The Black Swan | Reposted

Chapter 26 - The Beginning

The weight on my heart was heavy. My hands were sweaty, my head felt fuzzy, I was scrambling internally. I had been home all weekend, waiting and waiting for it to be Monday. I called up Sarah and she met up with me, Niall joining her. They were older so they could drink, I sadly couldn't. I took a few sips of her booze.

"Stop stressing, I'm sure you gave an amazing performance. You've been dancing those pieces since you were ten." Sarah smiled kindly.

"I just need this, I feel like I need this more than anything."

"Breathe, breathe," she said sweetly and slid me a shot. I took it fast and tried to distract myself.

"You guys just need to relax," Niall spoke. "Let it flow, roll with the punches."

I glared. "Say's the most carefree dancer in the world."

"That's because I fell into dancing, it just worked for me." He shrugged, drinking his beer. "I wanted to be an architect."

Sarah laughed. "You couldn't do math if your life depended on it for all those structures."

"Which is why dancing works, I just have to count steps." He laughed. "Dot I'm sure it'll be fine, whatever happens will happen because it's meant to."

We hung out all night together; it did feel odd without Liam. He wasn't exactly ready to hang around me without my being his girlfriend. I knew it would take a bit of adjustment. After killing some time I headed home, sprawling across my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I had no idea if I was going to get the part tomorrow. I didn't know what the odds were, sixty forty, fifty fifty, I had no freaking idea.

When I woke up I was skittish to even go. I didn't want to be rejected, not for this piece, not at all. It felt like my whole family legacy would crash down around me. It would be so embarrassing too, because all the other dancers knew my mothers history. They knew how massive and important this was for me, and I'd be humiliated if I failed. But I dressed, and I came to the studio, hands laced together, heart racing. We all waited, and waited, some girls who wanted it just as badly as I did pacing, the guys looked calmer, I think they hid it better. Harry came in late, hair pulled back in that stupid little pony. A few moments later Vincent and Johnson came in with lists in their hands. Johnson read all the male parts, the smaller ones.

"Finally, Prince Siegfried, Harry Styles do me proud."

Harry only gave a nod, even reacting. He didn't seem excited. I wondered if he was doing back-flips internally, I wonder if he was forcing the corners of his lips down so they wouldn't curve into a smile. Or... was he that cold and empty that it didn't even matter to him? It was the male lead, in one of the most incredible ballets of all time; he had to feel something.... Right?

"Onto the girls," Vincent began reading the names off, name after name. I was trembling, feeling Harry's eyes on me. It was down between Kayla and I, for the role Siegfried's mother, the only role left apart from the lead. "Kayla," my jaw dropped. "Which means... Odette," he spoke in surprise with a smile. "You will be playing Odette and Odile."

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"You have a lot of work to do." I nodded. "Then let's put on a production people!"

I stood frozen as everyone congratulated me. I got it? I got it? I would dance in the costume, the pure white, innocent swan costume, the darkest costume of the Black Swan. I was amazed. I... I was climbing into the role that every woman before me in my family had played? God, suddenly it felt like the whole legacy was on my shoulders, but I felt this strange sense of... honor. I was taking on a role, the very same role that these prima ballerinas stepped into? I knew I had a long way to go to reach such an honor but... wow.

This play had a few acts, and we were quickly reviewing before we began choreographing. Act one began with Harry, Prince Siegfried, celebrating his birthday. His mom busts up his party, worrying about his carefree ways. She will make him pick a bride at the royal ball the next evening, which upsets him. He wants to make his own choice and have the time to fall in love. His friend Benno, played by Niall, tries to cheer him up and says they should hunt since he saw the swans in the distance.

Act two began with Siegfried, and how he is alone lakeside after losing track of Benno, which was fitting since Niall always kind of bops around. He sees a flock of swans and aims his crossbow, but is stunned when one transforms into a beautiful girl, Odette. She is terrified of him, but he doesn't harm her, and he promises not to. She is introduces herself as Swan Queen Odette. She goes on and tells how she and her flock fell to a terrible spell, cast by an owl like sorcerer, Von Rothbart. By day the girls are swans, at night by the enchanted, formed by the tears of Odette's mother, they become human. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before, vows to love Odette, for eternity. Before anything could happen between them, Von Rothbart appears, and Siegfried was going to kill him but Odette stops him, knowing, if Rothbart dies before they reverse the spell, it can never be undone.

As Rothbart vanishes, the maidens fill the clearing. Benno finally appears with his companions, and aim the crossbows at the girls. Siegfried stops them, thankfully, and sends them away. He and Odette are alone with the other swans, and he begins to try to win her trust. They fall in love with one another, but the sun rises and Odette and the others are drawn back to the lake, transforming into swans.

Act three opens at the palace, the royal ball. Siegfried's mother has him dance with six girls, and wants him to choose a bride. He doesn't love any of them, and puts up a fight. But, what he doesn't know is that Rothbart arrived in disguise with his daughter, Odile. He transformed her so she appears identical to Odette, except, she wears all black and exudes sensuality, and countless other dark qualities. Siegfried dances with her, and starts to fall, but Odette appears in a vision and tries to warn him of the deception. He is still unaware, and he proclaims that Odile will be his wife, the Black Swan. After his proclamation, Rothbart shows him a magical vision of Odette, and he understands that he made a mistake, and is ill over it, rushing back to the lake.

The final act shows a heartbroken Odette. The other swan maidens try to comfort her but she is considering death. Siegfried returns and passionately apologizes, and she is able to forgive him and love again. Rothbart appears and demands that he marry Odile, wanting him to keep his word. But this would mean Odette would be a swan forever. They know there is no escape, so they both chose to leap into the lake, and die together. It breaks the spell and the other maidens are free, and Rothbart dies.

It's tragically romantic. It was so beautiful, every beat, every step, every bit. I was amazed. It was such a work of art, and I got... I got to star in it.

"Are you ready to do this?" Harry stared down at me, his eyes cold as ice.

I nodded. "I'm ready."

"Then let's start."