Dancing for the Lord The Academy - By Emily Goodman Page 0,13

get away for a little while—a place where she could spend some quiet time with God.

It was chilly outside; but that was all right. Danni was used to bundling up to keep warm. She found a corner of the garden and let herself simply pray, listening for the call of God in her mind and spirit.

It came in a still, small voice as it always did, the reminder that Danni had needed since she had left her home. This is the place I have for you. She had long since learned to heed that voice, to acknowledge and trust it; and she was letting herself trust it now.

She was here for a purpose, and God had already planned things out according to his will.

That knowledge made her no less nervous as she faced the school for the first time. She’d been through it before, on a tour; but somehow, going on a tour and actually being a student there were two very different things. Danni swallowed hard, working up her courage.

“Oh, come on!” Madalyn grabbed her by the arm, tugging so briskly that Danni could either hurry alongside her or end up being dragged. “I knew you’d be nervous, so I was waiting for you. Come on, I’ll take you to the office—and if we’re lucky, there won’t be anyone here, and I’ll have time to show you where your first class is.”

Danni shot the other girl a grateful look. “Thanks,” she whispered.

“Oh, don’t mention it.” Madalyn grinned. “I was new here just a couple of months ago, remember? But I guess it’s a lot worse, coming in now. I mean, everybody else has already adjusted, and here you are, just starting out, you know?”

The words were intended to be comforting—Madalyn’s way of telling her that she understood how she felt. Danni didn’t feel comforted.

She did, however, appreciate a familiar, friendly presence at her side as she collected everything she would need from the office and stared down at her schedule for the first time.

7:00-9:00 a.m.: Individual practice with Mr. Oregno

9:15-10:30 a.m., Monday/Wednesday: English

9:15-10:30 a.m., Tuesday/Thursday: Science

10:45-12:15 p.m.: Individual class with Mme Renault

12:30-1:45 p.m., Monday/Wednesday: Math

12:30-1:45 p.m., Tuesday/Thursday: History

3:00-4:00 p.m., Monday/Thursday/Friday: Kids’ class with Mlle Kirby (scholarship aid)

4:00-6:00 p.m.: Open practice; please schedule a room if you wish to practice during this time.

Rehearsals will be held from 5:15 and following during the evenings, as well as on Saturdays. Some Sunday practices may be scheduled. Fridays are considered an open day and any rehearsal scheduled on a Friday is to take precedence over any previously scheduled class.

She’d never seen a schedule that looked so…busy…before. Oh, she could see that she was spending less than half of the time in academic classes that she had back home. Less than three hours a day, only four days a week….

“But those hours are really independent study, most of the time,” Madalyn told her when she commented. “I mean, the teachers are there if you have questions, and you have to work; but when you walk in, they give you a syllabus, and it’s your job to get as much of it done as fast as you can.” She made a face. “And as well as you can. If you do badly or try to skip something, they make you do it again.” It didn’t take Danni long to figure out that Madalyn had tried this once or twice and failed miserably.

“Actually,” Madalyn had continued, when Danni let her go on without comment, “most of the teachers design their schedules so that you can do, like, a unit a week. You can only take tests when you’re in class, but if you want to, you can do it that way. It gets you done….” She frowned. “I don’t exactly remember when. One every other week will get you done by the end of your junior year, so you can do the dance thing next year.”

Of course, Danni thought, that was assuming that you’d started at the beginning of the year. She immediately decided that she was going to set herself to taking a test every week in each of her academic classes—though when she was going to find the time to do any of it, she had no idea.

“Don’t worry,” Madalyn assured her. “They never make assignments due without giving you the weekend. I think that’s what Sundays are for, really.”

In Danni’s world, Sundays had always been for worship. She couldn’t imagine spending the entire day pouring over her schoolbooks instead of using it to