Angel: Hi, everyone! I've decided to create my own story in the field of Dance! I've been wanting to write one for a while now. I absolutely LOVE ballet and dancing, so this is a tribute to all dance-lovers who are not ashamed to admit it! Enjoy! 3

~Fine's POV~

Time: The 21st century.

"Make those moves quick and crisp!" The teacher commands to no one in particular. I snap out of my light Thought Zone and back to reality, focusing on keeping my leg straighter and movements terse and curt as I do my dégagé.

"Chelsea! How many times have I told you? Point your toes when you're kicking!" Nakamura-sensei is always correcting Chelsea's feet and leg positions. Other than her, Nakamura-sensei usually rants about Saki's back posture, Anako's fighting-style type of dancing, or Mila's various problems.

Everyone else continues dancing. Sure, we all feel for Chelsea, since we know it definitely doesn't feel nice when the teacher reprimands someone for a mistake and tells them to do the movement over again, but there's nothing we can do. To stop doing the exercise during the music to watch the teacher scold a student would mean not concentrating enough to learn, and that would be unpardonable.

There's a special understanding among us fellow dancers. It's something we develop as we progress higher and higher into the field of Dance. You shouldn't stop during the music, but when the teacher scolds someone for a mistake, listen up so you can quickly correct yourself too and become a better dancer. This also gives you less chance of attracting the teacher's attention for doing something wrong in the exercise.

Of course, having the teacher's attention is good too, in a way. It means she genuinely wants you to improve. If she doesn't correct you, it either means 1) there's literally nothing to correct, or 2) your skill is so low that the teacher doesn't see much potential in you, so she puts you to one side and helps out the others.

Now, a good teacher would try to help you improve even if you're the World's Worst Dancer; that's what Nakamura-sensei is like. That's why she puts up with lower-level ballet dancers like Mila.

However, there's a dark side to everything, and graceful ballet is no different. A year ago, one of the class's best dancers, Fine Suzukiya (it's cool that we share the same first name), auditioned to enter a professional ballet school. It was no surprise when she got in. Nakamura-sensei showed us Fine's Certificate of Acceptance into the school.

~Break in Thoughts~

The music ends and we turn around—always from the inside of the barre—to prepare for the battement tendu exercise. Another piece of music sounds from the stereo on the teacher's chair in the corner of the studio and we're off again. I slip quietly back into my Thought Zone.

~End Break~

Then Nakamura-sensei started talking about life in professional ballet schools and we all gathered around to listen, like eager kids during story time.

Nakamura-sensei said that before, there was a pair of Japanese girls who got into the school, but not from merit or skill (they were terrible dancers, and their legs were ultra short, not good for a ballerina)—no, they were able to get in because of money. The girls' parents paid a large sum of money so whoever was overseeing the enrollment of new students would let the girls join.

After that, nothing really happened. The Japanese girls were in class and all, but they did nothing except stand around in the corner and watch the other dancers. Their teacher was too lazy to try to teach such bad dancers, and that was the end of that.

I think it's really evil how corrupt society has become. Yes, one may achieve wealth in return for the donor's advantage, but what's the point? The donor would've gotten a high position or something out of bribery, not true skill. That's just so fake.

I've even heard that the prestigious Juilliard has become corrupt as well. Even though they do allow people with real talent in, many others seem to have entered from their connections or wealth.

As I ponder this last part the music comes to a finish. We hold one of our arms out in second position while the other lightly grips the barre, and then when the final note in the music sounds, we wait a second and then—breathe—bring our arms down to first position and…relax.

"Not bad, class. It seems your level hasn't degraded a lot during the time I was gone," Nakamura-sensei smiles at us.

We giggle among ourselves. Nakamura-sensei is a strict teacher, but she's also extremely nice. She's one of the best ballet teachers one could ever have.

Nakamura-sensei continues, "Alright, class, I'll see you on Friday."

We turn toward her and, making a curtsy to the right, say, "Arigato, Sensei"—and then a curtsy to the left—"Sayonara, Sensei!"

We had to do this every time in the past as both a form of discipline required in ballet and as respect to the teacher, but these years the teacher never calls us to line up in the middle and curtsy. I guess it's because we're probably all tired or something. Who knows? Today, though, we—as a class—curtsy for Sensei after her first lesson teaching us since she gave birth to her cute, little, baby girl!

Changing in the little dressing room next to the teacher's even smaller box office is always fun. Don't take that the wrong way; I don't mean changing in front of everyone else since it's just one open room is fun (man, the first few times were really awkward when everybody didn't know each other that well yet even though we go to the same school). I mean that it's fun just chatting and catching up on our individual gossip.

People might think that ballet dancers are way too serious and pressured to talk freely, but not us. We talk about everything, from failing math grades to filming our Cinderella parody to Spongebob underwear. Don't ask me how that came up, 'cause I sure don't know.

This is one of the things I love about the class. :D

It's true the dancing is a little restricted, but the air—the mood—is just so freeing. Here, you can just escape the cruel outside world, dance to your heart's content, and have fun with your friends. Absolutely nothing to interrupt your fantasy.

I tune back in to the conversation in the changing room right now.

"…made everyone hold hands in PE today to do this exercise thing, and the worst part was when she made us line up in boy-girl-boy-girl order," Anako complains.

"Really? Yuri-sensei didn't make us do that," Maimi said.

"What? That's so unfair! But, oh well, I bet you guys are gonna be doing it tomorrow. That's when you have PE, right?"

Maimi pauses for a second, then said, "Oh, boy…"

I say, "What's so wrong with holding hands with boys, especially when the teacher tells you to? It's not like they have cooties or anything."

"Puh-lease," Maimi flips her hand at me jokingly, "the boys in our classes are so obnoxious! You're the only one of us here mature enough to not care about things like this, Fine."

Fine Suzukiya says, "Actually, you could say that Fine is 'wise beyond her years.' Seriously! She's so serious about schoolwork and always gets the perfect grades and is such a goody-girl!"

We laugh. Fine means it in a good way, and it's kind of true, anyway. Except for my math, that is. My math sucks!

Oh yeah, that's another thing. Remember I said that Fine got accepted into a professional ballet school? Well, she never went. She was never planning on attending it in the first place, even if she got accepted. Her mom only wanted to see if she has the ability to enter.

Fine certainly looks the part, though. She has the talent, too. You will never meet another girl as skinny as her. She's 154 cm (only 1 cm taller than me) and weighs less than 70 lb! Her balance is also perfect. We had a substitute teacher a while back when Nakamura-sensei went away to have her baby, and Tsugunaga-sensei told us that that kind of balance is natural. You're either born with it, or you're not. Then she proceeded to mention that Fine is great dancing material.

Well, that stung. I've been working for more than half my life so far to fulfill my dream of becoming a real prima ballerina. My balancing technique is 2nd place after Fine's, but I have O-shaped legs and my weight obviously can't compare to Fine's.

The thing that's really unfair, though? Fine hates ballet. Absolutely hates it. She only takes ballet and traditional Japanese dance because her mom wants her to. We tease her that she's such an obedient girl. ;)

It seems pretty obvious that Fine and I—the two best dancers in the class (not to mention that our names are also the same)—should be rivals, but it's completely the opposite. We're actually very good friends. You just can't not love Fine Suzukiya; she's nice, funny, cute, and always helping others out! Besides, why would I want to make a rival of someone nice when I can be friends with them?

I finish changing and head out of the room. At the door to the studio, I slip on my cream-colored ballet flats (my favourite type of shoes) with the white ruffle-bows at the toes that make my shoes look like cake. Then I say bye to everyone and, lugging my huge backpack down the stairs, walk home slowly so I can just be by myself for a while.

Not that there's anyone at home waiting for me. I'm an only child, and both my parents work far away, so most of the time I'm home alone except in the mornings and nights (and evenings, if Mommy gets home early).

I'm luckier than most other kids at my school. My best friend Rein's parents always want her home right after school ends, while I have the freedom to go anywhere or do anything I want since no one's at home, anyway.

A big part of all this freedom I have is because my parents know they can trust me. I don't stay out too late after my extracurriculars, I finish all my homework at home (except when I really have no time and have to do it at school the next day), I can take care of myself (like buy or make dinner and stuff), and I don't smoke or drink or anything bad like that.

Another good thing with Freedom is that I can do stuff other than homework first when I get home. That's why the first thing I do is turn on my sparkly, magenta laptop and promptly log onto my MSN.

Scrolling down my list of contacts, I immediately spot Shade's name near the bottom.

Before I can react, a chat box flashes on my screen and the name reads "Shade."

Chat Box:

Shade Yuhara says:

hey what class are you in?

Fine Konae says:

I just got home…=.=

Shade Yuhara says:

? really? why are you home so late when tmr's the first day of 9th grade?

Fine Konae says:

it's not that late yet, and I had ballet class. It started back up a few weeks ago

Shade Yuhara says:

I c. so, what class are you in?

Fine Konae says:

9B. you?

Shade Yuhara says:

same here. See you tmr, Ms. Shakespeare!

I giggle into the quiet night air. Shade and I started chatting online last year when Rein worked up a plot to "get us together", so she says. Basically she started talking to Shade first and then she somehow got him to talk to me online, and that's how everything started. Have I mentioned that I've had a sort-of crush on Shade for four years now?

And English is my best subject at school. Ask anyone who Shade means by "Ms. Shakespeare" and they'll know.

As a special treat for myself before the new school year begins, I take out the hidden poster from a secret panel in my bookcase and look at it. It has four people in the foreground and many other people in the background. I'm especially attracted to one girl in the foreground, someone with red hair and ruby eyes, someone who—I have to admit—looks like me.

I don't know how that poster got here. A few years back I was tidying up my room when I accidentally backed into the bookcase and triggered the button that opens the secret panel. The poster was sitting there as if it was waiting for me all along. It's a pretty poster, but I keep it in the panel, just in case.

Finally, I take out a slice of strawberry cake from the refrigerator and eat it in front of the TV. Ninth grade, here I come!

Fine Konae (me!) profile:

Age: 14

Grade: 9

Fav. Subject(s): English; Dance Club at school that I'll be joining in 9th grade

Least Fav. Subject(s): Math; Physics

Fav. Food: All sweets! Hehe.

Fav. Colour: Pink

Dream: World-renowned prima ballerina!

Most Embarrassing Moment: That time in 5th grade when Chiba-sensei cast Shade as the Nutcracker and me as Marie (around this time I started liking Shade…kinda) and we had to walk around the stage at the Christmas Concert holding hands.