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Rated: GC · Interactive · Fantasy · #2203788
Nondescript high school girls growing larger and more beautiful than those who taunt them
This choice: Later, at choir practice...  •  Go Back...
Chapter #12

Later, at choir practice...

    by: HikerAngel
At the end of her final period, Kat approached the choir room for the rehearsal that Herr Kaufmann had made clear was mandatory. She supposed that she could have shirked the responsibility and slipped away after gym class, …but she didn’t really want to. She was looking forward to her first bra fitting almost as much as her mother seemed to be, but there would still be time for that after rehearsing with the choir.

In truth, Herr Kaufmann’s comments about the quality of her voice had intrigued her. She knew that she owed her increasingly mellifluous voice to The Burgeoning Book, and she also knew that the improvements were likely to continue. She smiled. If he thought her voice was good now, just wait…

As Kat’s imagination ran wild with fantasies of taking Broadway by storm with her amazing voice, graceful dancer’s legs, and model-level beauty, she pulled open the heavy door to the choir room.

Herr Kaufmann’s bushy eyebrows were bouncing up and down over the rims of his glasses as he ranted to the students about the need to take choir much more seriously.

“Musik ist serious business, no matter vot you all zink! Bah!” he said in exasperation as he turned from the group, mumbling under his breath. “...faule Schüler, die nie üben…”

As the door clicked shut behind Kat, Herr Kaufmann’s eyes snapped, predator-quick to her tense, wide-eyed visage. He paused, his expression softening, gray mustache twitching.

“Ahh, Kat! Zank you for joining us, ja? Hier, hier…” he picked up a booklet of sheet music and carried it over to the reticent girl. As he handed her the music, he put a large hand in the middle of her back and pushed her lightly toward the rest of the group.

Kat stumbled forward, not sure whether this had been such a good idea after all. Her eyes scanned the students in the group until they found Jess’. Jess’ questioning look made Kat feel a bit guilty. She hadn’t had a chance to tell Jess about her encounter with Herr Kaufmann this morning, but she could have at least sent a text.

Herr Kaufmann seemed to sense Kat’s reluctance, and he increased the pressure on her back a bit. Kat staggered forward again on stiff, resistant legs. She inhaled then let out the breath slowly, steeling her resolve. Okay, she was going to do this! Feelings of determination settling in, Kat’s shoulders relaxed and she walked the rest of the way voluntarily, coming to a stop next to her petite friend.

As Kat looked up, she thought she saw the hint of a smile under Herr Kaufman’s bristly mustache. She quickly discarded the thought. Everyone knew that the man was incapable of smiling. Kat looked down at the stapled booklet in her hand.

Die Zauberflöte. Mozart & Schikaneder.

Scrawled in messy handwriting and highlighted on her copy was a name--at least she thought it was a name. Pamina.

What was this? It wasn’t even in English! She shot Jess a pleading glance. Her friend moved her lips to Kat’s ear and whispered.

“It’s an opera in German that Herr Kaufmann wants us to perform next month.”

An opera? Kat had never even been to the opera. She didn’t know anything about operas. She wondered again what she had gotten herself into. She whispered back to Jess.

“Okay… so what does “Pamina” mean?

Jess gaped, then took Kat’s music to examine it. She opened it, seeing certain sections of arias highlighted, then slapped it shut. She said nothing, simply staring at the handwritten scribble on the cover.

“What? What is it, Jess?” Kat whispered to her friend.

“I think Herr Kaufmann intends for you to play the part of Pamina,” her friend responded slowly.

“Is that good?”

“Um, it’s the female lead, for a soprano. It goes really high too. I hope you’re ready for this, Kat!”

Kat’s felt her stomach drop. This didn’t sound good…

“But Jess, I can’t even read music!”

“It’s okay, I’ll help you. When the notes go higher on these five lines here, move your voice higher. When they go down, go down.”

Okay, that didn’t seem too bad. She could do that.

Herr Kaufmann shuffled some papers on the music stand in front of him, then raised his hands, thumbs and forefingers pinched together. As he swung his arms down, the choir began to sing. Kat simply stood there, agog.

Jess nudged Kat with her tiny elbow. Kat started, then began to sing softly. She started on the wrong note, but within a couple of measures, she seemed to be in tune with the others. She looked up from the paper and noticed that the German choir director was staring right at her, the spark of delight in his steel blue eye. Did that mean he liked what she was doing? Maybe it did! Kat began to sing with more confidence.

Suddenly, however, the rest of the singers stopped, and she was the only one left singing. She continued on. Her voice did sound pretty good, she thought. After a moment, though, the piano accompaniment changed, and the notes began to go really high. She panicked, not sure how this part was supposed to go.

Kat stopped, the instrumental accompaniment continuing for a few more bars until it, too, came to a stop.

“Vat’s vrong?” asked Herr Kaufmann, frowning.

“I, um, can’t really read music,” said Kat.

“Ah…” said the German giant, tapping his foot, his finger rubbing his chin. “Vell, ve shall haf to remedy zat, now von’t ve?”

“Morgen komm… uh... in ze morning before class tomorrow, come to mein office und I shall instruct you,” he said.

“For now, all of you sing Pamina’s zolos. Drop down an octaf oder zwei if you must. Now, MACH LOS!!!” he cried, his sudden directive causing a tremor to ripple through the students in the choir as the music suddenly resumed.

Kat made it through the rest of rehearsal until she finally departed with Jess under the stern, steady, wire-rimmed gaze of Herr Kaufman, his dense mustache framing pursed lips.
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