Okay, I know, I know, I KNOW. Story number 11, and none of them are even halfway done yet. I know. I am so sorry! I've just been watching the 2nd season of Dance Academy, and, well, one thing led to another, and...this happened...yeah...hope you like it...

Also, this is sort of a crossover...but I hate listing it as one. It is sort of crossed over with Heroes...okay, it is. But I just wanted to put it somewhere it would get more readers, I guess. :) I hope you enjoy, and I will explain anything Heroes related as much as I can!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but any OCs or anything of the sort, and I do own some of the plot, but not all. Anything else you recognize belongs to either Tim Kring or Samantha Strauss. Thank you. *bows* On with the show!


July 14th, 2011

Beep.

Claire groaned and rolled over, desperately hoping that whatever had disturbed her slumber would go and die.

Beep.

No such luck. With an exasperated sigh, Claire slowly sat up and looked to her right where her phone lay.

Beep.

Blinking sleep out of her eyes, Claire reached over and grabbed it, flicking it open as she yawned loudly.

"'Ello?" she asked sleepily.

"Hey Claire, it's Matt. Did I wake you?" he asked with mock concern, as though he were talking to a child.

Ordinarily, Claire would have replied with some witty, well thought out comeback, but she was much too exhausted to even remember her own name. Instead, she merely groaned in reply and lay down once more, still holding her cell to her ear.

"I guess that was a stupid question, seeing as it's only..." There was a pause as Matt checked something. "...ten in the morning."

"Mmmhmm," Claire replied, struggling to keep her eyes open. She could hear Matt sigh from the other end.

"Claire I need you here at the office ASAP."

This woke Claire up. "What? Why?" She groaned as she sat up once more. "You said I could sleep in and then just come in to write the report later this afternoon-"

"This isn't about that report, Claire. I think I'll let you off the hook for that one," Matt told her, and Claire was both confused and afraid at the serious tone in the voice of her not-so-serious friend.

"What are you talking about Matt?" Claire asked concernedly.

"Just..." He sighed. "Come in as soon as you can." The line clicked as it went dead, and Claire sat there for a few moments before slapping her phone shut and swinging her legs out fo the bed to touch the floor.

She managed to get up and walk to her wardrobe at a reasonable pace, and pulled out her black slacks and light blue button up blouse. She then half ran to the her bathroom, that was connected to her bedroom. She had the fastest shower she ever had, shampooing her hair in record time.

She got out and dried herself before wrapping herself in a purple bathrobe and pulling her makeup and toothbrush out of the top drawer. She somehow managed to brush her teeth with her left hand and her hair with her right, but she caught herself moving her left up and down and her right side to side a few times.

After fifteen minutes, a dash of lip gloss and a whole lot of hair brushing, Claire was finally ready. Well, sort of. Her hair was still wet and she had pulled it into a messy bun on the top of her head, and her clothes weren't exactly ironed, but thanks to the panicked tone of Matt's voice, she honestly didn't care.

She gathered her wallet, keys and phone and quickly put on a few items of jewellery from her duchess before heading out, her heeled ankle boots clopping against the floor as she walked out of her room and through the halls of the rather large house she lived in.

"Oh, Claire! I was just about to get someone to go and wake you up." Claire turned to see her grandmother standing there with a disapproving frown on her face. "You know it isn't good for you to sleep in so late."

"I am sorry Angela, I had a late night," Claire replied, desperately trying to not argue with the older woman.

"Well, you shouldn't. It is very bad for your body clock. I good night's rest is what you need, especially in your situation." She was definitely getting on Claire's nerves...but then again, when wasn't she? Claire had only known the woman for a few years, and she refused to refer to her grandmother as 'Gran' or anything like that, but instead called her by her name, Angela, as though they were merely passing acquaintances.

Claire was about to turn and leave, but the last comment caught her attention. "My situation?" she asked, annoyed.

"Yes. You run around, saving lives and doing God knows what else, and the least you could do is try and look after yourself. You should be in school, studying to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or something suiting your intelligence-"

"No, that's enough," Claire snapped. "I am sorry, Angela, but you can't tell me what to do. Yes, I live under your roof, and I am very grateful for that, but I don't have to abide by your rules, If you do not agree with me or my lifestyle, I will quite happily go and live with Peter," she informed the woman. Peter was her uncle and best friend, and she would have preferred to stay with him, but she didn't want her grandmother to be all alone and without protection, especially as the old woman had managed to make several enemies in her time. "I am sure Peter would be happy to have me. I stay here for your sake, in the hope you wouldn't be so lonely, and I would like to get to know my own grandmother, but you do not have to comment on every aspect of my life. Yes, I should legally be in school, but according to the government, I don't even exist anymore! I am going to be an agent for the rest of my life, working for our new company in the hope to somehow undo all the damage you and your friends unleashed when you first began it when were younger, and I don't think a law degree will help me with that. I train with guns, not words, and I don't argue. I don't play nice anymore. I go in there, and I do what I must, because I must. It is my responsibility, and you are NOT going to stop me." With that, she turned on her heel and left the room, leaving a very irritated woman in her wake.

By the time Claire got to the office, she could see several different cars in the carpark. It looked like Tracy, Matt, Peter and Mohinder were there, along with many others whose vehicles she didn't recognize.

She walked into the large building, waving her badge in front of the security, though they knew who she was. Everyone did.

The newly reformed company still worked under the guise of Primatech Paper, only it functioned much differently. There was less capturing and imprisoning and much more listening and caring. The field agents had been retrained to talk and think first and then act afterwards.

They lived in a world where people with incredible abilities where becoming more and more common, and they had to do everything possible to keep the 'specials' (people with abilities) a secret from the rest of the world. Some of those with powers were dangerous, and had to be detained, but then there were others, like Claire, who's moral compass was ever correct.

Technically, Claire was far too young to be working there, but her grandmother had pulled some strings and made it possible. She and her adopted family rarely spoke, and Noah, her adopted father, worked for the same company, only it was the one in Texas. She spent her time in New York, feeling more comfortable there, surrounded by people like her. People that understood, and could provide support and opportunities for her to make something of herself. Sometimes she felt sad and guilty when she thought of her decision to leave her family behind, but she knew that if she were with them, she would never be happy. Besides, they would be in danger if she were there, and she couldn't let that happen. So, she worked for The Company once more.

Thanks to young Micah, who had the ability to communicate with machines and make them do what he wanted, they were never short of money. He would often have a look at different things going on around the world, and if there was ever something floating around, it would be theirs. It probably wasn't very moral, but it had to be done. Often if people gained money through illegal activities, they would take away from that also.

So, it was a strange, disfunctional group of people, that somehow managed to save lives on a regular basis. Some died on missions, some left and never came back, but most stayed, because what they were working for was far too important to just leave behind.

"Hey Claire!" Tracy called, and Claire turned around to see her friend walking up to her. "It's so good to see you!" Tracy gave Claire a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before releasing her with a confused expression on her face. "Weren't you supposed to come later on? You had a big night last night with the party and everything."

"Yeah, I was, but Matt called and he wanted me to come in and talk to him about something. Do you have any idea what it might be about?" she asked Tracy curiously, hoping to find out more about whatever had Matt so worried.

"Well, I was in the middle of a report but Matt called and he wants me to go to the meeting room, which is where you are going too I guess. We'll probably find out together."

"Yeah, I hope we find out soon," Claire said, biting her lip. "The suspense is killing me. Matt sounded really worried on the phone!"

"Really?" Tracy began. "Come to think of it, he did look a bit pale when he came to see if I could make it," she pondered aloud.

"Well, if we want to find out, we should probably go and see what he has to say. He is the only one who can tell us."

Tracy laughed a little as they began to walk. "If it's something to do with this company, chances are your grandmother could tell us more than Matt could, and he's the director of this place."

Claire sighed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, but even if it wasn't company related, I have a feeling my grandmother would still know."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Tracy agreed as she pressed the arrow on the elevator several times. "She's like a freak. An all-knowing freak."

Claire joined in the laughing as they entered the elevator. "I guess the whole 'dreaming the future' thing comes in handy."

"Can you believe that I actually hadn't realized that was how she did it?" Tracy asked disbelievingly. "Wow, it never crossed my mind. I just though she was one of those people that seems to know everything."

Claire smirked and looked away. "That too."


"So, you ladies are probably wondering why I asked for you to come here," Matt began as he seated himself at the head of the large table, and Claire and Tracy sat across from each other in the middle part.

"No, I was just wondering what kind of poison you would like me to put in your food," Tracy responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Cut the crap, Matt. We wanna know why you brought just us here, and we wanna know now. No more games, just the truth."

Matt's shoulders sagged, and he looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, I just...don't know how to explain all of this without you both thinking I'm crazy. Or worse."

Claire snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Worse?"

"Yeah, you could realize I really am crazy," Matt quipped, trying to lighten the mood, but the only thing he succeeded in was making the two women more impatient. With a sigh, he decided to come out with it.

"Okay, so, well...I have a mission for you both, and well, you don't have to take it, but it is really important."

Claire rolled her eyes. "So, it's our choice, but if we say no you'll guilt us into doing it anyway."

"No-" Matt began to protest, but he was cut off by Tracy.

"Well that's what it sounds like."

"Look, I know you both don't think very much of the assignments we give to you, but I can't even begin to describe how important this one is. Please, just give me a chance to explain."

"Fine. Sorry Matt, continue," Claire encouraged, and Tracy nodded in agreement.

"We have a friend in Romania, another future painter-"

"A what?" Claire yelled at him. "If there is another future painter, I think we all have the right to know!"

"Look, I know that might make you mad, but it was decided by the board to be kept secret for as long as possible in case word got out to anyone we didn't want to know. More people have shown up that weren't on Suresh's original list, and some of them don't necessarily want to be in direct contact with us as they feel it endangers them personally." Claire snorted. "Claire, come on. Not everyone grows back their bones, and you can't really judge us mortals for not wanting to put ourselves in harm's way."

"Matt, you keep saying 'us' like it includes you too, but it doesn't. You have just as much if not more to lose than any of them but you live dangerously in the hope your son won't have to. Can't they humble themselves and come and help us?"

"I don't know Claire, but I don't want to bug them about it. We need what little help they can give us, and they're unlikely to want to help us if we hassle them 24/7. Anyway, he painted some interesting things about the future..."

Tracy snorted. "That's generally what future painters do." Matt glared at her. "Sorry," she apologized.

"Anyway, he's been painting a series of pictures over the last few months, and they're finally starting to connect. Look up on the screen to see them." He lifted up the remote and turned on the screen, and they saw the first picture. These were not cartoon style like Isaac Mendez's had been, and instead looked like something out of a Japanese comic, a strange form of manga.

The first picture was of six friends in the ocean, splashing each other and laughing. Claire couldn't help but smile at the image.

Then there was a girl with light hair standing in front of a boy, but you couldn't see her face. He was obviously being told off by her, as she had her finger in the air, pointing at him, and was bowing his head with mild shame.

The following image was of a girl and two boys on a stage. The boys were in top hats and leather suits, and the girl was in a tutu and a corset. They were obviously performing something to a crowd, and they all seemed to be enjoying it.

The next one was of a girl standing at a ballet barre, her foot lifted up behind her and being held by a woman with a smirk on her face. The girl was wincing in pain, and the leg was obviously being bent way too far. There was a boy in the back ground that looked just about ready to murder the woman, but he was doing nothing about it.

Next there were two girls and a boy standing on a stage with medals on their back, looking incredibly proud of themselves.

The one after that was a girl being lifted up in the air by a boy, and her hair was flung around her like she was being swung around. There was the biggest, goofiest grin lighting up her face, and she held on to his shoulders tightly. They looked happy and in love, and Claire felt a pang in her heart, but she ignored it.

The next picture was of two girls embracing, holding each other as though they were afraid the other might disappear at any moment. Only one of the face could be seen because of the angle, and it was scrunched with pain and tears were streaking down the girl's face.

The next was of a girl with dark hair, who Claire was pretty sure was the one that boy had been lifting in the air. She was lying in a shower, unconscious. She was fully clothed, and there seemed to be no blood, but it was hard to tell since the picture was done in pencil only, with no colour.

Matt sighed, and looked at them. "There are two more, and many debated whether or not we should show them to you, but in the end, I convinced all of the board that you could be trusted." He clicked the remote once more and Claire looked back up at the screen again, and was shocked with what she saw.

She was in a leotard with a skirt, being lifted by a boy. She was lifted and facing him, and one of her legs was vertical in the air behind her, while the other was pointed down. Effectively, she was doing the splits, only vertical and in mid air. But what really shocked Claire was her own face. She was looking down at the boy, her eyes shining, and he held her up with strong, muscled arms and smiled right back at her.

"Who...who is that?" she asked, disbelieving.

"Well, obviously one of them is you, and I will talk to you about who the other person is soon. But you have to see the last one he drew."

He clicked the remote again, and Claire and Tracy stared.

This one was in color, unlike the other ones. It was all in shades of red or orange, with some black. The sky was an angry red, and bathed the streets of a city with a red light. Claire looked in the background and did a double take, looking at it in shock.

There, in the middle of the background, was the Sydney opera house.

"That's Sydney?" Claire asked incredulously.

"It will be, unless we do something about it. The pictures have to all be connected. Everything is! A lot of the pictures show someone who is in another, and they all seem to be fine and not too dangerous, until you get a girl unconscious in a shower and the possible destruction of an entire city!"

"Well, if they are all a bunch of people, it seems they are all really happy until something happens to them. We just have to find out what happens, and then stop it. If their sadness is connected to the destruction of Sydney, then we have to stop the reason for their sadness," Claire said logically.

Tracy nodded before turning to Matt. "Do you know who is in the pictures? They're all pretty realistic, so you could get image matches for them. They would most likely be in Sydney, and-"

"I know, Tracy," Matt interrupted. "And we have run them through the data base, and we got nothing. So, we did some thinking, and looked into things to do with Sydney and ballet, and it turns out the Australian National Academy of Dance is in Sydney, and it is quite possible, seeing as all the people in the pictures are teens, that that is where all the stuff is happening."

Claire worked out his thinking immediately. "You want me to go there," she stated, and he nodded slowly.

"They are three months away from the end of the year, so I think you could get enrolled for next year."

"Yeah, the only problem being the little fact that I don't dance..."

"You can learn. You were a cheer leader, and a damn good one, and you took ballet when you were a kid. You don't feel pain, so that won't hold you back."

"I used to do ballet too, up until I was eighteen. I loved it. I could help you out with a few things," Tracy offered.

Matt smiled at her. "Tracy, that's really nice of you, but this is a National Academy of Dance. We're gonna have to find a way to make Claire a ballet expert in three months."

"We can find some ballet expert to teach her, and isn't there a guy somewhere that can put abilities into people? Like ballet, flexibility, athletics and all that?"

"Yes, but we should try to at least get Claire some knowledge of ballet and see how good she can do at it, and then if she needs a bit of an extra kick, we can get the guy to put flexibility in there or something. It'll work out. We'll make it."

They were all silent for a moment. "What about me?" Tracy asked. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, we don't want Claire's mum involved in anything, so you will be playing mum to Claire for anything to do with that. You can keep working here, but just go over there every now and then and spend time with her, make sure she is doing all right, get to know her friends and all that."

Tracy nodded, and a grin made it's way over her face and she turned to Claire. "If I'm your Mum, you have to do what I say..."

Claire sighed, looking at Matt. "Couldn't you pick anyone else to be my mother?"

"Yes, but you two pull of the mother/daughter act so well," Matt replied with a smirk, and Tracy smiled triumphantly, looking at Claire.

Claire groaned, rolling her eyes. "If you embarrass me, I will kill you."

"I'd like to see you try, cheer leader," she teased, and Claire lifted one eyebrow.

"Come at me, popsicle," she replied, sticking her tongue out.

Tracy smirked, knowing she would have an advantage. She opened her mouth, poked her tongue out, and Claire watched as a cold mist rose from her tongue and out her nostrils.

"Hey, that's not fair! Matt, come on, she can't win with that!" Claire appealed, but the mind reader was too busy laughing. The 'who-could-be-cooler-than-who' game was played between the two females on an almost daily basis, and they had become quite good at it. However, Tracy often had the upper hand due to the amount of cool tricks she could pull of with her freezing ability.

"Sorry Claire, but I think she won this round," he said sadly after wiping away the tears from laughing.

"Fine," Claire sighed, standing. "But I will win next time, just you wait," she directed at Tracy before turning on her heel and walking away.

Once the door closed, Tracy became serious once more.

"Matt, do you really think she can do this?" she asked, obviously worried.

He nodded. "She'll pull through. She has to, remember? Save the cheer leader, save the world."

"Yeah, but how many times can she save it before she runs out of luck? Until we all run out of luck?"

"We'll just have to cross our fingers and hope that doesn't happen. We are going to have to band together on this one."

"I don't think that will be a problem. If Claire is involved, everyone feels safer. It must be something to do with her ability."

"Just...make sure she feels safe too. If she freaks out, or loses it, they will take advantage of it-"

"It won't happen. I swear to you now, Parkman. Claire will save the day, and no one will stop her. I will make sure of it."


When Claire got back to the mansion, she found her door open, and she could have sworn she had shut it before she had gone. This, of course, meant that her oh-so-lovely grandmother had been going through her things again. Great.

"Angela!" she called out as she dumped her bag on the floor.

"I'm here, Claire!" a voice floated from downstairs.

Claire kicked off her heeled boots and walked downstairs, obviously not impressed. She found her grandmother in the sitting room, reading a book with her glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Angela, I thought I told you to stay out of my room," Claire sighed as she sat on the couch facing her grandmother. Angela's facial expression didn't change, so Claire decided to ignore that problem and move onto the next one. "Angela, I need to talk to you about something," she said, and the old woman put her book to the side and removed her glasses so she could see Claire clearer.

"What ever is the problem, dear?" she asked, looking concerned, but Claire ignored her face. She probably knew what Claire was going to ask her about anyway.

"I was wondering if you knew of any good ballet tutors?" Claire asked finally.

Angela nodded, sitting back in her chair so she was more comfortable. "And whatever would you need that for, dear? Have you decided to change your preferred choice of career?"

Claire held in a scoff. "You know why, Angela. I need to get into that Academy, and somehow I don't think I'll wake up one morning to discover I have been magically transformed into a ballet expert."

"Alright, alright. There's no need to get defensive. I know someone from a few years ago. I shall organize for her to come and assist you. How often would you like to train?"

"As often as possible, I'd say. I need to be as good as possible so I can get into that Academy."

Angela nodded, standing up from her chair. "Don't worry about it. I used to know a woman by the name of Lena, and she is a renowned ballet tutor, and is very good at what she does. Now, upstairs with you, girl! Get some rest."

Claire yawned. "For the first time in a while, I completely agree with your thinking."

She walked upstairs and shut her door behind her, taking her hair out of the bun and removing her jacket. Without even bothering to change into more comfortable clothing, she jumped onto her bed, and tucked herself under the covers, relishing the feeling of her muscles relaxing.

It would probably be her last chance to relax for a long time.


Six months later...

Tara took a deep breath, closing her eyes and scrunching them up tightly. She squeezed her hands together tightly, and grit her teeth, taking yet another deep breath.

"You alright?" Christian asked her, frowning with concern.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little excited." Christian stared at her. "Okay, more than a little. But, really, we're in SECOND YEAR!" It took all her will power to stop herself from squealing, and she hugged her boyfriend tightly. "I can't believe it."

They both attended a Dance Academy in Sydney, and Christian had been staying with her over the Christmas break. Now, they were about to return for their second year at the Academy, and Tara could not have been more excited.

"Obviously," he commented sarcastically as he hugged her for a moment before releasing her. "Now, are we going to go or not? Your dad is waiting for us in the car you know!"

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot. I'm just, so..." she struggled to find the right word.

"Excited? Thrilled? Over the moon?" Christian offered, smirking at her.

Tara let out a satisfied sigh as she grabbed his hand and they walked up the hill toward the car. "Yeah. That."

"You kids ready to head off?" a gruff voice called to them, and Tara lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she look up the hill to see the figure of her father, standing tall and proud at the top.

"Yeah, we're coming Dad!" she called back, and she turned to Christian with a mischievous grin. "Race you!" she yelled before tearing off up the hill, with him following close behind her.

"Not fair! You didn't warn me!" he called after her, shaking his head as he caught up with her and tossed her over his shoulder. She squealed and laughed and wriggled, but he refused to set her loose. He approached her father and the man gave him a crooked smile.

"Nice to see you two finally decided to show up. Now into the car! We ain't gonna wait all day now are we mate?" he directed at Christian before laughing and walking around the old truck to get in the front.

Christian plopped Tara down onto the ground and opened the door, sweeping his arm before him with yet another smirk playing on his lips. "My Lady," he offered, bowing gracefully. Tara giggled and pushed herself off the grass, brushing the dirt off her shorts and jumping into the back seat. Christian hopped in behind her and shut the door,

"All belted up?" Mr Webster asked, and Tara looked at him in the mirror.

"Yep," she replied, and the truck started up, the motor grumbling as though it was hungry.

"You kids all ready to go?" he asked once more.

Tara turned to Christian, looking him in the eye. "Yeah, we are," she said, nodding and smiling as she looked at her boyfriend. "We are."


It was midday by the time they reached the city, and Tara was even more excited than before, if that was even possible. She had not stopped talking the whole trip, and though most would find that annoying, Christian though it was both adorable and funny.

"Now, my baby girl," Mr Webster said after the last of the bags had been taken out of the trunk. "Don't go doin' anything stupid, alright?"

"I won't Dad," Tara assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back a little and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. "I will be sensible, and mature, and a very good girl. Christian will make sure of it."

"He better," the man remarked, looking pointedly at his daughter's boyfriend.

"I will. By the way, thank you again for having me over Christmas. You have no idea how much it meant to me," he thanked.

"Oh, that's alright. You give my daughter a special gleam in her eye, and that's worth everything," he finished with a smile on his face. He leaned over and gave his daughter one last kiss on the forehead before he made himself hop in the truck and leave.

Tara and Christian then separated ways, planning to meet up 15 minutes later after having signed in at the boarding house and unpacked a little. They each freshened up quickly and met outside the building, ready to find their friends.

So they walked along the streets, not really in a rush to be anywhere, holding hands and talking about anything and everything. It wasn't too long before they managed to spot two very familiar and welcome faces coming towards them in the distance.

"There's Kat and Sammy!" Tara exclaimed.

"Yeah, I see," Christian replied with a smirk.

They doubled their pace and approached their friends, who were oblivious to the fact that they were being watched as they spoke with one another.

A young girl left a container in Sammy's hands and walked away after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, and Kat watched her leave and turned back to her friend.

"You've been keeping busy then?" she asked with a smirk.

Sammy stopped and turned to her. "Well, I am a boarding house adviser so it is my duty to...welcome the first year students."

Christian let out a low laugh. "Is that what you call it?"

Kat and Sammy looked up, seeing their friends, and their faces lit up instantly.

"Hellooo!" Kat exclaimed, giving Tara a huge hug.

After their greetings had been exchanged, they stood back and looked at each other as though they hadn't been together for years.

Sammy smiled and his eyes lit up. "So, exactly how long did the 'Just Friends' rule last?" he asked casually.

"Oh yeah!" Kat remembered. "Who caved first?"

Tara and Christian looked and pointed at each other.

"She did-"

"He did-"

There was some awkward laughing and Kat raised her eyebrows, sizing the two up, but Tara was already distracted as she looked at the building they would be spending the next few months in.

"Wow, second year," she breathed.

They all stopped and gazed at the building.

"Did anyone think we'd ever make it this far?" Sammy wondered aloud, though he probably would have been better off keeping it to himself.

They all turned to look at him, and his eyes widened as he realized what he had said. He gave Kat a pained smile. "I am so sorry!"

"It's fine," she assured him.

"No, I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. My new 'holding cell's' just 'round the corner. It'll be just like old times," Kat insisted.

"Good," Tara said, smiling with relief.

"Alright, well we'd better go," Sammy said, turning to Kat.

"Right. See ya!" Kat called after him, smiling and giving his hand a squeeze as he walked past. "Have fun at school!" she called after them as she watched them walk into the very building she had once loathed, but now desperately missed.


Tara, Sammy and Christian walked through the halls, smiling at people as they passed them. The looked around the familiar halls, glad to be back at the Academy that been their home for the previous year.

"So, your Dad's still holding out on paying your tuition then?" Christian asked Sammy sadly.

"Yeah," Sammy replied, screwing his face up. "It's all about holiday savings at the moment. You don't know anything about the stock market do you?" he asked him jokingly, but before Christian could reply a voice interrupted them.

"Sammy!" Sammy turned slightly to his right, only to be grabbed by the shoulders and pressed into a kiss.

Tara and Christian rolled their eyes and turned away, looking at a poster of Tara on the wall and ignoring the face-sucking behind them.


Claire walked through the halls with Miss Rain. "I hope you realize how unique your position is, Miss Butler. We have never allowed a student to enter this Academy and move straight into Second Year, and I do hope you will make the best of this opportunity. Your year is...well, they have, in the past, been mainly focused on their own relationships, rather than the professional side of ballet. I do hope you will not make the same mistake."

"I will do my best to remain separate from all dramatics," Claire replied. "I wouldn't wish to have them jeopardize my being here. Being overseas is incredible enough, and having the opportunity to dance here is even better. The American version of this Academy is somewhat different, and not exactly something I would wish to be a part of."

"That is completely understandable," Miss Rain agreed. "I do hope you will find us somewhat more professional here."

They walked down a flight of stairs together, only to come across a girl and a boy kissing.

Miss Rain glared at them, and Claire bit her lip to hold in a laugh. "Mr Lieberman," Miss Rain cut in, and they separated immediately. "I believe the vernacular is 'get a room'?"

The two gave their teacher sheepish smiles as she walked past with Claire following. They walked for a little longer before two other students caught Miss Rain's eye, but they weren't participating in anything inappropriate, merely talking with one another as they walked.

"Tara!" Miss Rain called and the girl turned to see her coming.

"Miss Rain, it's nice to see you," she greeted, giving a nice soft smile. Claire looked her over, examining her. She was one of the main possibilities for the troublesome two, after all.

"Likewise," the woman replied curtly. "Tara, Christian, I would like to introduce you both to our new student, Miss Claire Butler."

The looked at her in surprise, and Claire gave them each a small smile in reply.

Miss Rain continued. "She will be joining you all in Second Year. I hope you make her feel welcome. Now, I must go and see to some other things. Would you both take her for a quick tour before class?" she requested, but she walked away before allowing them to reply.

"Sure," Tara said, eyebrows raised at her retreating teacher. She turned to Claire. "Hi, I'm Tara," she said, sticking out a hand.

Claire shook it. "Claire," she said her name, though Miss Rain had already told them. She turned to Christian. "And you're Christian?" she asked, and the boy looked at her suspiciously. She gave a small chuckle. "Miss Rain just said your name twice."

Christian's mouth formed an 'o'. "Okay..."

There was an awkward silence before Tara interrupted it.

"Your accent..." she half asked.

Claire smirked and nodded. "I'm American."

"Okay. I was just confused. So, why are you here?" Tara asked politely.

"To dance," Claire answered with a grin and Christian snorted.

Tara turned to look at him. "Come on," he defended. "You set yourself up for that one."

Tara shrugged and turned back to Claire. "That's not what I meant. I meant...why are you here to dance? Isn't there an Academy in America?"

"Well, there is, and I attended it last year, but...I didn't fit there. It didn't feel right. Too much drama and all that."

Tara nodded as she bit her lip. "So, should we take you for a tour of the classrooms quickly?"

"Sure, whatever, I don't mind."

"Come on, let's go." Tara turned and led her through the halls, explaining everything there was to be explained and more.


Half an hour later, they all gathered in the studio, and Claire made her way to stand at the back so she wasn't so obvious to everyone.

Miss Rain stood before them, smiling in her own weird way. "It's good to see you all once more," she began. "Welcome to Second Year. I do hope you will all try your best to achieve great things this year, as it is one full of many opportunities. Now! I would like to introduce you all to someone. Claire," she called, looking to the back of the room. "Do come forward for me."

Everyone turned to look at her, and Claire gave them a soft smile and walked to the front to stand beside Miss Rain.

"Class, this is Claire Butler. She has transferred from America's top ballet school and will be staying here with us to learn what she can. I do hope you all welcome her." She turned back to Claire. "You may go back now."

Claire nodded and walked back to her place.

Miss Rain turned to the class once more. "Well, I'm sure you've all heard the rumors floating around, so I will get straight to the point. For the first time in over 30 years, the world's most prestigious ballet competition, the Prix de Fontayne, will be held here in Sydney."

Claire watched as excited smiles lit up the room.

Miss Rain continued. "Preliminaries are to be held at the end of the semester, followed by the nationals where it is decided who will go on to represent Australia. The Academy and The Company have both been asked to be a part of the launch tomorrow." She turned to the man standing on the edge of the room. "Sebastian will be choreographing."

Sebastian stepped forward. "It's the least I can do for the new principal of the Academy." Miss Rain smiled and looked down. "International judges will be in the audience. I cannot stress enough that we will be representing the entire dance community." He stopped and looked around the room. "This will be your chance to make a lasting impression. Now, First Years, I want you all in the centre. We'll go through your steps first. Second Years, I want you one the side and stretching."

Claire walked over to one of the barres and tried to ignore the stares she was getting from the other Second Years. They wanted to know how good she was, and she didn't really want to show them, especially since her skills were not her own, but had been merely installed into her brain. Like ballet was a game and she was a computer that had to have something installed into her to make her good enough.

She held the barre with her left hand an closed her eyes, trying to ignore those watching. She ignored Sebastian's voice as he instructed the First Years on their steps.

Okay, here we go. Just like Madame Lena told you. First position, plié, back in First. And again. First position, plié, back in First. Claire began to feel the eyes of many, so she quickened her pace and forced her pliés lower. She tried not to gag as she heard her knees crack and felt tingling up her spine, but it quickly went away. She was stretching herself much further than she should be, but she had to make an impression. She had to make them believe that she had been dancing since she could walk, and she was going to do it.

The students turned back to their own stretching, but occasionally glanced at the strange American girl at the barre.


There is the first chapter! I have the next one almost ready to be out, so it will be out for you all soon, promise! In the meantime...

"Tara, I want you to do the solo," Sebastian announced, and Tara grinned happily, turning to talk to her friends. Claire watched her in the mirror, and she smiled to herself.

She's happy. Let's try and keep her that way for as long as possible.


So, there is the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed! Please do leave a review for me and let me know what you think! :)