I hope everyone's got their mood rings on because it's time to get Funky with a little disco music.

This chapter was written to Everything Bee Gees! My new favorite disco music. Some of my favorite songs by them include "Stayin' Alive" "You Should be dancing" and "Disco Inferno". I was surprised to learn just how many songs I knew that were considered "disco".

Chapter 5: Disco fever

POV- Bella

Dan Karaty and David Shant talked a little bit about Disco music and where the dance had originated from. They talked about the kinds of things they would be looking for and wished everyone luck before passing the microphone over to Nigel.

Nigel took the microphone and walked to center stage. "Every time you enter this building you are subjected to cameras. Our film crews are going to be all over the place filming the callbacks and then the performances. Try to ignore them unless someone asks you a direct question. As for the first round of callbacks we are going to split you up into two groups and you will work with your choreographer to learn their routines. After a few hours it will be time to perform those routines in front of the judges in smaller groups. Based off your performance and things that we see during practice you may be eliminated from the show, and you will be sent home immediately."

Mary took the mic from him and flashed everyone a big smile. "I'm going to call your name and give you a number. Come up to the stage and get your number card and pin it to the front of your shirt. The groups will be based off your numbers."

She started going down a list of dancers giving everyone a number. Alice and Angela wound up in the thirties. Edward, Emmett, and Tanya were in the fifties. Mary had just started the seventies when I heard her say a familiar name.

"Jacob Black, number 74."

I twisted in my seat to find him, sure that I must have heard wrong. It couldn't possibly be the same person as my Jake back in Forks. A tall boy in the back row got up and started making his way to the front of the auditorium to get his number card. He was a foot too tall and his hair was way too long but he looked just the same as my old best friend.

I had grown up with Jacob Black. He had been the best part of the summers I spent with Charlie in Forks, my sun in that rainy little town. Next to Summer he was my best friend. His dad, Billy Black, was best friends with Charlie so we got to spend a lot of time together.

I had forced him to take a Hip-Hop class with me once during the summer when I stayed with Charlie but I hadn't realized he had continued dancing. In fact I was pretty sure his dad had been upset that I had talked Jake into dancing in the first place.

Jake got his number from one of the crew workers and was heading back to his seat. It just had to be him. His skin was the same beautiful rusty color that my friends had been. But could he really have grown that much in three years? He had to be over six feet tall now.

"What's up?" Alice asked as I stood up and slid past her and Angela.

I nodded over to where Jake was walking back to his seat. My eyes glued to his frame as he sat down. "I think I know him."

Alice and the others followed my gaze to where Jake was sitting.

"Give me a second I'm going to go check." I walked up the aisle and made my way over to him. I tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me-"

He spun around and his jaw dropped. "Bella?"

I nodded. "Jake?"

"Bella! What are you doing here?"

He was on his feet in an instant and I jumped into his arms, locking mine around his neck. "I could ask you the same question. I didn't know you still danced. I was sure you would have stopped after I left that summer."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and spun us in a circle. "It's your fault. I couldn't get enough of those dance classes you made me take and then you never came back to Forks."

"Yeah, Charlie and I sort of had a falling out. This is so cool! I didn't see your audition."

He sat down and I quickly took the seat next to him.

"It didn't air on TV. This is so weird. I would have thought you'd be off at dance school by now."

I rolled my eyes. "Long story, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Bella Swan, number 82." I jumped when Mary said my name and quickly got my number. When I got back to Jake I grabbed his hand and tugged on him to follow me.

"Come over here I want you to meet some of my friends."

He followed me back to the other side of the auditorium and I reclaimed my seat next to Edward. Jake took the seat behind me and I got every ones attention to do introductions again.

"Guys this is Jake. Jake this is Alice, Edward, Sam, Emmett, Angela, Tanya, and Erik." I waved around the group, pointing everyone out as I said their name.

Jake looked kind of taken off guard. "You have a lot of friends. Did you all audition together?"

"Oh, no we met at dinner last night for the most part." I explained.

"Oh, ok" He seemed kind of relieved.

Alice twisted in her seat. "How do you two know each other?"

"I live near Bella's dad. We've known each other since we were both in diapers."

I faked a look offense and gasped. "Excuse me, butI'm pretty sure I had advanced to pull up's by the time you were born Mr. Diaper."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I just remember that my mud pies were always a bigger hit than yours amongst our parents."

"At least I didn't actually eat my mud pies."

He shrugged. "A little dirt never hurt anyone before."

"I'm not so sure about that. You're kind of messed up Jake."

He thought about that for a second and shrugged. "At least I know how to have fun."

"I know how to have fun."

He chuckled and I noticed that the others were laughing at us too. I twisted back around in my seat and looked up at Mary. She was almost done passing out numbers. The two choreographers were standing off to the side talking and I tried to think of some disco music. My I-Pod must have over a thousand songs on it and I was drawing a blank on anything I would consider Disco.

Mary called the last number and a blue eyed, sandy blonde haired boy pinned his number to his shirt. He looked familiar but I was having trouble remembering all of the faces I had seen on the audition tapes. Once he was seated, Mary invited the choreographers forward again.

Dan Karaty took the mic. "Ok, If your number is anything between 1 and 82 you're with me in the first studio." He pointed to the back left door. "It's just out that door and across the hall. The other half of you are going to go out that door." He pointed to the far right. "And you will meet with David in studio two." He watched us for a second and when no one moved he waved his hands. "Go, Shoo, go warm up, we'll start in ten minutes."

I got up and followed the others as we headed towards the left door. Sam and Erik were both in the second group and we wished them good luck before they left. Edward hooked an arm over my shoulders and smirked at me. "Lucky number 82 we almost lost you to the other group as well."

I grinned. "Your loss, now I'm just going to make you look bad."

"Where did all of this confidence come from? You were freaking out a minute ago about having to do disco."

"Oh, I'm still freaking out, trust me. I was just trying to raise my confidence."

He nodded. "I think everyone's freaking out a bit. I was expecting something random but Disco never even crossed my mind."

We walked across the hall and found ourselves in a massive studio. Two of the walls were solid mirrors and the ceiling had to be twenty feet high. The floor was a light pine and the fresh coat of wax was super shiny.

Angela, Alice and I all put our bags in one of the cubbies along the wall and stripped out of our extra layers. Everyone lined up in rows and started stretching. The boys were a few rows ahead of us and we couldn't find an open space next to them.

"We could go over there." Alice pointed back a few rows and soon we were in line with the others on the far side of the room.

I sat on the floor next to Angela and started stretching. Alice sat down on my other side and tapped my shoulder.

"Do either of you know who he is?"

Angela and I followed her gaze to the front row where two blondes were stretching. The first was a girl with perfect features. Her gold hair hung in waves down her back and her slender legs looked sculpted. The second was a boy with honey blonde curls. He was just as beautiful as his sister but a head taller and the muscles in his arms were more defined than his softer sister. I recognized them from the Austin auditions immediately.

"I know them. That's Rosalie and Jasper. They're from Austin, Texas."

Alice smirked and her nose wrinkled. "He's cute."

I chuckled along with Angela as we watched Alice practically drool on herself. I'll be the first to admit the blonde was cute but, as of lately I seemed to have been more attracted to brunettes.

"He's got to be at least a foot taller than you Alice." Angela pointed out.

Alice shrugged us off and stood up to stretch. "Who isn't?"

"You should go say hi." I suggested switching to stretch my other side.

Alice nodded. "I plan to but, I'll wait for the most opportune moment."

"How will you know he'll even want to talk to you?" Angela asked.

Alice smiled to herself and returned to stretching her legs.

"I'll just know. I have a feeling we are going to get along."

I rolled my eyes and Dan entered the room. He had abandoned his disco clothes and looked like any other dance instructor. He moved a few people so everyone was in even lines and put a CD into a large stereo tucked away in the corner.

"I'm sure most of you will recognize our song for today."

He pushed a button and a familiar tune filled the room.

Angela giggled. "I love this song."

"Me too."

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
Since I was born.
Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah Stayin Alive

Some of the dancers started doing the disco finger move that had no real name and most of the room was laughing. I felt myself relaxing. I had never danced disco before but at least I knew the song. Everyone who hadn't grown up under a rock knew "Stayin Alive". We listened to the whole song and then Dan called everyone to pay attention.

"We will be going to go through the dance a few times slow." He waved two girls who had been standing by the stereo over to his side.

"These are my friends Samantha and Leslie. Once everyone has a feel for the routine they will help me work with you on a more personal level. We will work until lunch and then regroup after you've eaten. We will begin filming at four and then shoot the cuts after dinner."

I felt the nerves set in as he spoke of the first round of cuts. I really didn't want to go home after just one day. Now that I was here, it was clearer to me that this was what I was meant to do. I was supposed to dance and this was my chance to prove it. Not only to myself, but to America.

We spent all morning in the Studio. Even with the air conditioning on the room was steamy and the edges of the mirrors had fogged over. The music we would be performing to was set on repeat and was quietly playing itself over and over.

The routine we would be performing in front of the judges hadn't been as scary as I had first feared. Disco had some similarities to Rock and Roll and I could even find traces of Hip-Hop in some of the moves. The only non-dance comparison I could make was that it looked like we had all stepped out of the movie Saturday Night Fever.

I pushed my hair out of my face and leaned my head back against the cold mirror. The room had split into little sections of people and our choreographers were jumping back and forth, trying to make sure everyone knew the routine.

I took a sip from my water bottle and then splashed some of the cold water on my forehead. I had the moves of the dance down. Memorizing routines had always been a strong point for me. What I couldn't do as easily was put emotion to this dance. I hadn't been born in the fifties and my knowledge of our Country's history at that time was bleak.

The only things I could remember from history class was that the fifties had been when racial segregation had finally been ruled unconstitutional. Our Country had been repairing itself after World War II, drugs were on the rise amongst young people who didn't know the health concerns, and Alaska and Hawaii joined up to give us an even fifty states.

I had never really given too much thought on politics. There hadn't been a Presidential election since I turned eighteen and I didn't care what the government was doing as long as they didn't ban dancing.

A pair of feet stopped next to me and I could hear another person sliding down the mirror to sit next to me. I peeked up through my hair and Edward smiled over at me.

"You look beat."

I shrugged and took another sip from my water bottle. "I'll live. You look pretty worn out yourself."

He nodded. "Maybe a little bit, but I'll deny saying that if you tell Emmett."

He was stained with sweat just like the rest of us but somehow his hair was still in perfect disarray. I had tugged my hair up into a pony tail hours ago and it was still trying to cling to my face. I glanced across the room where Emmett, Jake, and Angela were working. Emmett didn't even look phased by the long rehearsal. He was laughing and even though I couldn't hear his voice I could tell he was cracking a joke.

"Looks like he's having fun."

Edward nodded. "He is. I'm just worried he'll get kicked out if he doesn't take this more seriously. There's a lot of good dancers here and Emmett's not good with having competition. He's very competitive."

"I think he'll be ok. You both looked like you were getting the moves down."

He chuckled. "Yes, John Travolta would be proud of my mad dance skills." We laughed.

The music stopped and Dan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. I jumped to my feet and Edward followed me up.

"Ok everyone it's time to break for lunch. You can head back over to the hotel and eat. We'll meet back here at one."

I pulled my extra clothes back on and met up with the others in front of the building. Everyone looked kind of worn out except for Emmett. Emmett just looked hungry and he was eyeing the hotel across the street.

"Come on you guys let's go eat." He turned and started walking away.

"What about Alice? Is she coming with us?" Angela asked.

I glanced around the group. Jake, Erik and Sam had all started to follow Emmett. Tanya and Edward were standing by Angela and our smallest member was no where to be seen.

"She can find us back at the hotel." Emmett said trying to persuade us to move forward.

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave her behind but eventually we ran across the street and headed to lunch. The hotel lobby was full of dancers heading for the great hall. We fought our way into the lunch room and I sat down at our table without going for food.

"Aren't you hungry Bella?"

"I'll wait for the line to go down."

Edward sat down with me and Tanya followed him. Emmett shrugged and headed for the buffet. I waved the others off and they followed him. I didn't have the patienceto wait in line.

Edward tapped my shoulder, then pointed over to the door. "There's Alice." I followed his finger and had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

Tiny little Alice practically danced through the door hand in hand with Jasper. She was smiling and together they crossed the room to the buffet. I watched them go through the line and then take a seat on the opposite side of the room with Jasper's twin sister.

"I don't think she's sitting with us." Edward said.

I nodded. "She was talking about him all through rehearsal. She was quite confident that they would get along."

Alice glanced over at us and I waved. She smiled at me and wiggled her eyes brows. I chuckled and nodded. She would rejoin us later and with any luck she would bring her new friends with her. We could make room at our table.

"She'll talk to us later."

Edward raised an eyebrow at me. "How do you know that? She looks pretty happy over there to me."

"I can speak girl sign language."

He shrugged. "Ok."

"It looks to me like those two are going to be distracted for the performance tonight. Maybe they'll screw up and get kicked off." Tanya said as she eyedAlice with distaste.

Edward shot her a disapproving look. "Tanya that's incredibly-"

"True." She interrupted ending his sentence for him.

He scowled. "I was going to say rude."

She shrugged. "But it is true Edward. Alice is good and you saw those blondes on TV. If we could get rid of them it would make our chance to get to the top that much easier. Everyone is competition."

I hadhad enough of Tanya for one day. I got up and started making my way over to the lunch buffet. The more I got to know Tanya the more I disliked her as a person. She was arrogantly cocky and definitely not the kind of person I would willingly hang out with off the show. The unfortunate side was that I didn't want to be mean to her. She was Edward's friend and I was afraid pushing her away would make him leave too.

"Bella."

I stopped in line as Edward grabbed a plate and joined me. "I'm sorry about Tanya."

"It's not your fault. I just can't stand it when people wish others bad luck just to get themselves ahead. If Tanya doesn't think she can beat them fairly then she shouldn't be here."

"She's really not a bad person, I promise. She just tends to think of herself first and she's definitely not afraid to let others know what she thinks."

I nodded. "I can see her logic if I think about. Alice is good and they definitely pose a problem to us getting into the top twenty. I guess I just think of Alice as a friend already. It probably wasn't a smart move on my part to get so attached to my competition. For all I know I could be the one going home tonight.

"I don't think you have to worry about going home."

My cheeks flushed slightly and I busied myself with the buffet so he wouldn't see. "You don't know that. I've never danced Disco before. Anyone of us could get kicked off."

He nodded. "True, but I have a feeling you're going to be fine. You have a very natural feel to you when you dance. It's really hard not to love it when you dance."

My cheeks flushed deeper red and he smirked. "You're also the only person I know who can turn red that fast."

We grabbed our drinks and headed back to the table. The others were already waiting and Tanya had gone up to get her food. When I sat down Angela grabbed my arm.

"Bella did you see Alice?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I saw her." Angela giggled. "That's so funny. It's like she knew it was going to happen.

We ate quickly and soon we were back in the studio getting our butts kicked. Dan caught every mistake and wouldn't let up until you fixed it. The routine was only three minutes long but the speed made it feel like running a marathon. I had always thought I had good stamina but dances like this made me question how hard I practiced outside of the studio. I was going to have to run more often. I hated running, I usually ended up tripping over my own feet.

There was no wardrobe to worry about and that seemed to be the only silver lining in this just being a one day thing. We had been working all day and it was almost time for the filming to start. We would be performing in groups of ten and then we would have to wait all through dinner while the judges deliberated over who would go home.

The first ten dancers got on stage and the song we had been listening to all day started playing over the loud speaker. Group after group performed the routine we had all been working on. It was easy to pick out the ones who stood out.

Alice was tiny but her size wasn't the only reason your eyes naturally followed her. She was charismatic and put a ton of energy into her dance. Angela was the opposite. Her grace in even the quickest of moves made her breathtaking.

Edward, Emmett, and Tanya were all in group seven and I couldn't pick which one I wanted to watch more. Emmett's size was almost comical as he did the disco finger move and put Elvis to shame with his pelvic thrust. Edward was beyond amazing. You could tell none of them had ever danced Disco before but they each had a flare to them. Tanya shone as well even if I didn't want to admit it. She brought a lot of power to her performance and easily dominated her part of the stage.

Jake was in group seven and I was pretty bummed out when I didn't get to see his show. I was with the rest of group eight backstage warming up. I ran through the moves in my head and pushed everything else out. I was sure Jake would do fine and I tried to forget that the rest of the dancers were sitting in the auditorium watching.

Eventually group seven was dismissed and my line walked out. I recognized the boy to my right but all of the other dancers had been in the second group. The lights dimmed and we all struck an opening pose of our choosing.

I chose to stand with my back to the audience and my hands on my hips. If I was going to do the finger pointy thing and thrust my hips I was going to do my damndest make it look good. I still wasn't sure about the emotion I should portray in this song but, when in doubt go with confidence and make the judges think you're having fun.

The music started and I spun on my heels walking forward with the rest of the line. I swung my hips and tried to give my walk the attitude I would use in Hip-Hop.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm.
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right - it's O.K. -
And you may look the other way.

We can try to understand the New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin alive, stayin' alive.

We spun and slid to the left hitting the finger point on the down beats. The lights flashed every color in the rainbow and then some as we spun back around and each tried to pull the attention of the judges on ourselves. It was a high energy song and I half expected a disco ball to drop from the ceiling.

Feel the city breakin' and ev'rybody shakin'
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' Alive.

I found it hard not to sing along with the chorus as I shook my butt and spun with the rest of the line. This routine had wound up being easier than I had thought it would and I found that I really was having fun. I would never make a living off Disco but it was nice to know I could survive three minutes of it.

Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right, it's O.K.
I'll live to see another day.

We got high and then dropped low with the lyrics. The girl on my left from the other group spun too early and I had to side step her so we wouldn't run into each other. It took me a few beats to get back on count and then I spun with the rest of the group. I bit my cheek and pulled all of my extra focus back on my moves. I hoped the judges wouldn't count that against me but from what I had heard they were ruthless when it came to call backs.

We can try to understand the New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and ev'rybody shakin'
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' Alive.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help, me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help, me, yeah.

On the last big note everyone struck another pose and the lights flashed. It was all over. I had my Disco finger in the air and I was trying to get my breathing under control. The audience clapped, as we had for every round and the judges scribbled notes on their cards. They didn't say anything before dismissing us and calling the next group on stage.

We trooped off stage and I snagged my water bottle off the floor. I couldn't think of anything I would have changed and hoped for the best. Our growing gang was sitting together in the middle and Angela waved me over to an open seat as the next group was getting ready.

"Good job Bella. That was really awesome." Jake said enthusiastically punching my shoulder.

I shrugged, still kind of down about getting off count. "But I got off in the middle. I bet the judges bring that up."

"That wasn't your fault Bella they can't cut you for that." Edward said.

Sam leaned forward and put his arms on the back of my seat. "Don't count on that. The judges will look for any excuse to cut someone this early in the callbacks."

"Wouldn't it be just terrible if you got eliminated for someone else's mistake?" Tanya said in her false honey sweet voice.

"I don't think they will." Angela said rubbing the back of my hand comfortingly.

We watched the rest of the performances pointing out dancers who stood out and whispering under our breath. A boy in the twelfth group tripped and knocked not only himself but two others to the ground. Once the judges had seen everyone we trooped back across the street in a mass group and poured into the dining hall.

"So how many do you think will get the boot tonight?" Jake asked over a spoon full of potatoes. Emmett was face first in his own plate. Angela shrugged her shoulder and I poked at my food. For as hungry as I should have been, I couldn't talk myself into eating.

"Probably a lot. Tonight will be the biggest number." Sam said poking at his own food. At least I wasn't the only one not eating.

"You should eat something Bella." Angela pointed out passing me the basket of rolls.

I shook my head. "I'm too nervous. Eating is probably not the best idea right now."

"She's right Bella your going to need your strength for the second round. If you pass out, the judges will definitely kick you out." Sam said nodding to my untouched plate.

"Don't worry about it Bella. You did great today Bella. If you don't make it to the next round the rest of us don't stand a chance." Edward said grinning at me.

I knocked on the wooden table. "Don't jinx yourself."

"You believe in luck?"

I nodded and held up the gold coin around my neck. "Yep, this is my lucky coin. You don't mess with Karma or it'll bite you in the ass."

He shrugged and stuck a piece of food in his mouth.

"You don't believe in good luck?" I asked forcing a piece of food into my own mouth.

"I've always thought you need to make your own good luck. Luck is all about chance and getting lucky. I would rather know that I was in charge of my own life rather than leaving it up to spirits."

I managed to get most of my plate down and was regretting it as soon as we walked back into the auditorium. Once everyone was sitting down Nigel and Mary walked on stage with Dan and David. The cameras turned on and crew members in black were leading the first set of ten onto the stage.

The judges pointed out a few people who had done a good job and three of the dancers were asked to leave for various reasons. Alice and Angela got up on stage with their group and both got good marks from the judges. Only one boy from their group was dismissed.

Group after group walked back on stage and received the judge's comments. Emmett got good marks but Mary suggested that he never take up Disco as a profession. I bit my cheek and held my breath as three more people from their group were let go. Edward had made it through.

I cheered with Alice as both Rosalie and Jasper got on to the next round and sat on my hands while the judges talked to Jake. He got through and it was my turn to go on stage. The judges were sitting in their booth in front of the stage and I was going to kick Sam if I had to see my dinner again as my stomach flipped nervously.

Mary and Nigel talked to each person going down the line. The girl next to me started crying when they asked her to leave for her mistake and my ears were ringing when the spot light moved to me. Don't panic, don't panic.

"Bella Swan?"

I stepped forward and nodded. Mary smiled "Have you ever danced Disco before?"

"No"

"Could have fooled me."

Nigel took the mic. "If I was going to give you any criticism it would be balancing your upper body with your lower. You tend to lead with your hips and put a lot of emphasis in your heels. Your arms and chest are just as important as the rest of your body."

I nodded and the back of my neck prickled. "Yes Sir."

"Amy Randof?"

The girl next to me stepped forward and smiled.

"Yes"

I let out the breath I had been holding and quickly returned to my spot. I had made it to the next round. I was going on to round two! Amy got hit by the judges pretty hard and soon both of the spots next to me were empty. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and calmed my racing heart.

Erik and Sam broke into a dance when they got to the next round and by the end of the night forty one people, including the dark haired girl from Phoenix who hadn't liked me, were asked to leave. Mary and Nigel talked to the cameras for a bit. Filming things that they would need for when these Callbacks aired on TV.

Angela and I both took short showers once we got back to the safety of our hotel room and I fell asleep as soon as I laid down for the night wondering what the judges could possibly throw at us tomorrow.

~Darkrose
Wow that was a lot harder than I thought it would be but I'm happy with how it turned out in the end. If anyone knows the proper name for the "Disco finger thing" I would love to know it. I looked all over the place but that particular move doesn't seem to have a real name, everyone just knows what it is.