Introduction
*Flashback*
The smell of perfume, and powder fills my nose as I walk backstage of the theater. I made it this far, and there's no stopping me now. I am ready. I hurry to my dressing room once the music from the first act begins. There were three acts and I will be dancing in the last. I step inside the dark room, and sigh as the strong smell of flowers filled my nose. I smile as I reach for the light switch, and as soon as the lights come on, i know the flowers are jasmines. My absolute favorite flowers. I giddily cross the room to the large vase, and grab a white flower softly. I smell the soft aroma of the delicate flower, before gently placing it back in the bundle. I grin before sitting my stuff down on the counter, and taking out my coustume. I sigh and start to close the door before something stops it from shutting. I look down to see a boot in the bottom of the doorway. I slowly pull the door open to reveal a giddy Ivy, my best friend. I shriek and pull her into a hug.
''You're the principal dancer in the workshop! I'm so proud of you, Rory,'' she says into my neck. I smile as a single tear rolls down my cheek. I pull away and rub away the small bead of water, and look at Ivy who was smiling brightly. ''Well, get ready!" she screams and I run to my mirror to begin my makeup, and prepare have for my dance number. Through the whole process, Ivy was reminding me that my family would be proud. If only they were here right now, that would make everything perfect.
''I can't believe this is actually happening to me,'' I whisper softly, and Ivy places a hand on my shoulder. ''I can't believe any of this. I'm at Julliard, and I'm the principal dancer in the last act. I could get in to USPA, Ivy.''
''What's USPA,'' she asks bluntly, and I scoff.
''Ivy,'' I say loudly. ''USPA stands for Universal School of Performing Arts. The best school in the world. If I do well tonight, they could give me a full scholarship there. I won't have to pay for anything, and I'll be in a school with the best dancers in the world. Ivy, I could be famous, I could be the most wanted dancer in the world.'' Ivy's eyes widen and she shrieks.
''OH MY GOD!'' I laugh at her sudden excitement and continue my preparations. After I'm done with my stage makeup, I quickly start on my hair. As I do so, Ivy continues to gush about the possibilities. This could all go well, and me be at the top of the dance world. Or, this could end badly and cause me to embarrass myself greatly. Lets keep our fingers crossed for the positive.
''You look great,'' she says happily.
''Thank you,'' I say sweetly, while disappearing behind a small wall to change into my costume. I study the black and silver beading for a moment, before sliding it over my head, and stepping out to show Ivy. She gasps, and nods her head furiously.
''Perfect,'' she says while standing up, and walking my way. She stops in front of me and pulls out a small box. ''You're secret admirer instructed me to let you have this tonight. It's for good luck.'' I softly take the box and sigh before opening it to reveal a thin, beautiful necklace. There was a small charm on the end. It was a heart., and on the back it read, ''Dance is a conversation between your body and soul.''
''Who did this?" I say softly, and Ivy wiggles her eyebrows. ''Johnny?" she nods her head, and I smile. Johnny is a boy I met at the academy. He's a gorgeous young man, and also from Boston. Did I also mention his accent makes him 100x more attractive? I giggle and place the necklace around my neck, clasping it in the back. It's amazing how one small item can complete anything. I nervously play around with the charm, before warming up. My dance was contemporary, and about a minute in It would change into a jazz. There was an immediate change from the slow beginning to the fast portion of the song. It was also a very lively routine, and It calls for every muscle in my body. I'll admit, It's a pain, but it's amazing. Best I've ever done. There's a knock on my door, and I quickly open it to reveal the stage manager.
