Chapter 1

“Get off my ribbon.”

Ophelia shoved Kayley, and Kayley tumbled into Madeleine, who bumped into Sophie and Emma. All five girls began to giggle.

Kayley rolled her eyes. “Good lord, Ophelia. This is ballet class, not rugby practice!”

Kayley sat down, tucking one leg under her and keeping one knee pointed up in one fluid motion, then finished tying her pointe shoe. When she was finished, she put her foot over Ophelia’s ribbon again.

Ophelia stared at her with daggers in her eyes, and Kayley burst out laughing. Ophelia reluctantly smiled.

Sophie, who was doing a splits stretch, said, “What’s going on with you, Ophelia? Long night? Did you go out with a boooyyyy?” She shared a smile with Emma.

Among all the girls, Ophelia was definitely the most daring. She managed to meet boys from in town more often than the others, and she would often sneak out for dates. They never lasted long, though. Ophelia breathed, ate, and slept dance. No townie boy ever understood that.

Ophelia breathed out in exasperation, “No. It’s not all about boys, you know!”

Madeleine grinned slowly. “Just most of the time, right?”

The rest of the girls cracked up. Ophelia ignored them. She was nervous, but she didn’t want them to know. She could feel Kayley looking at her.

“No, it’s not a boy. Ophelia knows something,” Kayley said. “OK, Ophelia, spill.”

Ophelia had been dying all morning to share her information. She’d tried hard to keep it in—having a secret was delicious—but she couldn’t anymore, especially since Kayley was like a clairvoyant witch and knew it anytime Ophelia was hiding something.

“All right,” Ophelia said. “Here’s what happened. The other day, I heard Madame talking to that owner guy. And I swear—now, I could be wrong—but I swear I heard them talking about Giselle! I think Dario Quincy might be putting on Giselle!”

Madeleine looked thrilled and clapped her hands, but Sophie, Emma, and Kayley were silent.

Ophelia exhaled in frustration. “Oh, come on, you guys. You don’t really believe in those rumors, do you? Like a bunch of idiots?”

Kayley looked at Sophie and Emma. “What about the little ghost hunt you took us on a couple months ago? You know, for the ghost who was stealing our trinkets?”

Ophelia waved her hand. Kayley could be such a stickler for facts sometimes. “Oh, that was ages ago. And anyway, I didn’t really believe it was a ghost. It was just something to do! Something less boring than sitting around in the dorms.”

She reached in her bag for a hairpin, then wrapped the hair around her bun and stuck the pin in, scraping her head.

“Madeleine held her hands out and shrugged. “OK, I’m lost. What’s going on?”

Ophelia rolled her eyes again. “Oh, these yahoos think that performances of Giselle are cursed here at the academy. It’s been a rumor since before I came here. The school hasn’t put it on in years.” She stood up and threw her leg on the barre. Class would start any minute, and she wasn’t feeling the least bit limber.

Kayley stood up too, then Sophie, Emma, and Madeleine.

“Thirty years to be exact, Ophelia,” Kayley said. “And I suppose you think you’ll get the role of Giselle?”

Ophelia raised an eyebrow and worked to suppress a smile. Of course, she thought she’d get the role. She was the best dancer in the company, with maybe the exception of Madeleine. But she just had a feeling in her stomach that she would be Giselle. She’d wanted to play that part since she was ten, the first time she’d seen it done.

Kayley went on: “Yeah, well, the last three times this company has put on Giselle—the only three times—the ballerina who played her died. Died, Ophelia. Do you want to die?”

Ophelia twirled around and stared at her. “Of course, I don’t. But I won’t. It’s just a stupid rumor.”

Emma shook her head. “I don’t know Ophelia. I mean, why now? Why are we putting it on now?”

Just then, Madame Puant walked into the room with the piano player, Patrick. She knocked her cane on the ground three times, signifying the start of dance class. “Barre exercises, everyone!”

Ophelia took a quick peek at Kayley and Madeleine, who were sharing a look. It didn’t matter. If they were going to do Giselle, Ophelia wanted the lead more than anything else. It didn’t matter what the other girls thought. She held onto the barre and followed Madame’s warm-up instructions: tendu, back-side-front, plié, then relevé.

As they warmed up, Madame took a breath and then said, “All right, class. We have decided on our next ballet.”

Ophelia could feel the whole class breathe in with anticipation. This was one of the best parts of being at the school—learning, rehearsing, and putting on a ballet. What every dancer at the school came for.

“We are going to perform Giselle.”

The class erupted in talk and chatter. Speaking over everyone, Madame yelled, “And our Giselle will be none other than Ophelia.”

Ophelia broke out in a huge grin. But the class had gone silent. Silent as a morgue.

As if they were grieving for her already.