Page 61 of Barbie: Dreamscape

I snort. He looks back at me, unimpressed. I don’t know how to dance, I respond silently.

I do, he says.

What good does that do me?

Plenty, he says, and that golden light is surrounding me once again. Lifting me from his back and setting me onto the star-dusted floor.

The glitter fades away, but Bartholomew’s magic is still encircling me like an invisible current that melts into my skin and threads through my bones. Then he’s moving my limbs like a puppet. Guiding me to the center of the dance floor.

A woman with skirts that look like the layers of a raspberry cream cake and a mask held in place by two chirping birds is about to bump into me. At the last moment, I move aside—my limbs controlled by Bartholomew’s enchantment—falling in sync with the rest.

And I start to dance as if I do it every day of my life.

My arms lift. My hands clap. I spin again, my feet expertly moving in the same rhythm as the woman in front of me, who’s wearing gem-crusted heels with butterflies on the backs.

I let out an exhilarated laugh. My heart races with excitement, syncing to the beat. My mouth pulls into a smile. While dancing isn’t quite like flying, it comes close.

You’re welcome, Bartholomew says as he spins past, also taking part in the dancing. Other animals are, too—peacocks with roses as feathers, horses with rainbow manes, elk with glistening horns, lions dressed in suits and standing on their haunches.

I spin around, marveling and—

It is marvelous.

The entire room is dancing, and smiling, and the music is like its own enchantment, loosening the stress in my bones, heightening the rush of my blood, and I’m actually enjoying myself while keeping sight of the lord as he steps and twirls nearby, changing partners every so often. I wind my way a bit closer to him.

Then the music changes. Quickens. More drums are added. Suddenly, my body is flinging to the side, meeting someone’s hands, before I’m turned over to someone else, losing sight of the lord in the process.

I spin next to a mermaid. Her silky fins spill onto the puddle on the floor, moving her along. Pearls are speckled through her long hair; shells are pressed to her dark skin. She smiles at me as I pass her again.

I keep dancing for what could be seconds, or minutes, or hours, my body feeling weightless, and I look around, drinking up every moment, eyes desperate to see everything. And everywhere I look, there is something else to marvel at.

This is… incredible, I think.

Of course it is. We’re enchanted beings, for goodness’ sake. Now, focus. Lord Evernight is near. The next song is a single-partner dance. If you want that crown… make him want to speak to you.

All at once, I’m reminded of my purpose.

What? How?

He scoffs, the sound echoing through my mind. How am I supposed to know? Make yourself stand out. Use your creativity.

Creativity. I think about the spider gloves and my painted dress. Is it enough to set me apart in a room as enchanted as this one?

I guess we’re about to find out.

Still moving through the steps, I stretch my fingers.

I let the music tease open my heart and soul, ideas spilling through my mind that I might not have paid attention to if I wasn’t so consumed by all this joy and magic and music. Everyone expressing themselves around me just eggs me on, makes me bold, inspires me to want to push the boundaries of my style and artistry.

The vision comes to me quickly, and as I continue to dance, I start to paint the designs across my dress, the colors streaming and glowing until the fabric itself becomes a moving painting—one showing the town of Heartland, with its pink waters and pastel houses, so different from this one.

There. If that doesn’t catch his notice, I don’t know what else will.

Murmurs begin immediately, followed by gasps and curious gazes. The song changes. Everyone pairs up.

Lord Evernight is waiting in the center, staring at me.

He hasn’t asked me to dance yet. But I’m not going to wait around and see if he does. This is my chance. Chin lifted, I walk right up to him and offer a gloved hand.