00:00I've been dancing bachata for years. You learn to trust. Buddies. The subtle shift of weight. The rhythm of breath.
00:06The timing. Especially in shadow position. It's when the follower has her back against my chest. My hands guiding her.
00:11Our steps overlapping. It's intimate, but controlled. Or at least, it's supposed to be.
00:15She was new to the studio. Quiet. Focused. Almost too. Still when she wasn't moving, I don't think she ever
00:24told me her name. And I don't remember her introducing herself. The first song started. Slow. With minimal percussion. Our
00:30feet moved in perfect sync. Almost too perfect. I could feel her breathing even. Shallow. Not nervous. Just aware. We
00:38moved as one body through turns, slides, and pauses. When I stopped, she stopped. When I leaned, she left.
00:45No resistance. No hesitation. That's when I noticed the mirror. The huge floor-two ceiling glass on the studio wall.
00:52Our reflection stared back at us. Me. Her. And the shadows beneath our feet. My shadow followed me perfectly. Hers
00:58didn't. It lagged a half-second behind. Then quickly corrected itself. I told myself it was just the lighting. The
01:04angle. Or maybe I was just tired. The music continued, and we stepped back into motion. This time, her shadow
01:09moved first. Just slightly leading instead of following. My hands tightened on her. But she didn't react.
01:14Her body stayed perfectly synced with mine. But the shadow. It was wrong. It twisted. Bent. Awkwardly. Its arms stretched
01:22longer than hers. Its head tilted at an angle she wasn't making. I glanced down. Her feet were exactly where
01:27they should be. I looked back up at the mirror. Her shadow was now dancing alone.
01:31It wasn't by chatter. It wasn't by chatter. It was something erratic. Sharp. Almost violent. I broke the hold and
01:36stepped away. She just stood there.
01:38Airbog told me the music ended. Silence filled the room. Then the chatter and laughter of other couples resetting for
01:43the next song. No one seemed to notice.
01:44I checked the mirror again. Her shadow was gone. Just mine. Standing a little too close to her. I asked
01:50if she was okay. She just nodded. Didn't speak. Didn't even blink.
01:55The instructor called for partners to rotate. She didn't. Move. I stepped back. And someone else took her place. I
02:01watched from the corner as she danced again. With the same precision. The same unsettling calm. But with a different
02:07partner.
02:08I looked in the mirror. Her shadow was back. And it was still wrong. But this time. It was watching
02:12me. Not dancing. Just facing the glass. Facing me.
02:16I left her leave that night. I didn't say goodbye to anyone. At home. I tried to rationalize it. Lighting.
02:22Stress. My imagination running wild.
02:25The next class. She wasn't there. No one remembered her. There was no record of her signing in. No membership
02:30under a new name. The instructor said no new students had joined that week.
02:33I stopped dancing in shadow position. After that months pass it. I almost forgot the whole thing. Until one night.
02:38I was practicing alone in the empty studio. Lights down low.
02:41I was moving through the steps out of habit. When I caught my reflection in the mirror. My shadow followed
02:45me. As it should. And then. Another shadow appeared behind it. His hands were at my waist. A phantom breath.
02:51Where hers used to be. I froze. Completely.
02:54My shadow didn't it leaned bike into arms that weren't there. And started dancing.
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