Chapter 178
Sarah POV
It was something of a joke in the human community that when human children are around Grace and Chloe’s age, a parent will go see them play the part of a tree in the school play. I knew it was biased, but I found it somewhat ridiculous that werewolf alpha pups the girls’ age were expected to demonstrate some particularly impressive skill.
I had done my best with both of them, praising them but reminding them their entire future did not actually rest on the next few weeks with Grace’s recital and Chloe’s wood carving, which I had found out was not only for the poppy garden but also her first-level final project.
Of course, we had gone shopping for Grace’s recital dress, which was leaf green with a slightly poufy skirt. She spent her nerves on standing there, rocking back and forth to make her skirt “ring” like a bell.
I’d try to buy a dress for Chloe as well, but she said the night was about her sister and didn’t need one. She wore a simple blue shift that looked adorable but wasn’t eye-catching.
As we were trying not to draw attention, Zane and I dressed as simply as we could while not contradicting our public image. Of course, there was little we could do to hide the four bodyguards.
I learned early in studying for my educational degree that having parents come to talent shows and recitals was important for many reasons, one of which was for the parents to see their children in the context of their peers. Parents who wrongly believed their children were geniuses or idiots got both a reality check and were better able to spot actual developmental issues of above- and below-normal comportment.
Three first-level students had recitals this night, and Grace would be going last as a bridge between the first levels and second. The idea was this would take some of the pressure off her by allowing her to blend in better with the others. Personally, I wasn’t at all worried about her ability, only her confidence levels, so I liked she wasn’t going first for the whole program.
We took our seats quietly just before curtain, though every head turned our way. Zane and I just smiled and sat, and soon there was nothing more for people to see, so they looked back to the stage. The curtain opened on what looked to be about twenty students on choir lifts with the younger grades in front and the older in back.
They were all dressed in formal clothes, and they all looked so well-scrubbed and pressed I had to smile at them even before I spotted Grace in the front row. She couldn’t see us through the stage lights, but she seemed to be calm and wasn’t, thank the goddess, rocking her skirt back and forth.
They sang a short, simple song all together, which was lovely. I didn’t recognize it, but the words were sweet and age-appropriate, and there were no high or low notes for someone to show off with.
So, if I should visit the moon
Well, I'll dance on a moonbeam and then
I will make a wish on a star
And I'll wish I were home once again.
We all clapped, and then everyone left but one nervous-looking beta boy who sang “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” with great flair even without the chorus the song called for, and his applause was hearty and well-earned.
It went slightly less well for the human girls who followed, but she still belted out “And I Tell You I Ain’t Going” with gusto and perfect pitch.
Then Grace took the stage, and I reminded myself to breathe. She smiled at the audience and waited patiently for the pianist to start. Then, with a quick, deep breath, she began.
The sun, whose rays
Are all ablaze
With ever-living glory,
Oh, yes. All that practice was paying off nicely. I worried for a moment about slipping into a trance again, but if it threatened, my nerves were enough to battle it away.
Does not deny
His majesty.
He scorns to tell a story!
I could feel when the audience realized this wasn’t just a talent they were listening to. People around us, wolf and human, seemed to be holding their breath. Her voice leapt over the high notes like a gazelle, and there was the slightest flirtation in her posture completely appropriate for the character of Yum Yum.
She slid smoothly into the second verse, and part of me felt the music with her, holding her up against the audience, the attention, and the whole wide world. She came to the end all too soon.
Ah, pray make no mistake,
We are not shy;
We're very wide awake,
The moon and I!
There was a moment of silence as the final notes faded, and then we were all on our feet. Grace curtsied daintily with a charming smile and left the stage. We continued to applaud until the next child, a second-level, came on stage, when it was time to be quiet and attentive again.
The rest of the recital went by smoothly, with some of the children showing great promise and all of them performing impressively. Of course, I thought Grace was the best, but then, I was supposed to think that and didn’t believe anyone would mind.
The parents were then to mingle for a few minutes while the children were given feedback from their instructors. There would be no winners or losers, but there were grades to consider.
We were first approached by the father of a third-level who told us how proud we must be. Zane made the man very happy by knowing his son’s name, praising him on his performance, and correctly remembering what song he performed.
Miss Carmen came up next, and we all stood there praising Grace’s performance. The voice coach showed her diplomatic side by asking after Chloe’s carving and listening attentively as Chloe said she planned to have it done well before the deadline, but that the teak was being a little “quiet” at the moment.
I made a mental note to ask her more about that later.
Miss Carmen looked over my shoulder and gasped slightly, so I turned carefully to see a tall, very formal alpha approaching us with a stunningly beautiful woman at his side.
“Alpha Alphonse!” Miss Carmen said. “And you’ve brought your wife, Marie. Was Grace not everything I said she was?”
“Yes.” He looked at Zane and bowed slightly. “Alpha Zane.”
“A pleasure to see you here, and you as well, Miss Marie.” Zane turned to me. “Alpha Alphonse is the director of the Cavendish Opera Association.”
“We so enjoyed the production of Madam Butterfly,” I said. “We’re looking forward to seeing The Student Prince next month.”
He managed to nod to me, then turned back to Zane. “I am certain you realize your daughter is going to be the singer of her generation.”
“A father has his hopes for his children,” Zane replied diplomatically.
Alpha Alphonse waved his hand in the air as though shooing off an insect. “I would have her join the company training academy, starting immediately.”
“Grace is too young for that,” Zane said. When the other alpha went to object, he added, “She’s not even six yet. I’m well aware of the honor you’re offering her, but she’s simply not old enough to live away from home. When she is older and has more autonomy, she will be free to accept your generosity.”
“It would be a crime for her not to receive the best possible training.”
“It would be a bigger crime to over-train her when she’s so young and have her end up hating singing.”
He went to object again.
“Alpha Alphonse, you are concerned about my daughter’s voice. I am concerned about my daughter. She will continue to train with Miss Carmen, and if, when she is older, she wishes to join the association’s academy, she will be free to do so.”
He didn’t look mollified, but he put out his arm, which his wife took, and nodded. “You will inform her of the invitation?”
“Of course I will, and I thank you, deeply, for offering it. If she were older and willing, I would not hesitate to send her to you.”
Alpha Alphonse sniffed slightly. “That is good. With that voice, she will have the world at her feet. Do not let her delay too long.”
Zane smiled, showing his teeth a little, his only sign of how irritated I knew he was becoming. “I plan to do all I can to see my daughters get the very best in life.”
The alpha sniffed again and left. I felt a tap on my hip and looked down to meet Chloe’s concerned eyes.
“Grace isn’t going away, is she?”
“No,” Zane said with authority. “She’s not.”
