The Curious Cast of Coney Island

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Aria stood nervously at the door. Dancing auditions would be starting soon, and she hoped to high heaven that she'd actually get something. She didn't want to bring down the Madame back at the orphanage. She had scraped together enough money to buy her true dancing shoes!

Once they were all let in, she quickly tied up her long hair into a messy bun, knowing it really wasn't all that professional to do so, but she needed to be able to see. Nibbling her lip, she followed the other girls into the platform. Her lips parted, having never seen anything so beautiful... Sure, the light hurt her eyes, but it was still quite beautiful. The blur of the red velvet seats all lined up and stacked together, the grand carvings along the walls of gargoyles and creatures of nightmare.. And a glorious painting upon the ceiling, of stars and suns and moons twisted together like a carnival tent, yet portrayed with such elegance and finery rather than the usual association with elephant droppings and other foul odours. She could get lost in it- just a few moments in the spotlight, even before an empty hall, was like popcorn kernels exploding in her chest. The rush of adrenaline. The pounding of her heart.

"Alright girls! Line up! Auditions start now!"

She sucked in a breath as a woman who had seen her fair share of things walked down the line, shooing girls away that didn't fit her standard. The woman stopped in front of her, checked her cheeks, her hair, lips, and her eyes, before nodding and moving on. Part one, done. She supposed anyways.

"Next! Let's see how well you dance. Shoes on!"

Aria quickly slipped on her dancing shoes, smiling fondly to the familiar yet new sensation. Her old pair had been so worn and used from her relentless self-teaching and stretching. She would dance along tables, through the halls as she did her daily chores in the orphanage. The new pair, beautiful and untouched, were a parting gift from sweet Madam Eliza for her eighteenth birthday. She was free; from her home, from her friends, from the woman who raised her. And now... She had one chance. A once-in-a-lifetime shot. Replacement ensemble dancers for several who had been hastily fired. A quick way into the performing arts world, and the only one she could find.

One by one, the girls followed instruction. Showing off what they could do, what they might have learned. Of course, Aria didn't have any formal training besides what Madame could teach her or track down books for, but nonetheless she kept up with the others in their tests of flexibility, endurance, balance.

"Good... Good. You, you, you, not you, and...you." The instructor, a middle aged woman with her silver hair tight in a bun, pointed to each of her selected dancers from the bunch. Last in line, her finger pointed toward Aria.

Her heart leapt into her throat. It took everything in her to keep composure and avoid letting out the excited shriek that teased the tip of her tongue. Somehow she managed to smile, bow, and quickly move off the stage without breaking face. It wasn't until she was safely in the hallway that she emitted an embarrassingly loud squeal of excitement- and she was entirely unashamed! She'd done it! She could write Madame Eliza and tell her that she had done it! She was really a dancer!

The chorus girls were whisked away down the marble hall, lined with paintings and posters for shows that had passed. She carried her prized shoes, having forgotten to grab her worn out loafers entirely.

"Again." An authoritative voice instructed from the piano. "This time, with diction. Don't let your feet distract you."

It was a private rehearsal. The auditorium was regularly closed while Gustav, the great Christine Daae's son, would rehearse. The composer, and owner, was rarely the one to deal with performers himself. He only worked with musicians, and was not often seen in full view. He was an enigma. Rarely ever seen.