I know I haven't finished my other short story but I had the idea for this one and I was like I HAVE to write it! Anyways compared to the other story this won't have much sadness or anything like that. It'll mainly be romance. But to keep it interesting I'll add a small bit of tragedy somewhere in there. ALSO this story is for my friend Genevieve; I hope you enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it.

Characters:

Chelsie Hightower – Genevieve "Gen" Donovan

James Maslow

Crystal Reed – Angela Ryder

Kendall Schmidt

Candice Accola – Krista Schaller

Grant Gustin

Alan Cumming – Fegan

Stanley Tucci – Sebastian

Rachel Hurd Wood (red head) – Elisabeth

The whole story will mainly be in Gen's point of view. ENJOY!

Imagine training almost your entire life for something you had a passion for. You get out there and do what your best and succeed. It all goes great until they bring in someone else then let you go just because they got a higher score than you just by one point. That's what my life was all about for the past twenty years.

I began to train for gymnastics at the age of 3. And boy was I good at it. You could say I flew by those lessons like it was nothing. I was the fastest learner out of the group of small children. Even if they were young they gave me looks of pure jealousy because the teacher always favored me for my abilities to bend my body and do flips with easy. Not long after the lessons they threw me right out to the Balance Beams. I surpassed many of the older girls that had worked on the beams longer than I had but it didn't matter. I was doing what I loved most.

Years later I asked to be in a professional gymnastics team and I gladly took it. By the age of 18 I was traveling the world, and I was also the youngest in the team. Many of the girls liked me but some envied me. They thought it wasn't fair that a younger girl would be put out to compete when some would have to sit out. But was it my fault?

My first competition had been in the 2008 Olympics. I remember standing in the large stadium. Women from around the world were there to compete as well and they were all amazing. What am I doing here? I had thought to myself. The very idea of letting down my team terrified me but my instructor had put me on the competition list for a reason and I can't back down. "Gen, are you alright?" My old friend Elisabeth asked coming up to me in the dressing room. She had deep red hair and bright green eyes, I had always slightly been jealous of her beauty and her grace. But she was the sweetest girl you'd ever meet. I looked at her in the mirror I stood in front of. I sighed in deeply, "I'm alright. Just nervous."

She placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it, "You'll be okay, I promise. Here Ontaria asked me to bring you your competition number." Elisabeth placed a paper with the number 412 on it. "Just stick it to the back of your leotard and come out when it's your turn. And Gen?" I looked up from the paper to meet her green eyes. She gave me a smile with her perfect straight white teeth, "You'll do great. I believe in you."

Elisabeth left then, leaving me in the dressing room by myself. I looked at myself once more in my shimmery white leotard before sighing, "Show time Gen." After placing the paper on my back; I walked back out to the stadium. The girl that was before me was just finishing up her routine. Ontaria walked up to me, red faced. Something had gone wrong and she definitely showed it. "Alright Gen, you're not going to like this. But the judges have decided to start you off at a 6.6 difficulty start." My eyes widened, I had never had to start off that high on the ranking. I usually started off with a 5, there must be a mistake.

Ontaria shook her head and grabbed my shoulders after noticing the panic on my face, "Gen you'll be alright, it just means you'll have to add the movements we decided to leave out in your routine." I scoffed, "We left them out for a reason! What if I can't hit them right? I'll fall right off that beam and embarrass myself in front of thousands of people!" I had to take in a few deep breaths to calm my anger down. This could not be happening to me!

"Our next competitor Genevieve Donovan!" the announcer said through the microphone. They hadn't even given me a chance to think through my routine. "Just stay calm Gen, you'll do great. I gave you this chance for a reason." Ontaria looked me in the eye. I nodded and walked out toward the beam with confidence. I would not show the judges my fear. Now was my time to shine.

( Her routine: www. /watch?v=NzEqRi3ZJgI&feature=related)

After the flip off the beam, I nearly lost my balance once I landed on the pad but I managed to regain it in seconds. Ontaria and most of the other girls congratulated me after I smiled and did my signature thanks to the crowd and the judges.

"You were great Gen!" Elisabeth ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "I knew you had it in you, Donovan!" Ontaria gave me a hearty laugh then patted me on the back. After that I received my score and it was far better than what I imagined, a 16.225. That's very good for my age group and it being my first big competition.

Now that I am twenty-two closing in on twenty-three I was put to train on a floor exercise. After the many gold medals I received in almost every competition. My standards had to be raised and at all the competitions the expectations for my routines to be better increased. "Gen, you have to focus! You can't go out there with a form looking like that!" Ontaria barked after I lost my balance and landed face first on the mat. I huffed; I had been practicing for hours now and no break. My legs felt like putty and my arms were about to fall off. "Can I please have a break?" I pleaded.

Ontaria had lost any sympathy for me after my first competition, now she wanted perfection from me. "Not until you land with both your feet on the ground with poise!" she snapped, "Now from the start!" I groaned and rose to me feet, walking over to the corner of the boundary. I began my round off then leaping into a twist but it caused my vision to become blurry and instead of landing like I should, I landed right on my side. Ontaria shook her head in disapproval, "Head to the bars and work on that routine then move to the beam maybe you can do that!" She walked off leaving me on the pad by myself.

I noticed a brunette girl that I've never seen before walk through with a grin on her lips, "And they say you're the best gymnast on the team?" I narrowed my eyes at her, "Who are you?" She walked onto the mat with a fake smile on her face, "My name is Jordyn and I'm here to replace you." I quickly stood up. She can't be serious! The team wouldn't replace me! Not ever! I stomped off the matt to search for Ontaria. I found her minutes later in her officer.

"You're not seriously replacing me are you?" I exclaimed as burst through the door. Ontaria looked up at me, "You are not being replaced...yet. If you do well against Jordyn in the next competition you'll stay but if she manages to beat you on the rank then you must pack your bags. You've been lacking in skills lately Genevieve, and Jordyn has the spark and passion you no longer have." How dare she talk to me like she knew me? Of course I had the spark and passion! For God's sake, I made this all my life!

For the next few weeks I trained as hard as I could. Apparently Ontaria wanted Jordyn and I to train separately since this next competition was to decide who would stay on the team. This made me furious but I sure as hell was no going to let Jordyn take my spot after I had been here for years.

The day of the competition came and we were heading to Japan for this competition. My parents dropped me off at the airport with the rest of the team that day. "Good luck sweetie, whatever happens we are very proud of you." My mother hugged me. Unlike my father, she had faith in me. My father had been a champion in the Olympics back in the day and he wanted me to be up there as well. The idea of being replaced made him angry, not at Ontaria, but at me. He had said that if I would train harder than things like those wouldn't happen. Part of me even believed that if I were to get replaced he would disown me. But who would do that to their child, right?

"Good luck on beating me, you'll need it." Jordyn sneered at me as she pushed past me. Some of the girls giggled as they followed behind her. Since the many of the girls already disliked me, they took a liking on Jordyn since she was my only real competition. "Don't listen to her." Elisabeth said walking up beside me. We boarded the airplane after that. The trip there was tedious, I always hated flying. It gave me a paranoid feeling so I had to take sleeping pills in order to make it through the flight.

I was awakened by Elisabeth the moment we landed. "Come one sleepy head, time to get off!" she chimed before grabbing her bags. I rubbed my eyes before getting off the seat. Jordyn gave me a look from the other side; she flipped her hair before walking away with her bags. That girl just made me want to run her over with a big 18-wheeler.

The hotel we were staying at was beyond amazing; only we didn't get to enjoy it because we had to practice for the competition tomorrow. Onatria was set on having Jordyn and I separated. But no worries, there's no way the girl could be better than I. "Gen! Gen! Gen!" Elisabeth came running in as I was fixing to get on the uneven bars. I turned around and noticed her flushed face, it looked like she had been running. "What is it?" I asked. Elisabeth crouched down for a moment catching her breath. After a moment she finally stood up straight, "Jordyn…oh my god….she's amazing. Ontaria had me practice in the same gym as her and…all I'm saying is you should be intimidated." I furrowed my eyebrows, "Thanks for the encouragement Lis." She waved her hands in front of her and rolled her eyes, "I'm just telling you not to get too confident. Anyways, I gotta get back to practicing; Ontaria is really on our case right now. See you later!"

I continued to practice until it was curfew. The routines had gone great, which in some way it wasn't a good thing. Usually there is always a flaw but not this time, it was nearly perfect. I decided not to let that get in the way of my mindset; I had to beat Jordyn in order to stay. And I was going to do that tomorrow at competition. I was going to show her what a real gymnast looks like.

The next morning I woke up with sore muscles, which never happens to me. "This can't be good." I said to myself the moment I got out of bed. Elisabeth was rooming with and she was already up and going. We both got into our leotards then our team sweats.

"Good morning Gen." Jordyn smirked once we got into the elevator. "Good morning…Jordyn." I struggled to reply. Loathing the girl wouldn't help me, but it sure as hell felt great. Once the elevator opened one the first floor, Jordyn pushed past both Elisabeth and I, nearly knocking her over. "What the hell was that?" I exclaimed helping Elisabeth regain her balance. Jordyn gave me a side look before walking off. "I do not like that girl one bit." Elisabeth growled. "Come on lets go." I sighed.

The stadium here in Japan was quiet large in comparison to the ones we have been to in the past. "Alright girls show time! Jordyn you're up first from our team!" Ontaria shouted over the crowd. Jordyn turned to give me an evil smile before walking off to do her routines. There's just no way that the girl can be as good at Elisabeth made it sound.

That was until I saw her start off.

(Jordyn's routines : watch?v=lcKRHUOtL_k&feature=related Skip to :28)

My jaw had dropped once she finished her floor routine. Everyone in the crowd cheered for her. I must admit this scared me. She was as good as Elisabeth had said. But I cannot lose hope, there's still a chance. "Try to beat that." Jordyn whispered as she pushed past me after getting off the floor mat.

I continued my pacing around while more contestants went until my name was called. Ontaria went up to me and sighed, "This is it Gen, prove to me that you belong on the team." I nodded. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Jordyn to turn to one of the girls and began laughing as they watched me head to the uneven bars.

I stepped on top of the small stand that would help me gain bounce to be able to grab on the first bar. I took in a deep breath and jumped. The twists and turns were great and precise until I got to the hard maneuver…

(Uneven Bar routine: watch?v=CT2Wlljps3U)

After landing I did my signature thanks and stepped off. It wasn't long until the tears came, how could I have fallen? It's never happened before! I couldn't even look at Ontaria, there was no doubt that I had just cost us many points as a team. "It's alright Gen!" Elisabeth came running to me and engulfed me into a hug, "You still have a chance to win back some points off the beam and floor routine!"

"Not with a torn leotard. " Jordyn smirked as she walked up and hooked her finger through the hole that was on the side of my outfit. It must have torn when I had taken the fall. Elisabeth pushed her aside and took my face in her hands, "It's alright. Thankfully I brought an extra in case something like this happened. She quickly led me to her bag then towards the dressing room. I had only 5 minutes before I would get disqualified for abusing the time out they gave us.

The leotard was a soft pink with white sleeves, also shimmery. I thanked God letting both Elisabeth and me be the same size. Quickly I hugged Elisabeth and thanked her before getting back out to the stadium. Ontaria looked gravely upset in me but I shook it off, I had to shine on the beam now and on the floor. With confidence, I stepped out to the beam.

(Balance Beam routine: watch?v=H8B0IFC-jNE)

This time I landed more gracefully, I looked over to see Ontaria. She still had a grim look on her face but clapped for me anyways. "You did well!" Elisabeth jumped on me. I laughed, "Thanks now I have to get out to the floor. Just as I pulled away from Elisabeth, I watched Jordyn come up to with hands on her hips, "Save it Gen, you're far behind me. If you want to catch up then your last routine will have to be perfect." I gave her my sweetest smile and by the look on her face, she hated it. "It's okay if you're getting nervous Jordyn. You can't have my spot and I'll show you that." This time it was me that pushed past her as I made my way to the floor mat.

(Floor routine: watch?v=ALyyC2WTPdI)

Holding back the tears I wanted to let go so badly, I did my gratitude stance before walking off. I couldn't believe I had fallen on that flip! Much more landing on my knees and stepping out of boundaries! I watched as Ontaria threw her clipboard on the floor in anger. Now I was sure to be off the team. I had let my team down, myself down and most importantly my parents down. I didn't deserve to be a gymnast. Jordyn gave me a cocky grin once I walked back to my team. "Nice going Donovan." Some of the girls sneered. They were without a doubt furious at me for having points being deducted for my mistakes. "Leave her alone!" Elisabeth defended me as she took a seat next me and tried to comfort me by running my arms. But there was no use, I placed my head in my hands and cried.

Jordyn had been announced as champion in the end results, she had received first place overall. Me on the other hand got thirteenth, which wasn't terrible but it was still awful. All the girls surrounded Jordyn and congratulated her on her win and on her newly earned spot on the team. Ontaria didn't even bother with sweet words, "Turn in your team bag and outfits once we get back."

When we returned to America, my mother greeted me with a sad expression. The moment I turned to look at my father he gave me a look of disgust. "I tried dad, I really did." I cried once we got inside the car. "Trying isn't succeeding Gen! We raised a winner not a loser!" he yelled slamming his hands on the steering wheel. "Richard, please don't be hard on her. She tried, it just wasn't her day." Mom said with a calm voice. My father shook his head and shot me a look through the rearview mirror, "Yeah and she got herself kicked off the best team here in America! What do you have to say about that huh? All the money we spent on her, for what? For her to get thirteenth place? That is unacceptable! A Donovan should never rank that low!"

"I'm not you dad! Alright? So stop trying to compare me to yourself!" I screamed in anger. He punched the breaks and came to screeching halt, ignoring the honks of the other drivers. He turned to face me, cheeks flushed, "I want you out of the house the moment we get back. Consider yourself disowned." My mom turned to him wide eyed, "Richard! What are you doing?" He turned to face my mom, "Our family is place for only winners. Not children that will put a disgrace to our family." Even if my mother tried to, she could never get my dad to change his mind.

Once we got home, my own dad barged into my room and began to throw my clothes into suitcases. "Stop! Dad! Please!" I yelled out as hot tears ran down my cheeks. He knocked me on the ground, "You are no longer my daughter. I want you out of this house immediately, don't make me do something I'll regret Gen." My father walked out of the room without saying a word, my life had just taken a turn. First I was replaced now I was being disowned by my father. I hugged my knees to my chest and cried. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I can't help you." My mother said coming into the room. I knew it hurt her to see me like this. I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand, "It's okay mom. I'll be alright."

She placed a soft hand on my cheek and turned my face to look at her, "Listen to me Gen, your father loves you he does, but he's just taking this hard. I know you'll find it in your heart to forgive him for this." At this moment I wasn't even sure if I could ever do that. But I couldn't tell my mom that, she loved both my father and I, if I told her how I felt it would put her in a situation to choose between us and I couldn't do that. "Here Gen, take this with you. I found it not long ago, maybe if you choose to continue what you do then maybe you can try to go for this, "my mom said placing a folded paper in my hand. Please don't let it be another gymnastics thing. Right now, I didn't even want to look at anything that had to do with that.

She placed a kiss on my forehead before leaving my room. As I stood up on my feet, I placed the paper in the back of my pocket; perhaps I'll open it later. After gathering my thing and taking them outside, my father forced me to give him back my copy of the house keys. Mom stood behind him with red puffy eyes before my father slammed the door on my face. I didn't necessarily have any friends I could stay with for the night until I could figure out what do to next. Elisabeth had to go out of town and none of the other girls I trained with liked me.

I was forced to spend the night on the park bench. And sleeping on the bench at night in New York wasn't abnormal, many homeless people did it so they were left alone. Then the realization of being homeless hit me. I broke into tears for probably the 40th time today. Reaching to the back of my pockets to find a tissue paper, my hand touched something. I pulled it out and it was the paper my mother had given me. A note was had been written on the back of it.

I used to enjoy watching this when I was close to your age. I once dreamed of joining myself. Having the abilities that you do, perhaps you'd like to do it yourself. No matter what you choose to do, I'll always be very proud of you. I love you very much Gen. And you'll shine whether you follow your dream or not.

I turned the paper back over. The colors caught my attention. It was a circus ad; apparently they needed people for it. Only it wasn't your regular circus, this was sometime entirely different…and dangerous. The circus was Cirque du Soleil.

Okay, I know this chapter was ridiculously long but I needed to show what Gen can do, what happened to her, and how she came across the Cirque. If you don't know what it is, I suggest you look them up. They are absolutely fabulous. Anyways, REVIEW!