The two of them left the house. “I’m sorry about how I acted earlier,” Holly apologised. “I was in a really bad mood. I shouldn’t have said those things.”
“It’s OK,” said Chloe awkwardly. “I just thought you might want to be friends.”
“I do!” The words came out before Holly had a chance to think. “If … if you still want to of course.” She gave Chloe a hopeful look.
Just then, a gust of wind blew through the branches on a nearby tree. A cloud of leaves fluttered down, catching in their hair. Their eyes met and they both giggled suddenly.
Chloe face relaxed into a grin. “Come on, my house is this way!” She twirled round happily in the leaves. Holly laughed and joined in.
The two girls spun down the street together, the golden leaves decorating their hair.
This lively move means ‘step of the cat’ because it’s light and quick – just like a cat.
1. Lift your right leg to the side, pointing your toe and bending your knee. Place your pointed toe just above your left knee.
2. Hold your right arm out in front of you and your left arm out to the side at shoulder-level. Then bend your left knee and jump lightly into the air.
3. As you jump, swap legs so that your left knee bends as your right leg straightens.
4. Land gently on your right leg with your left leg coming down afterwards and in front. Repeat steps.
Holly Wilde stood with her class, waiting to go on stage, as beautiful music filled the theatre. Her teacher, Madame Za-Za, had choreographed a forest ballet for their Christmas production and this dress rehearsal was the first time the girls had danced properly in their costumes. “Oh, I hope we don’t get anything wrong,” whispered Chloe, Holly’s friend.
The other girls nodded anxiously.
“I’m so nervous!” said Alice.
“Me too,” agreed Lily.
Holly tucked a loose strand of brown hair back into her bun and moved a few steps away. She didn’t feel nervous. After all, they were only dancing the part of the corps de ballet.
The corps were supposed to dance together with no one standing out or being different. A small sigh escaped Holly. She would have loved to have got a main part, but she had only been at Madame Za-Za’s for six months and all the bigger roles had gone to the older girls.
She looked around at her classmates – like her, they were all wearing long white dresses to dance the parts of sylphs – fairy-like creatures with wings who led people astray. But, unlike her, the other girls were whispering nervously together. It made her feel very different.
But things are different for you, Holly reminded herself.
Her mum and dad were both professional ballet dancers and whilst that was exciting, it didn’t make for the easiest of lives. Holly had spent most of her early years travelling around with either one or the other of them. Six months ago, they had decided that she needed to put down roots in one place, so she’d been living with her aunt and uncle ever since. She was getting used to it and now, at least, she’d made a friend in Chloe. Her first proper friend. Well, in this world, she thought.
An image of a dancing white cat flashed into Holly’s mind and she smiled. For she had a secret – a pair of magic red ballet shoes that whisked her away to the land of Enchantia, where the characters from all the different ballets lived. Holly couldn’t wait to go back, but so far the shoes hadn’t sparkled with magic since her first visit.
Still, there was plenty of time for that, she told herself and snapping out of her reverie, she practised a plié, finishing by rising up on her toes, her free arm moving out gracefully to the side.
Chloe came over. “How are you feeling?”
Holly looked at her in surprise. “Fine.”
“Really?” Chloe whispered. “You’re not nervous?”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about, is there?” Holly said, as she heard a change in the music. “Come on, it’s almost time to go on. We’d better join the others!”
They hurried over to get ready.
When they danced on to the stage, the lights were so bright, Holly couldn’t see anything in the darkness of the auditorium, but she knew Madame Za-Za would be out there, watching them. Holly did just as the others were doing, moving forward with tiny running steps, sweeping her arms down, and then up and turning round, before continuing onwards again.
But gradually the music took hold and the urge to dance as well as she possibly could started to build inside her. She tried to ignore it at first, but it grew fiercer and stronger. When the others stood on their toes, their arms in the air, Holly held her position for a moment longer, and as they moved into a circle and stood on one leg, she lifted hers higher than anyone else’s. She wanted to be different. She didn’t want to be just the same. She wanted to dance her very best!
At the end of the dance, the girls all ran offstage in their line. Holly stopped in the wings and took a deep, happy breath. She felt wonderful!
She vaguely noticed a few of the other dancers giving her cross looks as they headed off to the changing rooms, but she didn’t really take them in until Chloe came over to her. “Holly! How could you?” she said.
“What?”
