AN: I am not Stephanie Meyer
The excitement of making into SSFA was wearing off as moving day approached. I would soon be living in a dorm room in the middle of downtown Seattle. After living in Forks, Washington for a year with my father, Seattle would be a huge change. I used to live in Phoenix with my mother, but after she remarried, I decided to go live with my father for a while.
While in the tiny town of Forks, I heard about an opportunity to apply for Seattle School of Fine Arts and jumped at my chance. After tedious weeks of painting, singing, playing various instruments and dancing, my entrance portfolio was complete.
The next part was the hardest. I had to sit around for weeks and wait while the admissions office reviewed all of my work. I couldn't function in those weeks I was so nervous. Finally, after a few weeks, I got a phone call. They wanted me to come down to Seattle for an interview. Well, that meant that they were considering me. I would also be allowed to take a tour of the campus.
My father, Charlie, and I took a weekend and went down to Seattle. While at the SSFA, my father went to meet up with some old friends. At my interview, I was pounded with endless questions. Why did I want to study the fine arts? What made me unique? Where did I draw my inspiration from? What did I expect from the school? Would I be willing to go on tour if something I did was good enough?
After the endless questions, each of the admissions specialists talked to me one-on-one. The art director said that my art was truly inspiring and that without a doubt, I would be accepted for art. That was amazing to hear because art was my favorite part of the school. The art department was amazing. I would have free-reign on all art projects.
Next, I spoke to the music director. He told me that my singing was wonderful and my songwriting needed some work, but there was a class that would help me greatly. He also said that my guitar playing was good. My flute playing was also good, but could use some improvement. Every instrument had a specialist where we could take private lessons if we wanted to. That was an opportunity I would be stupid to pass up.
Last, I spoke to the dance director. My dancing needed a lot of work, but if I was willing to work, I could be great. I would work. That's what I told her. Dance was something that was fun for me. It always seemed to put me into a good mood.
After, I met with the admissions office again and they said that I could tour the campus while they made their final decision. I left the office and called Charlie. I told him the news and that I wanted him to be with me when they told me my status. It sounded promising, but I didn't want to give myself false hope.
On my tour, I made sure to stop by the art department. To say the artwork there was beautiful would be lying. It was better than that. The studios were huge and gave students a range of opportunities from painting and drawing to photography and Photoshop.
The music department was amazing. There were professional recording studios and personal practice rooms for every instrument. There were five practice rooms with the most beautiful grand pianos I had ever seen. I met the flute professor and had a chat with her explaining that I was applying to SSFA and that if I made it, I would love to take private lessons.
Last, I went to the dance studios. They had different studios for every type of dance. There was a ballet studio, a jazz studio, a hip-hop studio and a few others also. The performance theatre was beautiful. Every year students were allowed to choreograph and coordinate their own shows and perform them in the theatre.
After looking in the dorm rooms (which were huge), I made my way to meet Charlie for lunch.
"How do you think the interviews went, Bells?"
"Um. I think they went well. I really hope that I make it. I want to make it more than anything."
"Honey, I understand how important this is to you, but I don't know if I will be able to afford it. You might want to ask about the cost if you get accepted. I'm glad this is what you want, and I will support it, but it is a lot of money."
"I understand. If I make it, I can look into getting a job to help the cost of the school. Thanks for supporting me dad." He smiled. He knew that getting into this school would make me happier than I had ever been. He knew very early on that I was a creative child and that my creative abilities should be allowed to bloom, not be sheltered.
As we made our way back to the admissions office, I remembered a quote that has stuck with me since I heard it in my first art class. "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." It was by Picasso, my favorite painter. If I made it into SSFA, my life would no longer be normal. I stepped into the office hoping that today would be the day that my life would change.
Sitting in the office were all the directors and the admission specialist. We sat at the table across from them. The admission specialist spoke to Charlie first.
"You have a very special daughter, Chief Swan."
Charlie smiled. "I've known that since the day she was born, but thank-you." The admission specialist then turned to me.
"Bella, you are an extremely talented girl. You truly have a passion for what you do. Your art had blown us away. Your music and dance are both very good for someone your age. We would be fools not to accept you. Welcome to the Seattle School of Fine Arts."
I did it. I actually did it. I had made it into the SSFA.
"Because of your financial situation, your tuition fee will be deduced so that when you graduate, you have no debt. We welcome you to SSFA."
I was speechless. I would be able to afford SSFA! I had made it. I was on top of the world.
After I was able to speak, I thanked them profusely and told them I was elated to join the school. Charlie also said his thanks and soon, we were on our way back to Forks. I would start in the fall. I would need to transfer my records from Forks High School to SSFA, but I was ahead on credits, so I would be set to graduate from SSFA.
Word spreads quickly in a small town, and when we got back to Forks, there were signs congratulating me everywhere. Everyone seemed to know and everywhere I went people were talking about it.
I hadn't even started at SSFA and my life was already beginning to change.
I hope everyone likes this story. Please review, it keeps the creative juices going! I will try to get another chapter up soon, but I am leaving on Sunday for a week and will not have acess to a computer. I will try to have the next few chapters planned by the end of that week. Much love to my fans!
-Schyulerstwin