"Jade, if you come in this early you're going to make the rest of us look bad," Slam moaned, as he turned the rest of the lights on the in second floor dance studio. Jade had been dancing for the past hour, knowing that dancing was the best way to wake her up after a bad dream.
"As juniors, we have an example to set for the younger students!" she argued, stretching her legs out from her latest ballet routine. She'd been choreographing it for months, and couldn't wait to show Dame Skylar her progress on the three-point pirouette.
"It looks like Slam didn't get out of bed this morning," Camille joked. "Aren't those your pajamas?" Her eyes skeptically studied his white yin and yang t-shirt.
"Dance is about being comfortable in your own skin." Slam poked his tongue out at Camille. "If I have to come in at six am, then I'm wearing pajamas, no question."
Angelica scoffed. "Six am isn't that early, Slam."
"It's easy for some." he said, "Don't you have to get up at four am just to straighten your hair?"
It was Angelica's turn to look offended. "My hair is naturally straight." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"What ever you say, Miss Hair Product."
"Can we focus on dancing, please?" Jade said. "How impressed is Dame Skylar going to be when she comes in here and sees us all working really hard?"
"Mega impressed," Breeze said, tying his hair into a low ponytail. "Especially if we all take this time to master something we've been struggling on."
"Dame Skylar's probably still asleep," Slam yawned. "I know I am."
"Perhaps you'd like to led the warm up, then?" Camille smiled, high fiving Jade, who looked smug as Slam grudging led the five of them round the studio at a light jog.
After one lap, Angelica leaped onto Breeze's back and was carried around the studio. Breeze looked immensely happy about how Angelica's hands were resting on his shoulders.
"Isn't that cheating?" Jade whispered.
"It's building muscle," Angelica shouted back, having heard her remark.
Jade rolled her eyes in return, then picked up the pace, surpassing Slam. She was always the one to push herself to her limits.
After another five minutes of jogging, the five dancers stretched out their muscles. Seeing as Angelica could no longer be carried through this exercise, she asked for Breeze to help stretch out her calf.
Camille and Jade paired up, using each other's weight to do sit-ups, leaving Slam to march around by himself, still angry at the early rising.
"Which dance number should we practice first?" Camille asked, pushing some of her chocolaty hair out of her eyes. "The opening number for the High Hope Sponsorship Show?"
"Sounds as good as any," Slam said, "plus, Jade can't catch the beat in the final quarter."
Jade narrowed her eyes at him. "It's a complete change of pace from what I'm used to," she huffed.
"It's too bad we can't waltz all the time, then isn't it?" Slam smirked.
"Will you stop arguing?" Breeze shook his head. "We've barely been awake for ten minutes and you two are already at each other's throats."
"I was only messing with you, Jade," Slam said in way of an apology. "You know that right?" He blew her a kiss, jokingly or not.
Jade rolled her eyes, but smiled. It wasn't like Slam to give over so easily and they usually got to argue for another five minutes before one of the other dancers cracked.
"Start the track, Camille," Angelica said, her ponytail bouncing as she raised her toes in preparation for the beginning backflip.
The dancers got into position as Camille selected the right track and pressed play on the stereo. Light but fast music instantly started to play as Angelica performed the first move of the set. The routine was meant to showcase each of the five dancer's talents and then culminate in a combination of classical and modern dance styles.
As expected, Jade expertly executed the ballet section of the dance, her body as lithe as a willow. Camille danced like the music was apart of her body, her arms moving in perfect time to the fast paced beat.
The waltz section had taken some perfecting. Angelica paired with Breeze, who twirled her like she was made of glass. Slam, instead of opting to partner with his best friend, Camille, had chosen Jade. She was the most accomplished at classical styles and he needed all the help he could get. He was surprised with how much he liked holding her in his arms and how happy she looked as he spun her around the dance floor. The odd number left Camille to twirl alone, which suited her just fine. Her only focus was the music, which was emphasized by her blissful dancing.
Also as expected, Jade found it hard to shift from waltz moves to hip-hop. Breeze and Slam launched Jade and Angelica into the air, where they spun two full rotations before landing. While Angelica, easily bopping to the beat, shimmying with Camille, Jade struggled to find her place. Despite not being part of the routine, Slam took Jade's left hand and jaggedly twirled her, placing her at the center of the group. He grabbed her waist and flung her into the air for a second time, where she posed, momentarily suspended above the rest as they carried out a synchronized step that Jade would have ruined with her lack of co-ordination. When she landed, Slam caught her on his thighs for the final beat.
"Wow, guys, that was amazing!" Angelica twirled with delight, while Camille clapped her hands.
"The improvisation was a great idea." Breeze slapped Slam on the back. "It totally played to Jade's strengths."
Slam blushed, his cheeks almost the same shade as his hair. He hoped his friend wouldn't read too much into it. "Yeah, well, you wanted improvement, man."
"If only Dame Skylar had been here to see us," Camille said. "That was the best we've ever performed it."
"Talking of Dame Skylar, shouldn't she be here by now?" Angelica asked. Breeze rubbed her back as her breathing returned to its normal pace.
"Huh?" Jade turned towards the studio door, as if Dame Skylar would magically appear at the sound of her name. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing that Skylar could do.
"That's weird," Angelica said, putting her hands on her hips. "Slam might not like getting up early, but Dame Skylar's normally one of the first here."
Breeze shook his head. "Maybe something's happened to her."
"Need I remind you that the last time we tried to find her when she didn't turn up, we got turned into Sky Dancers?" Camille said.
"Searching Dame Skylar is like searching for trouble," Jade added.
"Still, we can't become Sky Dancers twice, can we?" Slam said with questionable logic.
Breeze nodded towards Slam. "We can't just abandon Dame Skylar, when she could desperately need our help."
Angelica grabbed Breeze's hand and squeezed it. The other three in the group had pretty much deduced that the two of them were together. They'd been inseparable since their last mission in the Wingdom, when Sky Clone had captured Angelica, with little hope of return. Without her powers to stop time, it had been tricky bringing down four horrorcanes, the largest amount the Sky Dancers had ever faced. Luckily, the forces of good prevailed, mostly down to Breeze's elemental powers, and Angelica had been saved. Slam, Camille and Jade were pleased at their friends' return, but not how distracted the two were getting with each other.
"I agree with Breeze," Angelica said.
"Of course you do," Camille snickered, but nodded. "Let's go to the Music Box," she said. "If Dame Skylar is anywhere, she's there."