Chapter 1
Dance Led Me To – adopted story from 2J's

Bella POV

"Okay class! Please do the across-the-floor routine!" Mrs. Prang squeaked as she demonstrated the steps, her overly-round stomach bulging sickeningly out of her too-tight leotard. I stretched quickly before I started the routine. My heart soared with the exhilaration of dancing. It was the one thing that I truly enjoyed, that could take away all my troubles and worries. I felt so free and happy as I pranced gracefully across the room, in perfect time to the music.

"Class dismissed! And I expect to see all of you here next lesson; ON TIME!" she emphasised the last two words along with a deadly glare to the unfortunate girl who was shaking next to me.

I looked over at Mrs Prang as she gathered her belongings. Sweat was dripping down her forehead. Stray pieces of her lank hair were plastered to her face. As a professional dancer, you would have expected that she would be in better shape. Think again. Maybe she loved junk food too much for her own good.
The rest of the students filed quickly through the door, hasty to go home and sink into a nice hot bath.
Wonderful. I had the studio all to myself. As the last student ran out of the door, I surveyed the empty room with a smile on my face.

I bounced over to the stereo in the corner and put on a CD. I relaxed as the soft music flowed out of the expensive speakers.
I walked into the middle of the room, and slid into the splits and took out my notebook. I smiled as I remembered how I was first introduced to dance.

Flashback: ( Bella is 12 years old, so Alice is 13)

I stared at my best friend, shocked at her monstrous suggestion. Her expression was pleading, her eyes filled with tears.
"Please? Look! I got you everything you need; in your favourite colour!"
She held up a pair of pinkish stockings and a skimpy baby-blue leotard.
"No."
I watched in horror as her expression changed from pleading to murderous. I flinched away from her gaze, fiddling with a loose thread on the sleeve of my shirt.
"You are coming with me, missy, and that's final." She ordered.
I glanced up at her reluctantly; I could almost feel her thunderous stare boring a hole through my head.

"No."

Alice let out a growl and shoved the offending pile of clothes (if you could call them that) into my arms.
She dragged me by the front of my blouse into the bathroom. I squealed as Alice snatched my favourite hat off my head, my hair tumbling out messily. Alice stood above me with a positively terrifying expression etched upon her otherwise pretty face.
"I am not taking any nonsense from you!"
"But—"
"No but's!" Alice wagged her finger threateningly at me, then waved my red hat menacingly in front of my face.
"You better come out, honey…. or your little red hat may face the music for you!"

She slammed the bathroom door in my face. I must have looked so pitiful then, cowering away from little Alice, hugging the little bundle of nightmarish things for dear life.
"Stupid pixie." I cried out as I wiped the tears from my face and started to change.

*

I crept cautiously out of the bathroom and looked around for Alice. My wandering eyes found her at once. The cheerful Alice I knew was back. I looked towards her hands for my hat and gasped in horror.
"Oh my Gawd." I whispered. "What have you done?"
Then it dawned upon me.
"This is my punishment, isn't it?" I ran at her, grabbed my hat and clutched it to my chest. Alice laughed.
"No, silly, this was my way of say I had forgiven you! It's looks so beautiful!"
I stared at her as if she had lost her mind, which, of course, in my eyes she had.
"Wha- How?" I stammered as Alice patted the hat affectionately.
"I bedazzled it, of course!"
I let out a wail of despair. Alice rolled her eyes and tugged me back into her bathroom to her little make-up stand. She tugged at my hair and quickly tied it back into a tight bun and applied some abomination to my face. It took me an hour to gather enough courage to look up, and then I wished I hadn't.
"What have you done to me?" I pulled ineffectually at my face, trying very hard to scratch of the blue glitter that was stuck to my eyelids.
Alice whacked my hand away; hard.
"You look beautiful!' she said adoringly.
"No, I look like a freak show!"
My appearance imitated a very elaborate version of my worst nightmare; a Barbie doll. I looked at Alice and noticed she was wearing identical make-up and clothing as me - but all in pink. The pink glitter on her eyelid made her look like a perfect Barbie doll – even more than me, surprisingly.
"I'll be right back! I just need to get…"
She grinned at me as she walked away. Then…. Yes! An escape route! If I just creep quietly around the door and make a run for it…
"And don't move!" Alice added calmly as I eyed her defiantly. So I sighed in defeat and sat down to wait.
"I'm back!" Alice sang and she plopped down a pair of retarded-looking slippers at my feet. I prodded one carefully with my stocking clad foot.
"Are those things you wear to sleep? Thank, but I really rather not-"
"No, silly! Those are ballet shoes!"
She slipped them on my feet and stared at them appreciatively.
"I got them from BLOCH, you know, the ballet store in town? You like?"
"Well……I……" I stuttered uselessly.
"Yup! I knew you would like them! C'mon! Let's go! We are going to be late"
She grabbed my hand and literally dragged me though the door, shouting a quick good-bye to her mother.
OH. MY. GOD. That was my first thought as I peeked nervously through the dance studio door. This was my worst nightmare! Barbie dolls galore. I backed out of the building, slamming the door behind me. I could not hear anything over my pounding heart, which felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.
"Okay, sweetie?" Alice asked evilly.
"I can't go in the there!" I stage-whispered. "Look at all the Barbie dolls! They are worse than you"
I waved my hands dramatically.
Alice wrapped her body around my frozen form.
It's alright hon." she said. "Just…chillax!"
I nodded stiffly.

"C'mon! Go in!" Alice ushered me into the room.
"No!"
I rammed my hands against the edges of the door, while Alice pushed me from behind. I pushed my feet to the edge of the door too, for extra 'protection'. At that moment in time, a young, pretty woman with thick brown hair that was tied artfully in a loose bun opened the other door into the room. On seeing me, she froze, a look of shock flickering across her face before she pulled herself together and crossed the room towards us. Alice peeked over my shoulder to speak to, who she must have recognised as the dance teacher.
"Oh, hello!" Alice exclaimed pleasantly. "This, is my friend, Bella Swan, and I am Alice Cullen!"
Alice poked one of her small, but perfectly manicured hands around my waist to shake hands with the teacher. The teacher took it, flabbergasted. She looked uncertainly at me but when she looked into my eyes, she must have seen a look of pure terror there, so she smiled.
"Hello dear. I am Mrs Prang. Please don't be scared! I'm sure you will love the class."
She held her hand out to me. I hesitantly took it, randomly noticing that she was wearing the same nail varnish as Alice before she pulled me into a hug.
Damn. What have I gotten myself into?
Mrs Prang walked gracefully into the centre of the room, through the small crowd of life-sized Barbie dolls.
"Okay girls, these are our new students, Alice and Bella. Please make them feel welcome. Now, pair up." She finished by clapping her hands greedily.
Alice immediately latched on to me like a leech.
"Now, I want one of you to do a front split, any leg you chose, and your partner should gently, let me emphasize, gently push their leg down."
Alice turned to me. She pushed me down into a split. I was a good twenty centimetres of the ground, with no intention of going any lower.
Then Alice pounced. She latched onto my leg, putting all of her weight onto it.
"Get OFF!" I screamed desperately, flailing my arms uselessly whilst trying to get her off, but her pointed nails only dug deeper into my skin. Tears of pain and anguish poured down my face. I could feel the stares of shocked six year-olds. No-one was stretching anymore, but watching us as if we were a particularly interesting film. Nice
"Goodness! Dearie, get off her! Do you want to hurt her?"
By the time the Mrs Prang came running over, my face was wet with tears.
I looked over and saw my friend, Angela and waddled across the room to sit by her, signing heavily as I sat down. I rubbed my inner thighs tenderly.
"Stupid pixie."

End of flashback

Alice moved to Forks a month later, so she didn't get to see my progressing love for ballet.
I laughed freely. Suddenly, my mobile phone rang.
Emmett's voice singing Barbie Girl blasted out of my phone. It sounded terrible. I dived across the room to my bag and pulled out my phone. I answered it quickly.

"Hello?'