Authors: Sue Bentley
Sparkling Steps (2 page)
“I hope so, Miss Frances. That's why I came here,” Olivia said spiritedly.
Miss Frances's sharp eyes flashed with approval. “Okay. Go back to the barre. I want to see you dance.”
Olivia went to the barre and took up a basic position. It felt like everybody was watching her, especially Lucy and Mariko. Tamsin caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up sign.
As Miss Frances gave her instructions, Olivia took a deep breath and began. After a few minutes, she felt the love of dancing sweep through her and she forgot to be self-conscious. By the time Miss Frances told her to stop, she was hot and sweaty and her muscles were tingling.
“You have style, but your technique could be improved,” Miss Frances said seriously. “Take a rest now. Get a towel to wipe your face.”
“Yes, Miss Frances,” Olivia said numbly, as she went back into the changing room. She had tried her best, but it seemed she had a long way to go before she impressed Miss Frances.
Olivia went to the sinks and splashed her face with cold water as she thought about what a difficult morning it had been all around. Yew Lodge seemed really different from the exciting place she had always dreamed about.
Olivia sighed, drying her face on a towel. Suddenly a bright silver flash from out of the corner of her eye stopped her in her tracks.
Olivia whirled around. “Oh,” she gasped, blinking hard.
At the far end of the room crouched a tiny, fluffy, blue-gray kitten with a round face and the most enormous emerald green eyes Olivia had ever seen. Its fur and whiskers seemed to glitter with thousands of tiny stars.
Olivia rubbed her face with the towel againâshe'd obviously danced too hard and was seeing things now! She looked up from the towel. The sparkles had disappeared, but the kitten was still there. Perhaps it belonged to the lodge.
She bent down. “Hello, aren't you gorgeous? Don't be scared. I won't hurt you,” she crooned gently, reaching out her hand. “What's your name, then?”
“My name is Prince Flame,” the kitten meowed. “Can you help me, please?”
Chapter TWO
Olivia almost toppled over. She jerked her hand back and stared at the kitten in complete shock.
“Did . . . did you really just speak?” she gasped, looking around wildly to see if anyone was hiding nearby. She wouldn't put it past Lucy to play a trick on her.
The fluffy kitten was trembling all over, but it sat up straight and pricked up its ears. Despite its tiny size it didn't seem to be afraid of her. “Yes, I did. I am Flame, heir to the Lion Throne. Who are you?”
“I'm . . . um, Olivia Goddard,” Olivia stammered, her curiosity beginning to get the better of her shock. “Where did you come from?”
“I am in disguise,” Flame meowed softly. “I come from another world, far from here.”
“What? Like from outer space? But if . . . if you're disguised as a kitten, what are you reâ” Olivia began and then stopped as a scary thought occurred to her. Maybe Flame was really an alien, with warty skin and millions of octopus arms! “Wait! Maybe I don't want to know . . . !” she gabbled.
But it was too late. There was another flash, so bright this time that for a moment Olivia couldn't see a thing. She rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, she saw that where the tiny kitten had crouched now stood a regal, young lion with glittering white fur.
Olivia backed away in amazement. “Flame?”
The lion looked at Olivia with its emerald eyes and nodded slowly. But before she could say anything else, he vanished in a shower of sparkles and appeared once more as a tiny, fluffy, blue-gray kitten.
“Wow! You really are a lion prince!” Olivia gasped, relieved and impressed at the same time. “But why would you need my help?”
Flame gave a small, shaky meow. “My uncle Ebony. He is very powerful and has stolen my throne. He rules in my place and sends his spies to search for me and kill me.”
“Kill you?” Olivia asked, horrified.
“Yes. I must hide. Will you help me, Olivia?”
Olivia's heart went out to the tiny kittenâshe knew exactly what it was like to feel all alone. “I'd love to help you, Flame, but pets aren't allowed in ballet school,” she said, biting her lip. “I don't even have my own room. There're eight of us in the dormitory. It would be impossible to hide you.”
Flame tilted his little, round head. “Not if I made myself invisible. Then no one will see me, except you.”
“Really? Wellâif you can do that . . .” Olivia came to a decision. She picked Flame up gently and stroked his silky ears. “Okay. You're living with me. I won't let anybody hurt you! The only thing is, I have to go back out soon. My teacher will be wondering where I am, so you'll have to become invisible right away. Is that okay?”
Flame didn't reply, but his whiskers crackled with electricity and his fluffy blue-gray fur glittered all over with silver sparkles that fizzed against Olivia's hands. She felt a warm tingling sensation down her back. It felt very strange, but not unpleasant.
“It is done. Only you can see me now,” Flame purred happily, as the sparks slowly faded away. “Thank you, Olivia.”
“You're welcome.” Olivia smiled. “I wonder what Tamsin will say when I tell her about you.”
Flame stiffened. He stretched up one tiny, blue-gray paw and touched her face.
“No! You must not tell anyone about me.”
“Really? I'm sure Tamsin's not like the other girls I've met here. She seems really nice.”
“I am sorry.” Flame looked up at her, his big, green eyes serious. “You cannot tell anyone about me. Promise, Olivia.”
Olivia thought about it. She felt a bit bad for keeping something so amazing from the friendly girl she had met that morning. But if it was the only way that Flame could stay with her, she knew what she must do.
“All right. I promise,” Olivia said. “You'll be my secret. My secret magic kitten!”
Chapter THREE
As Olivia went back to the studio, Flame padded along beside her. He spotted the piano and scampered straight over and curled up beneath it. Although Flame was invisible, Olivia couldn't help thinking that someone would notice the tiny, blue-gray kitten. But, after a while, when no one did, she gradually relaxed.
Olivia saw that Miss Frances was coaching Tamsin. “Concentrate! Keep your legs tight and don't sway backward, Tamsin. Think of an imaginary line from the top of your head down to your toe.”
Olivia stood and watched as Tamsin lifted one arm and leg in the melting, flowing movements of
battement fondu
. She was impressed. Tamsin was poised and elegant and could lift her pointed toe above the second barre.
battement fondu
. She was impressed. Tamsin was poised and elegant and could lift her pointed toe above the second barre.
“What are you staring at? Didn't they do real dancing where you come from, Beanpole?” Lucy hissed in Olivia's ear.
Mariko snickered. “They probably still wear clogs!”
Feeling much braver, now that she had Flame for a friend, Olivia gave the mean girls a fierce look. “I've never worn clogs. But I wish I was wearing them right now!”
Mariko and Lucy moved away warily.
Miss Frances finished coaching Tamsin. “Everyone choose partners,” she said.
“You'll work together for the rest of the class. Olivia, you will work with Tamsin.”
Olivia glanced over at Flame. He was watching her every move with alert, green eyes. She couldn't help wondering what Miss Frances would say if she knew that there was a magic kitten in her class!
At eleven AM, when class was over, all the girls faced Miss Frances and bowed in a graceful
révérence.
révérence.
There was a buzz of noise as everyone filed out. “Are you coming?” Tamsin called to Olivia.
“In a minute,” Olivia said, pretending to fiddle with her shoelace. When everyone had left, she went and picked Flame up. “Did you enjoy watching your first ballet class?” she asked him.
His forehead wrinkled in a puzzled frown. “It was interesting, but I found those movements very strange. Are you training to be a warrior, Olivia?” he purred.
Olivia laughed. “No! I want to be a ballerina.”
Flame blinked. “What is a
ball-er-ina
?”
ball-er-ina
?”
“A very special kind of dancer. You get to wear amazing costumes and dance on stage in front of lots of people,” Olivia explained simply. “I've got an amazing book with tons of photos of dancers. I'll show you sometime.”
“I would like that,” Flame meowed.
In the changing room, Flame sat licking his paws under the bench, invisible to all the other girls in Olivia's class.
“We have normal lessons now, until the afternoon dance class,” Tamsin told Olivia, zipping up her gray skirt. “I'll see you in the classroom? I just have to go to the bathroom.”
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