Then they would all set off again. It was such fun! They swapped partners and after dancing with Lila, Delphie found herself dancing with the prince and then Princess Aurelia and then Sugar. Her head spun. It had been an amazing adventure!
Just as the dance started coming to an end, she felt her feet tingling. She knew what that meant. “I’m about to go home!” she gasped. “Bye, Princess Aurelia! Bye, Lilac and Sugar! Bye, Prince Florimund!”
“Bye, Delphie!” they called and the next moment Delphie was spinning away in a whirl of colours. She spun faster and faster until she landed on a hard floor. She blinked her eyes open and found herself outside the ballet studio, looking in at Rosa practising her pas de chats.
Delphie took a deep breath. She felt like she had been away ages, but in real life no time had passed. She looked at Rosa and at the same moment Rosa glanced at the door and saw her watching. The new girl looked quickly away, her cheeks flushing.
Delphie hesitated. Her adventure had taught her that people weren’t always as they seemed. Even King Rat had helped her out when she’d been in trouble. Maybe Poppy and Lola are right and she’s just shy, thought Delphie. That can sometimes make people say the wrong thing. But…
Everyone deserves a chance, Delphie…
She heard Madame Za-Za’s voice in her head and making up her mind, Delphie opened the ballet studio door and went inside.
Rosa looked round and blushed.
“Hi,” said Delphie. “I was wondering… ”
“Delphie, I’m really sorry about yesterday in the changing room.” The words stammered out of Rosa before Delphie could say any more. The new girl twisted her hands round in front of her, looking at the floor. “I should have said sorry straight away but I was too embarrassed. I… I didn’t mean to sound like you couldn’t do petit jetés. It just came out wrong.”
Delphie was taken aback. “That’s OK. I… ”
“I only said it because I was going to offer to help you with them,” interrupted Rosa. “But you got cross and then I felt awful. You’re a much better dancer than I am. Of course you’re not going to want someone like me to help.” She looked at the floor, as if she was wishing it would swallow her up.
Delphie felt a weight lift from her. She hurried forward. “Don’t be silly, Rosa. And actually you are better than me at petit jetés, so it was really nice of you to offer to help. I’m sorry I got cross.”
Rosa lifted her eyes from the floor. She looked as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
“Why don’t we help each other?” Delphie suggested.
“I was watching you and I think you’re getting the pas de chats wrong because you’re jumping off the front foot. What you need to do is keep your knees out more and start from the back foot, like this.” She showed Rosa what she meant, jumping lightly to one side. “You try now. Imagine you’re leaping over a gate.”
With Delphie helping and encouraging her, Rosa soon managed to do the step much better.
“Now will you help me?” asked Delphie. “Show me what I’m doing wrong.”
They practised together until Delphie began to get it right.
“That’s loads better!” she said, enjoying the feeling of doing it properly. She glanced at the clock on the wall. There was still some time until the lesson began. “Should we just do some dancing?” she said. “I learned this dance recently. It’s from Sleeping Beauty. I could show you how to do it. It’s really good fun!”
“Oh, yes please!” said Rosa.
Delphie soon taught Rosa the basic skipping step and the way of turning and changing direction. Rosa was a natural dancer who picked up things very quickly
Delphie went over to the CD player where there was a shelf of CDs. “Let’s do it to music!” She found the CD of Sleeping Beauty and put on the track. Soon, she and Rosa were dancing around the room, skipping and spinning, spinning and dancing. Doing some steps properly but making up others and letting the music speak to them. It was a brilliant feeling to be dancing so freely.
They stopped, both out of breath. Rosa’s eyes were sparkling. “That was fantastic!”
“It was,” agreed Delphie happily.
A movement at the studio door caught her eyes. Madame Za-Za was watching them. Delphie’s eyes flew to hers. Everyone deserves a chance, she thought.
And Madame Za-Za smiled.
1. Start with your arms and head down, as if you are asleep.
2. Slowly raise up your arms and head, stretching right up into the air.
3. Sweep your arms back down and gently rub your eyes to wake yourself up!
4. Spin round in a circle holding your arms out.
Prologue
In the soft, pale light, the girl stood with her head bent and her hands held lightly in front of her. There was a moment’s silence and then the first notes of the music began. For as long as the girl could remember music had seemed to tell her of another world – a magical, exciting world – that lay far, far away. She always felt if she could just close her eyes and lose herself, then she would get there. Maybe this time. As the music swirled inside her, she swept her arms above her head, rose on to her toes and began to dance …
Delphie sprang lightly into the air, crossing her feet over before she landed. Little jump, little jump, pas de chat, she thought as she sprang to the side like a cat. Stretch, bend and pas de chat. She landed without a single wobble, her shoulders down and her arms graceful, a smile on her face.
“Excellent, Delphie!” Madame Za-Za, her ballet teacher, exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
Happiness rushed through Delphie as she relaxed and ran back to take her place beside the others in the class. Madame Za-Za hardly ever said “excellent”.
Delphie had been having lessons at Madame Za-Za’s ballet school for seven months now. Madame Za-Za had caught her watching outside the dance studio window one evening and asked her in. When she had seen Delphie dance she had offered to teach her for free – and had given her the clothes she needed and a pair of old red ballet shoes.
Delphie looked down at her shoes. They were getting very tight but she didn’t want to have new ballet shoes because the red ones were magic! Every so often they would sparkle like rubies and whisk Delphie away to Enchantia, a magic land where all the characters from the different ballets lived. Delphie had had lots of adventures there.
If I have new shoes then I won’t ever get to go to Enchantia again, she thought. She was also sure that the shoes helped her to dance really well.
Trying to ignore her cramped toes, she focused on the girl who was dancing now. It was Rosa. She had only joined Madame Za-Za’s ballet school a couple of months ago. She was the youngest in the class but a really good dancer and she was quickly catching up with everyone else. Delphie watched as Rosa completed the sequence. There was a wonderful energy about her dancing that Delphie really admired.
Delphie smiled and put her thumbs up as Rosa hurried back to the group. Although Rosa grinned, most of the time she kept herself to herself and Delphie didn’t feel she knew much about her. I should get to know her better, she thought.
When the class finished they all went back to the changing rooms, chatting amongst themselves.
Delphie caught up with Rosa. “Poppy and Lola are coming back to mine on Saturday after class. Would you like to come too?”
Rosa immediatly shook her head. “I can’t.”
Delphie was a bit surprised at Rosa’s abrupt reply. “Oh. Oh, OK, well, you’ll just have to come round another time then.” She expected Rosa to nod but Rosa didn’t.
“No. I… I really can’t,” she said firmly.
“What? Not ever?” Delphie frowned.
“No. Not ever. I’ve left my cardigan in the ballet studio!” Rosa said suddenly. “I’d better go and get it.” And with that, she hurried off.
Delphie stared after her. She had the feeling Rosa had been trying to escape from talking to her. But why? She went into the changing rooms feeling very confused.
“Are you OK?” Lola asked, seeing her face.
“Mmm.” Delphie sat down beside her. “I just asked Rosa if she wanted to come round on Saturday but she said no, and then she said she couldn’t ever come round.”
Lola and Poppy stared. “That’s weird,” said Poppy. “She’s usually quite friendly.”
Delphie spoke in a low voice, keeping one eye on the door in case Rosa came in. “I know. It’s odd. I wonder why…”
But just then the door opened and Rosa came in. Delphie quickly changed the subject. “Madame Za-Za didn’t say anything more about us wearing pointe shoes today, did she?”
The others shook their heads.
A few days ago, Madame Za-Za had told them that she thought some of the class were ready to start dancing on their pointes. It meant wearing special ballet shoes then that had blocks in the ends so that they could stand right on their toes just like proper ballerinas. Delphie knew that it was important for people not to start using pointe shoes until their muscles were strong enough. Madame Za-Za hadn’t said who in the class was almost ready but ever since she had mentioned it, Delphie, Poppy and Lola had been desperately hoping she meant them.
“My mum spoke to her when she collected me yesterday,” said Lola. “Madame Za-Za said she was going to tell us more about it soon.”
“Oh, I hope she says we’re ready,” said Poppy.
Delphie nodded. She imagined what it must be like to dance lightly on the tips of your toes and sighed longingly. She couldn’t wait to have pointe shoes. But I’ll still keep my red ballet shoes, she thought. I’ll still need normal shoes so I’ll wear them too.
But they’re too small, a little voice said in the back of her mind.
No, they’re not, Delphie thought firmly. She took them off and tried very hard to ignore the pain in her aching feet.
When Delphie arrived at the ballet school the next day, the first person she saw was Rosa, walking down the road from the opposite direction. Most of the girls were dropped off by their parents but Rosa always came on her own. Delphie always walked on her own too because she only lived a little way down the street. She waited for Rosa by the gate. “Hi!”
“Oh, hi,” Rosa replied.
“Where do you live?” Delphie asked curiously.
“In Hawkins Avenue,” Rosa replied quickly. “It’s only a few minutes away.”
“It’s cool being able to walk here, isn’t it?” said Delphie as they went up the steps and opened the big front door. “I think my mum and dad are pleased they don’t have to bring me. They’re not really into ballet although they do love coming to see me in shows. Do your parents like ballet?”
“There’s only me and my mum,” Rosa said, shutting the door behind them. “Mum loves ballet but…” she hesitated. “Well, she can’t really bring me here.” She changed the subject. “So, do you think Madame Za-Za will tell you that you can wear pointe shoes soon?”
“I hope so,” replied Delphie
“I’d love it if she said I could,” Rosa said longingly. “But I know she won’t. My mum says I’m not ready yet.”
“Your mum?” Delphie echoed in surprise.
“Yes, she was a…” But Rosa broke off as Madame Za-Za came out of her office.
“Ah, Delphie. Can I have a word with you?” her teacher asked.
Delphie exchanged startled looks with Rosa but Madame Za-Za was already walking back into her office. Leaving her friend to go on to the changing rooms, Delphie hurried after the teacher. Her heart pounded slightly. Maybe Madame Za-Za was about to say something about pointe shoes.
Madame Za-Za sat down in her office and patted the sofa, her bangles jingling as she did so. Delphie sat down beside her.
“Delphie, I want to talk to you. I am delighted with the progress you are making,” Madame Za-Za said, smiling. “When you first came here I could see you had talent, but as well as talent you have proved you have dedication. You work very hard, you are always here to practise before class, and this shows in your dancing.” Her eyes met Delphie’s. “I believe it is time for you to start working on your pointes, so here you are…”
Delphie gasped in delight as Madame Za-Za handed her a cardboard box. Inside it was a new pair of pink satin pointe shoes, nestling in white tissue paper. “These are for you.”
“Oh, wow!” Delphie touched the beautiful shoes.
“You are moving on.” Madame Za-Za smiled. “You must have new normal shoes too. The red ballet shoes will not fit you for much longer. Maybe they are too small already?”
Delphie’s stomach tightened. “No, they’re fine.”
Madame Za-Za looked at her searchingly. “Delphie, at some point, you will have to move on to new shoes. Just as everyone who has ever owned them before you has done. Maybe you will even find someone to give your old shoes to.”
Delphie looked down. She didn’t want to stop wearing the red shoes and she certainly didn’t want to give them to anyone else!
“Go and get ready for class now,” Madame Za-Za told her. “You won’t need your pointe shoes today. There are six of you in class who are ready to dance on pointes. I will be telling the others today and then you will all start in a new class together next week.”
Delphie walked slowly out of the office. She knew she should be pleased she had pointe shoes. It was what she had been longing for but suddenly she felt as if she was on the edge of a cliff.
From now on, she’d be going to new classes and maybe she wouldn’t even be with Poppy and Lola, and at some point her feet really would get too big for the red ballet shoes. But I don’t want to wear different shoes, she thought. I really don’t want to.
The changing rooms were empty. Rosa had already gone through to the dance studio to warm up.
Delphie got changed. It was hard to get her shoes on and her toes felt squeezed up at the end. But she couldn’t give them up, she just couldn’t!
Then, suddenly, her feet started to tingle. Delphie gasped. The shoes were sparkling. She was about to go to Enchantia!
She jumped up and felt herself twirling round. Bright colours spun about her as she was lifted into the air. She forgot all about the new pointe shoes and her red shoes being too small. Excitement rushed through her. Who was she going to meet this time?
Would she see her friend the Sugar Plum Fairy? Or maybe Princess Aurelia? Or Cinderella? She couldn’t wait to find out!
Delphie’s feet touched firm ground and, as the swirling colours faded, she realised she was in the courtyard of the royal palace. The pearly-white turrets sparkling in the sun.
At one end of the courtyard there was a stage with forest scenery and rows of seats in front of it. It looked like a show was about to be put on, but there was no one around. Delphie wondered what was happening. She knew that the last time she had been in Enchantia, her friend Princess Aurelia had just got engaged to Prince Florimund, perhaps it was something to do with them?
Just then there was the sound of shouting from inside the palace and someone came running out. Delphie’s heart leaped. It was the Sugar Plum Fairy!
Delphie was about to call out her friend’s name when she saw Prince Florimund running out of the palace after her.
“Sugar, wait! I love you!” he said, throwing himself at her feet and grabbing her ballet shoes.
“Florimund!” Sugar cried crossly, pushing him away. “Stop this! I don’t love you and you don’t love me. You love Aurelia! Now stop being so silly and leave me alone!”
With that, she spun round with her arms above her head, and vanished.
“She’s gone!” Prince Florimund cried despairingly, staring at the empty space where Sugar had been. “My own true love has gone!” And lying on the ground he burst into tears.
Delphie stared in astonishment. What was going on? She was just about to go over to the prince when the palace door flew open and Aurelia came running out, her face pale. “Florimund!”
“No, Aurelia!” Prince Florimund said, scrambling to his
feet. “I do not love you! I love only Sugar!” And he ran away through the palace gates.
Delphie saw Aurelia’s face crumple into tears.
“Aurelia!” She raced over to her friend. “What’s happening?”
The princess looked up through her tears. “Oh, Delphie! Thank goodness you’re here! Please can you help me? Please!”
“I’ll try. Tell me what’s going on,” said Delphie.
Princess Aurelia went over to a nearby bench. “Florimund doesn’t love me any more,” she said, taking a small mirror out of her pocket and dabbing at her tears with a lace-edged hanky. “He loves Sugar and it’s all King Rat’s fault!”
“King Rat,” whispered Delphie, her heart sinking. King Rat was horrible. He lived in a dark, smelly castle and was usually trying to cause mischief because he hated dancing. But in her last adventure in Enchantia he had actually been quite helpful and Delphie had been hoping that he might have turned over a new leaf. Now it sounded like he was up to his old tricks again! “What’s he done this time?”
Aurelia sniffed. “You know Florimund and I got engaged?”
Delphie nodded.
“Well, my mother was sad at the thought of me leaving the palace to go and live with him when I got married and so to cheer her up, for her birthday I decided to organise a show of a ballet called A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It seemed the perfect ballet because it’s all about love and my mother’s birthday is on Midsummer’s Day—that’s today. We were going to perform it tonight. I was going to be in it with Sugar and Florimund and lots of our friends. But then it all went wrong.
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