The Heartless Dancer

Prologue

Prologue

Audition

Bryar had always one passion: dancing. Ever since she was a young girl the only thing she wanted to do was dance. Loyal to her dreams she got into loads of great dance schools. According to her, you were only allowed to call yourself a dancer when you had danced at the St. Vitus Academy. It had been a tradition throughout her family for generations and Bryar only thought it was right to carry it on. This wasn't an easy task though because not only was St. Vitus was the best and most famous dance school in the whole world, it was also the most prestigious.

Bryar walked into the building where they were having auditions for the St. Vitus Academy. It was a huge building with great glass walls on each side and powerful beams holding up the roof. The inside was decorated very modernistic which made everything look very simple and sophisticated. She walked in and stated her name and other facts that were necessary. The girls behind the desk was very patient but Bryar could tell by the cups of coffee next to her that it had been a long dan. After she'd filled in all her details, she received a number and sat down. Now she had to wait till her number was called.

The chair was stood by a little table which was surrounded by loads more and even a sofa set. It didn't take long before Bryar started to get bored. To take her mind of her nerves, she drank a cup of tea that she bought from a bar that was close to where she was sat. She noticed that her sister had texted her and sent her a quick reply back. After waiting an hour she decided to warm up and to do her routine a couple times to waste some time. As Bryar stood there warming up her bendy muscles, she had a nagging feeling that she was being watched. Every time she turned around, there was no one there or even remotely paying any attention to her.

She decided that is must just be nerves playing tricks. There were dancers all around her, sharing stories and listening to music. Bryar was surrounded by people warming up and practicing their routines a final time. In the end, Bryar had to wait three hours before it was her turn. She just kept thinking that it would all be worth it in the end.

Finally her name and number were called out. She felt the nerves pulling at her body and the tension in the room was tangible. Her mouth felt dry and it felt as if a zoo was let loose in her stomach. She watched as the contestant who danced before her ran away with tears in her eyes, not knowing if it was for joy or disappointment. Bryar scraped all her courage together and walked onto the stage after receiving a signal.

She walked right up to the front where a microphone stood and introduced herself. There were four judges sitting at the desk in the middle of the sea of red velvet seats. Bryar recognized all of them: two were famous retired dancers, one was a world famous choreographer and the last person was the headmaster of St. Vitus. They looked at her, probably guessing how long she had danced and how good she was while listening to her.

Bryar felt her nerves drain away slowly, after all these years dancing on the stage it only took mere seconds before her nerves disappeared. Those few seconds gave her enough adrenaline to perform her very best. She wiped her warm hands as inconspicuously as possible down the sides of her legs.

"My name is Bryar Kerrington. I'm seventeen years old...." Bryar spoke out loud, trying to get rid of her final nerves. Normally she would already have felt the adrenaline by now but this was the one audition she had spend all her time working up to. It was literally now or never. She would never forget this moment; the dusty smell of the stage, the tang of sweat of hard working dancers, the lights that lit up the stage. As soon as they heard her surname she saw them visibly change their attitude, interested and more alert.

"Are you related to Leslie Kerrington?" they asked her. Bryar had already anticipated this question. She nodded her head and responded politely.

"She is my aunt and she has encouraged me to do this audition." For a couple of seconds unspoken communication passed through the judges and when they were finished they told her that she could start with her routine.

Bryar walked into the middle of the stage and stood ready in her begin pose and nodded her head to the guy who started to play the music she had made the routine to. As soon as the music started, it was as if everything stopped. The only thing Bryar could focus on was the sound of music, the beat of her heart and the way her muscles pulled to create the corret movements. Aunt Les helped her with her routine, telling her that they preferably were looking for dancers who were good in every field of dance. So her routine had a lot of variety and good transitions. Her movements flowed beautifully and she pushed herself to the point of utter grace. She felt her soul become one with the music and she let a glimpse of her emotions into the dance.

The only emotion she was feeling right now was happiness. She felt it deep inside of her and pushed it out through her toes and fingertips. Her smile was glowing, the loose whisps of red hair she hadn't been able to pin back created an aura of warmth around her and her body moved so smoothly. Bryar really wanted to enjoy this dance on the stage because it might be the only one she would get to do, eventhough she strongly hoped it wasn't.

Before she knew it, the music had stopped and her routine was over. Bryar tried to relax but could't get rid of the big smile on her face. They thanked her for coming and they would inform her if she was through to the next audition round. Bryar thanked them for making time for her. When she looked back she saw Mr. VanderBilt, the headmaster of the school, flashing a big grin. Bryar knew what it meant if people in show business gave you that grin, as elation ran through her body. She smiled silently to herself and thought mischievously while walking out of the audition room:

"Guess who's going to the most well-known and best dance school in the world?"

He watched her silently leave the audition room with a beautiful smile on her lips. He was still in complete awe of her routine. It was the most intricate and graceful routine he had ever seen. Everything that the judges would want to see she put in her routine. Not to mention the execution of the dance, utterly flawless. She made her happiness seem like a tangible thing. He knew in a heartbeat that she was the most perfect dancer he had come across in a long time. He caught a glimpse of her emotions and it had set his soul on fire and his eyes never wavered from her delicate body. It was indescribable. He knew he had to know more about this girl.

She got called back for the second round auditions and even for third. She only had to wait for the results of her third audition and then she would officially be a student at St. Vitus. After the third audition the nerves really started to kick in because Bryar knew that there was nothing else she could do. She was going to make it or not.

The letter arrived with the happy news that she had passed. Bryar could hardly contain her emotions as she phoned her sister and all her friends. The letter also included a letter with a list of things she needed for attendance at school. To celebrate her acceptance Bryar, her sister and her parents went out to a chic restaurant to have a lovely dinner together. They spend the whole evening with each other, wishing her all the best for her first school day.

A couple days after the dinner Audra – her sister – had come searching for something in Bryar's room and found the list of things she needed for school. She hauled Bryar out with her to buy all her school stuff. New dance shoes, new dance clothes and whatever else she needed. Later on in the week they also went for some girly clothes shopping while talking about the school. The Summer holiday had finally come to an end. Good bye late nights, sweet sunsets and parties with the girls. Before Bryar realized it, it was her first day at the St. Vitus Academy.