Chapter 3: The Prince and the Ballerina (part 1)
It has been two days since the Opening Ceremony of Graceland Academy and two days since that awful incident with Henry. I was expecting a little trouble but he seems to be quiet and have simmered down, who knows? Anyway, the first day of classes went by like usual, the Professors give us their entire syllabus for their subject and discuss with us future projects that we will have to turn in before deadlines. There will be no tolerance of tardiness in classes since we live inside the campus and must follow strictly the time table the Student Affairs Office have given each of us. The first years here in Graceland have a full load of General Subjects and are allowed to take one or two Academic Enrichment Programs (AEP) or what we call after school activities. But the students who are enrolled in the Special Program for the Arts (SA) and the Athletic Program (AP) have the same amount of General Subjects but are not allowed to have any other AEP aside from the designated program they already have.
By the way, I am an SA student. I entered Graceland Academy as one of the dancers in Graceland's Ballet Company. I have to dance on school performances and on shows commissioned by Graceland's Sponsor Companies and Sister Companies. But I don't think there will be a problem when it comes to dancing at the showcases outside Graceland, in case you haven't caught on yet, I am not allowed to be noticed by the public no matter the circumstance. With me being a first year student, I don't think I will get to dance in outside showcases. There is an unspoken rule in Graceland's Ballet Company, "you must earn your keep." No newbie will be allowed no matter how talented he or she is to dance unless they have "earned their keep." I still don't know exactly what "earn your keep" means in this Ballet Company but it might not be a gruesome rule rather a rule that allows the newbies to get a footing first about the drama at theatrics of the Ballet Company when curtains are closed. So with that in mind, I am safe for now. I won't be aiming for the center stage at least for now.
You might be wondering, "why are you not allowed to be seen publicly?" "Are you a criminal of any sort?" The easiest answer to that for now would be Yes and No. I am not a criminal but I am not innocent either. It's a long story, anyway, back to Graceland for now.
General Subjects start from 7:00 in the morning and end at 4:00 in the afternoon then the AEPs, SAs and APs begin shortly after and can end depending on the time set forth by the designated directors, coaches and student leaders for each program. I am excited to be able to see the Ballet Company dancers, I haven't met them since the first day was for class orientation and no AEPs, SAs or APs were conducted on that day. On the second day we were to have a day to gather our necessary school resources like books from the library, gym clothes and ballet clothes for me, toiletries and school identification cards. So today will be the first day I get to see them and boy oh boy am I excited. It has been said that Graceland's Ballet Company dancers are amazing and I get to see them dance today.
There are 11 newbies, including myself joining the Graceland Ballet Company and we were all ushered into the private theater where the Company usually performs for showcases in Graceland. It's so grand with its high ceilings and ambient lights, velvet covered seats all neatly arranged in a row, upper booths that look like they're for royalty and royal-like patrons of the Company and the Academy and the most magnificent of them all was the stage. For a brief moment, I wondered how it would feel like to dance at the center of that stage and everyone clapping and in awe of me but it will only be a dream because after Graceland maybe I won't ever get to dance again.
Lights are off and a soft, slow music begins to play, what is this? Was there an Orchestra in front of us when we came in? In my defense, perhaps I was to busy noticing the grandeur of the private theater to notice them and it was pretty dark in front of the stage until they lit up the lights for the performance. Wow! It's such an outstanding music, wait what song are they playing? Is that "Secrets by One Republic?" Oh wow! This Company sure is different from what I expected. The dancers look amazing and so graceful, wait, this looks and feels familiar. They are dancing "Romeo and Juliet" to the tune of "Secrets" I love this scene, it's where Romeo, Mercutio and his mates gate crash the Capulet's party. This is also where Romeo firsts sees Juliet instead of Rosaline whom he was first in love with. Hmmm…I always felt pain for Rosaline, I haven't fallen in love nor have been confessed to but I can I feel her although she was never a main character, no one even hardly pays attention to her. Her character doesn't even make it to the Theater Plays and Ballet Dance Adaptations or even the movies but I somehow feel for her. Romeo declares love for Rosaline and wants to see her so bad that he dares to actually go to a party held by his family's greatest enemy and yet we never get to see Romeo actually finding Rosaline instead he sees young Juliet and falls immediately in love with her. How, typical, and yet how romantic. I am torn between wanting justice for Rosaline and wanting Romeo to meet his great love. Of course no one wants to be Rosaline, everyone wants to be Juliet but somehow the way Rosaline just stayed in the shadows and her existence propels Romeo to meet Juliet, somehow I feel like this is my goal. I feel for her because I need to be her. The Rosaline to someone's Romeo because I can't be Juliet. Not right now at least.
Oh my, here I am blabbing about Rosaline and forgetting to pay attention to the magnificent performance the Ballet Company members are putting on. Hmmm, okay… nice lines, nice extension of the legs, amazing leaps, wonderful facial expressions, that Romeo is putting quite the show even if its just a tradition to welcome the newbies. Hmmm… He kind of looks familiar, I am not sure though, the make-up is really good. Wait a minute! Is that who I think it is? It's not possible. I mean it's impossible right?
I turned to the girl seated next to me, she's a newbie like me but she's not from my class so I don't know her that well but I guess I need to have some type of connection and even conversation with other people.
"Hey, do you know who is the one dancing as Romeo right now?"
"Uh, uhm, that's the Prince…"
"The Prince? You mean Henry Archer? That's impossible. How could he be a dansuer?" (Male ballet dancers are called 'dansuer')
"No it's not. His mother after all was a Prima Ballerina before giving birth to him."
"What?"
"Uh huh, his mother was Ms. Natalia Monet."
"Oh. . . "
How could this guy be the son of Ms. Natalia Monet? I mean sure I see the resemblance especially with the eyes. But he's perverted and rude, Ms. Natalia would never approve of his attitude. Sigh! Well this is where the trouble starts I guess. I mean not only do I have to get along with him inside the Academy but I have to get along with him in the Ballet Company itself.
'Clap! Clap! Clap!' (Loud Applause) and just like that the performance of the second and third years have ended. I must admit, Henry was rather such a good dansuer even if he was perverted and rude, that guy can do ballet like it was second nature to him. Then again I shouldn't be surprised 'cause his mom was my inspiration.
After the performance, we were asked to come around the back entrance of the private theater to formally meet the Ballet Company members. I was trying to hide my presence behind the other newbies but mademoiselle (french for miss) Amelia insisted that we line up facing the older members of the Ballet Company. She played Juliet by the way and is a third year student in Graceland but more than that she is the current female Principal dancer and as she explained as well, Henry is the male Principal dancer and is next in line to be the head of the Ballet Company when mademoiselle Amelia finishes her studies in Graceland. However if the rumors are correct she doesn't have to attend the last four months of her studies as she was invited by a Ballet Company in France to join them as one of their ballerinas. Lucky her.
One by one, we were asked to introduce our names and where we came from and say something interesting about ourselves.
"Hello everyone, (does a reverence to the older Ballet Company members), I am Javier Christiano. . . "
A reverence is a bow or curtsy done by ballet dancers to show respect to the trainers, choreographers, directors and the audience after a performance. In this case we were doing it as a sign of respect to the older members.
" (reverence) . . . I'm Michelle Mcmillan. . ."
" (reverence) . . . Yo! It's William but you can call me Will . . ."
After all the other newbies, it was now my turn. I am pretty confident in myself but now I am a little nervous because I'm not sure how Henry is going to act towards me but here it goes.
" (reverence) bonjour, I am Christie Miller, I was born here in Astoria but we moved to the US when I was about four. Uhm . . . I came back here to Astoria to study in Graceland."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Daoistl8C365
Daoistl8C365 This book is pure fictional any mention of names, places, music and events are just for the sake of the story and does not mean that they are connected to this story in reality.
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