" Nat you're up", Olive said nudging me.
" Let's get this over with", I said putting on my first outfit. Today was the day of my first performance. My class was performing Glee and I was playing a black girl but I was porcelain white. I had long dirty blonde hair and bronze eyes. The only reason I got the part was because of my voice. The teacher loved my singing voice and within seconds cast me as the lead. I only auditioned to do the last thing everyone expected. I couldn't blend in I may as well start standing out. The teacher thought musical meant singing song after song with no storyline. I was just happy I finally had a hobby of sorts. I still thought about them all the time. My family died when I was seven and so had all their twenty guardians. I had had a huge family and they all died in a huge attack by the Strigoi except for me. We'd been the closest family to the crown next to of course the royals themselves. They all died and my brothers were turned Strigoi by choice not me though. I stole two stakes from my guardians and put as many as I could under compulsion to stand still. I was a spirit user so it was easy as pie. I staked most of them but some chased me and I'd been on the run ever since. Maybe those Strigoi were dead now I didn't know. I never went home though I didn't feel safe in that world anymore. I was alone in the world both my brothers I staked and my older sister who was turned was still alive. I was sure after ten years no one even cared if I came back. No one had saved me then and now I had major trust issues. I was seventeen and it was November so it was cold. I was wearing a short black halter dress and black fishnets. I put some pink lipgloss on and got in position for the first song, Fame. It started and I started to singing when my time came and the spotlight hit me when we got to the chorus. I danced with the other dancers keeping in step the whole time. I concentrated in the song and dance moves nothing else mattered. I took on an outgoing, wild personality uncharacteristic for a Moroi especially a royal. Everyone responded to my attitude getting psyched. At the end of the song everyone struck poses and people cheered loud enough to pop a human's earlobes. I walked off stage immediately but the others stuck around to bow. We had our own songs like Firework, Into the Night, If Ever I Could Love, Settlin', Grenade, MMMBop, Closer To the Edge, Coming Home and Hold Your Dream. For Firework I wore a metallic bronze top and black skinny jeans. Into the Night came next and I was dressed in a white native dress with gold designs on it. We danced around a fake bonfire for that one and it was pretty cool. For the song If Ever I Could Love I was wearing a gold turtleneck and flared blue jeans. I danced for the third and the fourth songs but the next one, Settlin' was mine. I was dressed in a long sleeved red tee and a black jean mini skirt. I was happy during that song and during the next song called Grenade. I was dancing with Billy Jonson and he was pretty cool. It was a kind of predatory dance and I was wearing a sparky pink tank top and black short shorts. He pulled me to him and I looked him in the eye then bounced back out of his arms pushing him away. At the end there were fireworks and as the song drifted to the end we all laid on the floor. I changed after that into a white T-shirt and some ripped light wash blue jeans. I sang MMMBop with some of my classmates's help. It was our fun song so by the end all of us were laughing. I managed to keep a straight face through the whole thing and at the end I curtsied then went off stage. Closer to the Edge was next and I wore a tiger print strapless dress with a black leather jacket. At the end of that one all the girls did the splits and the guys did a flip. Hanson helped me up and I went for my second to last costume change. I changed into a white beaded dress like the one in the movie Country Strong. I sung it solo and had my hair curled for the occasion. I loved this attention but most of all I loved the singing and the dancing. I went back to my quieter nature and sang from the soul. At the very end I blew them a kiss then the spotlight went out. I went backstage for my last costume change. I changed into my pale green velvet floor length dress with my favorite silver choker with diamonds encrusted into it. I waited at my opening as the makeup artist wiped all my makeup off. I was going makeup-less for this song. I took a deep breath when it was my turn then stepped out. To say I blew everyone away was an understatement. I lost myself in the music and danced with everyone else making sure not to harm the dress. At the point where the drumming stopped they twirled my skirt off and I was wearing black leggings underneath. I hit the high notes and the low ones and just had tons of fun. I hated fitting in I loved standing out like this. I just wished I could stand out without blowing my cover. At the end I curtsied again and then joined hands as Get Off The Floor played. I bowed with the others but it felt weird. I'd been drilled on how to curtsy from the time I was two until I was seven. I felt awkward disobeying my mother's rule. I went off stage and changed into green khakis and a white tank top. I stuffed my clothes all into my backpack and stuck my headphones in. I headed home keeping out of the shadows. I suddenly saw a girl walking in the shadows obviously Moroi. I thought I was the only one in town that was weird. Suddenly someone grabbed her and I saw three Strigoi taking her into a building. " Nikita", someone yelled. Nikita shit my old best friend was in trouble. I ran over faster than anyone else could. I was used to moving this fast it came in handy when fighting Strigoi. I entered quietly though and saw them gaining on her.
