Free Abigail: Through the Looking Glass by Rachel Elliot Page A

tide.
    I find Sebastian and Ethan standing near the stage manager’s box.
    ‘I was just hanging my Clara costume side-stage,’ I say.
    My voice sounds abnormal – loud and echoing, but they don’t seem to notice.
    ‘Obviously nothing’s going to happen to Tara,’ I go on, ‘but it’s good to be prepared. Anyway, I noticed her nightgown doesn’t seem to be there. I’m sure it’s fine but I thought it was best to say something … ‘
    Ethan’s eyes are accusing, but he can’t prove anything. As he goes to check, I wait for a swell of triumph, but nothing happens. Even the dark,writhing feeling in my chest has gone, and I don’t feel anything.
    The curtain comes down at the end of Act One and the applause is deafening as Tara runs into the wings.
    ‘Okay, that was fun!’ she says, smiling and alight.
    But her smile fades when she sees the expressions on the faces around her.
    The dressing room’s in chaos – everyone’s hunting for the nightgown and Tara’s at the centre of it all, her face pale and pinched. Ethan is looking at me as if he’d like to kill me.
    ‘What did you do with it?’ Ethan demands.
    To my surprise, Sammy leaps to my defence.
    ‘Back off. It’s just been misplaced.’
    He glances over at me, and in that glance I can see the old Sammy again – my friend. That should make me feel happy, but I can see his shining belief in my innocence. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep this up in the face of that look.
    Christian rushes into the dressing room, clutching two nightgowns.
    ‘Wardrobe gave me these!’ he exclaims.
    Tara’s face shows a glimmer of hope, but drops again when she looks at the costumes.
    ‘You’re going to have to wear one of those,’ Ethan tells her. ‘Or Abigail’s.’
    ‘I can’t,’ says Tara, very quietly.
    ‘It’s just a costume,’ Ethan exclaims.
    ‘No it’s not,’ Tara says. ‘It’ll be like in rehearsal. I have never made it through this act without the costume. Abigail will have to go on.’
    ‘We can’t have a different Clara halfway through,’ Ethan cries.
    Christian crouches down beside Tara.
    ‘Tell me what you need,’ he says.
    ‘Kat,’ she says. ‘I want to talk to Kat.’
    Tara’s voice is pitiful. I want to slink away and disappear, but I dare not.
    Christian calls Kat and Tara talks to her, but it doesn’t seem to be doing any good. Finally, Ethan looks at me.
    ‘Abigail, start getting dressed.’
    But I can’t move. I can hear what Kat’s saying.
    ‘Stop making excuses,’ says Kat’s voice through the speakerphone. ‘I get that you’re scared, but you need to suck it up and do what it is you’ve been working for this whole year.’
    In a sudden rush, the horrible, other-worldly feeling leaves me. The best ballerina ought to be out there showing the audience what the Academy is capable of producing. And right now, it doesn’t even hurt to admit that for this part, Tara is the best ballerina.
    ‘Kat’s right,’ I say briskly. ‘And you’re going to have to, because I’m not.’
    Shocked faces turn towards me.
    ‘You’re better at this than me,’ I say, ‘with or without a costume. And the audience will see it.’
    Tara locks eyes with me. She might not always like me, but she knows when I’m being honest. I have no idea what she’s thinking, but then I see determination flash in her eyes, and the paleness leaves her cheeks.
    Tara looks beautiful in my Clara nightgown, but I can see her trembling as she walks towards the stage. The curtain is rising and she runs out onto the stage. In that instant I know that she’s going to be all right. There is strength and confidence in every lyrical move she makes. The radiance is back, and the magical costume is nothing more than a piece of fabric. Tara is defying gravity – she belongs in that spotlight. Her emotions show in every line and everyshape she makes. There are no walls around her heart – her feelings are there for everyone to see.
    We’ve