The Search for Cinderella

Chapter 9

He plays the intro and when it's my turn to sing the same thing which happened at rehearsals happened; my throat closed up and the words blurred.

I dropped my hands defeated and a tear trickled down my cheek, "I can't do this, Xavier."

He faced me and thought hard before saying, "Go somewhere in your mind where you're comfortable and happy. It can be anywhere, the beach, a forest or even pretend you're in your shower and sing from there. I used to do that when I first started performing, and it worked."

I nodded and closed my eyes. I pictured my mum and me singing in the kitchen. She was wearing her bed socks with my dad's apron while I was in a tutu with my messy five year old curls all over the place.

Mum was singing into a wooden spoon moving her hips and I was singing into my hairbrush to Stevie Wonder.

I smiled at the memory and heard Xavier play the keys in the background. I knew when it was my turn to come in and sang gently at first before I became more confident and used my full diaphragm, "Turn down the lights, turn down the bed, turn down these voices, inside my head."

"Lay down with me, tell me no lies, just hold me close, don't patronise, don't patronise me."

I let my voice completely voice when we reached the chorus, "Cause I can't make you love me if you don't, You can't make your heart feel something it won't, here in the dark in these final hours, I will lay down my heart, and I feel the power but you won't. No, you won't."

I breathed a deep breath, still in the kitchen with my mum, "Cause I can't make you love me, if you don't."

We moved into the second verse and the words flowed naturally from my lips as if I was fluent in another language. When we reached the second chorus Xavier harmonized perfectly with me and soon after the bridge and chorus Xavier played the ending notes on the piano and trailed out until we were left in a room of silence.

He then looked at me and grinned, "That was incredible Belle, you're going to nail it tomorrow night."

I blushed looking down and I felt Xavier move and get his laptop. He pressed something and I heard what we just sang.

"You recorded it?!" I asked.

"Shh, just listen."

And when I did I honestly couldn't believe it was me. The female voice was matured and reached incredible pitches. When Xavier's voice sang with it, it sounded complete.

I grinned and hugged Xavier, "Thank you so much!"

He chuckles but hugs me back before we both let go.

"We better go back downstairs," He says and I nod following him down. He carefully opens the door making sure no ones standing around and we both come out. He turns to me and digs something out of his pocket.

"Here you go," he says and hands me a key. I take it but stare at him confused, "You can go in any time you want, and this was just a spare key made in case I lost this one."

I smile and softly say thank you and I know my cheeks were red.

The sound of footsteps and barking fill take up the silence and I turn around to see Rose panting in a black leotard and dance shorts and Coco, panting as well, trailing behind her. Not noticing who I was standing with she tackles me into a hug and says, "Thank goodness you're alright. Hugo wouldn't let me come after you although I was the last one to practise," She pulls away but holds my shoulders, "Are you okay? Are you alright? Do you need anything? Look, I even brought Coco."