There were five Leo Storms in the Rhythm Alive Dance Studio. One in each of the mirrored walls and one in the flesh, as in the flesh Leo step-turn-step-plié-step-fan-step-ball-changed the reflections fallowed. So did the nine other girls in Atelier NO. 1. Or at least they tried.
A trickle of sweat ran from the base of Leo's tightly bunned blond waves down the back of her sea green leo. She drew her shoulder blades back (even more), trying to pinch the salty snake-not because she was embarrassed but because she could. Her body always did as it was told. All she had to do was crank the music up and ask.
"And one…twooo…thu-hree…fourrrr…five…six…she-vuuuun…eight." Madame Prince slow-clapped to the jazzy ooze of Michael Buble's "Fever" while scanning her students for TICS (Timing, Incongruity, Carelessness, and Smiles). As always, her scrutinizing brown eyes whizzed past Leo like two bullets aimed at someone else.
"Too wristy, Bianca!" she clapped. "Less chin, Reese." Clap. "Rolllll the knee, Ronnie. Don't poke." Clap. Clap. "And I swear on my tendons, Hannah, if you don't fix that posture, I'm going to use you as a throw pillow!"
Chignoned and clad in a no-nonsense black cami with matching flare dance pants, the aging brunette looked like a prima ballerina laced up tighter than a pair of toe shoes. Yet she moved like honey and stung like a bee.
Leo loved her.
A thunderous knock interrupted their flow. The door opened just enough for Madame P to see someone wanted her in the hall. She gave Leo a nod silently transferring power to her star pupil , and then slipped out.
Leo rolled her neck and padded to the front of the room pausing only to reset the song. "Same routine triple time." She grinned as they began to dance. Feet turned out in textbook first position-her power position- Leo pursed her lips and channeled her inner dance director. "The mirrors are here for us to prefect our form, not our hair," she announced. Bianca picked up the pace with an embaressed grimace.
"Chest out," She demanded of Hannah, whose posture had taken another dive. Hannah had sprouted B-plus cups this year, the pull of which she was obviously still had trouble adjusting to. "Own 'em H!"
Hannah thrust out her boobs while her back arched in protest.
Note to self, Leo thought. Introduce H to the new line of Martha Graham bust-minimizer tops. Give her the friends-and-family discount if she balks.
Next to her, Reese spiked up into a high, athletic half split that was about two centimeters short of a cheerleader hurkey. Leo pulled Reese's ponytail down to stop her overzealous bobbing. "Less bounce, more weight."
Next she circled Ronnie. Each strand of her hair was in place, just like her steps. She strung together the exquisite sequences with technical perfection: Her toe was pointed at a forty-five-degree angle, her shoulders parallel to the floor, and her leaps timed to a millisecond of the driving beat. But she was full of more lead than a Chinese toy.
The song ended and Ronnie watched her friend eagerly awaiting her notes. "Watch me." Leo launched into a perfect pique turn. After the third revolution, the door creaked open and Madame P glided back in.
On her fourth turn, Leo saw her mother dressed in a grey and white après-dance warm-ups, beaming like an idiot.
And on her fifth-wait, were that herfamily? Leo slowed, then settled on the balls of her feet. The family strode into the room with matching grins. Leo waved her friends from the room before turning to her family with a curious look on her face. "Your coming to study at Hogwarts!" her little sister squealed happily flashing her an excited grin.
"What?" Leo's Tiffany box blue eyes searched her mom's identical ones for an explanation. A reaction. A punch line.
But the happiness on her mother's face was as genuine as it was rare.
Leo threw up her arms and spun in a perfect pirouette. "I'm in!" She tapped her toe on the floor, her breath caught in her throat. This was it. Her big break. The gateway to more stages, more solos, more chances to be at the center of everything. Leo smiled "I'm so ready for this." She announced.