The studio lights were out and the moonlight glimmered in the mirrors. A shadow appeared in the corner of the room, and took the shape of a tall girl in leotards, as she danced across the floor. She gazed into the mirror as she pressed her blonde hair up into a bun, and tightened her slippers. The little pink shooes were cutting into her pale feet. Small spackles of blood trickled over the seems, and she hastened to wipe it away. She rose to her feet arching her back into the air, and gently swirling with her arms outstretched. "You look like a mess," she muttered to herself. The self loathing was evident in her voice.

The lights flicked on as an older woman wrapped in a shawl slunk in through the open door. "Dakota the studio is now closed. You should get back to the dorm for a goodnight's rest. And for heaven's sake girl take care of those feet," she sighed heavily. "They are a dancer's most important tool."

Dakota scrambled over to her bag that was strewn across the wooden floor. She slung it over her shoulder and eyed herself one last time in the tall mirrors before she exited. "Goodnight Miss. York."

The woman gazed at her as she turned off the lights and locked the door. That girl..., she thought to herself, but didn't finish her thought.

***

The sun wasn't even up yet, but Dakota was first in line outside the studio. Other girls were slowly joining her, but none of them looked thrilled about being there so early. The doors opened from the inside, and she brushed past the night guard to be the first to enter. Finding her place near the front she dropped her bag off and began to stretch on the bar. At this point everyone had arrived, and Miss. York was at the front getting ready to begin. "Ahem," she cleared her throat. "Lets begin with our plies in all five positions ladies." She grabbed the bar at the front and began to bend her legs as she looked over the class. "Dakota your turn out darling. Remember 90 degrees, watch the strain."

" Yes mam," she chirpped. Immediately she turned out her legs from the hip down. She eyed her teacher seeking approval but none came. At that moment the doors creaked open and a girl about Dakota's age inched in rather shyly.

Immediately Miss. York let out a squeal of joy and ran over to greet the new girl. "Miss. Jones welcome to the American Ballet studio." She grabbed the girl by her arm and led her to the front. "This girls is your new competition Autumn Jones. She is here to audition for the internship." Miss. York was quite pleased with this new addition to her dance collection.

The fear flooded into Dakota's eyes. What if this girl was better than her? I'm the best dancer here, she thought to herself. Again she worried, But what if she has natural flow? Dakota was the best that couldn't be argued, but she had terrible feet and had to work twice as hard as the next girl to get where she was. As if reading her mind Miss. York asked the girl to give a demonstration.

Anxiously she grabbed Autumn's bag and pushed her towards the center of the room. "If your sure then," the girl sighed. Clearly she hadn't anticipated this. She raised up onto her toes and began with a graceful grand jete, dancing from foot to foot. Then without hesitation spun out into a Fouette, with her leg extended and then whipped it back closer into her knee. Galantly she hopped up onto the toes of one foot, and dropped into a Pirouette spinning back up in five wonderful rotations. Silently and stone faced she stopped facing the mirrors rather than the group of shocked girls. "Was that satisfactory mam," she asked.

Dakota couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped through her open mouth. It was apparent that the girl was a threat, and a silent ballet assasin. What was Miss. York playing at? The older woman clapped enthusiastically, soon followed by all of the marveled students except Dakota. A look of pure hatred crossed over her lips and slid back out of view as she too began to clap.

"Now Autumn I hear you can do the rarely achieved entrechat dix," she pressed. The girl looked horrified that she was being displayed like this.

"I think I've shown enough today of what I can do." Her stance had stiffened greatly.

Miss. York held her place. "Autumn dearI would think if you would like to stay...you would demonstrate your skill." Her tone had become challenging.

"As you wish mam," she hissed through clentched teeth. She took fifth position and hopped high into the air switching her foot position five times before landing in fifth position again. The room echoed clapping hands and shouts of Bravo.

to be continued.....