So You Think You Can Dance Cullen? Chapter 2: The Judges lair, a twilight fanfic

This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer "Twilightaddict" I love getting reviews and knowing that others are enjoying my story and I hope you like chapter two as much as the first.

This chapter was written to a remix of the song "Baila, Balia" by Angela Via. I recommend listening to it while you read. It is also the song Bella will dance her audition to. If you have any requests for songs I can use in later performances I will gladly take suggestions for any style of dance.

Chapter Two: The Judges lair

POV-Bella

My hand shook as I passed my CD to the man who would be running the stereo during my audition.

"It's track 3. Wait for my signal."

He nodded. "The judges will talk to you first, just nod at me when you're ready to begin." He pointed for me to move forward and I could see the light through a crack in the curtain. The judges were on the other side waiting for me.

I stepped forward and took a deep breath before pushing the curtain out of my way and stepping onto the stage. The short blue heels I was wearing clicked on the wood and I held my breath as I stopped in front of them. My heart was beating wildly and I desperately tried to get it under control.

I had been expecting the first two judges. Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy had been working for the show for as long as I could remember. I didn't know who the guest judge was but, I felt like I should recognize her face from somewhere. My fate on the show would be determined by these people.

Nigel glanced down at his clip board and then looked up at me. "Welcome Ms. Isabella."

"Just Bella." I corrected instantly and then bit down on my cheek. Way to make a good first impression Bella! Don't ever correct the judges. I felt my checks flush bright red and tried to take slow even breaths to calm my racing heart. They were going to think I was some stupid punk before I even got the chance to dance.

Nigel surprised me by smiling and nodded along with my correction. "There's a little note next to your name that says you prefer to be called Bella."

I nodded slowly and felt a wave of gratitude towards the nice man who had registered Summer and I. "Isabella just seems too formal."

He nodded. "Well, Bella I am sure you know Mary and myself."

I nodded enthusiastically and smiled over at Mary. Nigel held his hand out to the third judge. "This is Courtney Galiano you may recognize her from season four. She is returning this year as a guest judge to help us with the auditions for the second round."

"It's nice to meet you." I said politely trying to hide the smile on my face. Now that I knew her name I did recognize her from the show. Courtney had gotten all the way to the top four before she had been eliminated and I could only hope to do as well as she had.

Courtney nodded and took my sheet from Nigel glancing over my information. "It's nice to meet you too Bella. I am curious though, your sheet says you will be mixing Latin ballroom dance with Hip-hop. Where did this combination come from?"

I felt myself tense up as we talked. I really just wanted to start dancing but I knew the formalities were for the show. If my audition made it to the show they would want a clip of me saying my name and a little bit about myself.

"I teach at a Latin inspired dance school here in Phoenix called "Samba Sun". I've been taking lessons there since I was a little girl. Latin is my leading style but Hip-Hop has always been a close second so I've been working on mixing them together."

"I'm curious to see your performance too Bella." Mary interrupted. "Latin style dancing almost always requires a partner where as Hip-hop is just as easy alone or in groups. Are you more comfortable alone or do you generally dance with a partner?" She smiled at me quickly before adding. "And I love your dress."

I felt my checks flush again and I nervously played with the edge of my dress. "Thank you. I do enjoy partner dancing and I generally have one but I thought it would be better if I auditioned for the show alone."

Nigel leaned back in his seat. "If you're ready Bella you may begin anytime."

This was it. Sink or swim, fly or fall. Why was I doing this again? I felt my heart race and my breathing speed up as I moved to center stage. I was going to start backwards which made it easier to find the man running the stereo. I caught his eye and the opening notes to "Baila, Balia" by Angela Via rang through the room. I took a deep breath and let the room fall away. There were no judges, no cameras, it was just me doing what I loved most.

I slowly trailed my hands up my sides letting my hips sway to the piano. When the trumpet came in I spun slowly on my toes and faced the judges. The song began and I slowly stalked forward letting my hips lead. When the drum hit I dropped and froze in my pose waiting half a second before the drum hit again.

The drum hit three times and each time I hit a new pose with it, letting my hair and dress swing with the sudden jolt. When the trumpet came back in I started some traditional samba foot work. Samba was a fast sexy dance where the female dancer generally played the role of a seductress, luring her man onto the dance floor.

My hips shook to the trumpet as I moved forwards demanding the attention of everyone watching. My earlier nerves were forgotten as I fell into my dance letting it completely consume me. I kept my back strong and looked up through my eye lashes at the judges. Falling into character was probably my strongest advantage. I could push myself away and dance how the music wanted to move.

DJ, turn it up
Pump it loud
Let's get wild
Get your freak on the floor
That's what we came here for
Feel the heat
Bump and grind
Pack it up
Add some whine
Shake it up
Shake it down
DJ, please don't let this party end.
Baila, baila, baila

Nothing existed outside of myself and the beat of the song. I spun quickly letting the fringe of the dress fly around me and add to the movement of my hips. I focused internally on my breathing, keeping it under control as I picked up the pace of my dance so I wouldn't hyperventilate. I focused on my heart rate as well, keeping it from getting out of hand. I knew the moves to this dance so well I didn't have to waste my time focusing on them. All I had to do was add the emotion and become the person I was dancing. In this case, the person I was dancing was a sexy Samba dancer who wanted a ticket to Vegas.

As the chorus ended I slowed my moves back down letting the focus of my dance move from my hips to my chest and feet. The verses of the song would be where I showcased Hip-Hop. I dropped with the base drum and hopped forward letting my chest pop with the new tempo. If the Samba was the seductress of dance then Hip-Hop was the enforcer. The moves were stronger and more powerful but they still had to flow together just as fluidly.

Papi, I'm ready
Come and smoke
My body's hot
And while me know
Just work it high
And work it low
You can pretend
That it's all yours
I know you wanna feel me
And you want me like a toy
I like the way you movin'
And you shakin' back and forth.

In Samba the dancer tended to move with the soprano line, in this case that was the trumpet. As I switched my moves to a style closer to Hip-Hop I changed direction and started moving my steps according to the bass drum which was pounding out a steady rhythm in the background.

The chorus came back and I spun back around again changing the focus and balance of my body to my hips and waist. I ran a hand though my hair and let my eyes lock momentarily with each judges before starting forward again. I pushed the thought of the judges away just as quickly as it had come, I couldn't afford to get distracted.

I let my hips shake with the music and smiled when I saw Mary dance a little in her seat. If the judges were getting into it they must think I was pretty good. The song flowed together seamlessly so without having known it before hand you wouldn't have been able to tell it was a remix. The last section of words started and I dropped to the bass beat again, letting my hand trail along the floor before standing back up and twisting forward again and moving into the chorus one last time.

As the last few notes of the song trailed away I turned my back on the judges and trailed my hands slowly back down my sides, the opposite of my opening move. My breathing was coming in quick even gasps and my heart raced with the familiar thrill that always came when I was dancing. This was what I was meant to do.

I spun around to face the judges and felt relieved when they started clapping. Then again what if they clapped for everyone? That would be the polite thing to do. I dipped a small bow and tried to fight the smile that was playing on my face.

"Thank you."

Mary tossed a sheet of paper in the air and I couldn't be sure if it was my sign up sheet or not. "Did we just get punked?" She asked with a straight face staring at me as I brushed the sweat from my forehead. I felt my face fall. Had I really been that bad? I thought back to my performance. I had gotten all of the steps right, I was sure of it. Maybe they just hadn't liked my choreography?

"What happened to the blushing, nervous girl who walked in?" Mary continued glancing first at Courtney then at Nigel. Neither one of them could give her an answer and my frown turned into a look of confusion.

I felt my cheeks burn red as she pointed out my signature blush. I had never been able to control my face or hide what I was feeling. My mom had always said I was an open book just waiting to be read. I smiled sheepishly and shrugged my shoulders. "I tend to get nervous before I dance." I tried to defend myself.

She nodded. "I could see that but, your dance was the complete opposite. It was confident and sexy. It was like you were a completely different person."

I nodded slowly again. "I also tend to get a little lost in the music. Once I stop thinking about the audience it's easier for me to focus on the dance and put more emotion into what I'm doing."

"That's what I've been waiting for. That sexy, strong attitude is what we've been missing all day." She said happily turning to look at Nigel. Nigel nodded along with her enthusiasm.

"I'll admit when I saw you were going to try and mix Latin ballroom with Hip-Hop I was concerned but that was definitely an improvement over some of the other dances we've seen recently."

I felt a stab of guilt as I realized one of the dances they were talking about was my best friend who was waiting just outside for me. As soon as the guilt was gone it was replaced with joy. They had liked my dance.

"Is this the sort of dancing you teach at your school?" Courtney asked from her seat.

I shook my head. "It's not my school I just work there. The classes I teach are strictly Latin dancing but I personally think this is more fun."

"Who did your choreography?" Nigel asked as he jotted some notes down quickly.

I pushed some of my hair out of my face and took a second to try and catch my breath. "I did. I think a dance is more personal if the dancer is the one who designs it."

Nigel nodded. "Very impressive but are you comfortable dancing someone else's choreography?"

"I can follow direction if that's what you mean."

They were all smiling and so far I hadn't gotten any negative comments but, I was still standing on edge waiting. I could see the tickets to Vegas on the table, they were sitting there torturing me, but no one was reaching for them. Nigel talked quietly to Mary for a second and then they both listened to something that Courtney said.

The suspense was killing me and I fidgeted nervously back and fourth while my hands had gone back to playing with the fringe on my dress.

Mary turned quickly back to me and clapped her hands together out in front of her. "Isabella we-"

"Bella" I corrected instinctively before biting down on my lip and internally yelling at myself again. I needed to learn to keep my mouth shut.

She nodded. "Sorry, Bella. It's a unanimous decision amongst the three of us. We would love it if you came to Vegas."

My jaw locked and my eyes must have grown two sizes. I stood motionless for a full second before the realization of what she had asked set in. They wanted me to go? I was going to be on the show!

I jumped and couldn't stop myself from busting into a little happy dance right there in front of the judges and the camera. I pulled myself together and raced across the room. Nigel wrote my name on the card signifying I had made it to the next round and then passed me a ticket.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

I was going to Vegas. I was going to Vegas! I was going to Vegas!! I chanted the words in my head and was impressed that I managed to keep from singing them out loud.

"The plane leaves for Vegas in three weeks. We look forward to seeing you dance like that with a partner."

"I'll do my best."

He smiled at me. "This week's auditions will be in the season's first episode starting next week on FOX. You should watch it."

"All ready planning on it."

I locked my arms behind my back in order to prevent myself from pulling Nigel into a hug and thanked them all for having me again. I spun around on my toes and flew back behind the curtains. I got my CD back and thanked the man who had run my music without missing a step as I barreled towards the doors to the hallway.

I forced the doors out of my way as quickly as I could and jumped into the hallway, my excitement finally getting the best of me as I realized why no one who got on the show seemed to be able to resist yelling.

"I'm going to Vegas!"

In one swift motion I kicked off my heels and grabbed Summer off the ground. We jumped up and down a few hundred times and danced around in the hall.

"I'm so happy for you Bella. I knew you could do it." Summer said as her face fell and I pulled my best friend back into another hug.

"I'm so sorry Summer."

She shrugged me off and forced a smile for me. "It's ok, I'll just try again next year. Besides I never could have beaten you anyway."

"That's not true Summer, you're a great dancer."

She smiled at me. "You don't realize your own skill Bella. You've got to give yourself more credit if you're going to be dancing circles around those other dancers on TV."

"I haven't made the show yet Summer just the second round."

She smiled. "You will. This is just the first step."

"Thanks Summer. I don't know how I'll make it without you there."

She stopped walking and raised an eyebrow at me. "You're going to kick ass whether I'm there or not. If you let me distract you I'll kick your butt Bella and you know I will."

I held my hands up in surrender. She was kind of scary when she got angry. "Ok, ok. You know I'll try my hardest."

"Damn straight." Summer said. "This is your big break. Now the whole world is going to know your name and I'll be rooting for you back here with your mom the whole time."

As we approached the front doors I saw the camera lady walking around outside. She was watching the doors expectantly and I had a feeling someone was calling her every time a dancer made it to the next round so she could jump them for an interview.

"Um Sumer?-" I stopped in the lobby and pulled her to the side with me.

"What is it Bella?"

"I'm going to change before we go outside."

Summer watched my face then followed my nervous glance back to the front doors. Her face lit up when she saw the camera lady and I tried to make a run for it.

"No you don't Bella. Get your skinny little ass back here." Summer grabbed me by the arm and pulled me forward.

"Summer come on I want to just sneak past her."

"No complaining Bella you've got to get used to cameras or they'll throw you off when you're on the show."

I couldn't find a good argument to that so I sulkingly let her pull me through the front doors. She waved my ticket in the air and called to the reporter.

"Here's your next dancing star!"

I yanked my arm free and scowled at Summer as the reporter descended on us. She forced her way to my side and smiled at the camera. The man holding the camera hit a few buttons then motioned for her to start.

"Here we are standing with another one of the dancing jewels that our judges have found hidden in the Phoenix sands and there don't seem to be many of them." She turned her smile on me. "What's your name darlin'?"

I floundered for a second before responding. "Bella, it's Bella."

"Well Bella, how do you feel about making it on the show?"

My eye brows pushed together. "I haven't made the show yet. This is just for the second round."

The reporter nodded along, but her attention had gone back to the camera. "Do you think you will make the show?"

Duh! Why the hell would I have auditioned if I didn't think I would make it? That was the whole reason everyone was standing in line. "Oh, course I hope I make it to the top twenty."

The reporter didn't seem to notice my irritation and she asked another question. "What's your strongest dance style?"

"Latin/Hip-Hop."

"Are you concerned with meeting the other dancers?"

That was a pretty open ended question. "Not really. I-"

She cut me off before I could finish saying that I generally didn't have too many problems getting along with other dancers.

"So you don't think you'll have any competition in Vegas?" She asked spinning my words around.

"No, that's not what-"

She cut me off again. "Pretty confident words from a first timer. We'll have to see how you do in Vegas to see if they're warranted." I felt my frown lock in place and I stuck out my chin. This reporter was flipping my words around and I was getting ready to defend myself. She was going to set me up against the other dancers before I even got to Vegas.

Summer jumped in between us and grabbed my arm. "Back off you vulture." She pushed me backwards and ducked under another camera worker. I ducked behind her and she half pulled me half dragged me to the other side of the street.

"Did you hear what that woman said?" I asked angrily glancing back at the reporter who was talking into the camera again. "She's going to make it look like I bashed the other dancers on TV."

"It'll be ok Bella."

Summer led the way down the block and I wished I had changed before we left. My costume was getting me a lot of funny looks and I sighed in relief when I was able to hide behind the wheel of my faithful old truck. The rusty chevy had been a gift from my father and I had never been able to talk myself into a better car. I liked my truck.

By the time we pulled into my driveway Summer had repaired my poor mood and now I couldn't wait to race inside and tell my mother Renee how the auditions had gone. My mother was a little erratic but it was thanks to her that I had started dance lessons at all.

I had been clumsy when I was little but she had desperately wanted to see me try ballet. I had been too young to argue and now I couldn't thank her enough for encouraging me to wear the frilly pink Tutu she still had in our hall closet. I hadn't been the best ballet dancer but...

I parked the truck in the driveway and bolted through the front doors, Summer right on my heels as we shouted for my mom.

"Mom!"

"Renee where are you?"

"Mom!"

"We're out back honey."

Summer and I shot out the back door and found my mom sitting out side with her new husband Phil. Phil was standing at the grill and my mom was sitting in a lawn chair with a glass of lemonade.

"I did it!"

I waved my ticket in the air and jumped the back steps. "I made it to Vegas."

Renee dropped her glass and jumped to my side. "Oh, Bella that's great news. I'm so proud of you. We knew you could do it. Didn't we Phil?"

My stepfather floundered when my mom turned the spot light on him but he nodded along and congratulated me. Renee glanced over my shoulder then pulled Summer into a group hug with us.

"What about you Summer how did your audition go?"

She shrugged. "I thought I did fine but it looks like I'm going to be in the stands cheering Bella along with you."

"Oh, honey I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

Phil told Summer to invite her mom over for dinner and we spent the rest of the night talking about the show. I was going to have to get my things together and my mom was on tape detail. I wanted a copy of every episode and it was her job to remember to tape them all. My mom took the job with a smile and determination but when she turned her back Summer promised she would tape them all at her house. Just in case.

~Darkrose

Please let me know what you think. It was harder then I thought it would be to write Bella's choreography although in the end I was happy with it. Dancing it such a 'physical thing' it was hard to try and write it so you could see the moves. I hope you felt I did it justice. I'll get the next chapter posted as soon as I finish editing it.