room for their results.
‘I was about as light as a loaf of laver bread instead of liquid and floaty,’ Ella wailed. ‘My feet and arms were all jumbled up during the Dune Arabesque and I could feel Mrs
Sandskrit’s eyes burning into me the whole time.’
‘You tried your best, Ella.’ Lexie put an arm around her.
‘She seemed to look at me at the exact same moment I landed awkwardly’ Cassie groaned.
‘The moves are so easy to do when there is no pressure, but the minute I knew that someone was looking at me, my legs went all wobbly,’ Shell grumbled.
‘If you can’t perform under pressure then you will never make it as a sand dancer,’ Calluna said, coming up beside them.
‘It’s easier for those who don’t have any feelings in the first place,’ Shell hissed back at her.
Calluna blushed, and kept walking.
‘That was uncalled for, Shell,’ Lexie said, when Calluna had gone.
‘But she picks on you all the time. She deserves all she gets,’ Shell replied.
‘I don’t think we need to stoop to her level to beat her, that’s all,’ Lexie commented.
Mrs Sandskrit appeared at the door to call them back into the room.
‘The hard work is beginning to pay off,’ she said to them all. ‘I am seeing some glimmers of commitment and discipline.’
There was a big sigh of relief around the room. Lexie squeezed Cassie’s hand and Shell winked at her friends.
Then Madame Rosa spoke. ‘There are some sand sprites who are performing well below their best. I am not going to send anybody home, but there is no room at Sandringham for dancers who
cannot give everything.’
Cassie could barely believe it; she had passed the tests. She swallowed hard to stop the tears from coming.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Dance, dance on the edge of the dune,
by the light of a large and kind harvest moon.’
The Sands of Time
In the dining hall the next day Mrs Sandskrit clapped her hands for quiet. ‘Tomorrow the eight best sand dancers will be chosen for the dancing
display at the Harvest Moon Festival. You have until then to perfect your dance routines.’
There was an excited flutter around the room.
Madame Rosa smiled and added, ‘Those of you who do not get picked will be allowed to come along to Silica City to support the others.’
There was a loud cheer. The Harvest Moon Festival was lots of fun, with all kinds of celebrations, games and cake stalls.
‘Be warned! I have a special medicine for sand dancers who eat too much cake!’ Miss Youngsand Snr said, taking out a large bottle filled with purple liquid from her pocket.
‘Your families are, of course, welcome to attend,’ Miss Youngsand Jnr continued.
Madame Rosa stopped smiling and looked serious. ‘This will be a good experience, as it will help us decide who should be picked as the principal dancers for learning the dune dances next
term. The prima dune dancer will probably come from one of this group.’
Cassie’s heart beat faster. She thought about her mother, the last prima dune dancer, and suddenly it mattered more than anything to be picked. She knew her dancing had not been so good
lately, but if she concentrated and tried really hard she might just scrape a place. She had to be one of the dancers! That meant she had to push down all thoughts of the missing pages and finding
out what happened to her mother.
‘Now eat up your breakfast and we will see you in the practice room in one hour!’ Mrs Sandskrit said.
As they were clearing away their plates, Shell came over to Cassie. ‘Lexie is going to help me go over the dance steps. Do you want to come?’
Cassie shook her head. ‘I just want to go over the steps in my head.’ She needed some time alone to try and focus her mind.
‘To your places!’ Mrs Sandskrit commanded as the auditions began the next day in the practice room. Madame Rosa sat at a table and watched everything they did.
‘It feels like the entrance auditions all over again,’ Lexie whispered as they
‘I was about as light as a loaf of laver bread instead of liquid and floaty,’ Ella wailed. ‘My feet and arms were all jumbled up during the Dune Arabesque and I could feel Mrs
Sandskrit’s eyes burning into me the whole time.’
‘You tried your best, Ella.’ Lexie put an arm around her.
‘She seemed to look at me at the exact same moment I landed awkwardly’ Cassie groaned.
‘The moves are so easy to do when there is no pressure, but the minute I knew that someone was looking at me, my legs went all wobbly,’ Shell grumbled.
‘If you can’t perform under pressure then you will never make it as a sand dancer,’ Calluna said, coming up beside them.
‘It’s easier for those who don’t have any feelings in the first place,’ Shell hissed back at her.
Calluna blushed, and kept walking.
‘That was uncalled for, Shell,’ Lexie said, when Calluna had gone.
‘But she picks on you all the time. She deserves all she gets,’ Shell replied.
‘I don’t think we need to stoop to her level to beat her, that’s all,’ Lexie commented.
Mrs Sandskrit appeared at the door to call them back into the room.
‘The hard work is beginning to pay off,’ she said to them all. ‘I am seeing some glimmers of commitment and discipline.’
There was a big sigh of relief around the room. Lexie squeezed Cassie’s hand and Shell winked at her friends.
Then Madame Rosa spoke. ‘There are some sand sprites who are performing well below their best. I am not going to send anybody home, but there is no room at Sandringham for dancers who
cannot give everything.’
Cassie could barely believe it; she had passed the tests. She swallowed hard to stop the tears from coming.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Dance, dance on the edge of the dune,
by the light of a large and kind harvest moon.’
The Sands of Time
In the dining hall the next day Mrs Sandskrit clapped her hands for quiet. ‘Tomorrow the eight best sand dancers will be chosen for the dancing
display at the Harvest Moon Festival. You have until then to perfect your dance routines.’
There was an excited flutter around the room.
Madame Rosa smiled and added, ‘Those of you who do not get picked will be allowed to come along to Silica City to support the others.’
There was a loud cheer. The Harvest Moon Festival was lots of fun, with all kinds of celebrations, games and cake stalls.
‘Be warned! I have a special medicine for sand dancers who eat too much cake!’ Miss Youngsand Snr said, taking out a large bottle filled with purple liquid from her pocket.
‘Your families are, of course, welcome to attend,’ Miss Youngsand Jnr continued.
Madame Rosa stopped smiling and looked serious. ‘This will be a good experience, as it will help us decide who should be picked as the principal dancers for learning the dune dances next
term. The prima dune dancer will probably come from one of this group.’
Cassie’s heart beat faster. She thought about her mother, the last prima dune dancer, and suddenly it mattered more than anything to be picked. She knew her dancing had not been so good
lately, but if she concentrated and tried really hard she might just scrape a place. She had to be one of the dancers! That meant she had to push down all thoughts of the missing pages and finding
out what happened to her mother.
‘Now eat up your breakfast and we will see you in the practice room in one hour!’ Mrs Sandskrit said.
As they were clearing away their plates, Shell came over to Cassie. ‘Lexie is going to help me go over the dance steps. Do you want to come?’
Cassie shook her head. ‘I just want to go over the steps in my head.’ She needed some time alone to try and focus her mind.
‘To your places!’ Mrs Sandskrit commanded as the auditions began the next day in the practice room. Madame Rosa sat at a table and watched everything they did.
‘It feels like the entrance auditions all over again,’ Lexie whispered as they
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