Falling Stars (Shooting Stars 5)

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you all for attending the first Senetsky School Performing Night," we heard her begin.

I inched closer to Cinnamon.

"Did you hear what she said to me?" I asked.

Cinnamon shook her head and stared at the stage. Suddenly, she looked terrified, her face whiter, her eyes glazed. In fact, they all. including Howard, looked like they were holding their collective breaths.

"I wonder what she wants." I muttered to myself. realizing Cinnamon either couldn't or wouldn't hear me.

"I can assure you. as I have in the past," I heard Madame Senetsky concluding. "that these are very special students. My creme de la creme," she finished.

Howard smiled at us and nodded.

Steven was standing there with his hands in his pockets, his head down.

Each of our teachers was to introduce his student. Mr. Bergman introduced Steven as one of his most promising prodigies. He explained the piece Steven would play and then announced his name. Steven strutted out to a polite round of applause, took his piano seat, and began as if he was in the practice room and there was no one but Mr. Bergman present. I thought he played better than anyone I had ever heard, even professionals, and apparently so did the audience. When he was finished, there was rousing applause. He took his bows the way he had been instructed to do them and then marched off the stage, looking as if he had done this a thousand times, unfazed, nonchalant, even a little bored.

Ice was introduced next. Mr. Littleton accompanied her on the piano. She sang ''Green Finch and Linnet Bird" from Sweeney Todd and concluded with "Memory" from Cats. The applause for her seemed to last nearly twice as long as the applause for Steven had lasted, thundering in the rafters.

They'll hate me, I thought.I'll make mistake after mistake and look so foolish they wonder how I was admitted to this school. How can I compete with that level of talent?

Mr. Bergman introduced me and my Mozart pieces. I feared my legs wouldn't obey the order I sent down to them when I was called onto the stage. I felt as if I was literally floating from the wings, my feet never touching the floor, When I took my place. I saw Chandler gazing up at me with a soft smile of wonder and excitement in his eyes. I was never so happy to see him as I was at that moment. The sight of a friendly face, the face of someone who reminded me of home, helped put me at ease. I closed my eyes and began.

I never looked at the audience again. I felt myself being lifted by my own music. I thought about what it meant to me, just as Mr. Bergman advised me to do, and when I was finished. I lowered the violin and started off the stage, thinking there was only silence, but that was because of the way the applause cracked in my tars, exploded, deafening me for a moment.

"Wonderful, wonderful,'" Ms. Fairchild said, applauding from the wings.

"Thanks a lot." Rose moaned. "Now I have to top that. too."

Cameron Demetrius stepped out and spoke about Rose and what she would perform. He concluded by saying she was a breath of fresh air in the world of dance, just when he thought there would never be another, jokingly adding, like himself.

That brought a titter of laughter, but not enough to relax Rose.

The stage lights were adjusted for her interpretive dance and, moments later, the music began. She seemed to fly out and sail above the stage floor. Never was she more graceful and beautiful to watch.

"We should have been first," Howard complained when the audience lauded her

performance with the same explosive clapping. It sounded more like hundreds of firecrackers.

"How are we supposed to fire them up after all this music?" Howard continued. "It would have made more sense to have us in the middle. Who decided on the order of our performances?" he demanded from Ms. Fairchild.

She stared at him a moment and then, with a small, cold smile on her lips, replied, "Why, Madame Senetsky decided. Who else?"

He swallowed back whatever else he had planned to say and turned to Cinnamon.

"Just don't upstage me. Howard," she warned.

In a wonderfully deep and dramatic voice. Mr. Marlowe set up their scene and stepped back into the wings. The stage went dark and then the lights were brought up slowly on Howard and Cinnamon. Despite his protestation

s, he projected and spoke beautifully. Cinnamon was exciting to watch. The way she moved, held her head, and turned her hands made every part of her body part of her performance. When she and Howard finished, the audience was as appreciative as it had been for any of us, but they rose to a standing ovation when Madame Senetsky took the stage again to conclude the show,

"Thank you, thank you. You're all very generous. We have work to do. We know. But we are proud of our students and what they have

accomplished in so short a time. Please join us in the ballroom for a small reception. Thank you for coming."

People began to file out. Ms. Fairchild told us to wait a moment, and then she instructed everyone to follow her.

"Except you," she told me. "Madame Senetsky will be with you in a moment."