Chapter Text
Chapter 1
“Castiel we’re ready for you now.”
He walked to the middle of the stage and looked up at the spotlight shining down on him. He pulled his necklace out of his leotard and kissed the cross on it praying for a blessing. He looked to his right and nodded at the man to start his music. As his song- Shake It out (Florence + The Machines) - began he looked forward, took a breath, and let go.
He moved with the music and flowed with the rhythm. He was graceful in his movements; he was beautiful and flew as if he were an angel. It was entrancing to watch. Castiel loved to dance since the day he could walk on two feet he loved to dance.
He was put in ballet against his father’s wishes, but his father never saw what his mother did and what she saw was her wonderful little boy with a beautiful talent. As a former dancer herself she noted how he moved with a special finesse and elegance that reminded her of herself when she was younger. She knew that he was special.
Throughout most of his childhood he attended ballet classes. As most would assume it was not easy growing up as a boy who danced ballet. The bullies at school although harsh did not deter him away from being who he was. They made him want to be better. He held on to his dream of the future where he will be dancing in front of thousands of people and getting standing ovations.
Castiel’s mother was his favorite person in the world. She was the only one who could see how extraordinary he was and made sure to tell him every day until the day she passed away.
She was on her way to his recital and it was storming out. They said she just slid off the road and crashed into an oncoming truck. They said she died on impact. He was 13 when they buried his mother. His father said nothing to him that day; he barely even glanced at Castiel. Castiel knew his father blamed him for what happened even though he never said it; he blamed himself.
Castiel kept dancing not only for his self, but also, for his mother. It was his outlet, his release, his passion. He felt closet to his mother when he danced.
In high school he kept to himself mostly. He did his homework on time and did well on tests, never got below an A in his classes. His father pulled him out of ballet due to them being low on money from his father using most of it to build his company that he and his uncle Zachariah were starting. However, luckily his dancing instructor saw what his mother saw in him. His coach didn’t want him to waste such an amazing talent so she coached him in exchange for cleaning the studio at the end of the day. So each day after school he would do his homework at the public library and then walk to the dance studio, without his father’s knowledge, to practice.
His coach was Mrs. Wilson, but she preferred people to call her Ava. She coached him in ballet, and other forms of dance such as: ballroom, contemporary, jazz, and had him attempt hip-hop once, and never again. She taught him everything she knew. After each lesson before he cleaned up he would practice his own dance, he made up, to his mother’s favorite song, Les feuilles (Nigel Kennedy). It was a classic jazz song which helped him in getting into exploring different styles of dance.
His mother always had a smile on her face when she played this song. He would come home from school and his mother would be dancing to it in the living room and he would join her they would dance for hours it seemed like. The song would last forever and they would dance the night away since father was always working late. He remembers how beautiful she was when she danced how elegant and bright. She was his inspiration.
As Castiel’s song ended he glided into his bow and in his head he could hear the applause and cheers for him. He looked up and saw crowds of people giving him a standing ovation.
“…Mr. Novak?” Castiel blinked and the crowd was gone. All that was in front of him were the judges and the rows of empty seats behind them.
“Mr. Novak, are you alright?” He looked to Mrs. Henning the woman who would decide whether he was enough for the school of his dreams, Julliard.
He stood up straight and gave a curt nod with a soft “Yes ma’am”. There are only twelve available spots in the Dance division at Julliard; this is the only school he applied to besides Kansas State University. Getting into this school determines the rest of his life, his future.
“Well Mr. Novak thank you for your performance, we were pleased to see it. You will be mailed a letter with our final decision. Goodbye.”
Castiel let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and exited with a simple “Thank you.” He hoped they found him eligible. They said he should expect their letter in about 3 months. He turned and exited the stage, grabbing his bag on his way out. He walked down the street to the intersection and up ahead he noticed his bus was already at the stop across the street. He ran across without looking both ways.