Just Dance, page 8
I guess not.
“It’s Abby!” Franny adds.
“The cook?” Terry asks, looking confused.
I sigh. I guess I have to tell them the truth. What choice do I have? “Ellie is competing in the chess tournament,” I tell them.
“I knew it!” Twyla cries.
I nod. “She didn’t tell you because she didn’t want you all to get in trouble. But you won’t. Because I’m going to fill in for her at the recital. I practiced the routine all day. She taught me everything.”
“Um … okay,” Oona says. “I guess Father’s expecting twelve dancing princesses, and you make twelve. Just don’t mess up.”
No kidding.
We leave the bedroom and walk down the hall to the royal auditorium. There are rows of high-backed red velvet seats and a stage with gold satin curtains. Every seat is full. The king, in his royal robes and crown, is sitting in the back row.
I expect him to leap up and point at me and bellow: You’re not Eleven!
But he doesn’t.
I keep my head down and follow the princesses backstage. We line up in birth order. I’m at the end, right before Twyla. Where Ellie would be.
The curtains part. My hands are sweaty and my knees are shaking.
But it’s showtime!
Deep breath. Deep breath.
I remind myself of what I said to Ellie. It’s about taking risks. Putting yourself out there. Finding out what you can achieve. And having a good time.
The music begins. I raise my arms gracefully like I practiced. So far, so good. I bow my legs and move to the left when Twyla does. Then to the right. One arm comes down slowly, then the other.
Tiny little steps to the left. Tiny little steps to the right.
Arms up in a circle, then down.
I’m dancing ballet! Onstage! And I haven’t knocked over anyone yet! Or fallen down!
I’m about to move to the right when I realize Twyla has moved to the left.
Oops. I’m only a beat behind, though. I quickly catch up.
I mess up one more time, when I spin the wrong way.
But then the music stops, and the curtain comes down. It’s over!
When the curtain comes up again, the twelve dancing princesses of the Kingdom of Douze receive a standing ovation from the audience. Including King LaPear.
I curtsy along with the other sisters, sweaty and smiling.
I did it. I practiced, and I did it.
Is it possible I’m not that bad of a dancer after all?
* * *
After the performance, the princesses and I gather backstage to change out of our ballet costumes. I slip on Ellie’s pink uniform, white tights, and new black patent-leather shoes. Thankfully, everything fits me.
Ellie was right. King LaPear didn’t notice that I was not his daughter.
How could he not notice? How could he not be watching closely, especially when his daughters dancing ballet is supposedly so important to him?
That doesn’t seem right.
The king arrives backstage. I turn to face the wall, hoping he still won’t notice I’m not Ellie.
“One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve,” he calls out proudly. “Excellent performance!”
“Thank you, Father,” Oona says.
“Meet me in the dining room for refreshments,” the king adds. “It’s time for Prince Gene to reveal where you go every night.”
Oh, no. Oh, yes.
My heart races. I’m not ready for this.
The prince is going to be okay. Maryrose is going to be okay.
But the princesses are going to hate me.
We file out of the auditorium and head for the dining room.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. I try not to think about how bad I feel for deceiving the princesses.
And I helped Ellie, didn’t I? I feel a twinge of worry. I hope she and Jonah are okay. Shouldn’t they be back by now?
In the dining room, Prince Gene is standing in front of the display case that holds the Ruby Crown.
He’s smiling. And holding something behind his back.
The king’s guests are crowded in the room as well, eager to watch the announcement. There are delicious chocolates and snacks laid out on the table.
The king, the princesses, and I line up facing Prince Gene.
Here we go.
The king lifts his chin. “All right, Prince Gene. You’ve had three nights to figure out what the princesses do to scuff their shoes. Are you able to tell me?”
The princesses all stare down at the floor. They really look sad. Even Oona. I glance at Terry. I see a tear slipping down her cheek.
Aww.
“Yes, I can tell you,” Prince Gene announces.
Terry’s head jerks up in surprise.
The prince clears his throat. “The first two nights, the princesses put a sleeping potion in my drink to make me fall asleep,” he says. “But last night, I saw everything!”
Several princesses gasp.
The king’s eyes widen.
“Every night, the princesses sneak out of their room through a trapdoor and leave the castle through a secret exit,” the prince continues, repeating what Jonah and I told him. “They take boats to an underground dance hall across the river. And dance the night away! That is why their shoes are scuffed and worn down every morning!”
The princesses’ jaws drop. They begin muttering to one another.
I’m impressed that Prince Gene didn’t get me and Jonah in trouble. He’s sticking to the plan!
“Silence!” King LaPear bellows at the princesses. He turns to the prince. “All dancing other than ballet is illegal in Douze. Everyone knows that.”
“Yes, that’s why the dance hall is secret,” the prince responds. “It’s the Dance Resistance Party!”
The king narrows his eyes. He leans toward the prince. “What proof do you have of this?”
“This!” Prince Gene pulls out the silver goblet from behind his back. He holds it up so that the king can see the stamp reading DRP. “DRP! Dance Resistance Party! Get it?”
Oona gasps.
I bet she’s thinking that having special goblets made for a secret dance party wasn’t really a genius idea.
Terry’s shoulders sag with relief. “Does this mean he’s not getting his head chopped off?” she asks.
“It means,” the king shouts, “that you’re all in big trouble!”
Oh, no.
Oona glares at the prince. “How could you possibly know all this?” she demands. “You were asleep before we left last night. And asleep when we returned!”
“Aha!” the king shouts. “You admit it, One! You all sneak out!”
Oona’s face falls. “Um, well. I …”
Terry steps forward. “How did you find out?” she asks Prince Gene. “There’s no way you followed us. I would have seen you there! I was … I was looking for you,” she admits, blushing.
I try to send Prince Gene a silent message. Tell them about the invisibility cloak. But Prince Gene can obviously only remember so much.
He looks around the room. His eyes land on me.
“There!” he says, pointing at me. “That girl — and her brother — told me everything and gave me the goblet! I did fall asleep after eating the ice cream, so they were the ones who saw what the princesses did.”
Oh, no. I wish there was a trapdoor to disappear through right here.
“Abby and Jonah? The cooks?” Terry asks, looking confused.
Everyone turns to stare at me.
“Who are you?” the king demands, scowling at me. “Why are you in a princess uniform if you’re a cook?”
“You’re not really a cook?” Twyla asks me, looking sad.
CRUMBS.
Prince Gene clears his throat. “I don’t know if she’s a cook. But Abby and her brother want the crown ruby. I agreed to give it to them in exchange for the information and proof.”
More gasps. More murmuring. My heart sinks. This is bad.
I hear footsteps. I look over at the door. It’s Ellie, and Jonah is right behind her, the invisibility cloak covering part of his arm.
“There’s the brother!” Prince Gene says, pointing at Jonah.
Jonah tries to put on the invisibility cloak but he gets tangled up in it, hopping and tripping in place. Only his feet are invisible.
“Oops,” he says.
I cringe.
Ellie puts her hand on my shoulder. “Is what the prince says true?”
“Wait!” the king bellows. “I’m very confused,” he adds, looking from me to his eleventh-born daughter. “Why are there two Elevens?”
I ignore the king and turn to Ellie. My stomach is churning. I could not feel worse.
“Yes,” I admit to Ellie. “What the prince says is true. I’m sorry.”
Everyone gasps again.
“How could you, Abby?” Ellie cries. “Oh, how could you?” She bursts into tears.
Oona shakes her head at me. She looks like my mom does when I do something really, really wrong and she’s really, really disappointed in me.
“We thought you were our friend!” Twyla says.
“Meanie!” Fanny and Franny say in unison.
“She’s not a meanie!” Jonah says defensively. “She’s a really nice big sister — well, ninety-nine percent of the time.”
The king approaches me. “Ah, I see now. You’re not Eleven. You’re an impostor!”
His face is bright red and his hands are in fists. “Your crimes are: Impersonating a royal princess. Conspiring to steal the crown ruby. And being a meanie! Guards? Arrest her — and the brother! Throw them in the dungeon.”
Oh, no. No, no, no! We can’t be arrested and thrown in a dungeon. There’s no time for that!
I need the crown ruby we were promised!
Two tall, burly guards come marching into the dining room.
One of them grabs me. The other grabs Jonah.
What now?
Wait!” I call to the king before the guards drag us away. “Shouldn’t we be rewarded for figuring out the mystery?”
The king hesitates. “Well … I guess. Perhaps I will take a year off your ten-year sentence.”
Ten years? This king is really into severe punishments. At least he’s not taking off our heads.
“No!” Terry cries. “You should add a year! Send her away for eleven! At least.”
Gee, thanks, Terry.
“Don’t you want to know why we did it?” I ask.
“You wanted the ruby,” Terry says. “That’s why. You’re greedy!”
“No!” I say. “The ruby’s not for us. There’s a fairy named Maryrose and we’re trying to help her. She sent us here for the ruby. It has healing properties. Minerta helped us and gave us the invisibility cloak.”
“Minerta?” King LaPear says. “The old woman in the woods? She’s a fairy?”
“Yes,” I say.
“That might be useful,” the king says, looking thoughtful. “Maybe Minerta would like to be the royal fairy.”
“Perhaps,” I say.
“Hmm. For alerting me to a kingdom fairy,” King LaPear says, “I will take an extra year off your sentence. Now you’re down to eight,” he says, wagging his finger at me and Jonah.
I shake my head. “King LaPear, the only thing Jonah and I are really guilty of is helping the prince when we should have been helping the princesses.”
“Well, you did both help me,” Ellie says, stepping up. “Abby, you’re a good dancer. And, Jonah, you’re a good rower.”
Me, a good dancer. Whodathunk?
Jonah’s scrawny chest puffs out a bit.
The king stares at me. “What do you mean?” he asks. “Why should you have been helping the princesses? They need nothing!”
“King LaPear,” I say, “your daughters, the royal princesses of Douze, are amazing young women. But you don’t seem to see that.”
“Yeah!” Jonah agrees. “They’re all really cool!”
I see Oona’s face light up. Ellie’s eyes look teary.
“King LaPear,” I continue, “each princess has her own personality and interests. Ellie is an excellent chess player. Terry is a gifted gymnast. Nina likes astronomy. Twyla is a great tap dancer. Eileen loves ballet, yes, but the others love different kinds of dance. I could go on and on. And I’ve only known your daughters a few days. They should have the freedom to follow their dreams. Not your dreams for them.”
The king looks thoughtful for a moment, but then he waves his hand.
“I’m done listening!” he snaps. He turns to the guards. “Take this girl and boy to the dungeon at once!” He shakes his head. “Abby and Jonah,” he mutters. “What weird names.”
Terry steps forward. “Father. Abby is right. We lied to you and didn’t tell you about where we went at night … because we felt we had no choice. You don’t see us as we really are. We’re so much more than perfect, prim ballet dancers. We’re so much more than numbers.”
The king taps a finger to his chin, thinking. “But Eleven put an impostor in her place. That was wrong! Where did you even go?”
“To a chess tournament. Father,” Ellie says, “did you even notice I was gone?”
The king blushes. “Well, I, uh …”
While the king tries to think of a good defense for that, I turn to Ellie.
Not easy with a guard holding my arm tightly!
“Did you win the chess tournament, Ellie?” I ask.
If she won, that will definitely prove to the king that she’s capable of so much more than he thinks.
“No,” Ellie says. “I lost!”
Double crumbs.
“I lost,” Ellie adds, smiling, “but it was challenging and fun and I loved every minute of it. I came in fourth! Not bad for an Eleven, right?” She winks.
Jonah laughs. I don’t shush him.
Ellie’s sisters gather around to hug and high-five her.
“Congrats,” Twyla says. “If you had more time to practice your chess skills, you’d be winning tournaments!”
The sisters turn to the king. He’s gnawing on his lower lip. Rubbing his chin.
“I didn’t even know Eleven could play chess,” King LaPear says. “I think … that’s wonderful!”
Ellie cheers. “Really? Yay! But, Father?”
“Yes?” he asks.
“I call myself Ellie, not Eleven. We all renamed ourselves.”
One by one, the princesses tell the king the names they chose so that they’re not just numbers. So that their names match how they feel inside. Interesting and smart and full of dreams and passions.
After the princesses are done, the king is silent. He gazes at the family portrait on the wall, deep in thought. Meanwhile, the guards hold on to me and Jonah, but they’re seemingly waiting for the order from the king to actually take us away.
“I have a royal pronouncement,” King LaPear finally says.
We all hold our breath.
“The queen, your dear late mother,” the king begins, “would be so proud of you princesses. She was like you — full of life and dreams. And she loved ballet.” He nods at Eileen. “In retrospect, she and I probably shouldn’t have named our daughters numbers, but we thought it would be easier to keep track of you that way.” He shrugs. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, Father,” Oona says softly.
“When your mother passed away,” the king goes on, “I was worried something would happen to one of you princesses. So I became protective. Too protective.” The king gazes around at his daughters, some of whom are teary-eyed. The king looks choked up as well. I definitely have a lump in my throat. “In your mother’s honor, in your honor, I will grant your wishes to use your new names and to follow your hearts. The law in Douze will change. Now all dancing will be permitted! You don’t need to only dance ballet.”
“Really?” Twyla cries.
“Really,” says King LaPear.
The princesses clap and cheer. Some of them burst into happy tears.
King LaPear hugs his daughters one by one.
“Guards, release Abby and Jonah,” the king orders.
Yay! The guards let go of our arms and step back.
Prince Gene clears his throat. “Um, excuse me, King LaPear. When do I become heir to the throne and get the Ruby Crown? I promised Abby I wouldn’t force anyone to marry me, but I would still like the other stuff.”
“You’re not getting anything!” the king bellows at him. “You failed! Miserably! But as a changed man, I’m going to grant you clemency. One hundred years in prison instead of death.”
Terry rushes forward. “Father, he did try. And there was a sleeping potion in his ice cream last night — we tricked him. So I think he should be free to go.”
“Hmmm,” the king says, thinking that over.
“Plus, I like him,” Terry adds, blushing.
Yay! Go Terry for admitting her crush. That can be even harder than dancing in public.
The prince’s chest puffs out. “Really? You like me?”
Terry smiles. “I do. You’re kind. You’re smart … in your own way,” she adds.
I guess you could say that.
“All right, then,” the king says. “If Three — I mean, Terry believes in you, then so do I. No jail time for you, Prince Gene.”
“Whew!” Prince Gene says, and takes Terry’s hand. She grins.
Awww!
The king sighs. “So many changes. Well, here’s another one. I’m getting old. And my firstborn, One — Oona,” he corrects himself, “is now twenty-one. The same age her mother was when she became queen. In your mother’s honor, I will plan to step down from my duties immediately, and you, Oona, will become the Queen of Douze.”
The princesses gasp.
Oona is speechless, her hand over her heart. She’s tearing up!
“Thank you, Father,” she says at last. “I promise to be a good and fair queen.”
“One moment,” the king adds, and goes over to the display case. He reaches behind the case and presses something. A secret door slides open right in front of the crown.
What! Imagine how different this would have gone if Jonah and I had found that hidden button on our first morning here?
King LaPear gets up on a stepstool and takes out the Ruby Crown. The big red ruby sparkles in the center, with twelve glittering diamonds surrounding it.
