There is only one day left before the rehearsal and center selection for the play 'Swan Lake' takes place. I really struggled to exercise even though my health was pretty bad.
Layla has been absent from school for the past three days, even her friends don't know where she is now. What's more suspicious is that one by one, each of Layla's friends is absent from school for no reason. No one knows where they went or when they will return to the academy.
At least I feel lucky that the pictures that bad man forced me to take with him were not revealed. Maybe the police are holding them, I guess.
Dominic wasn't home either. Unexpectedly, I felt a little miss him. I asked Ruby if she knew where Dominic was, but she didn't. I did not dare to call him for fear of disturbing him.
During the rehearsal and choosing the center for the play "Swan Lake", I was quite nervous. In order, group S will perform first, then group A and group B.
The excellent performance of Kaylin Joan and Garrick Harvey certainly did not disappoint. Sitting in the dressing room, I was more nervous than ever. My health is not good and I am constantly sweating. Veronica noticed my fatigue.
"Your face is so pale Esther. Are you hot? You're covered in sweat."
"I'm fine, don't worry." I smiled and shook my head.
"You don't look well. Take a rest and if you feel like you can't go on stage, don't try too hard. Your health is the most important."
"Thanks Veronica, I know."
"Wait here and I'll get you a coffee."
I was about to change when I heard some girls chatting.
"Hey, I heard we're going to have a special judge today."
"Really? Do you know that person's identity?"
"I heard he's the biggest investor in the academy."
The voices of conversation gradually faded, it seems that the girls have left the changing room.
At first, I didn't mind this particular judge too much, but the girls kept talking about him. After each performance, they talked about him more.
"Oh my gosh, Mia, you even danced the wrong part. Are you confused by that man? Hahaha."
"He was wearing sunglasses and the lights were off down the hall so I couldn't see his face clearly, but looking at his tall and muscular build, he must be handsome. Do you all agree with me?"
"Exactly. I'm curious about him. Even though he's the judge, he hasn't said a word."
"..."
I myself began to wonder who that investor was. I asked Veronica if she knew something, but Veronica just shook her head. She said the man was very quiet and completely unresponsive to her performance, neither excited nor reproachful.
"In my opinion, Principal Peter invited him to be on the jury only because he is the biggest investor in the school. You know, rich investors always have the pleasure of looking at pretty girls." Veronica shrugged, like this was obvious.
"Is that so? Has there ever been an investor invited to be the jury of a rehearsal like him?"
"Hmm, let's see. Seems like it never happened." Veronica thought for a moment and then said, "But I still think he's here by invitation, not for any special purpose."
"Esther Joan, it's your turn."
Hearing my name being called, I rushed towards the chicken wing. Veronica cheered and encouraged me, she stood in a spot that was easy to observe and recorded my performance like a true fan.
The chandelier shines on me. I took a deep breath and stepped out into the center of the stage. My gaze flickered to the judges and in those few seconds, my heart stopped beating.
The investor that the girls fall in love with and praise is the man I know. You are the one who disappeared for the past few days, making my mind confused and unable to stop thinking about him - Dominic Arnold. The other girls might not recognize him because he sits in the dark and wears sunglasses. But for me, even if he wears a mask and sits in the middle of a crowd, I can still recognize him.
That cool and calm temperament can only be found in Dominic Arnold.
It turns out that he is the biggest investor in Malibu academy, which may explain why he sometimes comes here and picks me up.
My face flushed a little red, this is probably the rare time that I lose focus when standing on stage.
The music plays, I close my eyes and start doing ballet dances. My white ballet dress is a little different from the other girls. Their ballet skirts were fringed and studded with shiny, silky hairs. As for my ballet skirt, it's sketchy and has less of an accent, it's just a plain white dress with a bow attached to the waist. My dress was much cheaper than the other girls' dresses just by looking at it, but I decided to wear it anyway.
Because this is my mother's dress, it is a relic that my mother left behind. I wanted to wear it in memory of her and reenact her legendary performance.
I was dancing, tears welling in the corners of my eyes. In the part where the princess was cursed, I actually shed tears, just like the pain the princess had to endure.
As soon as the music stopped, I finished my performance. Once again, everyone seemed to be in awe of my performance. Jenny frowned and bit her lip. Miss Glenda beamed and clapped her hands. Everyone clapped their hands one by one and a few boys whistled loudly. Everyone's praise eased my pressure somewhat.
However, I am still waiting for a response from him. Will he clap for me or will he sit still?
The answer was beyond my expectations. I saw him smirk and take off his sunglasses. His deep and cold eyes looked at me, but because of the distance from the stage to where he was sitting, I couldn't tell his emotions through those eyes.
"Very impressive, Esther Joan." Ms. Glenda commented. "Of all the performances, you are the one who surprised me the most. The other girls are all trying to be a beautiful and gorgeous princess, only you can portray the pain of that poor princess brilliantly."
Principal Peter nodded in agreement with Miss Glenda, then he turned to look at Dominic Arnold and smiled, but seeing that he didn't say anything, Principal Peter forced himself to look away. No one knew that Miss Jenny was so angry that her nails dug into her skirt. Even so, she couldn't deny that the performance she had just watched was excellent.
After the comments, I bowed to the judges and left. I felt Dominic's eyes watching me from start to finish, but he still didn't say a word. I really can't guess what this man is thinking.