?"
It might have been the last question she could think of, because it was the problem that had been weighing on her mind all along.
"The fact that I know who I am helps me let memories drift away like a river," Brian replied. "Maybe it's about convincing yourself that the past can't kill you anymore... Hmm, let me think."
He paced around the room. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet, their rhythm strangely matching the beat of Adeline's heart.
"You've got to believe that the future still has better things waiting for you. Just think of it this way—even a small step forward can change your future for the better." He paused. "But... why are you asking?"
Brian leaned against the bedroom doorway.
"Thanks. Just a silly question from me."
Adeline smiled, her face filled with renewed determination.
Brian turned his gaze toward the window bathed in golden-orange sunlight. The light spilled across Adeline's back.
Suddenly, a phone rang from inside his pocket.
Brian answered the call.
"Hey, Dan. Mm-hm. Okay, okay. Give me a minute."
He hung up.
"Looks like I have to go. My friend's car broke down, so I need to pick him up."
"I had a lot of fun talking with you. Take care of yourself, Bryce."
She waved goodbye.
Brian nodded and smiled as he walked out. "See you."
Thump. The door shut behind him.
Adeline sat staring at the family photograph. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her arms absentmindedly. After a while, a distant voice began to echo in her ears.
Louder.
And louder.
And LOUDER.
"Adeline! Adeline!" A man's voice was calling her name.
"D-Daddy?..." Adeline murmured in a daze when she heard it.
"Adeline! How's the front door even open?"
But in reality, it was Brian's voice coming from downstairs.
Adeline's eyes snapped open.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Bryce? Sorry, sorry! I'll be right down! Hahaha!"
She hurried downstairs. After finally seeing Brian off properly, she returned to her bedroom.
Curling up on the bed with a pillow hugged to her knees, she picked up her tablet and started watching movies to pass the time.
She laughed and cried in turns, like a log drifting along a river's current.
Eventually, her eyes wandered back to the family photograph resting on the vanity.
"We have to be ready... We have to do this."
Adeline steeled herself and summoned her imagination once more.
"Your smile is our hope. Don't worry." Her sister's voice echoed inside her mind.
"And yet you still dare show your face to me again?" came the familiar voice of her grandmother. "I thought you'd run off backstage to cry just like before, dear."
Adeline's shadow swelled across the room, plunging the bedroom into darkness and transforming everything back into the backdrop of a theater stage.
"This time I won't lose again," Adeline declared, her voice firmer than before. "I won't fall in front of you anymore."
"Wheeze-hee-hee... Ah-hah-hah... Ha..." Her grandmother laughed. "You say that every time. You've never managed to make me proud. Your mother did nothing but coddle you, indulging you until you drifted away from your gift. You're nothing more than a pitiful swan. Your sister spent all her time chasing after that noble French man. To me, you were the last hope—and then you ruined everything that day. You brought shame upon our bloodline. Those people were laughing at us inside, even while they applauded. Shame!"
Her grandmother's shadow stepped forward to face Adeline once more.
Adeline stomped her foot. "No matter how harshly you scold me, I've never forgotten that day! I've learned everything you taught me... Even if I can't show you in person, I—" She fought back her tears and forced herself to stay strong.
"You ran away from us. Yet, you brought it all upon yourself," her grandmother replied. "Still, it's a shame... that I won't be here to watch my little girl anymore. Isn't that right?" Her tone softened. After all, everything before her existed only within her granddaughter's imagination. "I don't want you to forgive the cruel things I said to you. I only wanted you to spread your wings. That's all. Do you understand now?" Her grandmother spoke firmly.
"This time I'll show you. Even if you've never truly been standing in front of me, I'll show you. I promise. The art of our family won't end here." Adeline reached out and placed her hand against her grandmother's palm.
"In your eyes," her grandmother said quietly, "hope and confidence... the thing that makes your River Swan stand apart from all the others. Where did it come from?"
"I learned from you. I've always learned from you, and I always will. If I can't do it myself, then who will? Encouragement is only something that helps before stepping onto the stage. If I never believed in myself, what good would any do?" She nodded with unwavering conviction.
Her answer left her grandmother silent. "Then show them."
Her grandmother placed a hand on her shoulder. "Show them all."
With a sweep of her dark hand, the red curtains parted.
Beyond them sat countless spectators waiting to watch their ballet performance.
"I still remember the smile you wore at the Queen's birthday celebration," her grandmother said. "You must show that same smile to the hundreds of people watching this time. That smile will draw everything toward you."