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Chapter Fourteen
Sybil's Moment
The students of Cackles Academy were nervous, because their perfomance was quickly coming up. It would go by year group, so the first years would do their piece first then the second years and so forth. Sybil sat backstage with her friends.
"The Great Wizard is here" one of their classmates said as she had being looking behind the curtain and saw the man arrive and Miss Cackle leading him out the back door. Sybil gulped, the sick feeling in her stomach worse than before, but she put on the purple cape that she was wearing for the performance, tying to remember everything she had learned and had to do.
"I am just going to go find Ethel, I won't see her again until after we both perform" Sybil said as because they were flying they would be outside and the rest of the show would be inside on the stage. The girl walked around back stage looking for her sister and found her sitting down looking pale.
"Ethel?" Sybil said. The girl looked up and smiled slightly and Sybil walked to her and hugged her.
"I just wanted to wish you good luck, I am rooting for you" Sybil said with a smile, wanting her sister to know she had support.
Ethel realised she was being hugged and wrapped her arms around Sybil hugging her back tightly.
"Thank you Sybie, and good luck to you too, remember to believe in yourself" Ethel told her and the sisters hugged a while longer before Beatrice found them.
"Sybil we have to go" she told her friend who nodded and pulled away. Ethel stood up to follow.
"What are you doing?" Sybil asked confused, Ethel knew she wasn't supposed to leave back stage as anywise she would be cutting it fine to make it back in time to perform herself.
"I am coming to watch of course! I can't miss it when you have being working hard" Ethel told her. Sybil beamed at her sister as the girls walked out, Ethel being careful to avoid detection.
"Psss Esmie" Ethel whispered, the blond turned around to see her sister was following behind her
"Ethie what are you..?" Esmerelda asked confused
"I came to watch our sister perform, I am not missing it" Ethel said and Esmie smiled, glad the girls were closer and supporting each other.
The crowd outside got larger as the spectators arrived to watch the first years broomstick display and the first years stood nervously to the side waiting for their queue. Sybil caught her sisters eyes and they gave her a thumbs up, she took a breath, trying to remain calm.
"Welcome everyone, your Greatness, to our Halloween performance" Ada said standing in front of the first years and using dramatic hand movements "The students have being working hard the last month for this moment" she said. Esmerelda and Ethel looked at each other, clearly knowing this was going to be a long speech.
"And today the day has finally come where the girls get to show of their hard work" the woman said. Ethel was glad the crowd was large and distracted because no-one noticed her. On and on the woman went, everyone growing bored until she finally seemed nearly done.
"And we will be starting with our first years, they are going to be doing a broomstick display for you" the woman said turning to the girls "Are you ready?" she said. The girls looked back at her as if they wanted nothing more than to run but nodded.
"Very well, when you ready you may begin" she told them.
Sybil turned around to look at her classmates and the girls nodded, to tell her they were ready. The girls mounted their broomsticks. Sybil's stomach now was really in knots, she was going to crash she knew it, or throw up, she wasn't sure which one of them would be worse when the Great Wizard was watching.
"Okay girls on my whistle" Miss Drill said.
No...she couldn't do it...she was to scared, she had to get out of here. Sybil thought to herself, freaking out in her head.
Sybil heard the noise of a whistle in her ears and knew there was no getting out of it now, the moment she had being dreading was here, she gulped but started to rise, she couldn't just run off now, her friends were independent on her as everyone was watching so with that she took off.
The knot in her stomach was hurting her, and she was not sure she would be able to do it but she kept going higher, not able to give up now, it was to late for that.
She felt the breeze around her as they were now in the air and she let out the breath she had being holding, she had done it, she had gotten in the air without being sick or crashing, now she just simply had to fly like they had practised, she could do it, she had to do it.
Sybil looked behind her to see the other girls were behind her and they started to fly in a straight line, Sybil leading them. She remembered everything she had being taught, the right speed to fly, to listen for everyone else behind her to make sure they were on track.
Sybil flew, the girls forming a perfectly straight line and flying in unison and then they went into a circle, performing the piece they had practised. She could hear clapping far below and she felt more confident from and that and the knot in her stomach was loosing, with that she flew towards the floor again, the perfomance was coming to an end.
Her and Ethel had being practising the last part for weeks, because Sybil was not able to fly one handed, she had mastered it, but only just, she would still fail every now and then, but it was normally because of nerves.
Sybil though flew until she was a few inches above the floor and then she took a breath and took her hand of the broomstick, lifting it in the air. She focused on her surroundings and griped the broomstick together, needing to keep control. She blocked everything out and concentrated on nothing but her objective and after about twenty seconds she lowered her arm, before flying towards the ground, now it was just the landing.
She felt her feet touch the floor as she landed and Sybil found herself smiling, she had done it, she had not crashed and it had gone far better than she had expected.
There was loud cheers and clapping as the first years finished performing and Miss Cackle was by their side, smiling at her youngest pupils.
"Well done girls that was brilliant" she said. Sybil turned to her friends and the girls all hugged, proud of themselves for what they had done. Sybil turned around and beaming walked towards the crowd to find her sisters, she found them beaming at her and hugged them.
"You were so brilliant Sybie, you should be proud of yourself" Esmerelda said hugging her tightly. Sybil beamed into her chest, she was proud of herself and she couldn't wipe the smile of her face.
"Fantastic Sybs" Ethel said hugging her too "But sorry I better get inside before I am missed" Ethel said rushing in before the crowd got to big.
"I thought I couldn't do it, but I knew I had practised, the knot in my stomach was just nerves" Sybil said happily and Esmie beamed at her, proud of her younger sister.
"I always believed you could Sybil, you have grown so much in confidence, I never had any doubt you would be successful" Esmerelda told her, hugging and squeezing her.
"Come on, let's go watch Ethel" Sybil said, proud of herself and now she had to go cheer for Ethel, because she knew she was going to do brilliant too.
"Yes let's go before all the good seats are taken" Esmerelda replied, rushing with Sybil into the castle.