In Another World

Chapter 1

"You're actually going on Strictly Come Dancing?!" Joe exclaimed as soon as his older sister answered the call.

"Hey, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Zoe replied sardonically, "How are you?"

Joe rolled his eyes, "Don't change the subject, Zoella".

Zoe let out a breath, "Twitter never lies, Broseph," she responded dryly as she scrolled through her feed from the announcement, "And anyway, I already told you about it!"

This was true. Despite the fact that she technically wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the offer from Strictly, Zoe had immediately contacted her brother for help. They knew each other better than anyone else, and – especially working in the same industry – understood what was best for each other. Together, they had written down a pros and cons list; and although there had been more positives than negatives to Zoe partaking in the show, she was still hesitant about it. Joe knew that it was ultimately her decision, and left her to it; assuring her that he would support her no matter what she did.

"Yeah, I knew that you were considering it," Joe began, "But you still seemed pretty unsure when we talked about it, I was starting to think that you'd turned them down".

Zoe grinned, "Well, I didn't!"

"You don't say!" Joe retorted.

"Well, I met with the showrunners, and they talked me through the whole thing," Zoe explained, "I realised what an awesome opportunity it would be, and I had to do it".

Joe beamed, "Oh, this is so exciting!" he breathed, "So, how are you feeling now that it's all official?"

Zoe let out a breath, "I'm bricking it," she admitted, "But everyone's been so supportive, I've seen loads of lovely messages online".

"Well, they are the judges, aren't they?" Joe remarked.

There was a pause, "You've never seen the show before, have you?"

Joe chuckled, "Of course I have, who hasn't?" he remarked, "But at the end of the day, it's down to the fans to decide who gets through, and who wins".

"Yeah, but the actual judges play a big part in that as well," Zoe pointed out, "And if I'm in the bottom two, then it's down to them to decide whether I go through or not".

"Yeah, but you won't be," Joe assured her, "You've got so many fans already – even before you've danced a single step – they'll be voting in their droves to keep you safe".

Zoe scoffed, "You make it sound like I could just sit in the middle of the dancefloor for ninety seconds, and still get through!"

"Well, I'd definitely vote for you if you did that!" Joe joked.

"You'd better be voting anyway," Zoe pointed out, "In fact, the lower on the leader-board I am, the more you need to vote. Got it?"

"Loud and clear," Joe affirmed, "So, do you know who your partner is yet?"

"No, we don't find out until we film the launch show; which is near the end of the month," Zoe replied, "But we have to keep it to ourselves until it's broadcast, which happens to be on your birthday!"

"Seriously?" Joe questioned, "So, are you gonna steal my thunder, or am I gonna steal yours?"

Zoe shrugged, "Maybe neither," she mused, "We could throw a party, a joint celebration of your birthday and the launch show!"

"Ooh, I like that idea," Joe hummed, "Why don't you send a group invite to the people on the show, see how many of them are available and interested in coming along?"