One Step at a Time

Chapter 1

Sadie POV

"Sadie Jane! Are you up yet?"

I woke up with a burst. One glance at my clock and I knew I was already running late. Jumping out from my covers, I ran to my bathroom to get ready. Crap. Sadie, you left your mascara on last night. I looked like a raccoon. Great. After washing my face and brushing through my hair, I grabbed my dance bag and ran down the stairs.

"Sadie-" My mom yelled again, stopping when I turned the corner to the kitchen. "Sadie Jane, Aedon has been waiting for you for almost ten minutes now." She pointed to the table where my aunt sat. Aedon Vera was a patient person. She had to be since she was my best friend. Since she was born only a day before me, the two of us grew up inseparable. It was like having a twin sister. Aedon twisted her dark brown hair around her finger, an irritated smirk on her face. It matched the one my mom had on her face.

Her and mom looked a lot a like, as much as sisters could. I favored my mom in a lot of ways. Long, dark brown hair cascaded down my back and I had her eyes as well. I was taller than her and Aedon, getting it from my dad. Dad and I shared the same interests and personality. Everyone said I was a true mix of the two of them. I had never been as brave as my mom. Or as ambitious. Soft spoken and observant. That is I would describe myself as. Aedon said it made me more empathetic. Aedon always made me feel better for my timidness. Spinning it in a way that complimented me rather than breaking me down. Aedon Vera was a patient person.

"Grab some toast and lets head out," Aedon demanded, taking my arm and pulling me out of the door. She called over her shoulder, "Bye, Sia."

"Bye, Mom," I smiled with a small wave.

"Bye, babe, I'll see you two tonight."

Aedon continued to drag me until we reached her car. She opened the door, pushing me in to the car and threw my dance bag at me before getting into the driver's seat.

"Ouch," I muttered, setting my bag in the back seat next to hers.

"You are lucky I love you. We are gonna be so late for the dress rehearsal." Aedon hated being late, and yet it seemed that I always found a way to be. Tonight was our dance recital and this morning was the last rehearsal. So like the most important one that we shouldn't be late for.

"I'm sorry," I looked over at her.

"I know you are. Its why I didn't leave your ass stranded." Her laugh filled the car and eased away my guilt that had been building up. Luckily the dance studio was only 7 minutes from my house. Aedon sped into the parking lot and we ran up the stairs to the studio. It was on the second level of an old building, above a bar. Aedon reached for the doorknob when the door swung open, a not so happy lady on the other side.

"Anna, what's up?" Aedon let out a nervous chuckle.

"You two have one minute to get changed before you are late," my other aunt said. She was my dad's youngest sister, Anna Philips. When she graduated college, she started teaching at the dance studio. It was where all three of us had learned to dance, so when our teacher retired, it was a no brainer for Anna to take over. She was only 26, but all the dancers and parents loved her. She made dance fun. And full of life.

"Aunt Anna, have I ever told you that I love you and you are my favorite aunt in the world?" I looked at Anna and gave the best puppy dog eyes I could muster. I know. I was laying the butter on thick.

"As if," she rolled her eyes, moving out of the doorway. A small smile came on to her face as she pushed me towards the dressing room. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Sadie Jane." Anna ruffled my hair before heading back towards the other girls.

Aedon and I got dressed as quickly as we could and stammered out of the dressing room to the bar. Our class began stretches and after a while we began to go through our program. There was three age groups that would preform tonight. Our section of the recital was last since we were the oldest. Three group dances, I was in a trio performance, and Aedon's solo was a part of the finale. After we ran each dance twice, we were given a break before the show started. Time to get ready and head over to the high school. They let us use the auditorium since our studio was too small for a performance space.

"Sadie, can you do my hair?" Aedon asked as we headed into the school building.

"Yeah, do you want the curls or a bun?"

"A bun. It makes the costume changes easier."

"Sadie Jane, Aedon, y'all better quicken your pace," Aunt Anna yelled from the auditorium entrance. Aedon and I giggled, taking each other's hand and running to the dressing room.
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The sound of seats creaking and shoes hitting the concrete floor could be heard from me and Aedon's  spot behind the curtain.

"7 minutes," Aunt Anna said, "places my little ones." She pushed the younger girls to their side of the stage in the right wing. The chaos of backstage surrounded Aedon and I as we continued to sneak glances from behind the curtain.

I spotted my mom in the front row, where she always sat. Even if it meant coming an hour early to save seats. On her right was my Grandpa and Grandma Vera and then my Nana Sadie. My heart sank a little at the empty seat on the left side of my mom. My dad's place.

"Let's go, Sadie," Aedon tugged on my arm, taking me to our spot backstage. It was a little while before our numbers began. Aedon and I watched in amusement as the youngest class of four year olds leaped across the stage. Their performance was a success by the number of meltdowns was limited to two, one of them being backstage.

The next thing I knew it was time for my trio. The group consisted of me, Aedon, and another girl a year younger than us. It was a jazz number, one of my favorites. It could be unpredictable and energizing. The best to perform. There was something about the switch between rhythmic moves to more rubato. In terms of technique, I was not the most proficient dancer, but jazz was different. Although one of the most difficult, excitement always filled my chest when it was time to perform a jazz number. It was like my comfort genre.

The three of us walked to our places, waiting for the music to start. You could hear people shifting in their seats, a few coughs, as we stood in silence. A stole a quick glance at Aedon, who reached over and squeezed my hand. I sent a small nod. The lights came up, shining in my face preventing me from seeing into the audience. Music surrounded us. We began to move in unison. It felt like a fire began to surround us as we moved to the beat. I performed the routine, a large smile on my face. Dancing allowed for me to show my personality, without having to rely on words.  Which could sometimes be hard for me. With every step, every turn, every kick, I'd give a little flaunt, a little smile. It was like playing a character. I could be as confident or as vulnerable as I wanted to, but once the song was over I would be Sadie again.

The trio number ended, seamlessly transitioning to the final performance. The entire studio joined us on stage as the music began and we continued to dance. Aedon had a big solo in the middle of it, where we went off stage. It was contemporary, her best performance and my worst. Not only did your technique have to be perfect, but on top of that your body language had to be exact. Being a part of the music was critical for contemporary, more than any other style.

I watched in adoration from the wing as she began to move on stage. She always made it seem to effortless. Aedon could tell a whole story just by a flick of her wrist. Emotion poured out of her on to the stage, the bridge of the song building her up. As she floated across the stage, I remembered why I loved dance so much. It wasn't completing the perfect pirouette or memorizing a dozen numbers. It was moments like these, where it was more than a dance. It was pure emotion. Whether I was dancing or someone else was, I wanted to be moved. To feel heard. To say what I never could. As cliché as it sounds, dance did that for me.
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THE FIRST CHAPTER IS UP CAN I GET A WOOP WOOP?!?! Ahahaha I'm honestly so excited for this book, and I hope you are as well. I am doing intense research which is why it is taking me so long to do, but hey we completed it and that's what matters. Love you guys. xx

This can be read as a stand alone from my previous book, Picture Perfect, but it would make more sense to have a little background on Aedon and Sadie's family situation haha.