When the sea waves

The dancer

If anything were to come out of dance lessons, it would be her. Long pale hair and icy white skin. A cold glare that made Russian winters fill warm. Yes, this was the best dancer in town. Natalia.

Of course this all started when she was barely a few years old. Thrown on stage with a group of toddlers and a few adults, all dressed like pixies. Some kids bawled their eyes out. Others got distracted by the audience. And little Natalia clung to her big sisters hand, doing as she was told.

Years later she was in high school, planning on auditioning for the dance team. She held her head high, though her nerves told her to run. She entered the dimly lit room and sat against the mirrors with the others. Attracting stares, she tried to ignore them. Her presence always gave others a bad feeling.

One by one, everyone was called onto the stage. She was called somewhere in the middle. When they called her name, she almost flinched. She would be risking a lot on this audition.

Walking onto the stage, she saw the judges. A brunette with a confident smile, a man with unusually intense violet eyes, and her short haired sister who looked somewhat worried.

The music started, and Natalia began with a twirl. The judges were obviously impressed. Her skills were close to that of a professional, and it showed. Even the most basic of turns and jumps were that of a princess. Everything was perfect.

The floor boards creaked at her heavy landings. Despite being pulled back, her hair still managed to fly into her face. All spotlights were on her. She felt sweat begin to drip down the back of her neck. A faint scent of powder and makeup swirled through the air.

She caught a glimpse of the judges watching. They were in awe. Like they weren't expecting something like this. Even her sister looked entertained. Everything was going smoothly.

Her final move was coming up. After months of practice, she would finally make it. Turn. Turn. Turn. 2. 3. 4. Turn. 6. 7. 8. Jump. Jump. 4. 5. Leap. Turn. 8. 1. 2. 3-

Crack.....

She failed. She laid there, tears streaming down her face. From the pain of her leg or the pain of losing, she did not know. But she failed. Everyone who supported, her family, her sister. They would all know her for her failure. And she despised it.

Hours later Natalia was sent home with a few broken bones in her leg. She faced the window of the car, wondering what went wrong. She traced her finger along the glass, following the rain drops that raced down the window in a dreary dance of their own.

"So... what are you going to do now?" Anri, her older sister, said.

"Probably just go bury myself in a hole," Natalia said sarcastically.

She turned and saw her sister's alarmed expression, reassuring her that it was a joke.

"There are other things, you know? Clubs, theater and music, dating...."

"I'm not going to date anyone! Besides, it's weird." Natalia tried to hide behind her hair.

"C'mon! You'll find the one!" Her sister encouraged.

"Yeah, right."

"Tolys really likes you."

"He's annoying! And clingy!"

"And there's that boy from Estonia-"

"Stop."

They rode in silence the rest of the way home.

———————-

Notes:
- Natalia is Belarus
- she took intense ballet lessons as she grew, making her far more skilled than many others auditioning.
- many people are uneasy around her due to her eyes being cold and emotionless. She isn't very social because of this.
- a lot of this was taken from memories of when I was younger and used to dance. I distinctly remember the smell of powder, makeup, and hairspray.
- the flinching will come into play later.
- she was taught by retired professionals.
- for anyone who hasn't danced before: it can be very tiring. I've seen people push through the worst things to put on a performance that looked amazing. Every so often you get that one performance that was done to perfection by someone with a sprained ankle (sometimes worse). I don't recommend it but it's still amazing.
- the counting and movements are things many teachers will do to help us learn. The one thing I didn't include were all the 'duh duuuuh duuuh's and weird names for moves.
- I'm pretty sure everyone has done that thing where you follow raindrops on the window with your finger.
- Washington is very rainy when it's winter.
- Sarcasm would suit Natalia at this age.
- Anri is Ukraine
- Tolys is Lithuania
- awkward silences are suited just as well as awkward conversations.
- "he's annoying! And clingy ." Refers to Lithuania's love and obsession for Belarus throughout the series.