Um, hi? This is my first Dance Academy story, but definitely not my first story, as you will be able to tell if you visit my profile. I have two other stories. Stories that I haven't updated in forever. However, I still work on them. If you like them, don't despair. I am hoping to finish Lt. Buzzkill sometime in 2012, and I have the basic plans for this story mapped out for quite a ways in the future. The title is totally negotiable. I just had to call it something.

Anyway, I was watching the first seven episodes of Dance Academy, and while I liked Tara, I felt like she was a bit...annoying as well. Plus, Christian is fine, and I'm apparently one of the few that preferred Tara with Ethan. I had this idea of what if Tara had a cousin, who has been suitably melded into a character that spent a lot of time in the US because I have no idea of life in Australia. She ends up a bit Mary-Sue-ish as a result, but a lot of her family stuff (minus the being rich part) is based on the dynamics of a friend's family.

So without further ado, I introduce the plot. Check out the note at the end as well please! (:

I've never defined myself as a dancer. That's my cousin and best friend, Tara's self-identity. She's always defined herself by her dancing. I've always preferred to think of dance as a passion of mine – though I should make clear now that it isn't the passion for me. Music has that honor.

Currently, I'm wandering around the elite National Academy of Dance searching for my cousin so we can get changed and ready for our audition. She's already driving herself mad about how this is her one shot to be a dancer, about how her whole life depends on this audition. She's going to give herself an aneurysm before she ever finds out if she gets in. I shudder to think about when T actually begins to attend classes. She's sort of naïve. I'm hoping that if we get in, I can help her navigate the potentially treacherous waters of our classmates. I mean, all the movies and tv shows can't be entirely wrong, can they?

I took a step to the side and dodged a group of other potentials and looked a bit closer to the girls in the corner before stifling a sigh. Still no Tara. I rounded the corner, for once without nearly slamming into anyone in the packed hallways. I had taken no more than three steps when my bicep was grabbed, and I was being dragged back the direction I came from.

"Sorry, Lei. I just got directions from someone, and we really need to get changed," Tara said quickly, her voice already rising with nerves. Her grip on my arm tightened to an uncomfortable degree.

"Gotcha, T. And don't worry. We have plenty of practice getting changed in a moment's notice. We can do it no problem," I answered, gently prying her hand from my arm. "I'd like to do this audition without a bruise on my arm, yeah?"

She looked down a few seconds. "Sorry again. My nerves are really kicking in."

"T…We're going to be fine. They'd be mad to turn us away. We're stupidly good."

She smiled tightly before dragging me through a door into what appeared to be the changing rooms. She immediately moved to find a spot to change while I looked around, unable to hide my curiosity of what the changing rooms of the National Academy of Dance looked like. They actually weren't that different from what we were used to. Well, except for one thing. "Uhh…T? I don't think we're in the right-"

I was cut off by my cousin's squealing about pepper spray. I spun around and headed in the direction the voice came from. I found my cousin, clad in her bra, arguing with a boy. The boy was seriously attractive. It was apparent that he was fit though not in the obvious bulging muscle kind of way. He had dark hair and dark eyes that were currently glinted with mischief. If I weren't sort of attached, I'd definitely get my flirt on. He looked up as I came over, "Another one? What's with the girls here?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "We were directed here by a girl in the hallway. I was just trying to find T to tell her I thought we'd been had when she announced your presence."

He smirked. "Yeah. She was still insisting that this was a girl's change room." I winced. I hoped it was imperceptibly. "Yeah, not too observant this one." Apparently not.

"You'd be surprised," I countered. "C'mon, cuz. Let's find out where we're supposed to be."

Tara looked at me. She blinked before finally getting around to putting her shirt back on. For someone who seemed so upset to have Attractive Boy see her in her bra, she sure is taking her time getting her shirt back on. I glanced at Attractive Boy. I should seriously either find out his name or figure something else out. I can't just call him Attractive Boy the entire time, especially if he makes it in and I do too. He was looking between the two of us sort of confused.

Anything witty (or perhaps flirty) I could think to say was pre-empted by the arrival of another boy, who was also attractive, though less so in my personal tastes. Within seconds of him speaking, I knew he was a bit of an ass. He seemed the type to be overly charming. Of course, I'd only seen for the last minute or so upon deciding this, so maybe I was jumping the gun.

I looked back at Tara and could literally almost see her become infatuated with this kid. I barely resisted the urge to sigh as I returned my attention to Attractive Boy. He was staring at Tara. This time I didn't manage to resist the urge – I rolled my eyes. Of course the Attractive Boy was already interested in Tara. Everyone is always interested in Tara. And seriously? She chose to get changed in front of the only mirror in this section of the room? She's so weird sometimes.

I finally started paying attention when the guy at the door said he'd come back later. Tara caught my eye and raised her eyebrows at me, confirming to me that she thought this kid was a hottie. She then grabbed her stuff and my arm once again to tear after him. After some truly horrendous babbling, he offered to show us where the actual changing room was, so maybe we could get to the audition on time.

Tara and Other Guy chatted while we walked, and I put all my effort into ignoring their conversation, so that I wouldn't mock it later. Tara would hate that, and we needed to present a united front if the bitchy behavior in the hallways was any indicator. It usually is. Did he actually just take his shirt off?

We drew to a stop in front of a door that was highly similar to the one I had been pulled through only a few moments before. "I'm Ethan," Other Guy introduced as soon as he had pulled his shirt back on.

"Tara," she replied with a dreamy smile. He stared at her a moment longer, but then looked at me.

I smiled tightly. "Leila, and we're definitely running late." I brushed past them both to enter the room. I heard Tara enter behind me a few seconds later. "I know you've got stuff to discuss with me now, but save it for after. We have an audition to nail."

We frantically changed into our ballet gear. As soon I as I was dressed, I was hustling towards the door still trying to attach the red sheet with the number 44 onto my navy blue leotard. I entered the room just before the speaking began, but I was surprised when Tara didn't join us until after he'd already begun his speech. She was wearing her favorite leotard and skirt combo of pastel blue and purple. I've told her many times I thought it made her look like cotton candy, but she still loves it.

Attractive Boy was only a few feet away, so I was a little distracted for most of the speech. Hopefully there won't be a quiz. Astonishingly, I wasn't getting caught in my staring. Attractive Boy was way too cute for my own good. God, what if we both make it into this damn school? Too much thinking about irrelevant things. I'll just worry about it when it comes to that.

My attention was brought back to the front of the room when it was announced we should warm up. T and I started helping each other stretch, taking the time to glance around the room. Of course, I somehow found my eyes drifting to Attractive Boy more than anyone else. Finally, the male teacher announced that the boys would come with him whilst the girls were staying her with the severe looking woman, who apparently went by Ms. Rayne. Ugh. She looks like a drill sergeant.

A drill sergeant who wanted to speak to "Patrick" about how Attractive Boy didn't bring tights. Ha. Though I recognize the necessity, it is sort of ridiculous that boys have to wear tights for ballet. I mean, none of them can actually be thrilled with that idea, right?

Music suddenly boomed out of the speakers. A blonde bounced away from the stereo where an mp3 player was now resting, a cord connected to the bottom. Obviously, she took it upon herself to bring some life into the room. The blonde ended her bouncing at a pillar near Tara and me. "Hey, did you find the dressing rooms okay?"

"Fine thanks," Tara answered, walking away.

I frowned. "You're the one who sent us there? Ugh. That was awful. Brilliant, but awful."

She looked at me a few seconds before smiling. "What are you talking about?"

"You gave us directions to the boys changing rooms," I replied, raising an eyebrow at her confused face. "I'm guessing it was an accident."

She groaned. "God yes. I'm awful at directions. The more I try to concentrate on where I'm going, the worse it is. I have to just do it without thinking. I'm so sorry."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I was fine. It was Tara who took her shirt off before a guy found her and told her where she was."

"Classic," she laughed. "I'm Kat."

I smiled at her. "Leila."

"C'mon," she said, dragging me over to a brunette boy who looked slightly nerdy. Immediately, she started trying to make him dance, and I joined her only a couple seconds later. We're just trying to warm up, right? Some movement will loosen up the muscles.

I danced around the room with Kat and the boy who turned out to be called Sammy. We had a lot of fun goofing off and laughing. When I looked for Tara, I found her at the barre with two brunettes in bright pink leotards. I scrunched my nose up. They didn't exactly look friendly, but T looked content, happy even. Maybe I was wrong. I waved at Tara, who smiled back, before jumping right back into a fake swing dance maneuver with Sammy while Kat was performing something more hip/hop flavored.

Eventually, the boys were led from the room, and we were instructed to go to the barre and work on warming up the specifics of ballet: working on form, position, lines, etc. I picked a spot of the barre next to Tara's, so that we could see each other fairly well. Ms. Rayne paused and seemed to take issue with Tara's technique. I could tell she was shaken for a minute, but she pulled herself together and smiled before continuing.

Ms. Rayne slowly walked around the room, jotting notes down on her clipboard. She corrected several other girls in my line, but she only frowned at me before scribbling another note. Once we completed the warm-up exercises, we were given a short section of choreography and instructed to perform it in groups across the floor.

We went to stand along the one wall, and I sidled up to Tara. "Making new friends?"

She glanced at me with a smile. "Yeah. Abigail's taking me under her wing I think. She's nice. I see you're already friends with Kat."

"Mmhmm," I smiled. "She's a lot of fun."

"Is that the message you want to send to the Academy?"

I frowned. "What?"

Tara leaned in closer. "Abigail says that everyone here knows that Kat doesn't take this seriously, which is a big negative. Do you want that to keep you from getting in here?"

"Not really, but just because I'm friends with someone doesn't mean I'm exactly like them. I'm friends with you, and we aren't one and the same."

She shrugged. "Something to think about, Lei."

Tara slipped further up the line, and Kat said something to her as she went by but only got the brush off. Abigail and her friend gave Tara a smile while they waited their turn. I went up by Kat. "Your friend there doesn't seem too forgiving, and she's in with Abigail already."

"She's actually my cousin as well," I said. "And does this Abigail girl have other motives for being friendly? 'Cause Tara won't sense that coming at all. She's never had to deal with ridiculous, cutthroat people before."

Kat snorted. "Abigail could be genuine, but it isn't likely."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Hey, it's only a couple of days here. She won't be able to do too much," she responded.

I nodded. "True. I hope T does okay with this. I don't think she's ever done these before. We haven't done them back home, and I've only done them in my summer classes when I'm with my dad."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

Ms. Rayne clapped practically on top of Tara, but thankfully kept her mouth shut. Kat and I did well I think. My spotting on the last two turns was sort of off, but everything else seemed okay. They gave us a few more samples of choreo to run through before we were dismissed, Tara taking off with Abigail and her crony. I walked with Kat, and we found out that we were roommates.

Once we had both showered and changed into different clothes, we both flopped onto our backs on our beds. "So what do you want to do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. There's not much to do when we only have a half hour until curfew's up, and Tara will literally kill me if I screw up my chances of getting in here."

Kat laughed. "I could see it. She seems the uptight type. She take everything this seriously?"

"No, but she's intense with everything ballet related. It's been her dream for as long as I can remember, and since she's actually going for it, I'm trying to be as supportive as possible."

"That's nice," Kat replied. We were silent for a moment before she spoke up again. "So how are you so close to your cousin? I mean, I have a couple cousins, and they definitely aren't my best friends."

I smiled slightly, turning over onto my side to face her. "It's sort of a long story that starts with our moms actually."

She mirrored my actions and raised her eyebrows. "That works out nicely. We have some time on our hands don't we?"

I smirked. "Okay. Our family has always had the ranch Tara grew up on. My grandparents had three children: my uncle and then twin girls. My mom is the older twin, and Tara's mom is the younger…only by three minutes or so. Anyway, they grew up there too. Tara's mom loved it and got married right out of high school, started a family, and eventually took over the ranch right after Tara was born. She's the youngest of five, mind you."

"Jesus. Your family must be huge!" Kat interjected.

"I know. Back to the story though, my mom left the day after she graduated and came here. She spent her time surfing and working the desk at a hotel. She finally got a visa to go to Hawaii and took off without a backward glance. She found a job teaching surf lessons to tourists before eventually getting snapped up to event plan as well. She apparently had some natural talent at that.

"Mom got her green card about two years after moving to Hawaii, which was when she met my dad. Worthington Enterprises was interested in expanding their base on the islands. They already owned a five star hotel a couple blocks from the beach. They got into a locally owned, off the beaten tourist path vacation idea. The whole concept was giving travelers an experience closer to what life in Hawaii is really like. The guests got to be involved in the planning and execution of luaus and the like. They stole Mom away from her old resort and put her in charge of guest services. Less than a year later, Mom became Mary Worthington."

Kat sat up and gaped. "So your dad is of the Worthingtons? Like the one who own all the hotels?"

I nodded. "Among other things, yeah. Worthington Enterprises. He's James Worthington. My dad was married before my mom and had two girls and a boy. My oldest sister, Kate, went into design. She's built an interior design business as well as started a line through Target with her own items. My other sister, Caroline, was a model until a few years ago. She's since started fashion school and has saved up to start her own line. Evan is only five years older than me, and he's just about finished with his business degree, so he can start at WE with my dad."

"Talented family," she commented.

I laughed sitting up as well. "Sure. Anyway, Mom wanted to stay in Hawaii, so Dad was overseeing the setup of the so called Hawaiian project. His side of the family had a soft spot for Hawaii too. My grandmother was part native Hawaiian. This only encouraged my mother's fascination with all things Hawaiian. My aunt announced her pregnancy just over two years after the wedding, so when my mom found out she was pregnant a couple months later, they were delighted."

Kat raised her hand, and I pointed to her with a small giggle. "Uh, how far apart are you and Tara in age anyway?"

"She turns sixteen in a few weeks, and I have to wait another five months," I answered. She nodded thoughtfully. "Mom and Aunt Beth immediately set about making plans for us when we were both born. We were placed in ballet classes as early as possible because that was something that they both remembered fondly from their childhood. We both loved it, but Tara took it to another level. Everyone there seemed to stop and stare when she danced.

"Mom and I still lived in Hawaii, but we spent several weeks throughout the year back here. When I was eight, we visited my dad while he was on the mainland. Mom was in a car accident and died. Eventually, I got sent to live with Tara for about a year. It wasn't until Dad remarried his first wife that I went back to living with him."

"Your dad remarried his ex-wife?" Kat yelled. Her eyebrows were sky high, and her jaw was dropped open.

I laughed again. "Yeah. Keira is cool though. I call her Mom. She's very good about respecting my mom's memory, and the two of them were decent friends anyway."

She blinked in disbelief before seeming to shrug in acceptance. "So if you went back to living in the US, how did you end up here? And are you even an Australian citizen?"

"I have dual citizenship. And I ended up coming back to live with Tara most of the time for high school. My parents need to travel and didn't want to leave me alone, so I stay with Tara and visit them or they visit me every few weeks," I explained. "Tara and I both got extended the offer to audition. I wasn't really into it, but Tara went gonzo over the whole thing. And here we are."

"Your life is so interesting compared to mine."

"Hey now, I don't know that. What's your story?" I asked.

"Not that interesting. My mom's a dancer, so I travel with her a lot. And my dad's a choreographer. I was pretty much doomed to come here. I've been in dance classes for as long as I can remember," she answered, making faces the whole time.

I raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Not the saga yours was, huh?"

I threw my pillow at her, and she dodged with a small screech. "You'll pay for that, Worthington," Kat crowed, snatching up my pillow and throwing it back at me. I barely caught it before it smack me in the face. I stood up and lifted the pillow into fighting position. Kat mirrored my stance. We locked eyes, and swung at the same time. Laughing and yelping, we chased each other around the room, dodging, ducking, and attacking in glee.

The next morning I put on my gray leotard and some black sweatpants before pulling my curly waves of dark blonde hair up into a messy ponytail. I swiped some waterproof mascara over my lashes, slid some chapstick on my lips, and brushed some powder foundation over my face. Kat bounced back into the room from visiting the bathroom right about then and we chatted while she got ready. Finally, we left to find some breakfast.

Kat and I sat on a bench after grabbing some food. We both nabbed fruit salad and yogurt with granola. Kat got some cereal to complete her meal, but I opted for a huge chocolate chip muffin. Not long after we sat that Ethan kid came up and started messing with Kat. She rolled her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed I'm sitting with someone else. Ethan, this is Leila. Leila, this is-"

"Ethan," I interrupted her. "I know. We met yesterday when he directed Tara and me to the correct changing room after your directions meltdown."

He smiled. "That's right. I thought you looked familiar, and I probably should have guessed that the faulty directions came from Kat. My sister is incapable of giving those out."

I laughed. "It certainly seems that way."

"Hey now," Kat interjected. "I'm not that bad." We both cast her skeptical looks. "Okay. Maybe I am."

She glanced at me, and Ethan stole some of her breakfast while she did. She turned back around as he was stealing a second bite and smacked him. It quickly devolved into a fight that was cracking me up. I noticed Tara out of the corner of my eye and saw her with Abigail and her friend again. This time they were all wearing the bright pink leotards.

I shook my head and turned back to Kat and Ethan. Funny how yesterday I thought Ethan seemed like a real jerk, but today he seems super nice and sweet. Their battle was done, and Kat was scarfing down her food while Ethan complained about still being hungry.

"You can have the rest of my fruit," I offered.

They turned to look at me. "Don't feed the animals," Kat said jokingly.

I laughed. "Seriously. You can have it. I hate watermelon, and I'm not big on strawberries either. I'll only end up throwing it away, so one of you may as well have it. You can fight over it if you want."

They smiled at me. "Thanks," Ethan said, snagging my bowl. I waved them off. "So where's your friend?"

I gestured to the table some feet away. "Over there with Abigail and her minion."

Kat laughed. "Her minion?"

"I can't be bothered to find out her name. All she does is skulk around and whisper in Abigail's ear. Obviously, she's not the leader of that group," I said, rolling my eyes.

Ethan smirked. "Figured it all out already, huh?"

"Everything except what she wants with Tara."

"Don't worry about it," Kat advised. "I'm sure Tara can take care of herself."

I snorted. "You obviously don't know her."

"Hmm. We have to get going now, so good luck with begging food off of unsuspecting girls, Ethan."

He smiled. "Have fun at auditions today, girls."

I giggled as we walked away. Kat groaned. "Please tell me you don't like him."

"You don't want me to like your brother?" I frowned.

She sighed. "He's technically my half brother, and I just don't want to go through this again. All my friends end up liking him, and he can never resist dating them. Then they come to me when it all falls apart."

I laughed. "Oh, that. I don't like him like that. I mean, he's cute and all, but he's not really my kind of cute. I think we could be awesome friends though."

Kat grinned, opening the door to the dressing room. "Thank God. You can be best friends for all I care as long as you aren't falling in love with him all the while."

I shook my head before heading over to see Tara. "Hey, T. How's it going?"

"Fine. I saw you had a good breakfast today," she replied shortly.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

She looked at me. "I saw you talking and laughing with Kat…and Ethan."

I laughed in disbelief. "First Kat and now you. I don't like Ethan, okay? First of all, I would never do that to you. You're my best friend, cousin, and essentially my sister, remember? Plus, he's totally not who I have my eye on here. He's just a seemingly nice guy whose antics with Kat were hilarious."

Tara looked at me a second longer. "Sorry. The nerves are really messing with my head right now." I waved her off. "So who do you have your eye on?" she smiled at me for the first time this morning.

"I'm not telling!" I said, pulling my black skirt on. "I don't have the slightest chance, and I don't want to be teased about it the whole time we're here."

She pouted. "That's not fair. You know about my crush. I should get to know yours."

I scoffed. "Irrelevant. Now, don't we have some dancing to do?"

Tara continued to pout, but we left the dressing room for the studio anyway. The girls and boys were still separated and immediately got sent to work at the barre again. As we went into serious work at the barre after warm-ups, the doctor came in and got us one by one to do the physicals. They were done to weed out those dancers that were good or at least decently so, but that had too little natural potential left to tap to really dedicate the school's resources on.

After the break for lunch, the boys were brought back to our studio with us, and we were doing more choreography for the teachers. Kat and I cracked jokes in hushed whispers. We looked up when Abigail's shadow went down with a yelp, eventually announcing it was her Achilles' tendon that hurt. Kat and I grimaced at each other. If that was injured, there was no way the academy would take her. We were dismissed shortly after the commotion .

After "class" Tara stayed back to talk to Miss Rayne, and I left to take a shower with Kat. We had chatted with Ethan at lunch and found out about the party the third years were having on their roof. It seemed like something that could keep us distracted for a while.

Kat threw on a black, spaghetti strap dress before accessorizing the hell out of it with belts, bracelets, and a necklace. She busied herself with blowing her hair dry into the straight style she wore when not in class. I spent a few minutes going over what I brought before throwing on the faded purple sundress my older sister had sent a few months ago. Fitted to the waist before flaring into a fuller skirt with thin straps, it was one of my favorites. I threw on the nicer pair of flip flops I brought. They were sparkly gold.

We both crowded in front of the mirror to put on makeup. I quickly brushed on powder foundation before lining my eyes in a dark brown. A few strokes of dark brown mascara had my eyelashes making themselves known. I picked out a pink gloss a shade darker than my lips were naturally and swiped it on. I glanced at Kat through the mirror and saw she was still working on her eyes, so I took the time to flat iron my hair.

"Ready?" she asked.

I grabbed an antique key necklace and put it on, the key resting just past the neckline of my dress. "I think so," I answered, running my hands over my straightened locks. "My hair looks okay?"

She studied me for a few seconds. "It looks great. Let's go."

Once again, I was dragged out a door though this time it was by Kat. It seems to be a theme for me. Do I not move fast enough? Why else is everyone dragging me around all the time?

As we went galloping down the steps, we ran into Tara, who had her seriously upset face on. Sammy was standing at the bottom of the steps looking seriously bummed too. "Who ran your dog over?" Kat blurted out.

Tara shook her head. Are her eyes tearing up? "She said I have the technique of a twelve-year-old. She doesn't think I'm ready."

I hugged her tightly. "You're amazing, okay? Ms. Rayne is just a super bitch. She isn't a famous ballet star. She teaches it, and you know what they say about teaching." Tara sniffled. "Seriously, just kill the audition tomorrow and make her eat her words. Both of you," I said, looking down at Sammy.

There was a beat of silence before Kat spoke up. "Alright come with us! We're going to a party the third years are throwing."

"Can I go like this?" Tara asked, glancing down at her dance outfit. Kat and I exchanged a look before shaking our heads and dragging her back the way we came.

The music was loud as we came through the doors. Tara had been quickly stuffed into a brown mini skirt, green tank, and cute denim vest by Kat. I threw a necklace at her, and she grabbed a hat to cover the mess of hair we didn't give her time to wash. She looked cute.

Kat immediately dragged us across the roof to introduce us to Attractive Boy. "Hey, have you guys met Christian? He's auditioning too."

He looked at Tara. "Training Bra. Imagine seeing you here. And your friend too."

"It's Leila," I muttered as he walked away. Even though he's being a bit jerkish, I know his name now!

Kat looked at Tara. "What did he call you?" Tara shrugged her off, and Kat took off after Christian.

"Soooo," Tara said. "What now?"

I glanced after Kat and Christian before looking back to Tara. "Now we mingle. Make friends and have fun, T."

We moved around from group to group until Tara got sucked into a discussion with a girl that came from a ranch about fifty km from hers. It was frightfully boring, so I ducked out to get a drink. On my way, I bumped into Ethan. "Hey, Leila?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that's my name."

"Sorry," he responded. "I'm not that great with names."

I smirked. "You don't say."

He smiled back at me. "I'm guessing Kat invited you here."

"Of course," I answered. "Not only are we now inseparable best friends, we're rooming together."

"Good luck with that."

I scoffed and reached out to smack him on the shoulder. "As long as she doesn't find out any of my deep, dark secrets, we're good."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Secrets? This I have to hear."

"They wouldn't be secrets if I told," I teased.

Ethan stared at me before getting a mischievous look in his eyes. "You aren't ticklish, are you?"

I froze. "Uh, no." Suddenly, he reached out ran his fingers along my sides, the other arm coming around to prevent my escape. "Ahhhh! No, stop!"

"Never. I want to know a secret."

"Ethan! No!" I gasped for air, refusing to give in. "Fine! I'll tell you a secret, just stop!"

He released me with a grin. "Alright. I just want to know something that Kat doesn't."

I frowned. "Okay. My full name is Leilani Kai Worthington."

"Your full name?" Ethan scoffed.

Rolling my eyes, I responded, "Uh, yeah. I always introduce myself as Leila. I was born in Hawaii, and my mom was a little obsessed with it. Hence I get stuck with this name inspired by the story my mom's best friend used to tell around the fire on the beach."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Leilani literally translates to heavenly lei or royal child from heaven, and Kai translates to sea. My mom used to call me her child of the sea and sky." He looked sort of shocked. "This totally counts as a secret too. I'm not planning on giving out my full name while I'm here."

Ethan nodded. "I guess I can allow it."

I smacked him lightly on the arm again. "Whatever. I'm going to go see what your sister's up to. She's been holed up over there with Christian for the last half hour."

As I was approaching, Kat go up and mimed to me that she was grabbing a drink. I nodded back as I took her seat. "So Christian was it?"

He glanced at me and smirked slightly. "Yeah. And you're Training Bra's friend."

I rolled my eyes. "Leila, but you know yours may catch on. It's got a ring to it."

His smirk deepened. "You never know."

Kat came back over and chatted with us for a few moments before asking if I'd seen Ethan. "Yeah. I bumped into him over by the drinks before I came over here." She excused herself and wandered over to where I could see Tara talking to Ethan. "Completely insane."

"You noticed that as well?" Christian actually laughed.

I was somewhat entranced by the sound and had to shake myself out of it. "Of course. I'm not sure it's possible to know Kat and not be aware of her insanity."

There was a commotion behind us, and I saw Tara pretty obviously soaked in what was probably that kid's drink. I took a few steps forward, but she brushed past me to hiss something at Christian that I couldn't hear. He simply looked bemused. I sighed. "If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go put out some fires."

"Harmless prank or not, I'm just saying it sort of sucked," I informed Kat, pulling my hair up into a messy bun. "Tara's super sensitive."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll apologize."

I smiled slightly. "That's all I ask. So how much is today going to suck?"

"Not too bad. It's all about the performance today instead of technique," Kat answered brightly, finally turning away from the mirror where she was applying her makeup. "The only day I don't outright deplore."

I laughed. "Then we should get a move on."

Tara had done surprisingly well in class, but she didn't see that Abigail obviously didn't want to be her friend now that Tara had beaten her at something. It was sad to watch. We got the afternoon off to practice for the audition, so I ran through it once more while Kat went to bother Ethan.

Kat and I had a quiet night, playing a bunch of old board games with some of the other potentials before heading to our room at curfew. We talked until we fell asleep. Both of us were up at six the next morning, the nerves making sleep difficult.

I frowned as we waited in the hallway. Where was Tara? Just before we were to begin with auditions, she finally showed up. She gave me a distracted high five before stopping next to Abigail. They called Tara in first, and I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. Something wasn't right.

Sammy listened at the door and announced that they were asking about her breaking curfew. I groaned internally. Tara loves to go out into the yard and dance at all hours of the night, and I somehow knew that she had given into the temptation last night. I should have slept outside her door or something to stop her. Kat took one look at my face and barged right in the room. She reappeared a few minutes later. "Obviously everything's fine. She was with us last night."

I smiled. "For sure."

Tara danced better than I'd ever seen her before. She came out of the room with that same dopey smile on her face that she had when we got the audition offers. I pulled her into a hug. "That was…amazing. I don't know what else to say except break a leg, you guys."

I smiled and mocked her to Kat and Sammy, who laughed. They laughed even harder when Tara attacked me for making fun of her. Kat was the next of us to head into the room, but Sammy went just after. Finally, it was my turn.

I took a deep breath before opening the door and walking in. "Leilani Worthington?" the old guy asked.

"That's me," I answered with a small smile.

He smiled back, and Ms. Rayne had a slightly less severe look on her face. "You may begin whenever you're ready."

I sucked in another deep breath before taking the starting position. I nodded at the student in the corner who started the stereo. Hearing the music, I let it seep into my muscles and began. Everything else faded away until it was just the music filling my thoughts.

Tara and I returned to the ranch after Audition week. We had exchanged numbers with Kat, but I was the only one to have spoken with her since we got home. Tara had quickly begun pretending that the audition had never happened to save her sanity. I found it easiest to follow along.

Until today.

Today, our letters should arrive. Insides will be a slip of paper that tells us whether or not we will reside at the National Academy of Dance for the next year or not. I was surprisingly anxious to find out. Tara was the one to go get the mail. I could have gone with her, but I needed a moment to prepare for all the outcomes.

Instead, I sat to wait for her at the kitchen table. Only five minutes after I sat down, Tara came bounding in with a huge smile. "I got in!"

I smiled back and jumped up to hug her. She laughed before pulling back and handing me the envelope with my name. I took it hesitantly. Gently, I tore the back open and slid the sheet out. Unfolding it carefully, I read it. I had only read the first few lines before I squealed delightedly. "Me too! We're going to be there together!"

Tara immediately latched onto me and started jumping up and down and yelling. I laughed and joined her. My aunt and uncle came in and demanded to know what they said, so Tara excitedly spilled the beans. Once I had been given congratulatory hugs, I slipped out the door.

I couldn't wait to tell Kat we'd be roommates all year.

So ends the first episode. I think people can basically tell where I'm going with this, so let me know in a review if you'd like to see this continue. I'm shooting to update every 8 to 10 days, but I'm not really going to start writing on this again until I see if people are interested. This idea popped in my head of a character that was a bit of Kat, a bit of Tara, and a bit of someone more stable than both of them. Leila is that character. If people aren't interested, I likely will take this down.

Basically, if you want to see more, be sure to leave me a review! Please and thank you! (:

EDIT 6/18/12: My scene breaks weren't left in, so I (hopefully) added the lines in to replace them.