Flashback
"Smile Norah, remember to, smile!"
"Stand up straight, chin held high, your feet need to be close together and remember to smile."
"Don't cry! Why are you crying!"
"And you expect to become a professional dancer? How when you can't follow simple instructions?"
"Norah! Face! Give me more face and where's the emotion!?"
"I'm trying!" The eight-year-old cried.
"Yeah? Well, you're not trying hard enough!" The dance teacher sighed, already annoyed with the girl, "Maybe, your mother needs to sign you up for acting lessons."
Samantha Wright storms in the class, "Don't you dare talk down to my daughter!" She was more than furious at the woman, "So, this is why I see no joy in Norah's eyes anymore when she comes home from dance?"
The teacher stood frozen, too shocked to speak, guess she wasn't expecting to be confronted by an upset parent during a lesson.
Samantha turns to Norah, "Come on, sweetie. We're going home." She cooed.
"Where will I dance?"
"We'll figure that out later." She says as they walked out the studio not looking back.
End of Flashback
____
"It's fine, I'm okay, things are different." Norah said as she stared at herself in the mirror with tears rolling down her face.
She blinked and put on a bright smile or at least she hopes it bright enough.
"Things are different." She repeats and takes a deep breath.
Nodding, she left the bathroom and enters the dining room.
Samantha smiles at her daughter and sat a plate of pancakes in front of her, "Morning!"
"Morning." The girl says still smiling.
The mother examines her daughter closely.
Something wasn't right.
Norah's smile doesn't reach her eyes.
The sixteen-year-old grabs the bottle of syrup pouring it on the pancakes before taking a bite.
Samantha sits down holding a cup of coffee in her hands.
"Norah, are you okay?"
"Hm? What do you mean?" Norah asks, playing with her food.
"Okay, now, I know something wrong."
"Nothing's wrong, mom," Norah shook her head as she took another bite of her breakfast.
YOU ARE READING
The Stage Is Set
General FictionNorah has been dancing for as long as she can remember, the first time she started dancing was beside her mother on the big stage. She was three years old and Samantha saw potential in her daughter. Norah first took interest in dancing at the age of...
