Twisted Wonderland Book 5: A Beauitful Tyrant

Chapter 9: Dancing Corrections

A little later, after practicing the routine a few times, the group still struggles to get the steps right, mainly Deuce.

Ace is practically laughing at him, "Bwah ha ha! You can't even pull off basic baby steps, Deuce."

"H-hey, whaddaya want from me?! I've never danced in my life!" Deuce says in his defense.

Grim feels like he's in pain, "Myow ow ow... My hands 'n feet are movin' at the same time..."

Sereia, Tanantie, Jasper, and Trinket who are sitting on the bleachers, have been watching them practice.

"I guess dancing is a lot harder than it looks," Tanzanite says.

"You can say that again," Jasper says.

Trinket nods her head.

"At least Ace and Briar are doing well, but Deuce seems really nervous," Sereia says

Briar sighs and says, "I think there might be limits to what we can figure out by ourselves... I think we're going to need some help.

Suddenly, they hear Kalim's voice, "Ooh, are you guys dancing, too? Let us join in!"

The group turns to see Kalim and Jamil, dressed in their P.E. uniforms walking towards them.

Grim yelps in surprise, "Myah! It's Scarabia's most dysfunctional duo."

"I don't appreciate you making up pet names. And we are not dysfunctional," Jamil replies with a slight frown.

Ace calls out, "Hey, Kalim. Hey, Jamil. Lemme guess: you guys are auditioning for the SDC too?"

"Yup! It's a big festival, and there's no better occasion to dance! Jamil and I happen to both be good at that AND singing. Right, Jamil?" Kalim happily says, and turns to Jamil

But Jamil says, "I'd rather not draw that much attention to myself, personally." And sighs.

Then Kalim says, "I saw you guys from behind, and goodness, you've all got two left feet, well, except for Briar! She's really good! Other than that, watching you three, it was like watching an elephant panic and rear back on its hind legs. Aha ha! You can hardly dance, and you'll have do that while simultaneously singing at the audition. Maybe you're in above your heads here.

Deuce flinches at the comment, "Rgh... The fact that you said all of that with complete sincerity makes it even worse."

"And how come Briar is being praised?" Grim asks.

"Well, you have to admit, Briar is doing better than us," Deuce says.

Then Ace says, "Hey, come to think it—Jamil, you taught Floyd some dance moves at Basketball Club practice once. Dancing is kinda your thing, right? Mind sharing some pro strats with us?"

"Great idea! You can't go wrong with Jamil as your coach," Kalim happily says, liking the idea

"He asked me, not you!" Jamil says, caught off guard.

He calms himself and says, "Ahem. Anyway, teaching makes good practice for me, so...sure. For beginners, we should start with isolation. Spread your feet as wide as your shoulders..."

Sometime later, after a few lessons from Jamil.

Jamil advises, "Deuce, ease up your shoulders a bit more. Moving your head and shoulders at the same time will make your whole body look stiff."

Uneasy, and trying to keep the posture, Deuce says, "H-how am I supposed to move my head and shoulders separately?! Just thinking about that would make me fall behind the music."

"You won't get anywhere in dancing by thinking things out. Just follow the rhythm and work on your muscle memory," Jamil says.

Just then, the bell rings, and Jamil says, "Ah, afternoon class is about to start. Time to wrap up our practice session."

"Awww, already? Time sure flies when you're busting moves!" Kalim says, a little disappointed.

Deuce pants in exhaustion, and says, "Jamil! Kalim! Thank you for the training session, sirs!"

"Seriously, Jamil. I can tell you're used to tutoring. In less than an hour, you've gotten Deuce and Grim from zero skills to...some skills," Ace replies.

"Your sense of rhythm is lacking, but you've got solid reflexes. Keep practicing, and you should be able to get the hang of dancing eventually," Jamil says.

"Right! Thanks!" Deuce says

"It's hard to gauge whether Grim has actually improved any, but...he's agile. I suppose. Maybe," Jamil says.

But Grim says with a smile, "This has all been pretty fun, actually. I'll show you all even smoother moves tomorrow!"

"Be careful not to focus too hard on dancing. You can't afford to neglect your singing. You need to strike a proper balance between the two in your rehearsals," Jamil advises.

"True. We've still got a lot of work to do," Deuce says.

"That's true. We still have a lot to learn to get the routine down before the auditions," Briar says.

Then Kalim has an idea, "Hey, guys. What would you say to group practice sessions starting tomorrow? Jamil's a great singer, for the record. You should get him to demonstrate."

Jamil becomes shocked, "Wh—again, you're making commitments on my behalf!"

"What's the harm in that?" Kalim replies, "When it comes to dancing, singing, and parties, the rule of thumb is the more, the merrier!"

Briar and the boys happily say, "Sign us up!"

"Deal! We're in this together now!" Kalim happily says with a big smile on his face

Jamil scoffs, "Hmph. Such a demanding bunch you are... But fine. So be it. Be warned, though—if you think I'll go easy on you, think again."

"Yeah, whatever. We're used to being run ragged by our own housewarden," Ace says.

"Do your worst, sir!" Deuce says, determined.

Then Jamil says, ""Then before we leave, we'd best tidy things up. Go fetch some mops from storage."

"Yes, sir!" The group replies.

With that, Briar and the boys, including Kalim head off to get the mops from the storage room.

"Kalim, you don't have to..." Jamil calls out, but Kalim already left with the group, making Jamil sigh in reply.

Just then, Azul walks into the gym and says, "Ah, excellent. There you are, Jamil."