Lakeview County | Episode 2 {Season 1} | Big Steps

Charlie took a deep breath. "Alright, everyone has eaten, Claire is off her laptop, Molly is studying for a test, and Afton is making her own bed for a change. Now I can relax for a minute."

Taryn laughed softly from the corner. "Oh, Charlie. You're so bossy."

"What?" Charlie asked, "And are you drinking coffee? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Exactly," Taryn nodded, "No one else would notice that I am indeed drinking coffee. You just like being in charge."

"W-h I but." Charlie stammered. She had know that all her sisters thought this, but no one had ever said it to her face.

"I do not!" she finally said. 

"Really?" Taryn grinned mischievously, then suddenly shouted, "Claire! Snack run!"

Claire came flying up the stairs, and went right to the fridge.

"Finally," Claire said to Taryn, not noticing Charlie at all, "We haven't had a snack run in ages! Charlie never leaves the house anymore. Where did she go anyway?"

Then Claire turned, saw Charlie, and stopped mid-sentence.

"Oh."

"Claire!?" Charlie was obviously just as surprised as Claire at seeing each other here. "What are you doing?! This stuff isn't on your diet!"

"The diet that you put her on." Taryn rejoined, "You know, I bet you couldn't go a day without bossing everyone around."

Charlie slowly smiled as she considered the dare.

"OK... but if I can go one whole day, then you will clean under your bed, like I asked you to last week."

Taryn laughed. "If you can do this, I'll clean the whole house!"

"Deal."

"I'm still eating all this food." Claire said.

Charlie was about to say 'no' when Taryn grinned at her.

"See you in twelve hours." Taryn toasted Charlie with her coffee cup.

Charlie sighed.

This was going to be harder than she had thought.

~~~

Charlie had decided that removing herself from the house would remove some of the temptation to direct her sisters.

Suddenly there was a crashing sound behind her.

She jumped and spun around.

"Afton?"

Afton grunted as she climbed out of the wild rose bushes.

"Ow. Yes it's, ow, me." She said.

"What are you doing?" 

"I was trying to find some rose roots." Afton replied as if it were obvious.

"Why?"

"Well, I needed some rose water to wash my face."

Charlie still looked confused.

Afton rolled her eyes. "You dig up the roots, you extract the water from them, then you have rose water. Isn't that how it works?"

Charlie shook her head.

Afton was silent for a moment.

"Are you kidding me?! Do you know what I just went through? Do you know how much research I did?"

'Not very much.' Charlie thought as Afton went on enumerating her woes.

Then Charlie heard a sound.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY CUTS I HAVE NOW!?"

"Wait, shh." Charlie whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Afton paused.

"Oh, yeah. I've heard that quite a few times. I've been coming here for the past week, you know."

Let's check it out." Charlie said.

Afton followed behind Charlie, whining all the way, as Charlie searched for the source of the noise.

"I think it's over there..." She said.

It was the sound of... music.

Charlie and Afton crouched down in the grass, and watched.

Their mouths fell open.

It was June.

And she was dancing.

Clumsy, awkward June was dancing. And dancing well.

She moved gracefully to the music, with beautiful poise.

As the music swelled, June lightly hopped onto the log behind which Charlie and Afton were hiding, took a deep breath, and launched into a back flip.

June hadn't noticed that she was being watched until Afton shrieked.

Then her eyes popped open, and she missed her landing.

She ended up on the ground.

Charlie vaulted over the log and came to June's side. "Are you all right?"

"Um, yeah, I think I'm fine." June said, rubbing her head, "I was going to stick it that time."

Then Afton plopped down beside her. "June, I didn't know you could dance! You're so good! We could practice together! Wait, do you go to a dance school?"

June laughed nervously. "No, I, um. No one knows about... this." June said, her face turning red.

"Not even Heather?" Charlie asked.

June shook her head. "Especially not Heather."

"Why not?" 

"Yeah, you're really really good, June!" Afton gushed, "Heather would be so proud! She might even be able to help you get into a school for the arts!"

June shook her head as she opened her dance bag. "There's only one school I'm interested in... and no one can help me get in."

Charlie was so confused by June's reaction. Charlie would never say it to her, but she hadn't thought June was good at anything.

"Why not? What school is it?" She asked.

June showed them her bag, where a bright silver 'M' was visible.

"Mercalli School for the Arts."

"I've always wanted to go there. They've taught some of the best dancers in the world! They have all kinds of dance too. I would almost do anything to get into their ballet program." June gazed into the trees dreamily, then sighed, "But Mercalli is so prestigious that I don't even know someone who knows someone who knows someone who goes there."

"Oh, that Mercalli." Afton said brightly, "I almost went there, but I decided to go into music instead."

June's eyes went wide. "You - you almost -but..." then she shook her head, "and anyways, I'm too nervous to let anyone know about this. I couldn't bring myself to apply to a school."

Soon June was fully changed and hard pulled a waterproof tarp over her radio.

Afton and Charlie were whispering together, and when June stood up, they cut their conversation short, and smiled at her.

"What? What is it?" June asked nervously.

"You won't apply to a school... but I have another idea." Afton grinned.

June gulped.

~~~

June gasped as Afton and Charlie led her into a large room at the back of the theater.

The room held a improvised dance studio.

June watched, enraptured, as about thirty girls practiced ever kind of dance imaginable.

There was even one girl going through a ballet warm up.

"Well, here we are." Afton said, looking pleased with herself. "I'm going to go talk to the manager."

June nodded numbly, but didn't move.

Charlie led her over to an empty corner. "I'm going to go with Afton and make sure she doesn't insult anyone."

June snapped out of her stupor. "OK, sure."

Once Charlie left, June quickly got dressed.

She tentatively approached  the girl at the bar.

"You do ballet?" June asked softly.

"Hmm? Oh yes. I'm Lunette. I see you do ballet too. Isn't that cute? You think you can dance." The girl replied.

"Um, what? What do you mean?" 

"Listen, little girl, I'm the ballerina in this show. I've won four awards for my routine. What have you won?"

June was silent.

"Exactly. I'm just saying don't get your hopes up. You'll just get hurt. Now find somewhere else to practice, this is my space." And with that Lunette turned away.

'That girl is mean.' June thought as she walked away, 'Or right.'

~~~

June was sitting and watching the other girls practice, when Afton came running back in.

"We convinced the manager to let you audition for the talent show!" Afton cried.

June sighed, "I don't think I can do this."

"Why not?" Charlie asked.

But before June could tell them about Lunette, the manager entered from the other end of the room.

"OK, girls, listen up! I want you all ready for dress rehearsals in ten minutes. The show is tonight and I want it to be perfect!" 

June whirled to face Afton. "The show is tonight!?"

Afton grinned and nodded.

"And we have a surprise last minute entry. Would June Clark please follow me for her audition?"

~~~

The manager led June to a huge, crowded room with a large clear space in the middle.

"OK, June. You should have lots of room."

"So, show me what you've got. Blow me away!"

June closed her eyes as she began to sweat. She stood perfectly still for more than a minute. But just as she was about to say she couldn't do it, a song came to mind. One of her favorites. It was a soft, light melody that reminded her of stars in the summer.

And she began to dance. It seemed easy now. She forgot that the lady was watching. It was just her and the music.

Soon everyone one else was watching too, but June was so into the music that she didn't notice.

"Look at her go!" A random girl shouted.

Charlie was positively beaming. "I knew she could do it." She said under her breath.

And that's when June opened her eyes.

She didn't see Charlie grinning at her.

She didn't see Afton cheering her on.

She didn't see all the people clapping for her. 

She saw Lunette smiling at her sarcastically.

And June lost her nerve.

She crashed to the ground.

Tears tugged at the corners of June's eyes as she rubbed the sore spot on her head.

She had blown it, just as she knew she would.

"My goodness!" The manager cried, "Are you all right?!"

June nodded.

"OK, well, if you want to stick around I'll let you know what I decide."

June picked herself up of the floor, just as she always did after she failed. But this time was different.

She walked passed Lunette to get to the hall.

"Nice job." Lunette whispered, "That was epic."

"Um," Afton whispered, "Should I go after her."

"No, I'll go." Charlie replied.

~~~

"Why did I even try." June whispered.

"June wait." Charlie called, as she ran towards her.

June paused but didn't turn. "What?"

Charlie searched for something to say. "It wasn't that bad." She offered.

 

June whipped around. "It wasn't that bad?! I just blew it in front of all those people! And I blew it good, there's no coming back from that fail. I never should have come! And it wasn't that bad?!"

Lunette pushed past Charlie, looking distinctly ruffled, but she didn't pass up the chance to whisper in June's ear as she passed.

"You got lucky this time, Loser. But beginners luck is a one time deal. next time you'll crash even harder. Better to give up now."

"June," Charlie said, having heard part of what Lunette said, "She's just a bully. Don't let her scare you."

"Or maybe she's just truthful." June said bitterly, "I'm going home now."

"June!" Afton cried as she ran in, "You can't go home! You're in the show!"

"W-what?" June asked, half hoping it was true, half wishing it weren't.

"Ms. Rachel said you dance well, and she needs one more act. So you're in!" Afton explained.

"Oh, boy." June sighed.

~~~

2 minutes until curtain

June paced nervously.

'I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.'

"You ready, June?" Charlie asked.

June groaned, "I can't do this."

"Sure you can," Charlie encouraged, "Just keep your eyes closed, forget the audience. Ready?"

June nodded unsteadily. 

She peeked through the curtain as Charlie went to find her seat with Afton.

"Forget the audience.'' June whispered.

Charlie settled into her back row, row-side seat. Charlie breathed deeply. She knew June could do it, but could she forget the audience?

A crunching sound startled Charlie out of her thoughts.

"Really, Afton? Popcorn?"

"What?" Afton asked through a full mouth.

Charlie rolled her eyes. 

Suddenly the lights blazed to life, the music began and the curtains parted.

June could see the blinding light through her eyelids, but she calmly began her routine.

"Do not look." She thought as she focused on keeping her eyes shut.

The audience was silent. June danced well and the people in general we struck dumb, both by the sweet melody, and graceful figure on the stage.

Everyone enjoyed it... except Lunette.

"Boo!" Lunette shouted from back stage.

The public didn't hear it, but June did. The sudden exclamation surprised her so much she jumped and her eyes flashed open.

By then it was already over. 

June tried to recover, but between the slippery stage and June's natural clumsiness, it was impossible.

"Oh no." Ms. Rachel groaned, then she commanded a stage hand, "Cut the scene!"

The music cut short, and the scene changed to an advertisement. 

Amid the gasps of surprise and horror, June picked herself up, and held back her tears, as she whispered weakly, "Ta-da."

Soon June was with the stage nurse, being treated for a mild concussion.

After June, the last act was Lunette's.

It was flawless.

~~~

The three girls walked home as the sun went down.

June was holding a cold pack to her head.

"I'm really sorry June." Afton said softly, "We shouldn't have pressured you like we did. We were just trying to help you."

Charlie cringed. She hadn't been trying to help, she had just been trying to prove Taryn wrong. To prove that she could do something other than be in charge.

June sighed. "Yeah, but it gets worse. Not only has this ruined any chance of me getting into a school, but there were talent scouts there too."

"Oh no. You mean every school in the province will know about it?" Afton gasped.

June nodded. 

Charlie bit her lip.

"Charlie?" June asked, "What's wrong?" 

Charlie had stopped walking without thinking.

"June, I'm so sorry." Charlie said, "I shouldn't have pushed you into something you weren't comfortable with. Now I've ruined everything."

June was quiet for a minute.

"It was pretty bad." June said slowly, "In fact one of the talent scouts came and talked to me while the nurse looked me over."

Charlie cringed.

"She said... that I danced well. Then she asked if maybe after this concussion is gone, I would like to audition for a place in her school."

Charlie was shocked. "W-what? Really!? Which school?"

June smiled wide as she held up her bag. "Mercalli."

"No way!" Afton shrieked, "I don't even know anyone who knows anyone who's gone there!"

"I thought you were going to go there?" June said.

"Um..."

"There's only one down side to this whole thing." June said brightly.

"There's a down side to being accepted to your dream school?" Charlie was seriously confused.

"Yeah," June shrugged, "Lunette has been accepted into Mercalli too."

"Let's not worry about that now." Afton chirped. "I think I left some smoothies in the back of the fridge. We could use them to celebrate."

As Afton walked ahead, June pulled Charlie into an embrace. "Thanks for believing in me, even when I didn't." June whispered. "I'm living my dream now, and it's all thanks to you."

"No problem." Charlie sighed happily, "Now let's get home, we need to go celebrate, and I have to break the news to Taryn."

June looked puzzled. "What news?"

"The news that she's going to be cleaning the house."

The End