Twisted Wonderland Book 5: A Beauitful Tyrant

Chapter 8: Fire Igniting

"See you later, guys," Epel says.

Then he and Vil walk away, leaving Briar and the others behind.

Grim groans as he sits up, "Mraaah... After all that, he still got yoinked away."

"What a downer," Ace replies, "Is there some kinda rule in this school that you can't be housewarden unless you're a tremendous jerk?"

Then Deuce says, "We were unwise to pick that fight. If Housewarden Rosehearts hears about this, it might be off with our heads.

Flashback:

Epel remains silent for a little and says under breath, "But if I'm being honest, I could do without the whole competition."

Flashback Ends:

"The Song & Dance Championship, huh?" Deuce replies.

"Epel and Vil mention it before," Briar says.

"Yeah. And Epel doesn't seem interested," Sereia says.

Then Briar says, "Come on guys, let's get going."

Everyone agrees and decides to take their leave.

As they leave, someone has been watching them from a distance.

Someone says, "Hmmm. Most intriguing..."

The next day, during lunch break, in the gymnasium, Briar, Ace, Deuce, and the others are going to have some practice for the audition. After thinking it over, Briar decides to try out with Ace, Deuce, and Grim for the competition. However, Ace and Grim start complaining, mainly about what Vil has said to them yesterday.

Ace says, "'Your moves are all utterly unchoreographed. It's embarrassing to watch, frankly - and woefully inelegant, to boot.'"

Then Grim says, "'You get a five out of one hundred!'"

Annoyed and frustrated, Grim says, "Oooh, he makes me so mad!I'm gonna wow 'em at the audition with my slick moves and dulcet tones! They'll be all like, 'Please, o Great Grim, you have to represent us!' Just you wait and see."

"Yeah. Totally," Ace says.

"You guys are still mad about what happened yesterday?" Tanzanite asks.

"Sure am. I'm going to show him what I can do at the audition," Ace says.

Then turns to Briar, "Glad to hear that you've decided to audition."

"Well, I thought it wouldn't hurt to at least try out. Besides, this could be fun," Briar says.

"There you go. I'm sure we'll all have a great time. It will be even greater when we pass," Ace says with a grin.

"I don't know about that, but I do hope we have a good time at the audition," Briar says

Then Ace turns to Deuce, "Sooo...Deuce. You changed your mind about auditioning. What gives?"

"I'm not taking all that smack talk lying down! Besides... I'm a little worried about that guy," Deuce says.

"You mean Epel?" Sereia asks.

"Yeah," Deuce answers, "He didn't seem like he was taking part in the SDC because he wanted to."

"Yeah. I got that impression myself," Briar says.

Then Deuce says, "Back when he and I bumped into each other, he was crying. As an honors student, I can't ignore someone being forced to do something against their will.

"Y'know, a real honors student wouldn't refer to themselves as one," Ace replies.

Then says, "Epel's clearly faint of heart. I mean, just look at the guy. Forcing someone like that to compete just seems mean. That's why I say we put on a better performance than Epel's." He then grins, "We can knock him out of the running for the contest ourselves. You said it yourself, right? 'It's not appropriate to audition on a lark when you're not serious about gunning for the top spot.' If he doesn't want the spot, we'll take it for ourselves."

"Sounds good to me! Let's start with some dance practice," Grim happily says.

Briar then turns to the others, "Alright Jasper, cue the music!"

"Got it," Jasper says.

He then starts the music.

Ace then turns to the others, "Okay, let's run through the whole thing once first. You up to this, Grim? I can't imagine you having any dancing experience."

Grim snicker with a grin, "Heh heh. I'll show you what my hind paws can do!"

"I practiced as much as I could, but I wonder if I can pull it off," Deuce says, sounding unsure.

Then asks, "Could you help us stay on the beat by clapping your hands, Prefect?"

"Don't worry Deuce, I'm sure we'll do the best we can. For now, let's get practice and dance the routine," Briar says.

"Alright," Deuce says.

Briar nods her head.

Then Briar claps her hands, "One, two, three, four."

With that, Ace, Deuce, Grim, and Briar begin to dance the routine as they follow the music beat and rhythm. Grim feels confidence about dancing, but well, let's say his footing can use some work. Deuce is still nervous so he struggles a bit. Ace dances well, so does Briar. The others watch how the performance is going.

"Sweet! That was easy," Ace says.

Deuce however, struggles to remember the steps, "Hold your right hand out as you back up, and... Wait, which foot do we use?"

"How 'bout a peace sign right here? Not that my front paws can really do that..." Grim says.

"Dude. This is the easy part, and you're already having this trouble?" Ace questions with a grin.

"Urk..." Deuce says, frustrated.

"You're doing the best we can. We just need to continue practicing.

Deuce nods and says, "Just you watch! I'll get the hang of this in no time!"

"Alright Briar, we're ready," Ace says.

"And one, two, three, four," Briar counts.

With that, the group begins to perform the routine. Ace and Briar are doing good with the routine. Grim is doing a little better, but it's different because he is smaller than the others. Mainly because he's practically dancing his own way. Deuce however, is still struggling to remember the steps.

Frustrated, "Ugh, the footwork for this part is too complicated. I can't remember it at all."

"How'd you and Briar learn to dance like that, Ace?" Grim asks.

"If you beg me, I might be inclined to teach you," Ace says with a smirk remark.

Grim becomes displeased, "Myah! Don't act all high and mighty just 'cause you're a little better than us!"

Deuce sighs, "This is harder than I thought."

"Don't give up, Deuce. I'm sure you'll learn the steps in no time," Briar says.

"I suppose, but I have to be honest, you're a really good dancer," Deuce says.

"Thank you," Briar says.

"Come on guys, we still gotta practice. I wanna dance some more," Grim says.

Determined, Deuce says, "I'll learn to dance WITHOUT your help. Just you watch!"

"Let's continue practicing the step, and we'll take it a little at a time to help you, Deuce," Briar says.

"Thanks," Deuce says.

With that, they begin to perform the dance routine again, only a little slower to help Deuce remember the steps.