Last Wishes by Victoria Schwab

Author:Victoria Schwab
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2014-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

“It looks like a storm blew through here,” said Aria the next day.

She was perched on Mikayla’s bed, and the room was still covered in the contents of her closet. Mikayla had fallen asleep last night reading through one of her old notebooks, her costumes beneath her like a pillow.

When she’d woken up that Saturday morning, she’d avoided her parents, and it had been a welcome relief when Aria rang the doorbell, bright-eyed and holding fresh muffins from the local bakery.

“Sorry,” Mikayla said now, massaging her still-sore ankle. “I decided to sort through some things last night.”

“And what did you find?” asked Aria, biting into her muffin. “Mmm,” she added, momentarily distracted. “This is kind of like a cupcake.”

“Hang on,” said Mikayla. She swiveled so that she and Aria were sitting side by side on the bed. Together, they flipped through the notebooks, and Mikayla tried to show Aria the person she’d been before dance, or at least before dance became so important, so big that it swallowed everything else.

Aria picked up a photo album and turned through it, pointing out photos of a goofy kid that Mikayla didn’t even remember being. A kid who was eating a giant ice cream cone, making a mess and laughing. A kid who wore her dark curls in pigtails, big brown eyes shining as she stood outside the Central Park Zoo. If anything, the girl in the photos reminded Mikayla of Aria.

“When did things change?” asked Aria.

“I don’t remember,” said Mikayla, which was the truth. She felt like she should be able to pinpoint a day, a dance, a win — some moment when the gravity shifted and being the best became more important than having fun. But it must have happened over time, so slowly she didn’t notice.

“I want to meet this girl,” said Aria, tapping the album.

“I’m not her,” said Mikayla. “Not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because I was a kid. Monsters and magic, those are kids’ ideas. I know better now.”

“I still believe in magic,” said Aria simply.

Mikayla rolled her eyes, even though Aria sounded completely serious. “Do you believe in monsters, too? Ghosts? Unicorns?” she asked teasingly.

Aria chewed her lip, as if thinking. “I believe the world is big and strange and full of wonder,” she replied.

Mikayla was quiet. When Aria put it like that, it didn’t sound quite as silly. Something in Mikayla’s chest fluttered.

“What is Drexton?” asked Aria lightly, and the question jarred her. It sent a cold spike through her chest. Aria was pointing at the calendar on the wall, where the word was written in bold red letters. “I also heard Miss Annette mention it.”

“Drexton Academy,” said Mikayla. Aria looked at her blankly, so she explained. “It’s the most prestigious dance school in the city. Probably in the country. They only take in a few new dancers each year — the auditions are invite-only — but if you get accepted, they pay for everything. Lessons. Travel. Costumes. Competitions. Even a stipend for schooling.”

“Wow.”

“An audition window is coming up,” continued Mikayla.

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