The morning dawned entirely too brightly for Crystal's taste. She slowly made her way out of bed and into the shower. The water turned on as hot as she could stand it, she stood under the stinging spray. She opened her eyes just enough not to stumble about as she pulled on clothes. Thankfully it was Monday and she could return to the studio. She made herself eat oatmeal with only a single spoonful of sugar, just enough sweetness to keep her from wanting to gag on the thick gruel. She drank orange juice, after all her body still needed vitamin C, and then went to brush her teeth.

She left her apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her. She felt like she was being watched as she strolled along the streets to the studio. Once inside, it was like she was enveloped in a feeling of safety and security. She hurried to the changing room and changed into her leotard and a sweatshirt. Until she was well-limbered up, she always felt as though she was freezing. She walked to the barre and began the slow, practiced movements she'd been doing since she was a small child. Within a few minutes, she was able to take off the sweatshirt and tossed it onto the chair she usually claimed as her own.

Slowly she began to move; her steps, so practiced, allowing her mind taking her farther and farther away from reality. She was greeted by each student as they entered, though she barely acknowledged them, so deep in the recesses of her mind. When the time came, she and Joaquin once again prepared their routine, this time without mistakes. Their group cheered when Crystal landed perfectly in Joaquin's arms and he lowered her until the tip of her nose touched the floor before he lifted her again, spinning her away to the tips of their fingers. Madame Alonzo and the rest applauded as the music faded. Joaquin and Crystal returned to stance and bowed.

The rest of the afternoon Crystal assisted Madame Alonzo by working with the younger students. Her favorites were the three-to-six-year-olds. They were so small and so excited about their first time being ballerinas. In their cute little tutus and dance shoes, their hair pulled back in the ballerina bun for the first time, each one was darling. Crystal took great pride and care in making sure each little ballerina felt special and understood the moves, the name of the move and had the movement down correctly before moving on to the next.

That evening, she swept the floor as Madame Alonzo went room to room turning off lights before she shut the door behind them, handing the spare to Crystal in case she wished to come in early in the morning to prepare for a performance that was coming in a few weeks. Crystal had a solo performance as well as her partner performance with Joaquin.

She cleared her mind of the performance with Joaquin, starting a blank slate. She thought of the movements she wanted to perform, her very best. Both simple and trusted and new and unique. She began with raising her leg to it's longest point and pointing the toe. She turned her body, sliding to the ground, her leg coming down behind her. She began to move faster, her body adjusting, firming or softening depending on the movement. She leapt and landed perfectly. She held her position before leaping again, landing not quite as perfectly, and made a mental note to perfect it. She worked harder, faster for an hour, then two, then three without realizing the hours that sped by

Finally, exhausted, she stopped and left the studio, locking it behind her. She smiled politely at the doorman and made her way upstairs. She climbed into the shower and washed away the dirt and sweat of the day, feeling exhaustion begin to overtake her. Oh, how she hoped for a night of oblivion. She ate her meager, tasteless supper in front of the television and then sat beside the bed, the small box of mementos in front of her.

It was then that she heard the voice. She thought for a moment she'd gone mad. But then she heard it again.

"What if I could take away your pain?" asked the voice.

Crystal grimaced. "Who are you?" she asked, her own voice echoing back to her. She looked around herself in the darkness.

"My name is Jareth. And you, you are Crystal. Sad, lonely, heart-broken, little Crystal."