There is only one dance I can remember the moves to.

The Hokey-Pokey.

I memorised it when I was eight, because Devin loved it, though he would probably bludgeon me to death if I so much as mentioned it now.

The fact that the instructions are in the actual song probably helped a lot...

So yea, with the one exception of the Hokey Pokey,

I. Can. Not. Dance.

I'm a fighter damn it. All I know how to do is brawl, I don't have the attention span to memorise a formal dance style, and freestyle just makes me feel like I'm jerking around aimlessly like a damn jellyfish.

Also, I'm just plain obnoxious when it comes to rhythm.

And....and...

And even if I didn't have a million excuses to avoid dancing in all shapes and form, there was no reason why I should have to sit on someone's shoulder as they ballroom dance with their fiancée. The fiancée they had just deeply betrayed, fought against and gotten expelled from school.

It's just wrong people.

"Here I was, under the impression that we were trying to fight our way through extreme peril, overcoming all odds to defeat the forces of evil." I hissed furiously in Apollo's ear, clutching his collar as he spun sickeningly across the dance floor. "Since when did we have time for you to play Prince Charming with your girlfriend?"

And of course, the damn copycat was perfect at it, dancing with the same grace and skill I had seen him fight with. Which was great for him, but from the perspective of a miniature person sitting on his shoulder, it was like sitting on a show ride.

"She is not my girlfriend!" He shot back so indignantly I nearly laughed. I was sure that behind the mask, Apollo was turning crimson with mortification, and this was coming from the boy who had suggested I strip naked that one time he tried to drown me in icy water.

"Then why the hell are we dancing with her!?" I yelped as Apollo performed another tight twirl.

"She dragged me into it!"

"Escape damn you! It's not like she's the sea beast of the deep! Dump her and run for it!"

"In case you didn't notice Maddison, You're free to get off whenever you like."

"So what, you're only an insensitive asshole when it comes to me then?!"

"For the love of... The last thing I need right now is you bitching in my ear."

"Excuse me...?!

"Apollo."

That single, quiet word silenced our bickering and brought us back to the fact that we were technically dancing with another person.

That person being Robin Linquesta.

Strangely enough, I had hardly recognised the air-headed girl when she had suddenly halted Apollo as he tried to cross unnoticed around the dance floor.

The crimson, black waisted dress she wore looked stunning against Robin's warm skin tone, the gown unfurling from the waist to twirl just below the knee. Her brown curls were pinned elegantly up with black beads and rubies shaped like red flowers. She wore a sort of choker necklace thing that matched her hair ornaments, the only thing providing some sort of cover to her bared neck and shoulders.

Even now, Robin's honey-coloured eyes watched us seriously from behind a black mask, shaped to resemble a bird, with the pattern of feathers carved delicately into its ebony surface and a long feather, falling like a red ribbon from one side.

Black cat and red robin, dancing. Plus one very uncomfortable passengers.

I felt Apollo tense uncomfortably as he was forced to really focus on the petite girl in his arms. With the stress of the situation and me freaking out on his shoulder to distract him, Apollo had been able to dance smoothly, almost absentmindedly.

Now his movements slowed, became hesitant.

"Robin...." He answered awkwardly, obviously wanting to say more, but it was sort of hard to have a real conversation with the monosyllablis wonder.

"Pale." She murmured softly, her eyes narrowing accusingly at Apollo's completion. The boy squirmed under the scrutiny, obviously embarrassed.

What the heck happened to my sarcastic genius sidekick?

To be honest, Robin was probably the person I knew least of all on the hill. I liked her, and she sort of reminded me of Monica, but we didn't have all that much in common.

She went to classes regularly and was a bit of a loner, preferring to sit quietly and sketch in her free time. We had our moments, where I would try to sit with her as she drew, but I always got distracted and would end up running off. Not that Robin seemed to mind. She was oddly gentle for someone who could kick my ass in five seconds flat.

"He's always pale," I muttered petulantly, completely uncomfortable with being here.

I regretted the words almost instantly, as it caused Robin to set her intense gaze upon me.

If it had been anyone else, I probably would have gotten defensive at the attention. With Robin, it was like being caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. A rocket-powered bulldozer or something.

"You've changed." She murmured to me, her voice soft with sadness.

"What do you mean...?" I asked, instantly wary of what she might say.

"You're smaller."

I blinked. Hard.

"....Robin, I'm only saying this because I care...You. Need. Help...Serious help. Like a doctor, a psychiatrist, anyone. You just need someone to screw your head straight."

"No." She whispered, and I nearly argued before she smiled sadly at me.

"Your presence. You used to fill the room, Maddison. So open and brash, impossible not to see. It drew people to you." She explained, and the sheer amount of words coming out of her mouth had my jaw dropping.

"And now, you have become small."

And it was simple. Blunt.

And near devastating.

Swallowing tightly, I turned my face away from the soft gaze that saw things far too clearly.

"Maybe it's just that we're in a bigger room now," I muttered sourly. Apollo was listening so hard that I could practically feel it on my skin.

"I was worried." She confessed, focusing her gaze on the both of us.

"You shined too brightly, attracting others with your energy, but heedlessly blinding everyone around you, including yourself. But now, I'm sure." She pulled back gently, breaking Apollo lose hold on her. "You will become a much softer, more approachable light." She smiled warmly.

"I have more faith in you. Now that I know, you're not trying to light up the room alone anymore."

With that, Robin left us, leaving Apollo to continue the dance with a new partner. Wordlessly, Apollo backed out from the dance floor, and the two of us hid in the shadow of the wall, trying to recover what brain cells hadn't been fried.

"That bitch....." I whispered into the stunned silence.

"Hey!" Apollo snarled, breaking out of his daze to send me an utterly pissed off look."How dare you talk about my fiancée like that?"

"Not Robin, you idiot!" I hissed back at him in outrage. "Karma!"

"Karma?" He questioned flatly as he began to weave his way around the dance floor.

Yea. Cause I've been planning my ultimate revenge on you for ages, just to have it turn out that Karma got here first!"

I sighed dramatically.

"I guess it will help me sleep at night, though. Knowing that you are destined to marry the scariest woman in the universe."

"Oh, haha. I'd say that's debatable. So long as you manage to graduate from being a munchkin anyway."

Smirking at Apollo's disgusted grimace, I did my best not to dwell on what Robin had said.

Not because it made me feel like an oblivious idiot... Well, not just because.

What really unnerved me was how relieved I felt.

If Robin was trying to encourage me... Surely there must be some hope left for me.