The Dress Rehearsal - HarperCollins UKmarketingassets.harpercollins.co.uk/magicballerina... · The...
Transcript of The Dress Rehearsal - HarperCollins UKmarketingassets.harpercollins.co.uk/magicballerina... · The...
The Dress Rehearsal
Delphie Durand danced in the bright
spotlight. Around her on stage, the other
girls from her ballet school stood in
darkness. Delphie was playing the main
part in the show – the Bluebird who
brought light back to the animals in the
woods. She finished with one leg stretched
out behind, her arms held out like wings,
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holding the pose perfectly without a single
wobble. Slowly the lights began to come up
on the stage, as if sunlight was gently
returning. The other dancers looked around
in wonder and then suddenly they all
began to dance…
Delphie skimmed across the floor with
tiny steps. It was wonderful being up there
and it reminded her of the times she had
been in another theatre – a secret, magical
one. For Delphie owned a pair of special
red ballet shoes and when they started
sparkling they whisked her away to a
theatre in the magical land of Enchantia.
All the characters from the different ballets
lived in Enchantia and Delphie had enjoyed
some great adventures there.
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As the music ended and everyone
relaxed out of their final poses, Delphie
heard the sound of her ballet teacher,
Madame Za-Za, clapping from the hall.
“Well done, everyone,” Madame Za-Za
called, smiling at them all. “That was a very
good dress rehearsal. Go and get changed
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and then I will give you some notes so we
can make the actual performance even
better.”
Delphie stretched. Her muscles felt warm
and tingly. Her two friends, Lola and
Poppy, came running over to her.
“You were brilliant, Delphie!” Lola
exclaimed.
“I wasn’t.” Delphie blushed modestly. “I
got some things wrong.”
“I didn’t see you get anything wrong at
all,” said Poppy loyally.
“Well, I did,” came a voice behind them.
Delphie looked round. Sukie Taylor, one
of the other girls in their dancing class, was
standing behind them in her rabbit costume.
“Don’t be so mean, Sukie!” Lola frowned.
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“Ignore her,” Poppy muttered to Delphie.
“She’s just jealous.”
Delphie had a feeling Poppy was right.
Sukie had been hoping she would be the
Bluebird and ever since Delphie had got
the part Sukie had been really horrid to her
in class.
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Sukie scowled at Delphie. “Madame Za-Za
should never have picked you to be the
Bluebird. I’d have been much better!” And,
tossing her head, she marched off.
Delphie felt the excitement and
happiness fade away. But seeing Poppy
looking cross, she forced herself to act like
she didn’t care. She wouldn’t want her
friends to be upset too. “Come on!” she
said, trying to sound cheerful. “Let’s go
and get changed.”
Delphie ran lightly off the stage with
Poppy and Lola following. But as she
reached the wings, someone came running
towards her from the opposite direction.
Delphie was taken by surprise and they
collided heavily, with Delphie crashing to
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the floor. Looking up, she realised it was
Sukie.
“Ow!” Sukie said, rubbing her elbow.
“Watch where you’re going, Delphie!”
“You were the one who
ran into me!” Delphie
went to get up but pain
stabbed through her
left foot and she
gasped. “Ow! My
ankle!”
Poppy tried to help
her, but when Delphie
put her foot down it really
hurt. “I can’t stand,” she said.
“I’ll go and get Madame Za-Za!” Poppy
dashed off.
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Lola swung round to Sukie. “You did
that on purpose!”
Sukie scowled. “What do you mean?”
“I bet you tripped Delphie up because
you wanted her to be hurt!” Lola said
accusingly. “You’re her understudy so if
she doesn’t dance the part of the Bluebird,
you will!”
Delphie stared. Was Lola right? Had
Sukie really run into her on purpose?
Sukie turned red. “I… I
didn’t!” she stammered.
“I…” She broke off as the
backstage door opened and
Madame Za-Za came
hurrying into the wings. “Delphie! What’s
happened?”
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Delphie blinked back the tears. “I’ve hurt
my ankle.”
“But how?” Madame Za-Za asked.
Sukie sent Delphie an imploring look. For
a moment it was on the tip of Delphie’s
tongue to say that Sukie had run into her
on purpose. But she didn’t know that for
sure and anyway she hated it when people
told tales and got others into trouble. “I… I
tripped,” she said. “I was running off the
stage and I just tripped over.”
Poppy and Lola stared at her.
“That isn’t what…” Lola began.
“It IS what happened,” Delphie
interrupted. She saw a look of relief flash
across Sukie’s face.
“Let me see.” Madame Za-Za gently
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unlaced Delphie’s ballet shoe and turned
Delphie’s ankle this way and that. Delphie
caught her breath. It really did hurt. “Can
you move your toes?” Madame Za-Za asked.
Delphie nodded and wriggled them.
“It is probably just a sprain,” Madame
Za-Za said, after examining it a moment
longer. “But you’ll need to go to hospital to
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have it checked over. Hopefully it should
be back to normal in a week or so.”
Poppy and Lola gasped.
“A week!” said Delphie in dismay. “But
what about the show?”
Madame Za-Za looked at her sadly. “I’m
afraid you’re not going to be better in time
to dance in it, Delphie. Sukie will have to
take the part of the Bluebird.”
Tears welled up in Delphie’s eyes,
blinding her so she couldn’t see the
expression on Sukie’s face. She didn’t need
to see it though. She knew just how
delighted Sukie would be!
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