The Red Swan // Catradora

chapter 1: seven students

"Adora! Move down, I got no space here girl." Lonnie called down the barre to the blonde girl whose leg was extended across the wood, stretching out her femur and her arms reaching across to touch her calf. She looked up and immediately started to hop down the length, leg still positioned high, to give her friend more room to warm up. "Sorry Lon," she apologised with a small smirk as she edged closer to her other classmate DT who was next to her. 

Lonnie returned the look and momentarily thanked her, before DT spoke up, "Adora darling, you know my long limbs need space," they said, the final word exiting their vocals like running a hand across velvet while similarly complaining of a lack of space. 

"How about you move down, you got plenty of space!" She jokingly replied, angling her head to look behind her friend and acknowledging the empty air behind them. At raising her voice, a few other classmates laughed softly and they pried their eyes away from their varying stretches to look at the scene behind them. Before DT could remark back with some excuse, their teacher, Coach Weaver who had stayed silent for a period of time, letting the girls do their personal warm-up, spoke. 

"Trouble, move down and give Adora the space. Now." 

The words echoed down the walls of the wide studio, concrete lined with mirrors almost reflecting the sound, intimidating DT to make their way down to the end of the barre, giving the teachers favourite more than enough room to perform her combinations. Followed by a slight scoff by DT and some resistance from Adora, she centred herself between Lonnie and the other, careful not to disrespect Weaver's demand. At Brightmoon School of Arts (BSA) many students had to gain scholarships to earn a place here, a refined education academy where students could finish their final three years of highschool under the influence of dance professionals. As they were the graduating class that year, they gained two teachers per dance lesson to further enhance their skills before they left to potentially go professional. Their two teachers were Ms Weaver, the hardcore, technique-focused, drilling coach, and Ms Angella, the patient, kind-hearted, emotionally expressed coach. They contrasted each other greatly, yet that may have been why they were put together, to establish a sense of balance in their advanced class. During Years 1 and 2, everyone in their grade who was accepted participated in the same classes together, yet as they grew older, they were separated by talent, Adora and some of her more competitive friends in the advanced class, and her other closer companions in the intermediate group. Adora and her five other classmates, Lonnie, DT, Rogelio, Entrapta, and Scorpia, were the best of the best and were always guaranteed prominent roles in their dance productions as well as placing first consistently with the dance competitions they went to. All of them had strengths in different areas, but Adora was the only all-rounder, hence Coach Weavers favourite. 

As the girls continued to prepare their muscles for the two-hour lesson ahead, rising up and down to heat their calves and holding planks to strengthen their core, Weaver tapped her long maroon nails on the bench passively, seemingly awaiting Coach Angella's arrival. She did not enjoy their forced teamwork to rehearse and improve the excelling class but to maintain her job, she let it slide. After some minutes had passed, she accepted that maybe Angella was not going to arrive today, and welcomed the opportunity to take control of the class. 

She stood and made her way to the center of the grey vinyl floored room and cleared her throat before expelling the days focus. 

"As you are all aware of our upcoming production of Swan Lake at the end of the school year, we are going to focus on honing your skills. As you are advanced, all of you have the opportunity to gain key roles of Odile, Odette, or the prince himself." 

All the girls let out a knowing breath of air and glanced in Rogelio's direction, understanding how if he was the only male, he'd get the role of the prince. Weaver noticing this, cleared her throat even louder to draw attention back to herself before making her second announcement.