Dancing for the Lord The Academy - By Emily Goodman Page 0,23

to make it to The Nutcracker, the way things were going.”

Josh blushed a brilliant shade of red.

“Now, you’re still going to need some practice,” Mlle Kirby cautioned him. “And I do want you and Allie to take to the practice rooms for a few hours—though you do realize that you’re going to have to accept a new partner for the performance, don’t you?”

Josh frowned.

She sighed. “She didn’t tell you,” she guessed.

The frown deepened. “Tell me what?” he demanded.

“Josh…Allie’s been selected as Clara,” Mlle Kirby said quietly.

He muttered something under his breath that wasn’t entirely polite. Danni stepped away from him, disapproving.

“Well, at least you have warning now.” Mlle Kirby ignored his muttering—prudent, Danni thought, since it apparently went on a lot around here. “Now, boys, I have a class in this room shortly, so if you don’t mind….” She gestured them to do the door.

Danni turned, intending to gather her things and change from her pointe shoes to her slippers, but a gesture from Mlle Kirby stopped her.

“I want you in the pairs class that meets just before this,” she said flatly.

Danni stared at her. “But—but juniors never get to do pairs class. I mean, not junior girls.”

“There are exceptions,” Mlle Kirby insisted. “Katarina, for example.” Her knowing smile said that she already knew Danni was acquainted with the other girl. “And I am making another.”

“But—but—“

“No, dear, no buts.” Mlle Kirby smiled. “I have never seen anyone pick up a routine with a partner that quickly. If you could have seen yourself…you’re born for a pas de deux, Danni.”

Danni smiled in return, feeling a familiar warmth glide over her. “That’s what I’ve always believed,” she admitted shyly. “That—that the greatest dance of all is the pas de deux with God…and that He has someone out there that He intends for me to dance with.” Whether or not it was Michael, she had never been entirely sure. She had been content to imagine it that way when it had been just the two of them, dancing their hearts out before God back home; but more and more, particularly as she had come out to the Academy alone, she had wondered if that was the case after all. Surely, she’d thought, if God intended for them to dance together, He would have found a way for Michael to come along.

Actually, all Danni knew these days was that she didn’t know anything anymore—but she still believed that God had made her to dance. In the end, that was what mattered the most.

“Well.” Mlle Kirby smiled at her. “And there’s no sense arguing with God, now is there, dear? Now, you go ahead and get your things together for the next class—you’ll want to take those off.” Her gaze took in Danni’s pointe shoes, though her smile did turn fond. “The last thing we need is a room full of eleven-year-olds begging us for pointe shoes, hm?”

Laughing, Danni agreed. Her head was spinning as she went through the familiar motions—so much so that when she went to pull on her ballet slippers, she pulled on her familiar black ones, rather than the pink pair she had managed to unearth.

Mlle Kirby didn’t comment. She just smiled at her young pupil and allowed her to lead the class through warm-ups, pleased to note that, in spite of the fact that Danni was distracted, she never missed so much as a step.

By the time the class was over, Danni still felt as though she was floating on a dream. Partners, Lord. Partners! I’ll get to dance a pas de deux again—and not with another girl, as part of a group, but with a guy. I’ve missed it so much!

She’d only been here for a week—not enough time to really miss it, especially as much time as she had been spending dancing. Still, the void at her side that should have been filled by Michael had bothered her near-constantly; and Danni had begun to feel as though she would never manage to even work around it. She had called him every night this week, just to hear his voice; and while she knew that it was a placebo for finding a place to belong in this new world, it was wonderful nonetheless.

She practically danced up the stairs to her room that afternoon, bounding into her seat at her desk with more energy than she had felt all week. Partners! It was the only word she could think of. Oh, she was sure that things here wouldn’t be so