Anyeong my lovely people💖

It's me again🤸🏽‍♀️

Let's pick up where we left off, yeah?

~~~~~~~
"Stardom's close,
I feel the storms,"
~~~~~~~
- Tec ~ Show Dem Camp
(Shadow of Doubt)

BERYL

"Name, please?" the light-skinned lady at the table in front of me asked crisply.

"Beryl Ogechukwu Okezie," I answered.

She tapped at her keyboard and studied the screen in front of her.

"Ah, there you are," she eventually said. "Your online registration is valid. Now you just need to fill this info sheet for me," she completed, sliding over a piece of paper and a pen.

With shaky hands, I filled in the required information and then handed it back to her.

She glanced over it with her eyes and then scanned it into her computer, all while I watched her intensely.

"Okay," she said, handing me a sticker tag with the number 38 printed boldly on it. "Just stick this on the front of your leotard and go wait in that room with the others in the first set."

She pointed at a white door some distance away from where I stood.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Good luck," she said, smiling briefly at me. "Next!"

I walked towards the door and pushed it open gently.

The room was half-filled with both male and female dancers, some of them looking a lot younger than I expected, most sitting and chatting, others stretching on the floor or at the barre by the wall, and everyone generally in audition mode.

I scanned the room for somewhere to sit. There were empty spaces about, but I didn't want to sit all by myself.

I moved further into the room, clutching my bag with both hands.

"Isn't that Beryl Okezie?"

"No way, she doesn't dance ballet."

"But...that's her face na."

"Can't normal people resemble celebs again?"

I chuckled internally as I listened to the two girls whispering loudly a few feet away from me.

I gave the first girl who had her leg up in a developé a small wave and a smile, making her gasp and nudge the girl by her side.

" I told you!"

I walked past them and made my way over to the other side, where I spotted a girl about my age, dressed rather fashionably in a light purple wrap cardigan and matching leg warmers.

"Hi," I said, sitting down on the free seat beside her.

"Hi," she replied with a snowy white smile and a light accent I couldn't place. "I'm sorry, you seem rather familiar."

"Oh, yeah, I'm a...content creator," I said.

" Oh," she said.

"I'm Beryl, by the way," I continued, extending my hand.

"Odette," she said, shaking my hand lightly.

"Odette? Like in Swan Lake?"

She nodded. "My mother played her when she was Principal Ballerina at the Royal Ballet in London."

Damn.

"Um...wow!"

She gave me a close-lipped smile, then reached down to pick up her bag.

She was dark skinned, but in a radiant way, with pretty, delicate features that reminded me of Deja in a way.

Everything about her was chic and elegant, from her neatly slicked back bun that made me want to check mine again, to the regal way she sat, to all her items which were light purple to match her outfit.

I felt...intimidated?

She brought out a water bottle from her bag and drank from it.

"You're a G.I.F.T.T.S student?" I asked, noticing the embroidered cover on the body of the bottle.

"Yeah," she said, placing her bottle back and picking up a pair of purple headphones, "In SS3."

"Ouu, I'm in SS3 as well," I couldn't help but quip. "Do you know Kehinde and Taiwo Lawani? They're my friends."

"Oh, yes. Kenny and Tai are my classmates. They always talk about their friends from Lagos."

I smiled widely.

Wait till I tell Jimi!

But...wait o...

"Why are you auditioning in Lagos, though?" I asked as she placed the headphones round her neck. "Why didn't you just wait for the one in Abuja next month?"

Odette shrugged and adjusted the sleeves of her cardigan. "I decided to give myself a bit of an advantage. I've danced in Lagos before and let's just say the competition is...." She broke off and gestured round the room with her left room. ".....sub-par."

My brows knitted automatically. "What do you mean by 'sub-par'?"

She looked at me and spoke while she put on her headphones properly; "I mean the dancers I've seen while competing before are not that good. And from the ones I'm seeing here right now, call-backs are sure for me."

I thought she was done, but she went on after pulling her leg warmers up.

"Just look at those girls over there," she whispered, nodding slightly to her right.

I looked and saw the girl who had recognised me and the other girl she'd been with.

"They barely look over 15. Heaven knows what they're doing at a Julliard audition."

"It's probably because they saw potential in themselves or someone saw it in them," I retorted immediately, still frowning. "And they look pretty talented to me."

Odette side-eyed me with a look that was a combination of condescending and pitiful. "To you."

With that she got up and walked towards the barre by the wall.

My mouth hung open slightly in annoyance as I watched her, the feelings of intimidation and slight admiration dissipating into mild disgust.

How dare she spew venom and then proceed to walk away like some kind of innocent angel and start stretching just like that?

God forbid!

But she had the right idea of stretching now, though. The judges could decide to start early if an adequate number of dancers are available.

So, pushing Odette and her bad belleh attitude to the back of my mind, I put on my own headphones and stretched out my muscles as I drowned out the noise around me.

.......

I was seated and putting on my pointe shoes when the door opened.

The way the slightly noisy room quietened let me know that it wasn't another dancer who had walked in and I looked up.

It was the light-skinned lady who had checked me in earlier.

Now she held a clip-board and she had an ear-piece in, which she tapped lightly before speaking.

"Dancers numbered 1 to 40, follow me please," she said.

There was a noisy shuffle as everyone stood up, myself included.

I eyed Odette's sticker tag and saw that she was number 25.

The madam herself spared me no glances, simply staring ahead with a poise and rigidity that almost made her look like a mannequin.

With directions from the clip-board lady, we all lined up according to our numbers and followed behind her.

We passed a few other rooms that I'm sure were also filled with dancers because of the slight noise coming from them.

The clip-board lady led us down the hallway and then pushed open a door to the right, revealing a large dance studio.

There were four barres arranged parallel to each other, but with enough space between them, in the room and a mirror wall at the far end.

Two prim looking ladies and a dapper man dressed in blue stood near the door as we filed in.

"Please arrange yourselves according to your numbers. There should be ten people on each barre," Clip-board lady said.

We did as she asked, positioning ourselves so well it was as if we had practiced it before.

When we were all standing at the barres, the man in blue stepped forward.

"Good morning, dancers," he began with a bright smile. "My name is Stephen Yakubu. The two lovely ladies here with me are Ruth Ogbe and the legendary Debra Davies."

I gasped internally as I remembered where I'd seen one of the ladies from.

She was Debra Davies; the first Nigerian principal dancer at Julliard, over almost 30 years ago.

I'd read about her in an article when I Googled for Nigerians who attended Julliard, one night like that.

Apparently she had been one of the many Black dancers who advocated for racial inclusion in the school, and their work had a massive ripple effect which allowed all different ethnicities and races the freedom they have now.

In other words; Legendary.

I stood straighter and pushed my chin up, suddenly overcome with awe and the urge to impress her.

The other lady was petite and had a kind twinkle in her eyes that made me feel a bit at ease.

"Right now, we're going to put you guys through some barre exercises. We'll be judging based on your form, technical prowess and adherence to instructions," Stephen continued, his voice filling the room. "After this, you will move to the main stage in your groups of ten to perform to choreographed piece you all were sent. There you will judged based on musicality, style and expression."

He paused, staring at us all intensely.

The room was dead silent and I held my breath for a few seconds.

Then, Stephen broke into a smile, even bigger than the one he had before, the action lighting up his features.

"Despite how serious this is, remember to have fun. Dance is a joyful thing. Keep that in mind whenever you feel the pressure get intense."

He turned to Ruth and Debra. "Anything to add, ladies?"

"I think you've said it all, Stephen," Ruth said as Debra nodded.

Stephen clapped his hands together before placing them at his back.

"Positions everyone!" he said and we all conformed, every single person straightening up.

I turned my feet out into first position as I rested my fingers lightly on the wooden barre, locking my knees and squaring my shoulders.

It felt like second nature to me.

As Stephen called out one direction after another, I felt myself get mentally transported back to Star Dance Academy, where I'd done barre exercises every single class since I was 3.

I remembered it all; the early morning warm-ups, rushed outfit changes when my tights mistakenly tore, the woody smell of the barre and the general scent of slight sweat and sparky energy that always filled the studios.

I remembered the friends I made; Kenny, Tai, Bianca, Saleh, Jennie, Lisa, Rose, Ejike and ,of course, Jimi. We had all been grouped together a lot, being the same age.

At first, it was a little daunting dancing alongside others who were my age and also extremely talented, but pretty soon we became a family, and I'm grateful for the time we had together.

I let the nostalgia propel my movements as I went through the motions, blocking out everything else other than Stephen's voice.

"...And down," he eventually said, ending the exercises.

I put my hands down gracefully, maintaining the turned-out placement of my feet.

All was quiet except for a girl who was sniffing in the row beside mine.

I glanced at her briefly and I noticed that the knees of her pale tights were scuffed -she must have fallen.

My eyes caught Odette who was a bit behind the girl.

She had a smug and unsympathetic look on her face that immediately irked me.

Rolling my eyes subtely, I looked forward at Stephen again as he began speaking.

"Impressive, you all," he said, nodding slightly. "You may return to the room you waited in before. We'll call you out for the second part of the auditions in a bit."

As calmly as we could, we all left the barres and made our way out of the studio.

The girl who had been sniffing suddenly rushed through the crowd, rubbing at her eyes and running straight for the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

"Too bad, she seemed a bit promising," Odette's voice came in my ear.

I eyed her and walked ahead of her but she caught up.

"But she had to go and trip in the middle of a grande plié like a 5-year-old beginner," she tutted, her words laced with contempt.

Gritting my teeth now, I walked quicker and pushed the door to the waiting room open, making a beeline for my seat.

"For what it's worth, you actually surprised me," she continued, sitting daintily beside me.

"Huh?"

"You're...good...much better than I thought. You have incredible technique, and your turn-out is almost flawless."

Basically the baller dancer equivalent of; 'You're a freaking gee'

"Thanks," I said, opening my bag and getting my headphones, not really knowing how to accept the compliment.

"The second part is the real deciding factor, anyway. I mean, it's one thing to be good technically, but being able to work a stage is another matter entirely. So we'll be able to see who makes it and who...breaks."

She ended her monologue with a sick little giggle.

God forbid.

"We'll see," I simply said, putting my headphones on and leaning back against the wall.

.......

It was almost an hour and 30 minutes later that we were called out of our waiting room to the backstage of the main theatre.

Clip-board lady instructed us to go out in groups of 10 according to our number tags for the choreography performance.

The first 3 groups had gone up and come down and it was now my groups turn.

I stood behind number 37 in the line we were to go up on stage in, breathing out through my mouth.

My chest started tightening but I kept breathing deeply.

Don't be nervous.

Don't be nervous.

Don't be nervous.

You'll do great.

You'll do great.

You'll do great.

So help me God.

"Okay, Group 4, go on," Clip-board lady told us.

Number 31, a guy in blue, suddenly broke out of the line and ran to the nearest dustbin in which he vomited,his stomach convulsing.

The rest of us paused, glancing at the boy and then Clip-board lady, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

"I said you can go on, Group 4," she repeated.

Someone nudged Number 32 and she started walking forwards.

Soon we were all on stage, positioned in a spaced out way that allowed Stephen, Debra and Ruth -sitting at the first row directly in front of us- to see each and every one of us.

The heat coming from the theatre lights beaming down on us warmed my skin and ignited my bones, a familiar feeling of anxious excitement licking its way through my body.

"Welcome dancers," Debra said, speaking into a little mic. "You may begin."

The song started and I couldn't help the small smile that broke out on my face.

"It sounds like the perfect song for a duet," Jimi had said when I sent it to him the other day.

And he was right, it really was.

The song piano notes and light flute sounds reminded me of a typical Disney Princess and Prince scene.

I imagined myself as the Princess; beautiful, graceful,elegant; all shades of light pastels and floral patterns. I imagined myself dancing across an open field. Jeté-ing over flowers, pirouetting between bushes, twirling with the wind.

I imagined a Prince; tall, handsome and brave, joining me in my dance, but letting me take the lead instead of the other way round.

Together, we danced with nature and moved with the elements, becoming one with them and making them our own.

So the dance went on till the final piano note, on which I landed a perfect pirouette, satisfaction spreading through me like cool water.

For a split second, I didn't care if I made it into Julliard or not, because I was happy with the fact that I literally danced my little butt off.

"Thank you dancers," came Ruth as Debra and Stephen jotted away

We curtsied/bowed accordingly and then left the stage, returning to the back stage area where Group 5 was already lined up waiting.

I rushed past my other group members, saying a quick "Well done!" as I practically ran to the waiting room.

I picked up my bag and went out into the reception area, where I fished my phone out and called my mum.

She picked on the third ring.

"How was it? Did you do okay? Any problems at all? Who were the judges? Anyone I'd know? How did it gooo? Beryl? Honey Bee! Answer me na!"

I laughed as she kept on ranting, only speaking up when she stopped to take a breath.

"You done, Mum?" I asked and she huffed in response, making me laugh again.

"It went great! Much much better than I expected actually," I added.

I heard a sigh of relief over the phone.

"Thank God," she said, her voice softer.

"Yeah."

"Okay, so, do you want the driver to take you home?"

"Nah, I think I'm gonna head to one of the studios and just chill for a bit."

"Alright, Honey Bee. I'm a bit busy right now, but I'll see you later."

"Bye, Mum. Love you."

I hung up and checked the time; 2:57 p.m.

It was Friday, so no after-school extension classes for the others.

I texted Jimi and then called my driver.

.......

"So nice of you to join me, Mr. Akinwande. Please, sit and have a little something."

Jimi rolled his eyes and hobbled over to where I sat, on a huge picnic blanket smack in the middle of the studio we usually hung out in.

It was my favorite one in this branch of The Rhythm Factory, the fitness/dance enterprise my mum owns and runs, and I usually came here to practice or just unwind.

"That's a lot of food, Beryl," Jimi commented as he sat cross-legged before me, placing his crutches by the side.

"Well, I was hungry and I invited you and I guessed you'd be hungry," I said, gesturing at the covered plates of food and snacks on the blanket.

"Lemme guess...it's all vegetarian?"

"You bet!"

He smiled and shook his head, reaching for a cookie.

"So, I'm assuming today went pretty well, no?" he asked after finishing the whole plate of cookies.

"It was amazing, Jim-Jam! The judges were soooo nice and there was this lady with a clip-board too that kept giving us instructions. We first did some barre work and then we had to wait for all the other to do their barre work before we got called up on stage

"And at first I was soooo nervous, but I did that visualising thing we used to do all the time and that helped a lot. In fact, I was so into it that I probably would've continued if the music hadn't stopped."

"You still remember the visualising thing?" he asked, nostalgia softening his gaze.

I lifted a French fry up to my lips and nodded a little as I took a bite.

"What did you imagine?"

"That I was a Disney Princess."

"Of course."

"Did you meet anyone interesting?"

Odette came to mind and I rolled my eyes.

"Well, there was this one girl....total wannabe 'that girl', with the most poisonous attitude ever. Like, sis was a whole rat poison factory."

"The fuck?" Jimi laughed, even though I was dead serious.

"Anyway, you'd never believe who she goes to school with."

An eyebrow of his went up. "Someone we know?"

"More like someones...Kenny and Tai."

"Ahh, so she's a G.I.F.T.T.S student?"

"Yup, and a super boujee one at that," I replied, rolling my eyes for emphasis. "But sha, that's her own business. Today went too well for anybody's bad vibes to ruin my mood."

"There must've been something 'bout today, huh?" Jimi asked rhetorically, aiming for a sandwich.

"Did something good happen to you too?"

"Well not me exactly...my girlfriend...she won first place at a Science quiz today."

I blinked and swallowed down the fry I'd just munched on so I wouldn't choke.

"Your girlfriend?"

It made sense...I've never seen him show interest in any of the girls at school.

A soft smile touched his lips. "Yeah."

I reached for a bottle of water and uncovered it slowly before gulping down its contents.

"What's her name?"

"It's Mary, but I call her Marina 'cause she wants to be a marine biologist," he said, chuckling.

Wahalurrr.

I drank more water.

"How'd you guys meet?"

He took a bite from his sandwich before answering me.

"We were friends in my old school. We were quite close and I kinda had a crush on her already, but what sealed the deal for me was how she took care of me after my accident."

My throat went dry and I gulped even more water, draining the bottle.

I didn't like thinking about Jimi's near fatal express that was indirectly my fault.

If I had known, I never would have come up with that stupid Tiktok challenge.

"She literally stuck to me like chewing gum during that period and was constantly visiting and checking up on me," he continued, eyes lit and his tone filled with admiration. "It wasn't long till we both admitted the obvious and became a thing."

"Wow," I said. "It's giving Wattpad!"

He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Can I see a pic of her?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Sure," he replied, fishing out his phone.

He handed it to me and I found myself staring at a very beautiful, dark-skinned girl with sharp, almond shaped and thick black hair pulled back in a bun.

I swiped right and there was another picture of her with her hair in braids and a bright smile which lit up her features.

I swiped again and saw a selfie of her and Jimi, her hands around his neck and shy smiles on their faces.

This picture in particular was so simple, so natural....it didn't seem planned or orchestrated at all, quite unlike the very few pictures Jerome and I took together that were all about angles, lighting and poses.

"She's gorgeous," I told him, handing his phone back.

"She sure is," he said, looking longingly at his phone screen for a second before putting it back down again.

"You said she won a Science quiz?"

"Oh yeah, she's been away on an academic trip in Abuja for the past month and she's been representing our old school in a bunch of competitions. She won her latest one today."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah, she's pretty much a genius. It blows my mind sometimes."

I smiled at Jimi as my heart twinged within me, suddenly overcome with jealousy for this beautiful girl I'd never met before but who was smart and had a boyfriend who loved her to bits and pieces.

I'm the farthest person from book-smart that I know and romantic love and affection are foreign concepts to me, but, hey, some people got it and some people don't, right?

"She's lucky to have you, " I said, picking up more fries.

"It's more of the other way around, but sha, we thank God," he said. "I'm lucky to have you too, Miss future Julliard student."

I rolled my eyes. "Indeed."

One looks at my pathetic GPA and those preppy Julliard would probably decide I'm not fit to sweep the floors of their hallowed halls.

But, still, it's good to hope.

I heard a popping sound and then a fizz and looked up to see Jimi holding his own bottle of Sprite that had accompanied the things I ordered.

He gestured for me to pick up mine and I did so with an inquisitive and slightly amused look on my face.

"Cheers to more wins and more successful auditions?"

"Cheers," I said, bumping my bottle against his.

"Let's eat quickly; I've been practicing that dance you taught me and I even added some moves of my own that I want to show you."

I smiled, my mood brightening once more.

"Sure thing, Jim-Jam."

Have you ever met someone, seen someone or read about someone and thought: "God, if only I looked like this person!" or "If only I had what they have!" or "If only I could be like them!"?

To be honest, I do it a lot unconsciously, but I've tried to curb it based on the fact that you never really know who a person is or what they might be experiencing.

Like Beryl now, who thought Odette(another one of my upcoming characters😝)was all that and a bag of plantain chips, only to discover that she's not a nice person, and going ahead to compare herself with Mary without even ever meeting her🤧🤧.

Anywayyy...how was the chapter?

I'm not too satisfied, but I think I tried-ish😂💔.

Y'all gisttt meeee😩😩😩.

Have any of you been to an actual, official audition?

I haven't🥲 but it was fun living it out through Beryl😂💖.

Don't forget to vote, leave a comment and share.

And also to take a moment out to pray for all those being affected by floods and other disasters here in Nigeria and all over the world.

The Lord keep us all, in Jesus's name.

See youuu💖💖💖💖.