yes . . . we could definitely use you here and here." He paused, checking a few more places. "And here. Maybe even here." He jerked his head up, blue eyes alight and excited. "Let's see what you can do. Phoebe - do the opening part of the second number."
Phoebe responded instantly, springing to center stage and instantly falling into line as Matthias began counting off beats. When they finished, he looked at me expectantly. "Now you do it."
I started to point out that I was in heels and a dress but then realized showgirl attire probably wouldn't be too different. I took a spot near Phoebe and mirrored her as Matthias counted again. We repeated the combination, and by the third time, I hardly had to look at her to get the steps. He directed her to a different number, slightly more complicated, and a similar performance ensued as I sought to match her. When we finished, he clicked his tongue in approval.
"Amazing," he said. "You guys need to tell me where you trained so that I can recruit all your classmates." Turning back to his papers, he began scribbling notes. "Phoebe, can you lend her some clothes for practice? Not that it'll affect her performance, of course, but I imagine she'd be more comfortable in something else for two hours of rehearsal."
Phoebe winked at me. "I'm pretty sure we can get her a change of clothes."
I glanced between her and Matthias. "Rehearsal?"
"Sure," said Matthias, still not looking up. "That's what we do to get ready for performances around here."
"You want to be in the show, don't you, Lucy?" teased Bastien.
"I understand . . . but I'm not moving to Las Vegas until January," I explained. "I have to go home tomorrow night."
Matthias finally glanced up briefly from his beloved notes, seeming as pained as Seth often was when interrupted while writing a book. "You're here right now, aren't you? Might as well get started. Unless you've got something else going on?"
I looked helplessly at Bastien and Phoebe, who were grinning like idiots. The incubus slung a friendly arm around me. "Of course she doesn't."
After a moment's hesitation, I gave a slow nod, still a little overwhelmed at how fast things were moving here. "I . . . I'd love to rehearse."
Chapter 8
It was hard to believe that in only a couple of days I'd gone from doubting my transfer was real to suddenly signing on to be in a Las Vegas stage production. Things happened so fast that it was easy to get swept along, and Bastien and Phoebe's gleeful encouragement just made things happen that much more quickly.
Shape-shifting took care of my clothing problem, and Bastien soon left us, allegedly to go get a drink and try his hand at the blackjack table. Once he left the theatre, though, Phoebe leaned over to me conspiratorially and whispered, "Here's a wager for you. How much do you want to bet he comes back with a glow?"
I laughed and whispered back, "I won't take that bet. Are you sure you haven't worked with him before?" Admittedly, an incubus looking to get laid wasn't that far of a stretch, but I liked how adeptly Phoebe was able to pick up on my old friend's personality quirks.
"Nah," she said with a smile. "I've just known his type."
Other dancers began trickling in. Phoebe introduced us as they arrived, and most were friendly and excited to have someone new in the group. They weren't yet at their full number needed for the show, so everyone was anxious for that to happen. I brought them one step closer, though it surprised me they were still short. From my experiences, there were always groups of girls lined up to try to make it in show business. Phoebe confirmed as much.
"Oh, yeah, tons have tried out. And you should have seen them at the beginning, when they first did the open casting. Matthias is just really selective, that's all. Cornelia - the head choreographer - is just as bad."
"And yet he took me on a five-minute audition," I pointed out.
Phoebe grinned. "Sweetie, he just knows talent when he sees it. Besides, he's in charge of this gig. If he says you're in, you're in."
Matthias wasn't the only one running the show, of course. Along with the dancers came other management and staff, like the aforementioned Cornelia. Everyone had a part to play. The rehearsal was fast-paced and aggressive - but also lots of fun. Phoebe