This post features Ellsie
from The World That Forgot How to Dance
No Spoilers

Hey, Everyone! I have another Character Survey for you. This one features Ellsie from my fantasy web serial, The World That Forgot How to Dance.  

ELLSIE

• Gender: Female
• Age: 22
• Hair Color: Light brown
• Eye Color: Dark brown
• Hair Style: Curly, cut very short, doesn’t cover the ears, no accessories
• Body Type: Medium height, thin, like a ballet dancer, carries herself confidently but modestly
• Favorite color: Baby Blue
• Typical Outfit: Skirt that comes down to just below the knees, flowing but not like the gypsy skirts, plain white tank top, flats, one bracelet, stud earrings

What is your ‘senior standout’ title? Best Dancer. But that’s really obvious, isn’t it? So, besides that, how about Most Likely to Come to a Class Reunion.

Name one thing you have no talent for: Styling my hair. I actually used to have much longer hair, but it was so curly and frizzy and I had no idea how to do anything with it. All of my attempts ended in hopeless disaster, so eventually I decided to cut it short enough that I wouldn’t need to mess with it any more.

Name something that you love that most people hate. Pencil sharpener shavings. You know, like when you try to empty an electric pencil sharpener and the little dusty particles get everywhere. I actually love those. I think they smell great and they’re soft. It’s kind of like the pixie dust of the scholars.

What would your college major be? Dance. Wow, I’m predictable. But I’d also take up a minor in Spanish, just because I think it’s important to be able to communicate with as many people as possible.

What is your karaoke song? That’s the Way It Is – Celine Dion

How are you most likely to get injured? Dancing. (another easy, cop-out answer. I’m sorry.) But it’s pretty easy to injure yourself while dancing. You could twist your ankle or fall or run into something, or step on something sharp, and then there’s the standard athletic injuries like pulled muscles. So the opportunity is definitely there.

Rip on something. Anything. Lemme see you be mean. Okay, let me think… what do I really hate?…cook books? Yes, I really do hate cook books. I like them in principle because I can’t cook and it’d be great if a book can teach you how to do that, but every cook book I’ve ever seen has always been confusing and weird and without nearly enough pictures. And even if you follow the instructions perfectly there’s no guarantee it’s going to come out right. Or maybe I just need the absolute most basic cook book. The one that teaches you how to stir and sift and whatever the heck ‘sift’ means. Jeeze, people. Don’t expect me to know everything.    

Describe yourself in one word: Light. (Like, Light on my feet. I’m not gloating that I’m skinny. Also, I have kind of a lighthearted personality. Oh, hey, and I like the light. You know, like the sun. Yeah.)

Dialog:

“So, darling girl,” Hannah positioned herself into one of the conference chairs, looking over at the new character smiling brightly from her own position. “Why dance?”

Ellsie cooed happily at the question, folding her hands in her lap. “Because it’s one of the few arts that doesn’t rely on anything external. You don’t need canvases or clay or paper; it’s just yourself. You’re just celebrating how your body exists when it moves. And besides that it’s captivating. It’s fun. People respond to it even if they don’t realize they do.”

Hannah slightly lifted an eyebrow. “And the fact that it’s forbidden has nothing to do with it?”

“I don’t think so,” she said with an innocent shrug. “Of course, I have no way of knowing.”

“Is there any appeal in the secrecy?”

She exhaled slowly as she gave the question the time it deserved. “I wouldn’t say ‘appeal,’ but the ban on dancing really made me examine how important dancing was to me. It’s easy to say you like something, but normally there aren’t any consequences. It’s made me realize how much I like dancing, and I might not have known that otherwise.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Hannah said with an appreciative little nod. “So you talked about injuries. Ever had one?”

“Nothing serious, thank God. But yeah, I’ve had a couple of ankle turns and back tweaks. Most of the time they get better on their own if I just take some time away from dancing.”

“You never had to see a doctor about any of them?”

Ellsie sighed. “Yeah, once. I got my legs tangled under me in a jump and couldn’t put any pressure on it. I decided to make up a story about how I fell out of a tree. I even tangled some leaves in my hair to make it believable.”

“Clever. Did the doctor believe you?”

“I guess. I felt bad about lying, though.”

“You lie all the time,” Hannah pointed out. “Why was this lie worse than the others?”

“Because the doctor was so nice. She was asking me questions about tree climbing and saying how refreshing it was to see people enjoying nature. I really wanted to tell her.”

“But you didn’t,” Hannah said.

“I couldn’t,” Ellsie emphasized.

“Got it.” Hannah glanced down at the survey again. “Okay, last question: if you weren’t a dancer, who would you be?”

Ellsie blinked in alarm at the prospect. “What would you be if you weren’t an alter-ego?”