––––––––
The enchanting music; dazzling costumes; cups of warm, sweet cocoa at intermission: The Nutcracker ballet had cast a spell on Caroline when she was a child. So, when Caroline’s mother took Skye to the ballet on Christmas Eve, Caroline imagined driving her stepdaughter to dance lessons. She daydreamed about an elated Skye at her first recital, twirling on her tiptoes, surrounded by tulle. They would finally bond over a shared love of dance.
Instead, Skye became obsessed with rats. Which didn’t even make sense: the villains in The Nutcracker were mice, not rats. But rats, especially “King Rat,” were all Skye had talked about since going to the stupid performance.
“He’s almost here! What do you think of that? He’s coming tonight! He’s King Rat!” Skye sang.
“He’s not coming,” Ca
