First Chapter Reveal - The Lost Ballerina by Deanna Lynn Sletten

 

I’m excited to share the first chapter of my upcoming historical women’s fiction novel, THE LOST BALLERINA. This is a heartwarming dual-timeline story of one woman’s past inspiring one woman’s future.

Evaline Ashford studied at the School of American Ballet in the 1950s – 60s with the dream of someday dancing for the New York City Ballet under the great George Balanchine. Decades later, she meets Maddie, a teen struggling with growing up and trading fun for responsibility. When the two meet, both find a kindred spirit in the other that will change their lives forever.

 

I hope you enjoy this first chapter. THE LOST BALLERINA is available for preorder on Amazon Kindle and releases on Kindle, Paperback, and Audiobook on January 13, 2026

 

Chapter One

Madison

 

 

Madison Carlson stood at the end of the long driveway, staring at the home that all the teens in the neighborhood believed was haunted. Oak and birch trees crowded the edges of the cracked paved driveway, their branches swaying in the early summer breeze, blocking the view of the house. All Maddie saw was the tall tower on the right with its large windows, the one in the middle made of stained glass. The tower was said to be the place where the two old women—presumed to be witches—created their potions and spells that kept little children away. No one went trick-or-treating at this house on Halloween. As a child, Maddie’s parents had tried to take her down the driveway to the brightly decorated house, but she’d cried until they gave up. Everyone knew if you walked into that house, you’d never come out.

“Silly childish stories,” Maddie said aloud, still standing on the pavement. “There’s no such thing as witches.”

A squirrel dropped to the ground from a tree, and Maddie nearly jumped out of her skin.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to walk slowly down the driveway to the house.

It was all Caden’s fault that Maddie was now taking her life in her hands at the haunted house. Caden Addams, her seventeen-year-old boyfriend who was wild and careless. He was the one who crashed Maddie’s beloved red Toyota Corolla into a tree while driving recklessly on a dirt road in the woods. But then again, Maddie had let him, knowing full well that he wasn’t careful with anything. She could never say no to him when he flashed his warm brown eyes at her or ran his hand through his thick, wavy brown hair. Caden was the boy every parent feared, and every teenage girl wanted to have as their boyfriend. And Maddie had been the lucky girl he’d chosen.

Now, she no longer felt so lucky.

“No car all summer,” Maddie’s father, Matthew Carlson, had proclaimed angrily. “It’s going to sit at the repair shop until you pay for the repairs.”

“But how will I make that kind of money?” Maddie had asked, tears running down her cheeks. “Working at the Frosty Freeze three nights a week will never earn enough to fix it.”

“I guess you’ll have to earn it another way,” Matt had told her. “Caddie at the golf course. Work at Target. Mow lawns. Or better yet, make Caden pay for the damage. He wasn’t supposed to be driving your car in the first place.”

Maddie sighed. She knew her father was right. Owning the car had been a privilege, and she’d screwed it up. But Caden had no money, and his parents would never give him any. So, it was up to Maddie to pay for the repairs.

Target was out of the question because her mother, Sandy, would have to drive her to and from work. Even though her mother had summers off because she worked as a fourth-grade teacher all winter, Maddie didn’t want to be seen being driven to her job by her mother. Being a caddie at their small-town country club wasn’t a choice either. She’d be expected to work days and evenings, and she wanted to keep her Frosty Freeze job because it was perfect during the school year, too.

So, that left mowing.

Maddie’s father had a driving lawn mower, which was necessary since each home in their neighborhood had at least two acres of land. He’d said she could use it, but she had to pay for the gas. Once school let out, Maddie walked around their neighborhood and the one adjacent to theirs, asking if anyone needed lawn mowing for the summer. Three people hired her, but it still wasn’t enough to earn the money she needed.

“Did you ask Miss Arthur at the big house if she needed someone to mow?” Sandy casually asked Maddie one afternoon. “Their yard is twice as large as everyone else’s.”

Maddie frowned. “Miss Arthur?”

“Yes. The lady who owns the house you all say is haunted.”

Maddie’s brows rose. “I can’t go there. They’re witches.”

Sandy laughed, smoothing back the brown strands that had fallen from her messy bun. “Sweetie. She’s not a witch, and neither is the lady who lives there with her. The are nice older ladies who could use the help.”

Maddie studied her mother for a moment. Her mother was forty-two and showed no sign of aging. Her skin was smooth, and she kept herself slim by running every day in the summer and using their treadmill all winter. Maybe her mother bought anti-aging potions from the old ladies. “How do you know them?” she asked suspiciously.

Sandy chuckled. “I just do. And they’re harmless. It won’t hurt you to ask if they need mowing done.”

Maddie thought about that conversation as she forced her feet to take one step, and then another, down the long driveway. At seventeen, she was too old to believe in stories children made up on Halloween. She was sure the older women were harmless.

Her pounding heart told her otherwise.

As Maddie drew closer to the house, she saw that the land opened up around the big house. An expanse of lawn lay on each side and most likely went all the way to the back of the house and down to the lakefront. The house stood tall over Cedar Lake, the lake in their northern Minnesota town of Cedar Creek. Maddie had seen this house from the lakeside, and it looked even bigger with large glass windows and a deck that lined the entire front of the house. This was the first time she’d ever seen this side of the house, though.

The house stood on a hill, up from the driveway and garage. Stone steps led up to the front door, and large river rocks were laid about four feet tall, supporting three tiers of flower gardens on either side of the steps. The wood siding and hunter green trim on the windows were typical of an older lake home, but much to her surprise, the door was painted a deep orange. This made Maddie smile. The ladies couldn’t be too scary if they had the good humor to paint their front door orange.

As she glanced around, she saw their lawn needed a good mowing. It was growing long, and weeds were trying to overtake the grass. The stone flower gardens held perennial flowering bushes, day lilies, and other plants, but needed weeding, too. Maybe the ladies could use some help around this large house after all.

Taking a deep breath, Maddie climbed the stone steps. Halfway up, she jumped, startled by a garter snake sunning itself on the warm stone. The snake stuck out its tongue and slowly slithered away. Maddie cringed. She hated snakes.

Once at the door, she raised her hand and grasped the brass knocker. Hitting it twice against the brass plate beneath it, she waited for someone to answer. After what seemed like several minutes, Maddie heard footsteps walking to the door. It opened abruptly, and a tall woman with shining blue eyes stared at her.

“Well? What do you want?” the elderly woman asked bluntly.

Maddie stared at her, trying to regain her composure after the woman’s demanding question. The elderly woman was tall, with curved shoulders. Her gray hair was cut short, and she wore turquoise earrings that swung from her ears when she moved. Her blue eyes bore into Maddie, waiting for an answer.

“Well?” the woman demanded.

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you,” Maddie said quickly. “I live in the neighborhood, and I wondered if you needed someone to mow your lawn this summer.” She let out a breath after her fast, run-on sentence.

“Hm.” The woman looked Maddie up and down. “So, you’d like to mow our lawn, would you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maddie said, feeling the need to take a step back. The woman’s eyes were narrowed as she scrutinized her. “If you don’t already have someone to do it, that is.”

“Hmph!” the woman snorted. “Does it look like we have someone mowing the lawn?”

Maddie was thinking of an answer when another elderly woman walked up behind the blunt one.

“Ginny. Who are you terrorizing?” A soft, lilting voice came from behind the first woman.

Ginny opened the door wider, and the other woman stepped forward. Maddie nearly gasped. The woman was shorter than the first one but was trim and had perfect posture. She held a sleek cane in her slender hand, made of beautiful rosewood and topped with a gold-carved handle. The woman’s silver hair was pulled up into a bun, and gold earrings hung from her ears. She was dressed in a long, flowing amethyst-colored blouse and a full skirt that fell below her knees. To Maddie, she looked like a graceful queen from a fairy tale.

“Oh, Eva. Let me have a little fun, would you?” the woman named Ginny said with a smirk. “This young lady was shaking in her sneakers. How can we continue our reputation as evil witches if we’re nice to everyone?” She chuckled.

Eva shook her head and smiled. “Leave the girl be.” She turned to Maddie. “What can we do for you, dear?”

“She wants to mow our lawn,” Ginny answered for Maddie. “Do you really think this slip of a girl can mow our large yard?”

“Girls can do anything they set their minds to, Ginny. Now let her speak for herself,” Eva said. Both women stared at Maddie expectantly.

Maddie looked first at Ginny, then at Eva (whom the other woman had pronounced as Ava). Were they sisters? She supposed they could be. But despite the one being rude and the other being sweet, they didn’t seem as if they might boil and eat her.

“My father has a riding lawn mower I can use,” Maddie said. “So, I could easily mow your lawn. I’m working for a few other people in the neighborhood if you’d like references.”

Eva smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. “No need for references,” she said. “Who did you say you were? Do you live in the neighborhood?”

“I’m Maddie Carlson. I live on the opposite side of the street, about two houses down.”

“Ah.” Eva's face brightened. “You’re Sandra’s daughter.”

“Yes,” Maddie said, still wondering how her mother knew these ladies.

“I’ve known your mother since she was a girl. It would be nice to have her daughter helping us, wouldn’t it, Ginny?” Eva said.

Ginny shrugged. “Can’t be any worse than that boy we hired who never shows up.” She turned to Maddie. “Will you show up?”

Maddie nodded. “Yes. I can mow as often as you need me to.”

“Would you also weed trim around the rock walls and pull the weeds in our garden?” Eva asked. “As you can see, we are in no shape to do it ourselves.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ginny said haughtily.

Eva grinned.

“Yes, ma’am. I’d be happy to do those things also.”

“Then you’re hired,” Eva said. “Would fifty dollars for each time you mow be enough? We’ll add ten more when you weed trim and twenty more for weeding the garden.”

Maddie’s heart jumped. That would be more than enough. “Yes, that will be fine.”

“When can you start?” Ginny asked. “We need someone to mow right away.”

“I can start tomorrow,” Maddie said. “As early as you’d like. I’d do it today, but I have to be at work at the Frosty Freeze by three this afternoon.”

“Oh, you work there also?” Eva asked. “That’s wonderful. You’re an industrious young lady. Tomorrow is fine. Just not too early. I’m a bit of a night owl.”

Ginny harrumphed again. “She stays up all night. It’s a holdover from her stage days. Any time after nine is fine.”

“Okay. I’ll be here then. Thank you so much,” Maddie said, smiling widely.

“See you tomorrow, dear,” Eva said.

Maddie turned and walked down the stone steps. She was thrilled to have another mowing job, especially one that paid so well. Most of her other clients paid her twenty-five dollars each time. But then again, their yards weren’t as large as the ladies’ yard.

At least now she might actually earn enough to pay her parents back.

 

***

 

Two hours later, Maddie was behind the counter at the Frosty Freeze, tying her red and white striped apron over her jeans and T-shirt.

“I can’t believe you actually knocked on the witches’ door,” Olivia Lang, Maddie’s best friend since kindergarten, said. They both worked at the ice cream place, but didn’t always have the same shift.

“They aren’t witches,” Maddie said, smiling at the next customer walking up to the counter. She took their order, and Olivia pulled two cones out to fill with ice cream. “They were very nice to me. Well, at least one was nice, and the other one was crabby.”

“What did they look like?” Livie asked in a whisper as she handed the couple their cones. No one was waiting at the counter, so she gave her full attention to Maddie.

Maddie grinned at her friend. Livie was the complete opposite of Maddie. While Maddie was tall with blond hair and blue eyes, Livie was shorter, with short dark hair and brown eyes. Livie was in great shape, though, since she’d been in gymnastics since she was five years old. She’d already won several local and state competitions and talked about working her way to the Olympics. But when it came to being a teenager, Livie was like every other teen, loving gossip and having a good time.

“They were older. Maybe in their eighties,” Maddie said. “But they looked absolutely normal, like anyone’s grandmother would look. Although,” she hesitated, picked up a rag, and started wiping the stainless-steel countertop.

“Although what?” Livie asked, her eyes wide.

Maddie shrugged. “The one woman, Eva, was different from the other one. She looked regal, if that makes any sense. Her movements were graceful, even though she walked with a cane. And her voice was musical.”

Livie blinked twice. “Well, that doesn’t sound like a witch.” She sounded disappointed. “Maybe she’s your Fairy Godmother.”

Maddie chuckled. She walked to the back room, brought out cups, and began refilling the cup holders. Then she took a clean rag and headed out to the small eating area to wipe the dirty tables. Maddie and Livie had been working there since they were fifteen. She knew the routine by heart and made sure her work was done well. The owners were nice to her, and she wanted to keep her job until she left for college.

“Hey, beautiful.” Caden sauntered over to her in a dark T-shirt, ripped jeans, and worn work boots. He wore his boots summer and winter, except when they were lucky enough to go out on the lake with a friend whose family owned a boat.

“I’m working,” Maddie said sternly, not looking at him. “Why aren’t you working today?”

Caden ignored her brush-off and wrapped his arms around her. He was a good three inches taller and toned in all the right places for a seventeen-year-old. “I have the day off. Why don’t you ditch this place, and we’ll go to the lake and hang out?” He kissed her cheek, but Maddie pulled away.

“I’m working,” she repeated. “I don’t ditch my responsibilities.” She started wiping the table harder than necessary, putting her full anger into it.

Caden sat on the table next to her. “Why aren’t you any fun anymore?” he asked, running his hand through his wavy brown hair.

“Really?” Maddie stared straight at him. “Are you really going to ask me that? Have you forgotten you wrecked my car and now I have to pay to repair it?”

Caden laughed. “We were having fun that night. So, we banged into a tree. It’s not like we got hurt or anything.”

Maddie seethed. “You’re lucky we didn’t get hurt because my dad would have killed you. And I’m lucky I haven’t been grounded until I graduate for letting you drive my car.” Maddie stormed to the counter and tossed the dirty rag into the bin beneath.

Caden followed her, looking completely unscathed by her words. “How about a cone on the house?” he asked, leaning over the counter toward her. “Because I’m such a great kisser.”

Maddie sighed. “Go away, Caden. I don’t want to get into trouble here, too.”

“Who’s going to tell?” Caden asked. “It’s only you and Livie here.” He walked behind the counter, pulled a cone from the pop-up box, and filled it with vanilla soft serve. “See. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Caden, leave!” Maddie said.

He shrugged. “Okay. I’ll see you after work.”

“No, you won’t. I have to go home after we close tonight,” Maddie said. “I have a mowing job tomorrow, and I don’t want to be late.”

“Mowing? Yuck!” Caden said, licking his ice cream.

“She’s mowing at the witches’ house,” Livie piped up. “She actually walked up to their door and lived to tell the tale.”

“Really?” Caden looked impressed. “You mean they didn’t try to eat you?”

“No, they didn’t,” Maddie said, irritated. “They were nice ladies. Now get out of here, Caden, before the owner drops by and sees you here.”

He smiled, that drop-dead smile that always used to melt Maddie’s heart. Now, she was becoming immune to it.

“Okay. See you later, beautiful.” He sauntered out the same way he’d come in.

Livie sighed. “I know he’s a bad boy, but I’m not sure I could be as angry at him as you are. He’s so cute.”

“If you were stuck mowing lawns all day, you’d be irritated, too,” Maddie said. But she knew Livie was right. If Maddie had been truly angry with Caden, she would have pushed him away after the accident. Unfortunately, she still had trouble saying no to him.

A customer came in, and soon many more followed. Since the Frosty Freeze was across the street from the lake, it was always busy with tourists and locals out on their boats. Maddie was glad she was busy, though. It would make the day go faster. Then tomorrow, she’d be up early, mowing again.

No fun for her this summer. All because of Caden.