Asher grew up in the cozy neighborhood of Armonk, New York, and never had a thing to worry about. The idea that people wouldn’t have enough food, that they would be scared of losing their home, that they worried about walking from their own car to their front door, was absolutely foreign to him. A nice older woman named Lillian came in twice a week to clean the four bedroom house. Asher went to schools where most of the students looked like him and went to homes similar to his. Perhaps there was diversity regarding ethnicity, but other than the token charity case, Asher had little exposure to people who grew up differently than him.<br/><br/><br/>It was not intentional. Vlad Tarkova was a well-respected attorney with additional income from family investments. He saw that he was providing for his family when he sent his children to private schools, when he paid for dance lessons for his adopted son and his daughter, when he bought a large house in a safe neighborhood. He most certainly thought he was doing the right thing by sending Asher to the best child psychiatrist and psychologist in the area when he began to exhibit signs so reminiscent to his biological father. Vlad thought that as long as he kept a strict, contingent home that Asher would not become spoiled.<br/><br/><br/>Petra was fueled more by guilt. She was never sure what Asher remembered of the first few years of his life. Petra remembered well the monster that she had married. She had shielded Asher frequently from the hell she lived. She wanted better for him. She wanted to make it all up for him.<br/><br/><br/>As with all things, a mixture of biology and environment made Asher who he was.<br/><br/><br/><b>“Please tell me that you are auditioning for Von Rothbart,” </b>Vivi Harrison pleaded Asher as she ran her fingers along Asher’s arm in a playful, flirtatious motion.<br/><br/><br/>Asher had been thinking about the upcoming audition from the moment the company announced the schedule. Swan Lake was his mother’s favorite ballet. Of course he was going to audition for the male lead, the Swan.<br/><br/><br/>Petra never had the chance to become even close to the level of dancer that Asher was. It was through her that Asher inherited his raw talent. She didn’t have parents that would send her to dance lessons. Years of hell with men far worse than the less stifled her creativity. She never graced the stage of any theatre.<br/><br/><br/>Von Rothbart was going to be his.<br/><br/><br/>Rationally, Asher would know that they weren’t going to give the next male lead to the same ballerina who had the last. And there were more men in the company fit for a lead besides Elai and Asher. But as Asher stared at the blonde man across the room, all he could think was that it was him going to take the role he deserved to have.<br/><br/><br/>****<br/><br/><br/>Their rivalry had reached its boiling point the day that Elai slugged him in the changing room. Asher had stumbled, his back hitting one of the lockers. The back of his head exploded with pain and Asher saw black for a single moment. The left side of his face stung and he could taste the blood leaking from his mouth.<br/><br/><br/>Who did Elai think he was messing with? Some delicate rich kid that never got his hands dirty when resolving his conflicts? No. Asher was far more than that. Did Elai honestly think that he was going to walk away from this? Asher never backed down without a fight. It didn’t matter if it was some brat in preschool that stole his crayons or a fully grown man that just punched him. When you saw hostility at every corner, it was hard to keep calm.<br/><br/><br/>Asher straightened himself before marching after Elai. He grabbed him by the back of his leotard and spun him around so Asher could look him in the eyes before he returned the punch.<br/><br/><br/>Asher wasn’t sure how both he and Elai managed to get on the floor. Both men were fighting to be on top as the battle between them raged on. Neither one backed down or tried to retreat. It only ended when Asher managed to get on top of Elai and when he placed both of his hands around Elai’s throat. Nothing ever went through his mind when he was in such blind rages. He could never fully articulate the reasons why he did what he did. To this day, he didn’t know why he decided the perfect solution to this problem was to attempt to choke Elai.<br/><br/><br/>He remembered being pulled off Elai by a principal ballerino. He remembered being yelled at as though he was a petulant child that needed to be scolded. What if a director had seen them? What if they seriously hurt each other? Didn’t they know that such conduct was warrant for an immediate dismissal?<br/><br/><br/>****<br/><br/><br/>Asher needed a cigarette and he needed to get his mind off Elai.<br/><br/><br/><b>“Of course I’m auditioning for the Swan,” </b>Asher answered with a grin as he indulged Vivi with his attention. The girl blushed pleasantly under his advances. She was on her way to being a soloist, but so far she was no different from any other dancer in a group.<br/><br/><br/>The two drifted away from the crowd and made their way to the balcony that overlooked the fair city of New York. He lit his own cigarette and let her use one of his.  They spoke about shallow things and he posed with her for quite a few pictures.<br/><br/><br/>Yet even with the distraction, he couldn’t help but think about the blonde inside. Asher finished his cigarette and flicked it off the balcony.<b>“I’m going to work the room for a bit,” </b>He told Vivi, making note of the disappointed look on her face.<br/><br/><br/>He left her on the balcony and made his way throughout the large room. He picked up another glass of champagne. Was it his fourth? His fifth? One of those numbers. His eyes met Elai’s for the briefest of moments. His heart jumped in his chest, but Elai had looked away before anything could happen.<br/><br/><br/>Frowning, Asher made his way to the group of people Elai was speaking with. He smiled politely at everyone, his eyes lingering for a moment on Karina. She made for the perfect Giselle. She committed to each character she played. Rehearsals with her were magical given the way she transformed into the role she was playing. Such a lithe, strong body made for the perfect dance partner as well. Asher could feel it when he had learned the choreography alongside Elai.<br/><br/><br/>Asher didn’t quite care for the nuances in Elai’s performance of Albrecht. Maybe it was from growing up uneducated in the slums, but in Asher’s eyes, Elai participated in a two dimensional expression of a young man who carelessly ruined Giselle only to redeem himself. Asher spent hours at the studio, perfecting his choreography and making sure that he portrayed the character well. If something were to happen to Elai, he would be prepared.<br/><br/><br/><b>“To think, this time tomorrow, you all will be opening for one of the best ballets ever put together. Congratulations is in store for all of you,”</b>Asher mused with a smile as he took another sip of his champagne.<b> “And in a couple of months, you will be saying the same to me when Swan Lake opens…” </b>His smile hid the jab he was making towards Elai.