We are One: A Sweet Dance Fanfiction
Chapter 1 – Ready the stage
One morning in early May, a young girl is taking a train to California all the way to Florida. Her destination is a city filled with idols near the Florida Keys. This city where people go to sing and dance is known as Sweet Dance City. The young lady named Magali Anna Artisan looks out the window to take her first look at the colorful city of lights and sounds. Many people from across the globe has settled here to become idols. Others come to watch the young idols perform on stage. Soon enough, it will be Magali's turn to perform on stage.
She can't believe that after seventeen years, she finally returned to her birthplace. She left the city with her family shortly after she was born. Ever since then, she has always dreamed of becoming an idol, just like her parents were.
The train stops shortly, and Magali gets off to take a bus to the entrance of the city. Unlike other cities in America, you cannot freely enter Sweet Dance anytime you like. Only those who reside there may enter freely. Everyone else must purchase a pass to watch the idols perform in the stadium known as the Dance Square. Magali has a special permit to enter the city to take an entrance exam to become an idol. After showing her papers at the gate, she is allowed in the city with no issues.
As Magali wanders through the city, she gasps at every new thing she sees. There are many shops that sells supplies for idols, restaurants as far as you can see, and stores that sell colorful costumes. The bakeries give off a light sweet smell of pastries. The streets are filled with visitors who are shopping and enjoying the local cuisine. She knows that she will love living in the city and can't wait to start her new life as an idol.
She pulls out a map out of her suitcase and tries to find her way to the Dance Square. She walks through the busy streets confident that she will be at the square in no time. Once she feels that she has arrived, she finds out she took a wrong turn somewhere. So she tries again and again, but each turn she makes only gets her more and more lost. She then tries turning back to start over, but she just ends up someplace new each time. Hours later, she throws her map down and yells, "come on, throw me a bone already! Where is the Dance Square at anyway?"
She stands still for a few minutes, hoping that maybe someone would stop and give her directions. Everyone just ignores her and minds their own business as they pass by. She takes a look around, then sighs to herself as she whispers, "oh man. I need to get to the square quick, but this city is way bigger than I thought. I need to figure out where I am before I miss my entrance exam."
Soon enough, some rough looking men finds Magali and approach her. She looks back at them and quickly notices that they are up to no good. The leader of the group steps forward, "hey there pretty girl. You look a little lost. If you're looking for the Dance Square, we are more than happy to take you. But you will have to do something for us."
She starts to slowly back away as she answers, "no thank you, not interested. I'm a bit in a hurry, so if you'll excuse me-"
The leader suddenly grabs Magali's arm, "hey, don't be shy. We just want you to join us at a restaurant or someplace like that. We'll take you anywhere you want afterwards. What do you say?"
The man gives her a wicked grin, but she is not intimidated by him. She lowers herself as she yells, "I said I am in a hurry, so LET ME GO!" She then thrusts her knee into the man's groin. Once she is free, she grabs her suitcase and runs off as fast as she can.
As she runs, she looks back and sees the men giving chase. She is not worried, her impressive footwork allows her to rush through the crowd with ease. The men are being slowed down by the other people, but they try hard to keep up with her. To escape them, she rushes into an alley between some buildings. But as she turns into the alley, she bumps into a young man wearing a blue hoodie and falls to the ground.
"Hey, are you okay," asked the young man as he reaches out to help her.
She takes his hand and stands up while she dusts her skirt off. "I'm fine. Sorry about running into you, I was being chased by some goons and-" She suddenly hears the men's voices coming close. "Crap, they're coming!"
"Hide behind those trash cans. I got this," said the young man in the hoodie.
Taking him up on his offer, Magali hides while the young man tries to act casually. The men then run around the corner and stops to ask him, "hey, did you see a young girl run through here?"
"A young girl you say? Did she have shoulder length hair with a hairband? A red and white striped shirt, blue skirt, and black shoes?"
"Yes, that's her! Where did she go?"
"Down the alley, if you're fast, you won't miss her."
The men runs off headed to the direction the hooded man points to. When the coast is clear, he checks behind the trash cans to look for his new friend. But she had already left her hiding spot to run off the other direction.
She runs out of the alley and back through the crowd once again. She turns back as she runs and sees that she is no longer being chased. "That was a close one. I feel bad that I left without thanking that guy. If he lives around here, I'll probably see him again and thank him proper-" She suddenly bumps into a police officer and falls to the ground again.
The large police officer tuns to Magali and looks at her aggressively. "Hey, who are you? Are you causing any trouble?"
"Sorry, but I don't have time for this. I'm in a hurry, so if you would excuse me." She gets off and tries to run off again.
Before she is able to escape, the cop grabs her arm and says, "Hey, you can't just disturb the peace and run off like that. I'm going to need you to come to the station and show me your papers."
Magali starts to struggle as she yells, "please let me go. You don't understand, I have to be somewhere important. I can't be late!"
"Oh I see. That's the way you want to do this?" The police officer then handcuffs her and continues, "you are under arrest! You are being charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. By the time I am done with you, you'll never set foot in this city ever again!"
Magali starts to panic. She is running out of time quickly and she is about to be arrested. The police officer isn't listening to her. She knows once she is allowed to explain herself, it will be too late. She will miss her exam and will be forced to return to California. She must get out of this urgently, but she doesn't know how. How will she even face her father if she ends up in jail?
"Hey officer, is everything okay," asked a familiar voice. Magali looks back ad sees the same man in a blue hoodie from the alley. She hopes that he can help in some way.
"Oh hey Conrad. Don't mind me, I'm just doing my job."
"Yeah, about that. . . Could you let that girl go? She's an idol, just like me."
"She is," asked the officer. He then takes another look at her as she asks, "that's odd, I've never seen you before. Okay then, show me your Idol ID. Do that, and I'll let you go."
"Actually, she left her ID at my crew hall. I was looking for her when she bumped into you. Please forgive her, she's new at this whole idol business."
The officer takes a deep sigh. He then takes the cuffs off of Magali and says, "Okay, you're free to go. Please keep your ID with you at all times from now on." With that, the cop walks away leaving Magali and her new friend behind.
"You okay," asked Conrad.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks again for your help," she answered as she rubs her wrists.
"By the way, I don't think we've officially introduced ourselves. I'm Conrad Howard. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Magali Artisan. Thanks for everything."
"Artisan, eh? You best be careful with that last name. People might think you're related to the amazing Super Idol Julian Artisan."
"Yeah, I wouldn't want that," she answered as she chuckles nervously.
"So, are you an idol? I hope you are, I would hate for that cop to think I lied to him."
Magali picks up her suitcase and pats her hair down as she answers, "not yet. I am on my way to the Dance Square to take an entrance exam. I got a little lost on the way there."
"Wait! If you're taking the exam, then why are you in this part of the city? The Dance Square is all the way across the city past the river. And the exam starts very soon."
Magali checks her watch, "oh no! I only have thirty minutes, will I make it there on time?"
"Not on foot," answered Conrad.
She sighs sadly, "great, I can't believe that I am going to miss my exam. How will I explain this to my family?"
"Don't worry, I got this," said Conrad. He then runs to the street and stops a nearby taxi cab. They then jump into the cab, and Conrad yells, "to the Dance Square and step on it! We needed to be there five minutes ago!"
"Are you crazy? The traffic going there is going to be insane," answered the taxi driver.
"Just go, I know a shortcut."
The driver slams on the gas pedal, and they are off. In a few minutes, the roads start to get crowded and traffic starts to slow down. As the traffic stops the cab, Conrad pops his head out the window to look around. He then points at the entrance to a tunnel, "take the tunnel, there is no traffic there at this time."
"Are you sure? The tunnel doesn't head towards the Dance Square."
"Just trust me!"
The taxi makes a hard turn into the tunnel. Just as Conrad said, the tunnel is clear and the cab can move as fast as it needs. Conrad pulls himself back into the taxi, Magali then asks, "why are you helping me?"
"No real reason. I just want you to make it to your exam and become an idol."
"Oh please! I heard you say that you have a crew hall. If you think helping me is going to convince me to join your crew, than forget it!"
"Oh you don't have to worry about that. I don't have any room in my hall anyway. I won't ask you to join if that's what you're afraid of."
She is still a bit suspicious of him, but she'll be fine as long as she makes it to the Dance Square in time for her exam. She'll deal with Conrad of he tries anything funny. She takes a close look at him, and sees nothing but kindness in his proud face. She also learned from her father that idols do have many rules that they must obey strictly to protect them. Knowing that, she relaxes and tried to enjoy the ride.
Soon enough, the taxi exists the tunnel and they are on a highway next to a river. Conrad pokes his head out of the window again and points at a massive purple stadium in the distance. "There it is! The Dance Square is right across the river. We're almost there!"
"This highway is not going that direction. We're headed straight to the Homeland, and there will be traffic there too. We're not going to make it on time," explained the driver.
"Take this exit coming up, it'll take us across the river!"
"But the exit is closed and barricaded. They're doing some construction on the bridge."
"Drive through it anyway!"
Magali starts to freak out. The innocent drive to the Dance Square has now become a stunt show. As Conrad requested, the driver plows through the barricades and starts to drive over uneven asphalt. The ride is getting extremely bumpy, and all Magali can do is pray for her safety. Conrad on the other hand is having the time of his life.
As they get on the bridge, the ride starts to feel smoother. She looks out the window and nearly faints as she notices that the bridge has no safety railings. Just one wrong move, and the taxi will end up at the bottom of the river. She starts to feel sick as she wonders if maybe coming to the city was a huge mistake.
After they cross the bridge, the taxi plows through another barricade and ends up back into the local city. As expected, traffic starts to slow down again, and they are so close to the square. "What do we do now," asked the driver.
"Take this back street right here! It'll take us directly to the square!"
The driver turns into a narrow street between some buildings. Magali looks ahead and screams as she sees a large closed gate ahead in the distance. The driver isn't even slowing down as they get closer. At this point, Magali's life starts to flash before her eyes.
Meanwhile, Conrad is on his cellphone yelling, "open the gate! We're coming in fast!"
The gate opens slowly, but the cab still doesn't slow down. Magali hangs tight and hopes for the best as the cab tries to drive through the gate. As Magali shuts her eyes tightly, the cab drives through the gate with only an inch of clearance. Past the back street, the cab makes a sharp turn into the parking lot of the square. The wheels screeches as it makes a sudden stop in front of the entrance of the Dance Square. The ride was rough, but nobody is hurt.
"We're here," said Conrad cheerfully.
"Are you insane?! What the hell was that? We could have been killed," yelled Magali.
"But we got here on time, didn't we?"
Magali checks her watch, "you're right! I still have ten minutes left." She then grabs her suitcase and gets out of the cab quickly. "Bye! And thanks again," she yells as she rushes towards the Dance Square.
The taxi driver looks at Conrad and asks, "who was that girl?"
"I don't know, but I think there's something special about her. And I'm going to find out what."
Inside the Dance square, Magali shows the receptionist her documents for the entrance exam. After everything is sorted out, she is escorted to the lobby where she finds a room full of other young women who are waiting for their exams as well. One by one, each person is called to the auditorium. A few minutes later, each of them comes back out. Some of them excited with a fresh license in their hand. The rest leave upset because they've failed.
As Magali's turn draws closer, she begins to worry a bit. All the other people are wearing colorful and flashy idol costumes, and many of them have either bright pastel wigs or dyes in their hair. Magali is the only one in casual clothes to take her exam. She does have a costume to change into, but she didn't have enough time to get dressed before she registered. She can only hope that her dance skills are good enough to let her pass the exam. She'll deal with her costume later.
Her name is finally called, and it is now her turn for the audition. The secretary escorts her to the stage which is dark and very intimidating. There is only a single spotlight pointing at the center of the stage where Magali is expected to perform. No props or backdrops, but a black empty stage before an auditorium. Her shoes echo across the auditorium as she moves into place.
As she steps under the spotlight, she takes a moment to look at the auditorium. She gets butterflies in her stomach as she look at the hundreds of seats before her. Most of them are empty, but there are a bunch of people peppered in the auditorium. She assumes that most of them are family or friends of the people taking the exam. She wishes that someone she knew was there to support her. There are also four people sitting in the front who are wearing idol costumes, but they are a bit different. Unlike all the other idols she has seen so far, these four are a bit older ranging between thirty to fifty years old. She can only assume that they are the ones who will judge her performance and might be senior idols.
As she continues to scan the room, she sees Conrad sitting casually in the upper corner of the auditorium. He waves at her and puts a thumbs up wishing her luck. "It's that guy again. . . I wonder what's he doing here," she asked herself.
"Good afternoon Miss Artisan," announced one of the female judges. "Welcome to Sweet Dance city. I am Aries, and I am here with Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo. Today, we will be judging your performance to see if you have what it takes to be an idol in the Sweet Dance Society. Allow me to explain the rules for the exam. We will be playing some music at random, and you will perform for us. You can sing, dance, and whatever you please to give us a reason to accept you into this community. Depending on your performance; we will either pass you and grant you a license, or send you home. Do you have any questions for us?"
Magali shakes her head no. "Then let the exam begin," said Aries. One of the other judges then makes a hand gesture, and the music begins to play. Magali takes a second to listen to the music and notices that it's a slow dance. She closes her eyes and listens closely to the beat. She then taps her feet matching the sound of the drums in the background and begins to dance. As Magali dances, the judges look at one another in utter confusion.
They played her a slow dance, but Magali is dancing a faster paced hip-hop inspired performance. Her moves are very energetic and follows the beat of the music perfectly, but the judges are not impressed. Each judge begins to write notes on their clipboard in preparation to fail her. "I guess she's nobody special after all," whispered Conrad.
As the exam continues, Magali does a spin and lowers herself close to the ground. She stretches her legs left and right, then swipes her hand across he floor. She the quickly lifts herself up and continues to dance. This move shocks the judges and causes Conrad to gasp. The move may appear simple, but any idol knows that it is difficult to perform correctly. Magali has performed the move perfectly and followed the beat to the music without even losing any balance and flawlessly transition to the next move. The judges and Conrad knows that there is only one other person who can perform that move so elegantly and flawlessly. In just a moment, everyone in the audience has already changed their opinion of her.
Soon enough, the music stops playing and the exam is over. Magali breathes heavily as she awaits the results of her exam. She has been preparing for this exam for a very long time and she feels that she did her absolute best. But the confused and shocked look at the faces of the judges makes her feel uneasy. She looks at Conrad and sees him shocked to his core as well. Despite what she is seeing, she believes that she gave a stellar enough performance to pass and earn a license.
"So, how did I do," she asked.
"Miss Artisan, you are aware that the music that was played for you was a slow dance," said Aries.
She begins to sweat nervously as she knows where this is going. "Um, yeah. My dad didn't teach me a lot of different genres of dance moves. He's been too busy to teach me everything he knows. I know I dance the wrong genre, but I feel confident that I followed the rhythm well. Don't you agree?"
Virgo clears his throat before saying, "we are looking for idols with a more diverse collection of dance styles Miss Artisan. With the music that was played, we was expecting something along the lines of ballet or waltz. I do admit that your dance routine was fine, but it's not what we are looking for."
At that moment, Magali feels that she might have failed the exam. She lowers her head as she imagines all the hard work and practice has gone to waste. Her lifelong wish to become an idol is about to come to an end. All she can think about is how will she live her life from that moment on?
"However," said Capricorn. "That move you performed during the exam. It's the crab swipe, isn't it?"
Magali nods. Taurus then looks through Magali's application and asks, "I noticed that you left your family history blank in your application. This part of the application is optional, so it's not a problem. But we are curious. Please don't answer if you are not comfortable, but who are your parents?"
She pauses silently for a minute. She left that part of the application blank because she doesn't want people to know who her mother and father are. But they did notice her father's signature move, so they've pretty much figured it out already. At this point, she feels that she'll have to answer them honestly if she wants a shot at passing the exam. "My mom is Katrina Artisan, and my dad is Julian Artisan."
Everyone in the auditorium gasps. Then there is a few minutes where everyone in the room starts to whisper with each other. "No way," gasped Conrad. Magali becomes even more nervous, she let the cat out of the bag and everyone figured out who she is.
"So let me get this straight. You're the daughter of the first Super Idol couple in history. And you didn't want to tell us," asked Virgo.
"Well, I didn't want to use my father's name to pass my exam. I wanted to show everyone here that I can become an idol using my own skills."
There is another silent pause as everyone tries to process what they've learned. The judges then huddle together as they decide what to do with Magali. A few minutes later, all the judges takes a seat and Aries announces, "Miss Artisan, I believe that we've come to a decision."
Virgo stands up and says, "Miss Artisan, we all feel that the performance you showed us was not the best of your potential. You need more practice and diversify your dance routines."
Capricorn stands up next, "however, the crab swipe you performed was nothing less than a masterpiece. Your father would be proud knowing that he passed it down to a worthy successor. We will take that into consideration when we vote."
Taurus finally stands and declares, "All who feels that Magali Anna Artisan has passed the exam, please raise your hand."
Magali is shocked as each and every one of the judges raises their hand for her. "It is unanimous. Congratulations, you are now Sweet Dance City's newest idol."
The whole auditorium claps cheerfully as they hear the announcement. Aries walks up to her and gives Magali her license. Magali isn't as overjoyed as everyone else in the room as she look at her license. Magali knows that she only passed because the judges figured out the secret she didn't want everyone in the city to know. She is the daughter of not one, but two Super Idols.
The exam ends, and Magali is escorted out of the building. As she drags her suitcase through the parking lot, she sighs wishing that the judges never asked about her family. She can only hope that nobody else finds out. She only wants to live a basic life as an idol without people treating her differently because of her parents.
"Hey, wait up." yelled a familiar voice. She turns around and sees Conrad running desperately to catch up to her. Once he does, he asks, "why didn't you tell me that Julian was in fact your father?"
"Why is that any of your business?"
"Are you kidding me? I am like Julian's biggest fan! I became an idol to be just like him. I've watched all of his performances, and his moves stun me each and every single time!"
"If you want an autograph, I'll call my dad later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find a place to stay."
"Actually, I have a different favor to ask you. I know what I said earlier, but would you consider joining my crew?"
"Hold on, I thought you said that your crew was full?"
Yeah, I kinda exaggerated a bit. Turns out I do have one room available. I kinda didn't want to rent it out, but you can have it if you want."
"No thank you," she answered sternly. She then turns around and begins to walk away.
Conrad rushes in front of Magali and says, "wait a sec, let me show you something real quick." He then does a spin and drops himself low to the ground. He then stretches his legs out left and right. He then performs a swipe and stands up. "Well, what do you think?"
"That's definitely the crab swipe. . . But it's sloppy. Your legs were too stiff, and the swipe was awful. It looked like you were cleaning the floor, not dancing."
"I know. I've been trying to perfect Julian's move for over a year. But each time I try, I can't seem to get it right. But if you join my crew, you can teach me how to do it properly. Come on, what do you say?"
"You're even more insane than I thought! My answer is still no. Now stop following me," answered Magali as she walks past him.
He refuses to give up just yet. He runs in front of Magali again and says, "fine, I get it. If you don't want to join my crew, you don't have to. But tell me, where do you plan to stay?"
"If you must know, I'm headed to the hotel. I'll figure out what to do from there."
"In that case, why are you going this way? The hotel is in the other direction."
Shocked by what Conrad told her, she looks at the map once again and notices that her surroundings don't match the map. She was sure that she was headed to the right direction a moment ago. She sighs as she says, "why is this map so hard to read? I didn't have this problem back at home."
Conrad then takes the map and flips it right side up. Magali then realizes that she's been reading the map backwards the whole time."Better?"
Magali nods. "Thanks again. I'm still headed to the hotel, so please stop following me."
"As you wish princess."
"Don't call me princess," cried Magali. She then grabs her suitcase and turns around following the direction of the map. After a few steps, she looks back to see if Conrad is following her. She finds him standing there where she left him. She continues to walk, and checks on him again at the end of the block. Once again, he hasn't moved. She takes a sigh of relief and heads to the hotel sure that he has given up on her.
She finds the hotel some time later and tries to check in. She quickly encounters a problem that she was not expecting. She looks up at the prices of a room and is shouts, "why are these rooms so expensive? I've seen five star hotels back at home with cheaper rooms!"
"Our hotel is for guests who plan to stay overnight for performances, not for long term living," said the clerk.
"This is ridiculous! I only have enough money to stay a week at best. Where am I going to live?"
"You're an idol, so I recommend that you join a crew and live at the crew base. If you have the money for it, you can buy a house in the Homeland. There are plenty of crews that are looking for idols, would you like me to recommend you some?"
"Never mind, I'll manage," she answered feeling defeated.
She grabs her suitcase and walks out of the hotel. Outside the hotel entrance she takes a deep sigh and considers asking her father for help. But she quickly changes her mind as she remembers her promise to live in the city without asking much from him. As she looks up, she finds Conrad waiting for her outside the hotel with a kind smile on his face.
"Let me guess, you knew that this would happen?"
"Considering what you said at the Dance Square, I figured that you wouldn't have your dad's credit card. I get it, you want to start fresh like everyone else who moved here. I did the same thing too." Conrad then takes a few steps closer to Magali and reaches out to her. "Last time I'm asking, I promise. Please join my crew. At least you won't live with some strangers. You'll love my crew."
She considers her options. She knows that Conrad is a bit extreme, but she can tell that he is not a bad person either. When she was in trouble, he was there to help her. If it wasn't for his help, she would have missed her exam. She may not fully trust him just yet, but she also doesn't know anyone else she can trust either. The day is also getting late, and she is tired from her trip and complicated arrival to Sweet Dance City.
"Fine," she answers.
"Really? Thank you! I promise that of all the crews in the base, mine will be the most fun."
"Under one condition," she interrupted as she points at him. "I have the right to leave anytime I want. No begging or pleading, I get to leave no questions asked. Am I clear?"
"Sure thing! People change crews all the time, that's no problem."
"Now that's settled, where is the base anyway?"
Conrad turns around and points at a large building in the distance. "Our home is over there. You're going to love it here in the city, I promise."
The building is not that far away, they can walk and be there in about twenty minutes. As they get closer to the crew base, Magali learns how massive the building is. It takes up several square blocks of the city and is surrounded by a ten foot tall wall. As they walk, Conrad explains that the security of the base is to keep visitors out and give idols privacy from fans. As Magali gets closer to the base, she is noticing more and more idols walking around. Many of them are dressed in casual clothes, while the rest are wearing their idol costumes. She is also surprised to see how many idols wear wigs or dye their hair in many pastel colors or hues. The city feels like living in a whole different world.
At the gate, Conrad scans his license and they are allowed in. Within the walls of the base is another world different than the rest of the city. The base looks less like a home for idols and more like a resort. There are pools and spas that the idols bathe in. There are swings all around where people swing and socialize. There is a track with people running around for their daily workout. There is even a small stage where idols give each others performances to practice. Each and every idol are happy and active.
Inside the building, Magali is amazed at how clean the building is. Most of the people in the base looks quite young, so she expected things to be a bit messy. She could not find a single trace of graffiti or trash left by the younger idols. Everyone is so clean and takes great care of the base. "I guess living here won't be so bad after all," she whispered to herself.
They take an elevator to the eleventh floor. As they walk through the hallway, she notices that it's very quiet. It feels odd for her since she assumed that she would be hearing music blasting and the stomping of idols practicing their dance steps. Conrad explains that each hall has sound proof walls and people can work on their performance without disturbing each other. She is quite amazed at how peaceful the building is.
They stop at a large door with a plaque over it. The plaque reads, "Howard's Dance Party".
"Well, here we are! The official motto of this crew is 'life's a party'. Come on in, I'll show you around your new home."
He opens the door into the mudroom, a place where people leave their shoes, umbrellas, and raincoats before entering the hall. They then enter the hall where Magali finds a massive dance floor with some furniture put away neatly in the corner. The floor is padded with sound proof padding so everyone can dance without bothering the people below. There are doors in each of the corners that leads into individual bedrooms. There is also a glass sliding door that heads out to the balcony. The hall has plenty of space and has a room for each person living there, she is not disappointed.
Conrad opens the door to the back right bedroom, "this is going to be your room. I have never rented it out, so it should be clean."
Magali walks in to check. She finds the room to be decently sized and have all the things she needs to live comfortably. There is a full sized bed, a television, enough closet space for many outfits, and a bookcase for casual reading. There is nothing she can complain about.
"So where's the bathroom and kitchen," she asked.
"The cafeteria and public bathrooms are in the first floor. I know it's a pain, but bear with it. You'll get used to it in no time." He then walks out of the room saying, "come check out the view, it's great!"
Conrad takes Magali to the balcony where the residents use to get fresh air. The view outside shocks her. She can see most of the city from where she stands. There are lots of colorful and visually pleasing buildings everywhere. The rivers that divide the city districts are crystal clear and shine with the sun. The beach in the end of the city is breathtaking. The sun is setting, which gives the city an orange glow as the city is preparing to rest for the day. The cool ocean breeze feels amazing as it caresses her skin. It's a great place to relax with a good book.
They come back in the hall and Conrad asks, "well, how is it? Not bad eh?"
"I must admit, you're right. It's a pretty nice place. So, where are our other crewmates?"
"Oh, it's just us two for now," he answered.
"Hey, that's not what you said earlier! You said that you had other people living here and you only had one room. What's going on here? Why are you lying to me?"
"Hey calm down. I do have other crewmates, but they moved out a little while ago. They'll come back, and I have their rooms available when they do."
Magali glares at him. She knows that there's more to what Conrad is telling her. But even though she is suspicious of him, it is a bit late to change her mind. The day is getting late, and she doesn't have time to find a new crew hall. She decides to put up with it for a while.
"Well, I'm going to turn in for the day. See you in the morning."
"Wait, just one last thing before you go. Could you fill out an application by tomorrow?"
"An application? What for?"
"I know I invited you to stay here, but the application is for the city. The Sweet Dance Society keeps records of all idols, and that includes where they live."
Magali grunts, "fine, I'll have one filled out by tomorrow morning. Good night."
She enters her room and locks the door. The first thing she does is sit on the bed. She feels that the bed is a lot more comfortable than she expected. Not too firm, and the pillow is soft. The sheets are thin and feels nice on her hands. She then puts her suitcase on the bed and starts to unpack her things. In the bottom of her luggage is a garment bag carrying the dress she wanted to wear to her exam. She unzips the bag and pulls out a beautiful dress called the Moon Flower outfit. She hangs the dress up in the closet and takes a seat on the bed. The dress sparkles as she looks at it. The dress is well preserved, no creases or damage from the long trip from California.
As she continues to look at the dress, she wonders what her mother must have looked like while she was wearing it long before Magali was born. She smiles as she says, "Hi mom. I'm finally here. The place where I was born, and the place where you. . . You know, passed on. I am back now, and I will become a great idol. . . Just like you."
Suddenly her cell phone starts to ring. She checks her phone and sees her dad on the caller ID. She picks up the phone and answers, "hey dad, what's up? Are you done with work already?"
"No, I am still at the office here. I figured that you must have completed the exam by now, so I wanted to check on my little girl. Did you make it to the city okay? Did you pass the exam?"
"Yes dad, I passed. I had a little trouble finding the Dance Square, but I did get a little help."
"I'm glad that you passed. If they didn't pass you, they would have had to deal with me. I would have contacted the city and gave them a piece of my mind."
"Dad! I already told you that I'm going to manage this on my own. It's bad enough that they already figured out that you are my dad, don't make this even more awkward for me."
"I know, I get it. I'm still going to worry about you, and you can always call me if you need anything. By the way, where are you staying? I was expecting a bill from the hotel. I know it's early here, but it must be late in Florida."
"I joined a crew. I'm going to be living in the crew base like most of the other idols."
"A crew huh? I remember the days when I lived with a crew. It's a lot of fun, almost like a college dorm, but for idols. Which crew did you join?"
"Lets see. . . I think it's called 'Howard's Dance Party' or something like that."
"Howard? Does Conrad Howard still run that crew?"
"Yeah he does. Wait, how did you know that? And how did you hear about Conrad?"
"Conrad is a popular and well respected idol in Sweet Dance City. Rumor has it that he might be the next Super Idol. As a Super Idol myself, I do keep up with the current events of the Sweet Dance Society. I am glad that you found such a capable crew leader, you can learn a lot from him."
"I don't know dad. He isn't a bad guy, but he can be a bit. . . Extreme."
"That's Sweet Dance City in a nutshell. The city is filled with a lot of people from across the globe. Most of the idols there are under thirty years old, so there is a lot of energy to burn. You'll meet a lot of interesting personalities who will test your patience. I know you can handle it, but you can come home if things get too crazy for you."
"Thanks dad, I'll keep that in mind. I think I can handle anything this city can throw at me."
"I know you will. . . I have to get back to work now. Please take care. Call me if you need anything."
"I will." Magali then hangs up. She takes one last look at the room before she lays down and drifts off to sleep. Tomorrow is her first full day as an idol, and she can't wait to get started. What sort of memories will she make in the city? What sort of people will she meet? All she knows right now is that her dreams of being an idol came true and there is nothing going to stop her from being the best idol she can be.
