Chapter one
Casey
"Ah 5…6…7..8" Madame voice boomed in the studio as she yelled over the blazing music.
Sweat was dripping from my forehead as I pleaded and forced very single bone in my body to obey my every demand.
"Point those toes ladies! This is no time to be sloppy" her British accent seemed to be thicker as the words seeped out of her mouth but they seemed to hit me with force that made me point my toes until I could partially feel them bleeding in my ballet shoes.
"…and plea…first position!" I turned my feet in her directions with a perfection that took me nearly 11 years.
"Casey!" My head napped in the direction of my instructor. His stone cold face was pointed in my direction and my head started to spin. Did I do something wrong?
"Tombay-padorabera- side leap" I gracefully walked over with my arms rounded and feet pointed. As I took my place at the corner of the room I could feel my heart leap out my chest in excitement. With her instructions my feet seemed to move by themselves across the dance floor and as my feet took off into the air, all my worries, stresses seemed to evaporate into the with it. As I made contact with the floor it was soundless, as if I was a feather gently landing.
I didn't notice the girls in the room that were staring at me with awed expressions or the ones with scowls of jealous, no I looked to my instructor expectantly to hear a praise or compliment. It's not that I think that I deserve one but it's what I feed on for food, it's what every dance does.
Instead I reserved a very blank expression on my instructors' faces.
"I expect more from you Casey, class dismissed" My head hung low as I turned along with the other girls.
"Not you Miss McDonald" I froze in mid step and closed my eyes praying that someone would take sympathy on me. I then turned with a plaster smile, on my face as I walked towards her with the posture of 10 girls put together.
"I have reserved notice from the new school for exceptional students about your application" My eyes widened briefly before returning back to normal. She was talking about was the Academy for exceptionally talented performers. The school took only the best and only the leaders, people that were captains of cheerleading teams with straight A's across the board, people that had a exceptional future ahead of them. The trick was that you had to have more than brains as a talent, to be exceptional you need to do something exceptional like being the best dance performer anyone has ever seen.
But that's not how it ends, if you by any chance do get into this school it doesn't last for ever, oh no, only one can stand at the end, only one can be a leader and that was going to me.
"How you got in is beyond my understanding but…"
"Wait…I got in?" my surprise expression showing on my face half because I didn't actually think I had a chance and half because I didn't know how madam found out before I did.
"I am just as shocked as you are but you know that it doesn't end there it end when you're…"
"…the last one standing" I finished for her straightening up a bit more so that I could look her directly in the eyes in triumphant. So it seems I wasn't as worthless as she made me out to be.
"and if you're not, you are no longer welcome back here in my dance class" my breath caught in my throat as I bit my tongue before I could say anything I would regret latter.
"that's okay because I'm not planning on coming back" I turned from her and gathered my belongings and made my way towards the exit of the room. As I left I could have sworn I heard my instructor say "good luck".
Derek
"Another Lap boys!" Couch yelled as I took the lead around the arena and earning some groans from my team mates. As I skated up to lap my friend I patted him on the back.
"One more and were done" He gave me a half smile while he laughed lightly.
"If I had it my way we would be done now" Blake retorted. I smirked and shook my sweetly shaggy hair out of my eyes.
"Race you?"
"Only you would have the energy to do that" I raised my hands in surrender while raised one eyebrow knowing he didn't answer my question.
I then felt him pick up his right skate and smirked, so it's on. Before he could even place his skate back on the ice I speed ahead of him. I looked behind me with one of my many triumphant smirks just in time to see him shake his heads as if he should have expected it.
As I passed couch he blew is whistle and I came to a halt in my tracks.
"Okay boys go get showered and get some rest, Venture!" I turned my couch and started to skate towards him.
"yeah couch?"
"So I hear you got into that school" I take a breath and look around to see if any of my team mates heard. When I was sure they weren't they I looked back at couch.
"Uh-h yeah you know me couch, no schools too good for Derek Venture" I put a smirk on as my couch laughs lightly. When he finally collected himself he went back to being serious.
"Look kid, you may be up on the pedestal now but at that school…they'll all be waiting to take you down, you're not there team mate or friend, you're the guy there trying to knock down"
"Ahhh come on I can take care of myself" I said teasingly but he just looked at me worried.
"Just watch your back because it's not just the other hockey guys but everyone else in the school" I roll my eyes getting pretty tired of this talk and sighed.
"I got to go and by the way do me a favour and make Blake captain….maybe that might ease up the tension a bit when they find out I left" I started skating away when I heard couch ell after me.
"You didn't tell them" A panic expression coming across his face.
"Nah I thought I'd let you do the honours" I smirk and turned to skate away.