The Callback

by Maddie Ziegler

  “Noooo,” Lily said. “You’re leaving me alone with Riley and Naima. They barely talk to me.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “Actually, I’m kind of regretting doing this. You’ll be fine!”

  Lily looked at me and smiled. “And you’ll be great at the musical. Don’t be nervous!”

  “You’ll be great,” she said. “Don’t be nervous.”

  I didn’t know I looked it, but Lily was right, I thought as I walked up the stairs. I was nervous. Adding one more new thing to my schedule suddenly seemed overwhelming. Now I had to walk into drama club, where I didn’t know anyone. The new girl once again.

  I stood at the door of the auditorium for a second. I didn’t think I knew anyone in here. I took a deep breath and walked in.

  A group of people were all sitting onstage, mostly dangling their legs off the stage. Everyone went silent and looked at me. I remembered that moment where I’d first walked into our first DanceStarz Squad meeting and the Bunheads had looked at me and said nothing. I hated that feeling.

  “Our dancer’s here!” a girl called out.

  “Dancer’s here!” a bunch of people called out.

  One girl hopped off the stage and came up the aisle toward me, carrying a juice box.

  “Harper, right? Hey, I’m Ursula,” she said. “Well, I’m not really Ursula, I’m Zora, but in the show I am, you know? We’re staying in character today. Method acting. If I look mean, that’s why. I’m really not in real life. I know Ursula is a villain, but I’m trying to find her motivation. I mean, she was banished. So maybe she has a right to be upset, you know? Wouldn’t you be mad if you were banished?”

  “Um.” I nodded as she finally took a breath to sip the juice box. “Probably? Sure?”

  “Stop hogging the dancer!” someone yelled. “Bring her over.”

  “ALL RIGHT, WE’RE COMING!” Zora’s voice loudly boomed across the room. I could see why she had gotten the role of Ursula, the dramatic and loud sea witch. Zora waved me to follow her toward the stage, and people started introducing themselves.

  “Hi, I’m Scuttle!” “I’m Aquata!” “I’m Flotsam!” “I’m King Triton!” “Hey, I’m Flounder!” Names were being thrown at me left and right. A bunch of people called out: “I’m chorus!”

  “Does Mrs. Elliott know the dancer is here?” Sebastian asked.

  “Yeah, she said to introduce her around. She’s working with Ariel and Eric on their duet,” Flounder told her. “They’re the stars, so we’re eating lunch until it’s our turn to rehearse.”

  “Yeah, that happens to us in dance with the solos and the duets.” I nodded. I sat down between Flounder and Zora and opened my lunch. I just ate my turkey sandwich in silence, and listened to everyone talking around me about the play. Fortunately, I knew all of the characters, so it actually was easy to follow along. King Triton, Ariel’s powerful father. Scuttle, the cheerful seagull. Flounder, the awkward fish. Flotsam and Jetsam, the slimy eels who were Ursula’s minions. The mermaid princesses with the A names, like Aquata and Arista, including, of course, Ariel.

  The only person I didn’t see yet was Prince Eric. As I kept munching on my sandwich, I saw the door near the side of the stage open.

  The door on the side of the stage opened and a boy walked out, wearing a crown on his head.

  The prince.

  The boy was running his fingers through his spiky blond hair. He was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts. I quickly pretended I didn’t notice him and focused my attention on punching the straw through my lemonade box. Then I took a big sip. Not noticing him at all.

  “Drew!” Flounder yelled out. “Come meet the new dancer, Harper.”

  Drew.

  The prince.

  Eric.

  The romantic, handsome Drew.

  Drew turned to me and let out a big smile. A really nice smile. I nearly choked on my lemonade.

  “Hey,” Drew said to me. “My name is Drew. Welcome to the ocean.”

  “Mmm.” I knew I was smiling awkwardly.

  Then a girl came out onstage.

  “That’s Ariel,” Zora whispered to me. “Her name is legit Ariel. I think her parents knew she was born for this role.”

  Funny enough, beside her name, Ariel also had reddish-blond hair, which was up in a messy topknot, and I assumed that would be covered by a red wig for her role. She had confidently came out onstage, like a leading lady. She didn’t notice me and went right over to sit with Drew onstage. She whispered to him comfortably, and I looked away.

  “PEOPLE!” Mrs. Elliott came out onstage, and everyone stopped talking. “I hope you’ve all met our newest cast member, Harper, who has been kind enough to help us out in our time of great need.”

  Everyone turned to look at me. I waved shyly.

  “Harper is a fabulous dancer,” Mrs. Elliott said. “As you’ll soon see.”

  Ariel started waving her hand.

  “Can we show her one of our scenes?” she asked. “So she can get an idea of what we’re doing? Maybe ‘Part of  Your World’?”

  Everyone agreed with her, including Mrs. Elliott. That was a song Ariel sang, so she’d probably picked it so she could show off to me. I got it. She was the star. I slid off the stage and went to sit in one of the audience seats in the front row to watch it.

  Ariel stood alone onstage while Mrs. Elliott cued the music. And she started to sing, “I want to be where the people are. . . .”

  This was one of my favorite songs in life, and she was a really good singer. She was onstage alone for only a few seconds when she was joined by Flounder, who harmonized nicely with her. Then almost everyone came onstage—the mermaid world’s characters surrounded Ariel, and the human world’s surrounded Drew and sang in a big chorus. They all got in a line and did a simple choreographed jazzy box step while they sang. The dancing was kind of a mess, with everyone bumping into one another. The singing was amazing, though.

  When it was over, I clapped loudly and everyone bowed and high-fived each other.

  “Sorry, sorry, I was off!” Ariel apologized. “I didn’t hit that end note.”

  “Mer-sisters, more arm movement,” Mrs. Elliott called out. “Humans, more emotions! Please, everyone, take a seat.”

  Everyone came down and sat around me. The mer-sisters sat near me grumbling. Ariel came and stopped in front of me.

  “We just learned the dance,” she said, sounding anxious. “We still have two more weeks until the show to rehearse it. Also, I know I didn’t hit that one note.”

  “You’re a great singer,” I told her honestly.

  “Thanks,” she said, smiling. “We’re excited you’re here! I took a workshop at DanceStarz this summer—it’s really intense. You must be really good!”

  “Aw, thanks,” I said.

  “Harper!” Mrs. Elliott called out. “Let’s walk you through the routine you’ll be in.”

  I hopped up onstage. She told us that they’d already rehearsed the dance with the previous dancer, so I was the only one learning it for the first time.

  “It’s a piece with the underwater cast,” Mrs. Elliott. “To the song ‘Under the Sea.’ ”

  “Oh, I love that song!” I said happily.

  And they taught me the dance.

  Sebastian the crab would be singing. Ariel and Flounder would be off standing near stage left, with all of the undersea characters dancing on to the stage, pushing a wheeled platform holding a giant oyster shell.

  Then they’d all stop, duck down, the oyster shell would open . . . and inside would be . . .

  Me!

  “You’re the pearl,” Ariel called out. “Isn’t that cool?”

  “Yeah!” I said. “Really cool!”

  Everyone seemed to be really happy for me. I sneaked a glance at Drew, and he was smiling and watching my reaction too.

  I smiled too. Right back, until I realized he was looking past me toward his other friends. Ugh.

  Then Mrs. Elliott walked me through my dan
ce steps.

  I would start by doing a waking-up-from-a-shell thing with some flowy moves with my arms, then I would do a leg hold. I’d jump down and would weave between the sea creatures, and Ariel and Sebastian. Different characters would do a little dance move with me—Sebastian did a salsa move with his crab hands in the air. The mer-sisters twirled me around. Flounder held his nose and did the swim. Then I did a quick waltz with Sebastian. It was fun and funny.

  After, I would go center stage and do a turn series: five pirouettes and a big high kick, ending in a split.

  Finally, I would go back into the oyster shell and Ariel and Sebastian would finish the song themselves. It wasn’t a crazy-hard dance, but I would have to weave in and out of a lot of people, so timing would be important so we didn’t knock anyone down. But mostly, I had my moments to shine in this number, and it was a fun, upbeat dance.

  When we were done walking through the moves, Ariel called out to Mrs. Elliott.

  “Can Harper show us some of her dancing?” she asked sweetly.

  Everyone was like, Yeah! Show us a dance! They all went to sit in their seats.

  Everyone else in the cast cheered as I went up onstage.

  “Okay,” I said. “Um.”

  I decided to shut up and express myself through dance instead. I took my prep and held my plié for a second, then pulled up, spotting five turns. I nailed my landing and then finished the combination with a big turn sequence across the stage. After my final turn, I struck a pose.

  The cast’s applause echoed throughout the auditorium.

  “Thanks!” I said shyly. I was so into it that when the bell rang and lunch was over it took me a second to remember I was even in school. Everyone jumped up and went to get their stuff to go to their next classes, and some of them waved good-bye to me.

  “Harper!” Mrs. Elliott called me over. “Nice job. Are you comfortable with the dance choreography so far?”

  “Definitely,” I said. “It’s a cool routine. I’ll practice it at home, too.”

  “We’re happy to have you here,” she said.

  “I . . .” I smiled. “I feel really welcome here.”

  “Good. Next practice is Wednesday after school.”

  And with that, my first official school musical rehearsal was over. And it wasn’t as bad as I thought—in fact . . . it was So. Much. Fun.

  CHAPTER

  5

  Under the sea,” I sang under my breath. “Darling, it’s better. . . .”

  The song had stuck in my head, but it was a happy one. I had Studio D to myself, as I waited for Vanessa to arrive for our first private lesson about my lyrical solo. I did a mermaid-like shimmy. I reached up high and watched myself in the long mirrors. I was wearing a blue-green leotard with sequins around the neckline, inspired by my lunchtime rehearsal “under the sea.” I’d been in a good mood the rest of the day, and math and Earth Science had flown by.

  When I felt warmed up, I retraced the steps from the dance number, watching myself in the mirror. When it came to the waltz with Sebastian, a different image popped into my mind. It was me, waltzing with Drew instead. I closed my eyes and danced around. I pictured placing my hand on his shoulder, and him taking my hand in his. We would dance around gracefully and—

  “Ahem.”

  I snapped my eyes open. Megan was standing there grinning.

  “I didn’t hear you come in!” I said.

  “Obviously,” she said. “Sorry to interrupt your romantic dance.”

  “I’m . . . I’m,” I stammered. “I’m rehearsing.”

  “Are you doing a waltz in your solo?” Megan asked. “A solo waltz? That’s so weird.”

  “It’s not for my solo!” I protested. “It’s for—”

  I stopped. I didn’t want to tell Megan about being in the school musical before I told Vanessa. And I didn’t want to give her any more ammunition to use against me as to why she should get the solo instead of me.

  “Hey.” I changed the topic. “Why are you even here? This is supposed to be my private. Didn’t you already have yours?”

  We had picked the times earlier for private lessons to learn our solos. I knew Megan had signed up before me.

  “Yeah,” Megan said. “I did. My dance is awesome. Wait until you see it. Totally a winning solo. The tricks are amazing!”

  Now I knew why Megan was here. She wanted to throw me off. I wasn’t going to fall for it.

  “Good for you,” I said calmly. “Are you here to spy on mine?”

  “What?” Megan was flustered. “No! No, of course not.”

  “Then why are you here in my private, Megan?”

  “I said I wasn’t.” She was annoyed now, because I wasn’t falling for her tactics.

  “Megan, this is Harper’s private session.” Vanessa walked in, startling both of us. “With me. Do you need something?”

  “I just stopped by to . . .” I could see Megan trying to come up with something quickly. “. . . invite Harper to something! A party! No wait, not a party, because no time for parties when we’re rehearsing! I meant for fro-yo! Yes! Sugar Plums! For Squad bonding time after this!”

  “Squad bonding time sounds good,” Vanessa agreed. “Later. Right now, I’d like Harper to be stretching so she can make full use of her private class, just as you did yours.”

  “Of course! Leaving now! Good-bye!” Megan looked flustered, backing out of the room.

  I held in a smile.

  “Harper! Let’s talk about your solo!” Vanessa said. “I chose lyrical for you because I know you’ve had some success in the past with it.”

  I nodded. I had won top junior solo at nationals for my old dance team with a lyrical routine.

  “I want to build on that success,” Vanessa said. “However, I also believe in challenging yourself and enhancing your skills.”

  “Last time I did seven pirouettes in my turn series,” I reminded her. “Maybe this time I can do eight.”

  Vanessa nodded thoughtfully. “While that’s not a bad idea, I have another one. I don’t want you girls to think I’m focusing on your weaknesses and feel self-conscious, but I also know you’ll be a stronger dancer if we address them.”

  “My footwork,” I jumped in. “I know, I had problems with my footwork.”

  Vanessa laughed.

  “That’s true, you did,” she said. “But you worked on that already and had a marvelous improvement. You’ve shown an excellent work ethic and focus. I’m rewarding that with a dance that I honestly believe is a competition winner. It’s challenging—but are you up for the challenge?”

  “Yes!” I said. “Definitely!”

  “I’m giving you a real opportunity to prove yourself with this,” Vanessa said. “I know you have it in you.”

  That was cool! I was really pumped. She was telling me she had faith in me. She’d noticed my work ethic and my focus! I was all in!

  I definitely would not be telling her about my school musical today.

  “As you know, the song is called ‘Taking the Leap.’ Let’s listen to the music,” Vanessa said.

  I sat down on the floor and closed my eyes as the first notes of the song played. I let the music wash over me. A woman began singing about being brave, challenging yourself, doing things that scare you.

  When the song ended, I opened my eyes.

  “I want you to think about what story you want to tell with that song,” Vanessa said. “Take some time and think about it. Let’s walk through the moves.”

  And we did! My favorite part was the turn series. I felt like that showed off my best skills.

  After we walked through the steps, I turned to Vanessa. I would start in the center of the room, doing a floating turn into some floor work.

  “I really like this routine,” I told her. “The opening and how I go high and low throughout.”

  “Good start,” Vanessa said.

  “Thank you! I’ll go find some studio space now!” I said, already planning on how to practice
the turn on my turn board. I got my bag and texted my mom to see if I could stay for Sugar Plums. When I went out, I ran into Lily in the hallway. Her solo private was next.

  “How was it?” Lily asked.

  “Mostly good,” I said. “Hey, I hope yours goes great!”

  “Thanks,” Lily said. “Hey, did Megan ask if you can meet at Sugar Plums after this?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Do you know what that’s about?”

  “Team bonding,” she said. We both looked at each other skeptically. I got a text and checked it to see my mom had said that I could stay later.

  “I’m going to practice my new dance,” I said. “Meet me after?”

  I went to the front desk to see where there was an open studio. Studio E was a small room with mirrors and a barre. There were a couple younger girls in the corner practicing a duet. I said hi to them and found my own corner.

  Five, six, seven, eight.

  I worked on the steps for the next twenty minutes, watching myself carefully in the mirror. I forgot some of the moves, but I’d only just learned them, so that was okay. Some of the steps I remembered I knew I could do better. I needed to practice my transitioning from that float turn to the floor. I needed to nail my pirouettes and the actual floor work. I’d have to practice a lot more. A lot.

  Finally, Lily came in to get me.

  “How’d it go?” I asked her.

  “Whew,” Lily said. “Vanessa threw a lot at me all at once. That was a little scary.”

  “Yeah, same,” I said. I grabbed my duffel bag and pulled on a T-shirt dress over my leotard. I slid on my flip-flops and headed out of the studio.

  “Speaking of ‘a lot.’ I’m a little scared of Megan’s idea of team bonding, though. Why does she want to ‘bond’ all of a sudden conveniently after we get our solo dances?”

  I was obviously suspicious of Megan’s motives too. Especially after she showed up at my private.

  “You know you can trust me,” I said. “If you need help or anything, let me know. But I’m thinking I’m going to keep my solo routine a secret from the Bunheads, at least for now.”