Most Magical Place On Earth

Chapter One

How would you feel is someone was always there watching? Someone always had something to say? Pretty terrible, right? Like your whole life has been transformed into some kind of book that people will fall in love with because it has "meaning" and the main character was a "normal girl." Or maybe a movie that will set box office records because it was "so relatable." But it's not so relatable. I'm not a normal girl. If you ask me, I think I'm pretty extraordinary, and I'm not afraid to say it. Everyone is pretty extraordinary. Everyone is different. Even though we're all different, how do so many of us end up living exactly the same? Go to school, go to college, get an ordinary job, get married in our twenties, have babies in our late twenties, and live the rest of our life like that. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to have to tell my grand kids that I was boring. I may have to tell them that I didn't always make great choices, and I wasn't always the nicest, but telling them that I didn't make the most of the life I was blessed with may be the worst thing I'd have to say.

***

"I have news. I have big news. I have exciting news. I have news that you're all gonna love. I have news, in case you didn't realize." Meredith, our teacher and choreographer, declares as she throws open the door. "Girls, stop stretching and come sit in the middle."

All ten of us look between each other before sitting down in a circle. Kendall and Emily both scooch in opposite directions to make room for Meredith to sit down.

"We qualified for a competition."

"Not to be rude, but so what?" Andy asks. "We qualify for competitions all the time."

"But this one is in Disney World."

"You're absolutely kidding." I decide. She hands the envelope to me and instructs me to open it. I open it slowly and pull the letter out.

"Just read it!" Kendall half yells.

"Dear Ms. Meredith Smith, on behalf of the annual Disney World dance competition, we would like to welcome you and your dancers to join us this year. Each of your ten girls will need a permission slip faxed over to us, and you will need at least two chaperons, not including yourself. Everything except your airfare will be covered by us, including hotel rooms, meals, and transportation. There will be two girls per room, and each chaperon will have their own room, all at Disney's Contemporary Resort. You're welcome to stay for up to two and a half weeks, March 13th through April 2nd. Please get the permission slips faxed over as soon as possible, and we will send you your song selection for the first competition day. Thank you, The Disney World Staff." I read.

"So this is serious?" Andy asks.

"Yes, so get these signed, bring them back next rehearsal, and we'll get to go to Disney!"

"Sounds like a scam to me." Jamie mentions.

"I will literally call them tonight once I get home if you all get these signed. This is huge. We never have gone to competitions where we stayed for more than two days. Imagine all the people that will be watching, imagine all the teams we'll be up against. If we win this, people are going to know who we are. Is that not the coolest thing?" She gets us up and dancing a bit, but since we don't have our song yet for the next competition, she focuses on technique more.

The alarm on her phone goes off, meaning that class is officially over, and I can finally go home. I don't know how I'm going to ask mom. She and dad got married at Disney, they loved Disney, and so did Nathaniel, Cleo, and I. When they got a divorce, everything that had to do with Disney just stopped. Our annual trips, our Disney movie marathons, mom even choked up a bit when she heard the name. How on earth am I going to break this to her?