Let the Dance Begin Page 2

  Cassie felt her skin prickle. Her aunt had never spoken about the Night of the Great Sandstorm to her before, even though Cassie had asked her lots of times. She kept very still and quiet.

  ‘I lived in Silica City then. You should have seen it before the sandstorm! It was a magnificent place full of large sandstone basilicas and palaces. My leg was aching really badly and that was always a sign that a storm was coming. I was on my way back from the late shift at the sand factory when I bumped into Marina. She was heading towards Sandringham Dance School. Your father was delayed so she asked me to look in on you until he returned. I told her I was sure a storm was coming but she was adamant that she had to go.’ Euphorbia looked upset.

  ‘Why do you think she insisted on going?’ Cassie asked.

  ‘I’m pretty sure that she was following an order. It must have been one that she dared not ignore – which probably meant it was from the Supreme Sand Sprite. When the Supreme Sand Sprite orders you to do something …’

  ‘But why would she order Marina to go to the dance school with a storm coming?’ Cassie’s head was spinning with all this new information.

  ‘Sandrine was a fine dune dancer in those days. She always spent a lot of time at the school. The gossips used to say that even though she was the Supreme Sand Sprite she would have loved to have taken the role as the prima dune dancer. But Marina was always just that bit better at dancing than she was. They were always fiercely competitive. They even had baby daughters at the same time!’

  ‘Anagallis.’ Cassie smiled to herself. She had heard many rumours about Sandrine’s spoiled daughter. Then she gasped. ‘We are known for bearing grudges. Perhaps Sandrine sent Marina because she was jealous!’

  Euphorbia shook her head. ‘Sandrine could be moody and temperamental but I don’t think she was spiteful – although, of course, we can’t be sure.’

  The wind rattling the shutters startled them.

  Euphorbia checked the shutters and said, ‘Looks like there will be a storm tonight.’

  Cassie stood up. ‘I’ll make you a pot of sage tea.’

  Euphorbia smiled. ‘My, you are growing up! You’ll be choosing to do your own washing and cleaning next.’

  Cassie hugged her aunt. ‘I’m not that grown-up yet!’

  As her aunt turned to climb the ladder that led to their snug sleeping kutches, she said to Cassie, ‘The best thing a sand sprite can do is to follow their heart, be good and kind and never pollute the sand.’

  Cassie suddenly felt very determined.

  ‘I will follow my heart,’ she whispered to herself. ‘I need to find out why my mother went out that night, and it seems that Rubus was right when he said the dance school would be a good place to start. Euphorbia thinks that Sandrine ordered my mother to go to the dance school. I need to know why. I am going to go to the auditions!’

  Chapter Three

  ‘When nature calls out to us,

  we must dance in reply.’

  The Sands of Time

  Old Lena Sealovage was surrounded by a group of eager young sand sprites who were gathered around her market stall in Mite Cove the next day. They were hanging on her every word.

  ‘I’ve just come back from Silica City. The auditions will take place at the next full moon, at the palace in the City. The repairs are not quite finished at Sandringham, and besides, it is very difficult to get to Dreamy Dune because it is so isolated. Candidates must be between eight and fourteen years old. They will be looking for sand sprites who can follow rules, work hard and, most importantly, who have natural dancing ability. A thorough knowledge of the seven basic steps of dune dancing also is a good start. And if you can throw your feelings into your dancing then you will definitely be in with a chance. Then again you may have all those qualities and still not get a place.’

  ‘Why is that?’ a young sand sprite asked.

  Lena Sealovage tapped her nose. ‘They are looking for that extra-special something that sets you apart. That elusive grain of sand that can make a true pearl.’

  Cassie hung about at the other end of the shopping stalls and tried to look busy as she earwigged on the conversation. She did a quick calculation. The next full moon was in three weeks. That was not a lot of time to find out about the seven basic steps and to learn them.

  ‘Are you buying or time-wasting?’ Lena Sealovage grumbled at the crowd. ‘Remember, it’s buy one get one sea pasty free if you can say “She sells sea scones on the sea shore” three times, faster than me!’ There was a scramble to say the tongue twister and buy pasties and soon there was only one left.

  Cassie smiled and turned to leave the market but Lena saw her. ‘Come over here, Cassie, I have something for you.’ She reached underneath the stall and shoved a tatty book towards her. ‘It is a few scraps of an old exercises book. It explains some of the basic dance steps.’

  ‘Thank you, but I’m not at all interested in learning about dancing. I’m not going to the auditions,’ Cassie told her. She didn’t want her aunt finding out; she would only try and stop her.

  Lena Sealovage winked and pointed. ‘And this is not a sea pasty! You’re a Marramgrass, aren’t you? Despite what Euphorbia may say, sand dancing is in your blood! And after your disappearance yesterday, I know you do exactly what you want to, whatever your aunt may say. Take the book and think of it as a late birthday present. Please thank Euphorbia again for inviting me to your birthday tea party. No need to mention the book.’ She winked again.

  Cassie took the crumpled book. ‘Thank you, Lena.’

  Lena brushed her away. ‘Now get out of my sight before I change my mind. Don’t want people thinking I’ve gone soft in the head. I could get good money for that book. ‘Then she leaned in closer and whispered in Cassie’s ear, ‘There is more than one way to peel a prawn, Cassandra Marramgrass. Time passes, sands shift and secrets are revealed.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Cassie whispered as she felt a tingle on the back of her neck. She longed to find out some secrets at the dance school. She slipped the book into her bag, and then quickly bought the few things that Euphorbia had sent her to the market for, and raced down to the beach in search of Rubus.

  When she told him that she was going to go to the audition he grinned. ‘So you’ve decided to take my advice for once!’

  ‘Your suggestion did help, but I made my mind up when Euphorbia told me that she had seen Marina on the Night of the Great Sandstorm and that she got the distinct impression that she had to go out to the dance school that night – that she was following some kind of order.’

  ‘Galloping sea spiders!’ Rubus rubbed his chin. ‘Maybe we’re actually on to something!’

  ‘So I need your help with this.’ They found a smooth rock to sit against and Cassie showed him the battered exercises book.

  ‘There are seven pages, one for each dance step. And there are lots of drawings of how to do each step,’ Cassie said as Rubus leaned over her shoulder. She chewed her lip and continued. ‘I’ve never really been taught to dance and there will be some sand sprites who know the steps really well!’

  Rubus shook his head and tapped his ears as if he had water in them. ‘That doesn’t sound like the Cassie I know who wants to find out about her mother – the Cassie who is not afraid of anything!’

  ‘I am afraid of sea slugs and of making a fool of myself,’ Cassie said. ‘But you’re right – I will give this a try. I have to.’

  ‘You can pick up most of these steps no problem,’ Rubus said as he pointed to the pictures. ‘You read out the words.’

  Cassie turned to the first page. ‘Step one – the Sand Stretch. A dancer must perform this step every day. You must always try to increase your stretch. It is important to stretch fully and to feel all emotions fully. A stretch must be followed by a plié .’

  And so they got up and stretched, trying to imitate the faded picture.

  Cassie turned the page. ‘Step two – the Sand Plié. A deep bending of the knees. Bending helps you control h
ow you take off, how high and how fast you can jump and the speed of your turns. The slightest bend of the body can convey a feeling.’

  Rubus bent over, clutching his tummy. ‘I am conveying to you how hungry I am.’

  Cassie rolled her eyes. ‘Be serious! I don’t have time to waste.’

  Rubus said, ‘Seriously bending is important for sand boarding too. All that sand boarding you’ve done with me will give you a good start. What comes next?’

  Cassie continued. ‘Step three – the Sunrise. Rising on the toes gives the dancer a light, floaty quality. It can also be used to give you strength. The rise and flow of the dancer’s body is an essential part of dune dances.’

  And so they floated … Cassie thought she felt her spirits lift slightly as she practised.

  ‘Step four – the Dune Bug Jump. This can be performed in lots of different ways. Jump from two feet to two feet, from two feet to one foot, from one foot to two feet, from one foot to the other. The finest dancers can jump the highest.’

  ‘This is fun!’ Rubus yelled as he and Cassie jumped up and down. ‘I can jump higher than you!’

  ‘But not on one leg. I’m the champion of that!’ Cassie yelled back. ‘You read the next one out.’ Cassie held the book out.

  Rubus took a step back and shook his head.

  ‘Oh, I forgot – Rubus can’t read!’ Cassie joked.

  A red-cheeked Rubus shouted back at her, ‘I can read the direction of the wind. I can read the tides and the weather and the patterns of the stars. I can even read moods. I just can’t read words!’

  ‘No problem. I’ll teach you one day, but only after you’ve taught me how to sand surf Cassie picked up the exercises book and read on. ‘Step five – the Sand Glide. The dancer must never lose contact with the ground as she glides over it. Depending on the mood you can glide slowly or quickly.’

  ‘This is like sand boarding without a board.’ Rubus slid down the edge of a small sand hill.

  ‘Two more steps to go.’ Cassie turned the page. ‘Oh no! Some bits of this are missing. The edge of the page has been ripped. Step six – the Dart and T—. I can’t read that bit. I can only make out part of the rest: To dart is to move above the surface of the sand with legs stretched and toes pointed —’

  ‘We’ll just have to fill in the gaps. How hard could that be! The Dart and … Top? Tip?’ Rubus replied.

  ‘Tap? It could be the Dart and Tap.’ Cassie tapped her toes. ‘Like before a Rage Stomp.’

  ‘Why don’t you ask your aunt? She knows a lot about everything,’ Rubus suggested.

  ‘She hates dancing and would forbid me from going to the auditions if she knew. I don’t want her to get suspicious.’

  ‘You sneaky sand sprite!’ Rubus grinned.

  ‘Only because I have to be. Now let’s get on.’ Cassie waved the book under his nose.

  ‘So we have the Sand Stretch, the Sand Plié, the Sunrise, the Dune Bug Jump, the Sand Glide, the Dart and T–T–Tap. One more step to go! What is it?’ Rubus asked.

  Cassie screwed up her face and looked at the page. ‘I’m not sure. This page is badly damaged too. Step seven – the Dune Arabe— The dancer must stand on one leg while —.’ She sighed. ‘It’s no good – I can’t make it out at all.’

  Rubus stroked his chin. ‘That is a bit trickier. There are so many things you can do whilst standing on one leg.’

  ‘You could waggle the other leg,’ Cassie suggested.

  ‘Or waggle your arm, keeping your other leg bent.’

  Together they tried out lots of different moves to fill in the gaps until Cassie flopped down on the sand.

  ‘Thanks for helping me,’ Cassie said to Rubus, who was now busy practising his sand boarding moves. ‘I’ll ask Lena Sealovage if she can help me with the missing instructions. And I’m sorry for teasing you about the reading. That sounded mean.’

  ‘It’s OK – you’ve promised to teach me, now!’ Rubus said.

  ‘I suppose I’m not really used to being friends with anyone my own age – apart from you,’ admitted Cassie. There are no other sprites my age at Mite Cove and there’s no time to get to know anyone at Silica School as I have to leave early to catch the dune bug back to Mite Cove. Not that sprites are queuing up to be friends with a Marramgrass these days! Oh, they say they are impressed by Marina’s skills but some of the things they say when they think I’m not listening …’ Cassie’s voice trailed off.

  ‘What do they say?’ Rubus jumped off the board.

  ‘They mainly whisper about how selfish my mother was to run off during the storm and how it’s her fault that the dance school has been closed for so long. They say such a famous dancer should have stayed and helped out. I try to ignore it because Aunt Euphorbia hates it when I get into trouble for being rude or stomping at anyone!’ A tear of frustration slid down her cheek, and Cassie quickly wiped it away. ‘I won’t let them get to me. I will prove them wrong when I find out the truth.’

  ‘How are you going to get to Silica City in time for the audition?’ Rubus asked. ‘Didn’t you say you had to be there by nine o’clock?’

  ‘I’m going to sneak out and catch the early dune bug.’

  ‘Those old beetles are a bit slow. Won’t your aunt be suspicious too, if you leave the kutch so early?’

  ‘I have to take the chance.’ Cassie nibbled the edge of her fingernail.

  Why don’t I give you a lift? The sand surfer can hold two sprites. I could drop you off on the edge of the city close to the palace.’

  ‘Brilliant idea! It’ll give me a chance to practise my driving!’ Cassie looked over at the sand surfer.

  Rubus groaned.

  Over the next couple of weeks, Cassie grabbed every chance she could to go over the dance steps in secret. She got up early so she could read over the steps in the book before her aunt got up. She ‘missed’ the dune bug back from school so she could perfect the moves whilst she waited for the later bug. She sneaked out at night to dance on the beach. One time she narrowly missed bumping into her aunt coming back from the night shift at the sand factory and had to hurl herself against the side of a rock. She practised until her feet ached. It was only as she got up early on the morning of the auditions that she realised she never had asked Lena Sealovage about the missing instructions. But it was too late for that now.

  Chapter Four

  ‘A sand dancer should behave with decorum

  at all times, remain in the background

  and wait to be given her due.’

  The Sands of Time

  ‘Next!’ the loud voice called out from the doorway. It echoed down the empty corridor to where the last four sand sprites were waiting on a hard wooden bench for their auditions. One of them got up and disappeared through the door. Cassie gripped the box she was holding tighter. Her heart was beating wildly. She had almost bumped into her aunt that morning as she was sneaking out. Then Rubus had been late. Fortunately there had been a strong sea breeze to carry them along but all the time Cassie had been afraid that she would miss the auditions. Here she was, though, finally. She had tied her hair back in preparation for the auditions and was trying to control her nerves.

  ‘I can’t believe that the dance school is reopening!’ gushed a voice beside her, interrupting her thoughts. Cassie turned to see a tall, thin sand sprite excitedly gripping the edges of her patched-up skirt.

  ‘About time, if you ask me.’The third sand sprite rolled her eyes. She was smaller and dressed smartly. Her azureblue eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘Let’s introduce ourselves,’ she suggested as she stood and curtseyed. ‘My name is Shell.’

  The tall sand sprite smiled and bowed her head. ‘I’m Alexsandra, but everyone calls me Lexie.’ She looked quizzically at Shell. ‘Shell is an unusual name for a sand sprite. Everyone I know is named after sand or the flowers that grow in dunes.’

  ‘I am not like everyone else!’ Shell beamed. ‘I was rescued from a conch shell as a baby and sent to live here. I am now one
of Sandrine’s serving sprites.’

  ‘At the palace? Wow!’ Lexie said.

  ‘I know – I’m lucky to live in a palace,’ Shell agreed. ‘For one thing, I didn’t have to travel far to get here. I did have to do all my chores in record time, though. What about you?’ she asked Cassie.

  ‘I’m Cassandra, but everyone calls me Cassie.’

  Lexie wrung her hands dramatically and sighed. Well, isn’t it wonderful that we’re all here? It has always been my dream to be a sand dancer.’

  Shell ducked below Lexie’s arms. ‘Quit gushing, kid. Isn’t there a Rule in The Sands of Time about that?’

  The three sprites sat up straight and chanted, ‘A sand dancer should behave with decorum at all times, remain in the background and wait to be given her due.’

  ‘As if that ever got her anything!’ Shell added.

  They all burst out laughing and Cassie instantly felt less tense. The door of the audition room opened and a voice gave a loud, ‘Shh!’. The girls struggled to suppress further laughter.

  ‘What’s taking so long? A one-eyed jellyfish could see that that girl who just went in can’t dance. Likes fish cakes too much,’ Shell hissed when the door had closed.

  Lexie giggled but Cassie said, ‘Body shape has nothing to do with it. It’s all about interpretation of feelings. Isn’t that the most important thing?’

  She certainly hoped so. She swallowed and held the box containing her precious dancing slippers even tighter.

  ‘You have to master the technique as well and that takes years of training,’ Lexie added. ‘My mother, Viola Seacouch, danced at the Harvest Moon Festival and was hoping to be become a dune dancer. Only the finest sand dancers were taught the secret dune dance routines. Then came the Night of the Great Sandstorm.’

  Shell stomped her foot. ‘Please don’t go on about that! I’m so tired of hearing about it and how everyone has to work harder, be vigilant and never have any fun any more.’

  ‘But things did get tougher after the devastation of the storm. A lot of sprites have struggled to make ends meet,’ Lexie continued.