Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Lindsey McKay’s biggest dream is to be a famous ballerina. But after moving to New York, she ends up at the Community Center with a teacher who’s a burly bear in tights.

When she meets Madame Destinée, the teacher of a top dance school who offers her classes for free, Lindsey can’t believe her luck. In exchange, she must perform in the school’s exclusive midnight shows, ones sure to make her a star. But something’s not right…

One by one, the other dancers disappear. Each time they do, a music box with a figurine just like the missing ballerina joins Madame Destinée’s growing collection. If Lindsey doesn’t discover the truth about the dance school, she might end up a tiny figurine herself.

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Excerpt

Everything beyond the front edge of the stage sat in a black void. Still, the audience was there, waiting. Lindsey could feel their anticipation dripping down her neck like icky ooze.

Finally, the music played.

The stage and the audience disappeared.  Lindsey spun and danced, gliding across the stage. The music embraced her like a warm hug and invited her to fly.

One pirouette.

Two.

She bounded high into the air until a pair of arms caught her and steadied her before swishing away into a joint spin.

Then, the music stopped. Lights beamed down from all directions.

“Ready to come down?” Robert stared up at her. He held her high in the air; her body stretched out above him in a lift. Lindsey sucked in air. She was going to fall! She had no idea how she got up there. His quivering arms made her wish she hadn’t. “If you drop me, I swear I’ll pour that whole bottle of perfume over your head. You’ll stink like your grandma for weeks.”

He laughed, which didn’t exactly help things. The muscles in his arms tightened against his sleeves as he lowered her. Her weight shifted one way and then the other. When her feet hit solid floor, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Bravo! Bravo!” The theatre shook.

The audience! Lindsey turned to face the crowd. It was impossible to see them past the bright stage lights, but their cheers made it clear they were there.

“Bravo! Bravo!”

The other dancers lined up on either side of them, all falling into a wave of bows and curtseys. Robert took her hand, and together they stepped forward and accepted the applause.

“Ruf. Ruf. Ruf.”

“Broussard?” Squinting, Lindsey finally made out the first row of chairs. The red velvet cushions were puffed up and lined with golden cord. And every single one of them was empty. She couldn’t see past the first row to the rest of the theatre. Not that it mattered. Telling by the cheers, the rest of the seats were full.

“Smile and wave,” Robert ordered as he pulled her behind him and followed the rest of the dancers off the stage.

And she did smile and wave, as big and thankful as she could. She didn’t know how the music had made her dance, but she didn’t care. The audience loved the show, and she loved dancing for them. This was what it was like to dance on a real stage. It was better than she’d dreamed. She belonged on a stage. She was born for it.

About the Author

Tonja Drecker is a writer, blogger, children’s book reviewer and freelance translator. After spending years in Germany exploring forgotten castles, she currently resides in the Ozarks with her family of six. When she’s not tending her chickens and cows, she’s discovering new adventures, nibbling chocolate and sipping a cup of tea.

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