Magic Dancer Academy: The Pairing: Magic Dancer Academy

By Constance Roberts

If you think being a dancer is hard, try dealing with an ancient curse.

Since the day my magic manifested while I was dancing, I've spent every moment training to become a royal court dancer. When I got accepted into Starbright, the Academy for Magical Dancers, I knew I was one step closer to my dream. All I need now is the perfect partner to make my magic stronger.

Who knew it'd be Viktor, my worst enemy.

I can't stand him, but our instructor is forcing us to dance together. If I want to become a powerful mage, I have no choice but to be in his arms.

Except I've got bigger problems than a guy who hates my guts. I'm the victim of a forbidden curse, and if anyone discovers it, I'll be expelled from the academy…

Or worse, imprisoned.

***

Magic Dancer Academy is a young adult enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with elements of mystery and enchantment.

Clean and sweet love story, 300+ pages. Suitable for ages 14 and up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Constance Roberts
• Release date: May 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9798735722090

Constance Roberts

Constance Roberts is a retired flight attendant who turned in her wings to stay at home with her wildlings and to write. She is the author of a set of gender-bent fairytales and The Dragon Sanctum series. She and her husband live in St. Louis, Missouri where they spend the weekends playing board games with friends.

Book preview

One

Ihad mere seconds before I would collapse, ruining everything I’d spent my entire life working for.

The boat that carried me and the other fifty-nine initiates down the long canal rocked beneath my shaking legs. If I couldn’t slip away and get to the medicine hidden in my bag, I might as well have thrown myself overboard. That’s exactly what the headmistress at Starbright: Academy for Magical Dancers would do to me if she found out about my rare blood disease. Or as the rest of the kingdom called it: a curse.

The dancers admitted to Starbright, the rare few who are not only gifted with unimaginable talent but also the ability to expel magical particles during a performance, are held to the highest of standards. The Starbright standard of perfection came in a wide range of races, features, and skin colors. However, the most elite magic dancer academy had no room for dancers with physical disabilities, mental health concerns, or ongoing medical conditions such as myself.

I was more than lucky my forged physician papers passed through the administration department. If anyone there found out about my fainting spells or the blistering rash that crawls up my skin, I would be beyond expelled. I would be marked ‘cursed’ and imprisoned for life on an island few people even knew existed. The disease, a lingering effect of a biological weapon used last century in the Third War, doesn’t let most people who genetically inherited it live past childhood. The rest of us suffered in silence or risked getting caught by the superstitious government who believed the disease to be a punishment from the goddess Yuhwa.

My limbs burned, slick with sweat. I tried to guide my thoughts through a thick layer of syrup in my head while a red tentacle snaked up the crook of my elbow. Soon we would have to disembark the boat and I wouldn’t be able to hide it against my back. Too bad the late summer heat prevented me from bringing along a jacket. Too bad my magic couldn’t save me from this.

I was vaguely aware of Starbright students performing on the ivory steps, welcoming us with plumes of golden sparkles swirling around them as they danced. I should have been dazzled by the academy soloists, draped in flowing costumes of purple and blue—Starbright’s class colors. At any other moment, their grace and precision would have captivated me. The perfectionist in me would have studied the technique of their pirouettes, marveled at their grace and precision.

The soloist’s class was where we all wanted to be next year. Those dancers were once on that same boat, taking the same ride to the gilded entrance of the academy. For the past year they had toiled through endless classes, grueling rehearsals, and even injuries to stretch and spin their way to the middle rank in the academy. Each one of them hoped to one day graduate with a job as a concert star or—better yet, in my opinion—a dancer at the royal court. What I wouldn’t give to be where they were. Or rather, what I had given to be there.

My family had never been on board with my dream of becoming a court dancer like my aunt, Emiko. My father used to be a high-ranking official in the palace, but when I first started showing signs of the curse, he relinquished his position and moved to the coast. The only work he could get was on a fishing boat that took him away from my mother and four siblings for the better part of a year. He didn’t mind—at first. I knew my parents would have lived in a cave if it meant keeping their daughter safe from the unforgiving regime. Keeping me happy was a different story. As a strong-willed child, I wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to dance lessons.

My aunt, Emiko, was to blame for that. When she would come visit, she would put on a show for our entire village. Aunt Emi’s magical aura filled the crowd with the same joy and positivity that she felt when she was dancing. Like most trained magical dancers, she could inspire people to live life on purpose and push through hardships, just by dancing! Harvests always doubled in the years Aunt Emi performed. I was sure she was a goddess. Forget Yuhwa. I worshiped her.

Most dancers don’t manifest their magic until their early teens, but even as a kid, I knew without a doubt I had power inside me. I begged my parents for months to let me take lessons. My father was hesitant to even let me leave the house with my condition, but was out at sea most of the time, anyway. We could barely afford broth on his meager salary, but Mama found a teacher two towns away that would take pickled vegetables and a few hours a week of book-keeping as payment.

From then on, I spent the rest of my days in holey leather shoes and hand-me-down leotards, dreaming of becoming a ‘goddess’ like Aunt Emi. Goddesses were not only beautiful, they were perfect. Goddesses made their own magic, and if they worked hard enough, used it to help others. Most of all, goddesses didn’t get sick. They didn’t become frail and weak at a moment’s notice, draining their family of their finances just to buy medicine on the backwater market. Goddesses didn’t have to be shut away on the outskirts of the kingdom.

There were many pleas and fights to get me to quit as I grew older, but my dream simply wasn’t something I could give up. Dancing felt like a part of who I was, as much as my own skin. I couldn’t take off my skin and I couldn’t stop dancing.

Magic had always been inside of me when I danced. I could feel it, and I had no doubt it would only be a matter of time before I could call myself a magic dancer. Finally, on my fourteenth birthday, I got my wish. I was dancing alone near the ocean cliffs by my home that night when a flurry of starlight pulsed from my body, spinning around me like a halo of pixie dust. It was weak, compared to what Aunt Emi could do, but I knew it was a sign that I would one day be a court dancer. Someday, the magic from my performances would create potions for the citizens of La Hyo and even around the world.

A week after I turned fourteen, I moved to Coronet to live with Aunt Emi and her wife, Gemma, a doctor who strictly monitored my disease, treating my symptoms with illegal medicine. Aunt Gemma risked not only her medical license, but also her life to help me achieve my goals. For two years, all I did was train, finish school, and work to save up enough cash and medicine for my first year at Starbright.

The rocking of the boat made my head spin. All I needed to do was slip away into the luggage hold so I could get to my medicine. I had worked too hard and given up too much to fail now.

I hadn’t seen my family since that fateful birthday. My father still wouldn’t even speak to me. I couldn’t say I blamed him after I broke down all the walls he built to protect me, but I wished there was a way I could make him understand. I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t a dancer. And I may not be a dancer much longer if I couldn’t get to the medicine hidden in my bag.

Instead of watching the soloist’s performance, I slipped into the luggage hold while everyone was distracted and rooted around for my suitcase. I didn’t dare store the syringe in my dance bag, which we were told to keep close to us. I’d read once online that initiates were always searched for contraband on their way in.

There were many rules at Starbright Academy. A billion items were on the restricted list, including everything from alcohol to brightly colored nail polish. I could not afford to get caught with pills and a loaded syringe—especially not ones that couldn’t be obtained under legal methods.

Every muscle in my body ached. I barely had the strength to pull my suitcase from the pile when I spotted it, and even then, I had to pause to catch my breath before I unzipped the top. The telltale rash snaked up my arm like monstrous tentacles as I fished through the secret pocket where I’d stashed the only emergency medicine I had to save my life. I wouldn’t be able to afford another episode like this. I could usually keep my symptoms bearable with the pills, but stress could cause my blood to act up. I probably should have listened to Aunt Emi and drank the sleep tea she gave me last night, instead of lying awake entertaining the ‘what ifs’ of my decision to lie my way into the most prestigious dance school in the kingdom.

Through a trance of double vision, I watched as the silvery liquid sloshed in the syringe. I’d have to make it quick, or I’d be out cold on the floor next to a bunch of strangers’ suitcases. I popped the cap and plunged the needle into the circular scar on top of my favorite vein, already feeling my blood cool as the shimmery medicine disappeared into me.

I didn’t know how long I sat there, leaning back on an overstuffed duffle bag and letting the medicine dull the edges of my pain. Even after a dosing, an episode like this would leave me exhausted the rest of the day. Had I been back at home, I would have gone straight to bed and not emerged from my fortress of blankets for hours. Not today, though. I didn’t have long until the boat would stop, and all the initiates would be ushered out. I just needed a moment longer to gather my strength, and then I could crawl out of the luggage hold. Thank the gods we didn’t have to actually dance today.

Hey there. A voice jerked my eyes open. You okay?

I startled before realizing I had already stuffed the used syringe back in the secret pocket of my suitcase. I prayed no one had seen what I had just done.

Yeah, just... taking a little break. Crowds make me nervous sometimes, I lied through a smile, keeping my monster arm concealed.

At the top of the stairs, the intruder smiled. I noted the lack of suspicion on his face, and then I noticed his face. Everyone in La Hyo knew those rounded almond eyes, those thick dark lashes and razor-sharp jawline. His face was plastered on the wall of every lovesick teenager along with the royal banner in Crown’s square; His Royal Highness Prince Kato Arquette.

The prince grinned sheepishly, but in a way that made me wonder if he knew how charming he could be. I totally get it. I don’t enjoy being around a lot of people either, he said, placing a hand in the pocket of his jeans.

I used every ounce of strength I’d mustered in the last few minutes to get to my feet. I’d known Prince Kato was a dancer, but I’d heard nothing about his magic manifesting, much less that he’d be attending Starbright Academy as an initiate. The same year as me! I practically squealed inside. If I could get HRH Kato Arquette paired as my partner, I’d make it into the court of royal dancers for sure.

I confidently extended my hand. I’m Jayda.

Nice to meet you, Jayda. A tingle sparked in my palm the instant his hand met mine. A stray tuft of his black hair swept across his forehead as his lips stretched to reveal a brilliant smile. I’m Kato.

As a dancer at Starbright Academy, I was fully aware a romance was off the agenda. Not only would I have no time for it, but the Academy strictly forbid it, encouraging its students to focus on their studies instead. Strengthening a dancer’s magic is hard enough without frivolous distractions such as dating and drama. But right then, I could tell keeping focused was going to be very, very hard.

Luckily, I don’t need a boyfriend. I need a partner—one whose magic will strengthen my own and get me a spot on the royal court. And what better way to get into the palace than through a prince?

I had to get Kato to like me. Say something funny, I commanded my foggy brain. I never thought princes preferred cramped, dark spaces to the open summer air.

Lame, but it would have to do.

Kato’s smile faltered, embarrassed either because I knew he was the prince, or that I’d made the mistake of mentioning it. I saw you come down here and wanted to make sure you were alright. You weren’t looking so good before, he said.

Damn. I was going to have to get better about faking through an episode. I’d been out of practice for the last two years since I barely left Aunt Emi’s apartment. I wondered if he could tell all I wanted to do was lie down.

I’m fine, really, I assured him. I just needed a minute. All the excitement and everything. I gestured wildly. What was wrong with me? I was never this awkward.

Get it together, Jayda.

Glad you’re feeling better. Kato motioned behind him, accentuating the muscles in his forearms. You should probably come up soon. The boat’s about to dock.

Of course. Can’t wait. I plastered on a cheesy grin and followed him up the stairs, cursing myself the entire way. Pulling this off may be harder than I thought.

Two

Starbright Academy looked even more magnificent than it had in the pictures I kept as my lock screen. In the morning sun, the color of the velvet carpet that stretched down the ivory steps burst out in a shade of brilliant blue. The sheer size of the academy rivaled the royal palace, with several wings and five stories of glass and marble stretching up to meet the sky. Had I not been ready to slip into a long hibernation, I would have marveled at what was to be my new home. Instead, I focused my energy on standing up straight and trying not to look like a walking corpse.

Ugh. Are you kidding me? Kato groaned.

What? I asked, looking around for something amiss.

Kato leaned in close and whispered. See that guy over there wearing the hooded jacket and wool scarf on a summer day? I nodded, curious. That’s Viktor Bellamy. He’s bad news.

I’ve never heard of him, I said.

You probably wouldn’t have. His following is embarrassing, but he’s disgustingly talented. Problem is, he’s a cheater.

A cheater? My face reddened, thinking about my own social media standings, which hardly even exist. Part of keeping a low-profile for so long was going off the cyber grid.

As the initiates shuffled off the boat, Kato let out an annoyed sigh. One of my friends said he deals boosters on the side—you know, the juice that makes your magic flashier on stage. He’s kind of a weirdo, too. Not much respect for other people. Guess that’s to be expected, growing up in foster care. I’ve heard he runs with some pretty shady people.

I inspected this so-called weirdo as he stepped onto the bridge, gripping his latte like a sacred relic. I could barely see the side of his face inside his hood, but he held a quiet, secretive expression from his auburn brows to his narrow set cheekbones. He was lean, like most dancers, but shorter than I would have thought acceptable for a Starbright initiate.

He’ll probably be one of the first cuts, I predicted aloud.

Let’s hope, Kato said. Hey, it was a treat to meet you, Jayda. We’ll have to catch up later.

He remembered my name, I thought dreamily.

When we stepped off the boat, the prince left me and rejoined what seemed to be a group of close friends—all of whom I recognized from stalking their profiles over the last several years. Hubert Cisco, this year’s winner of the Young Men’s dance award, jabbed Kato playfully in the ribs while we waited anxiously for the gold trimmed doors to open. Painfully beautiful Adele Hirano, known to everyone in the dance world from her wildly popular channel In The Spin, twirled her finger around a strand of her blond hair while she smirked at the boys’ display of masculinity. Of course, Adele would be friends with the prince. Between her fame and the naturally high arches of her stupid, perfect feet, she would be my greatest competition.

Then there was Fleur Strumonde, the first ever transgender dancer to be accepted by Starbright. Her acceptance to the elite academy made headlines in the dance world, though anyone who ever watched her dance wouldn’t second guess her artistry. With an ethereal grace and seamless lines in the extension of her limbs, the elegant redhead would be one to watch, too.

I had to make friends with them. Keep your competition close... or whatever it is they say.

Just as I was inching my way over to them, the doors rumbled open and everyone’s attention snapped to the dark-skinned woman in the midnight blue suit-dress. A hush instantly fell over the crowd.

Jeneen Cummings pressed open a wide smile and spread her arms out elegantly. Congratulations new initiates, and welcome to Starbright Academy, your new home. Polite cheers and applause followed her greeting.

Formerly the mistress to the school’s House Midnight, Jeneen Cummings was new to her position as Headmistress and wore her hair in a bun so tight it was as if she wanted to prove she was serious enough for the role. Aunt Emi had told me a bit about the woman from when she studied under her in House Midnight. Jeneen had once been a student at the Academy, going on to an illustrious career as a court dancer. After she retired from her position with the court, she came back to the academy as an instructor, and had been Mistress of Midnight for over two decades.

The Wicked Witch, they called her, Aunt Emi had told me once, but if she isn’t hard on you, she doesn’t consider you worth her time.

Headmistress Cummings certainly looked the part of intimidating villainess, with her plum eyeshadow and deep red lip gloss stretched over full, dark lips. From the pictures I’d seen, she had always been a somewhat curvy woman, but the years off her feet had caught up to her waistline, which was accented by a chic leather belt.

I realize some of you have had a long journey to the beautiful crown city of Coronet, but I’m afraid there isn’t much time for reprieve, Headmistress Cummings said. There is much to do to get you settled in before the Welcome Ball tonight, including a tour of your new home. She turned and gestured for us to follow.

Stepping through the doors of the academy felt like I’d passed through a portal into another world—one I’d been dreaming of since I was a little girl dancing in worn, hand-me-down shoes. One look inside the foyer would tell you, there are no ratty ballet slippers here.

A dancer, chiseled from stone, twirled above a grand fountain in the center of the foyer. A long receptionist’s desk wrapped around the entire east wall, and a waiting area of plush divans called to my aching limbs. The Headmistress had to raise her voice over the roaring water that echoed through the great room. This structure remained from when the estate was a palace in the Third Millennium, but beyond the gold moldings and filigree, the walls and ceiling have been enchanted to flow with the cycle of the sky, she explained.

As it was mid-morning, the foyer was bright under a crystal sky, angelic clouds sailing across the walls. I knew from Aunt Emi’s stories that by midnight the magical paint would be an inky blue, bursting with golden stars. The floor beneath us glittered with specs of silver ingrained in the marble, and despite my fatigue, the dancer in me longed to raise up to my toes and twirl across the floor.

The Headmistress gestured behind a grand fountain to the object displayed above the hallway. If I could draw your attention to the school crest, you’ll notice the words ‘Light Is Life’. She closed her plume-shadowed eyes and smiled proudly. A simple, but powerful phrase. All of life is made up of light. And for Starbright, you are that light. The gods have blessed each and every one of you, and it is your job to work hard so that you may have the chance to bless others with your gift.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kato lean over and whisper something in Adele’s ear. She held back a snicker, but the small, musical sound still echoed through the lobby.

Headmistress Cummings didn’t seem to notice. She led us through the hallway, giving us a peek inside the classrooms in the north wing. We climbed the top of the stairs to the dorms of Houses Noonlight and Twilight. The common rooms of the separate houses were set up similarly in the same intricate Third Millennium fashion, Noonlight’s decor was in a shade of lilac and silver, while Twilight’s scheme was a darker purple with golden tassels on every stick of furniture.

We doubled back to the foyer and went off into the west wing where we got a glimpse of some of the more interesting rooms, such as the observatory, solarium, cafe, banquet hall, and gallery, which held enormous commissioned portraits of the more successful dancers to come out of Starbright Academy.

By the time we had reached the gallery, my legs felt like sandbags. I noticed a few other initiates rest their bottoms on some of the plush benches beneath each painting, so I didn’t hesitate to take a seat beneath Aunt Emi’s gold framed portrait in House Midnight’s section of the gallery. Headmistress Cummings rambled on about history and prestige, but I let my foggy brain zone out. I had already read everything there is to know about this school, anyway.

I wondered if anyone would recognize my face, sitting under my aunt’s portrait. She looked a bit like me, especially with her hair pulled tight in a bun, showcasing the heart-shaped Sagamora family bone structure. Mama and her sister looked almost identical. Just thirteen months apart, they often tricked people into thinking they were twins, but as they aged, subtle differences emerged. Emiko’s frame slimmed and her muscles toned and hardened from years of a strict exercise regimen and dancer’s high-protein diet, all while my mother began sprouting streaks of gray in her hair as her hips widened a bit with each child she bore.

My heart ached for her as I stared up at the portrait. It isn’t Mama extending her leg in a back arabesque, reaching far past the navy and gold tutu, but it only reminded me I hadn’t seen her face in far too long. I decided I would call her once I settled in. Did she know today was the ‘big day’, as she would have called it?

The group of initiates moved on, forcing me to use my legs. I would have liked to get closer to the front, where Kato and his friends were whispering to each other, but I was too far back to move up without looking obvious. As we walked down the hall to the other dorms, I took stock of the dancers lagging back with me. A girl with stark white hair stood out, and I recognized her as Lilliandra Sno, runner up on season three of Dance Wars. From what I’d seen of her in the show, she was a strong dancer who could spin for days, but had a bit of a toxic attitude. Most of the drama on the show stemmed from her, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if her talent landed her in House Midnight. Hopefully, with me. Next to me was a boy with a head of hair that couldn’t decide if it was dark blond or light brown. His eyes held an unassuming copper color in a round shape that was less common in the kingdom, even for a melting pot like La Hyo. When he caught me staring at him, I realized I’d seen him before.

Viktor. He kept a constant sneer, as if every speck of splendor in this place disgusted him. When his eyes fell on me, they lingered for an awkward moment before dismissing me with a flick of his eyelashes.

What was his problem? If he didn’t want to be there, I knew dozens of guys that would line up to take his place. I seriously hoped he got cut soon.

After a brief glimpse into the Dawnbright common room, we came to the doors of the Midnight Dorms. I literally felt magic stirring within me when Headmistress Cummings pulled on the heavy gold handles, splitting the crest of a moon and twin stars in two. I peered into the room that would hopefully soon be mine. Everything the light touched was a dark shade of blue, deep enough to fall into. The walls twinkled with