Chapter One When Indu stepped into the kitchen for breakfast, her mom was already dressed for work in her blue hospital uniform. To Indu's surprise, she was stacking a random assortment of books, shoeboxes, and bags of clothes. "What's going on, Mom?" asked Indu. "Are we moving?" "No," said Mom. "I'm just decluttering. I want to sell these things I don't need anymore." "Don't sell anything of mine," said Indu, thinking of all her books. "You're such a pack rat," said Mom with a chuckle.
"Holding on to things, just like your granddad." Before Indu could reply, the doorbell rang. "That'll be Yara," she shouted as she rushed to the door. Yara was one of Indu's best friends. Their mothers took turns taking them to school, although it was usually Mrs. Madani because Indu's mom often had to do double shifts at the hospital. Indu opened the door and beamed at Yara and her mom. "Hi, Indu," said Mrs.
Madani. "Ready to go?" "Yup! Bye, Mom," Indu called as she picked up her bag. "Don't give away any of my stuff, and don't forget: today's our first class back at Shimmer and Shine--it's the new term!" "I won't forget," said Mom. "Have a good day at school!" Shimmer and Shine was more than a ballet class for Indu. When she was younger, she'd learned Bharatanatyam, an Indian traditional dance, but she always got bad stage fright when it came to performing and eventually gave up dancing. That was until a few months ago, when she had enrolled at the local ballet studio to try to overcome her fears. She'd made new friends there--Yara, Momoka, Dante, and Charlie--and while she was still very nervous about being in front of an audience, she had loved learning to dance again. On their way to school, Indu and Yara walked ahead of Mrs.
Madani. "Are you excited about Shimmer and Shine?" asked Indu. "Super excited," said Yara. "And I've got a new leotard and skirt. I grew taller over the break and don't fit into my old things anymore." Indu wondered if hers might be a tad small too. Maybe no one will notice , she thought. She knew she couldn't ask Mom for new ballet wear yet--they didn't have a lot of extra money for luxuries.
A new leotard, ballet tights, and a chiffon wrap skirt every term would be just that: a luxury. If Indu did need them, Mom would try to find her secondhand ones. "It's good for the planet," she would say, "and for the wallet." "Look," said Yara, interrupting Indu's thoughts and showing her a picture of her things on her phone. Indu smiled. "Ooh! Love that olive-green color." "Thanks!" said Yara. "Hey, did you practice during the break? I didn't miss a day!" Indu grinned at Yara's exuberance when it came to ballet.
"Yeah, of course. Probably not as much as you, though," said Indu. "I also did loads of reading. Did you know humans glow in the dark like fireflies? You can see it through special cameras." Indu loved all things science, maybe even more than she loved ballet. She wanted to be a neurosurgeon one day. "Cool!" said Yara. "I wonder what new steps we'll learn today.
" "I can't wait to see everyone," said Indu. Even though they had started a group chat and kept in touch during the break, they hadn't had time to see each other much. Once or twice, they'd met at Mrs. Madani's patisserie, the Cake Stop, but that was all. "I miss dancing together," she added. "Me too," agreed Yara as they turned toward the school gates.