The Interplanet Art Academy--The "Perfect" Girl (3)

Madam Penelope Pepper Lee Van Jorge Gogh

The first week of TIAA had been a breeze, (except for the pressure from my parents to present a perfect girl and representing my planet or something.)But then the second week happened.
There were three beginners in singing besides myself, Lunah Laney, Audrielle Carlos and Carlos Audrielle. (It was some sort of tradition to have every pair of two children have their name backwards. Something like that.) And when the second focus happened, Audrielle left and Yvonne Anderson and Patrick Michael came. Pretty complicated, but I had figured it all out. Anyway, Monday I put on a big green dress and makeup, then at seven twenty a.m. I walked into the stage room, where Mr. Cane, our teacher, was poring over some book of his, taking notes.
"Madam Penelope! Early again, I see," he boomed. He was wearing a light blue suit that matched his eyes, almost always smiling, and he had short brown hair. I nodded to him curtly. "Well, today's going to be a bit different."
"Different how?" I inquired, trying to keep the polite and formal tone of voice that was so difficult to maintain.
"Well, you're going to have to wait for class to known that!" Mr. Cane replied. Fortunately, the rest of class came by seven twenty-eight. Mr. Cane told the rest of class what he had told I, then brought us to a small, windowless room off to the side. It held a piano, and a few chairs, but beyond that it was sparsely decorated. According to Mr. Cane's direction, we took the chairs and put them in a circle before sitting on them. "I am here to have a serious talk with you," he announced, with almost no hint of a smile. "If you're doing this for a possible career... you have a long, hard road ahead of you. You may never be widely known. You may end up in arguments or disputes. You may also end up in rivalries. You may never make it.There are so many things that could go wrong. You have to love this to continue on from here." At this point, he surveyed us. "Madam Penelope. Do you love this?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Audrielle glaring at me.
She wanted to be my rival, did she? Inwardly, I sighed.