Thank you so much to all who have read and reviewed. This story is more difficult to write than I could have ever imagined. Let me know if it's working for you. I'm trying to show that Jade is vulnerable but also grow her into the character that she becomes as a teenager (who doesn't appear at first glance to have a vulnerable bone in her body). I'm hoping it works!


Chapter 4 – A Refuge in Adversity

Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refuge in adversity. ~Aristotle

Sunday was nice. Jade woke up beside Cat and smiled; she was safe and with someone who loved her. Nancy Valentine was in the kitchen making pancakes – minus the gluten. The only person who normally cooked for Jade was the housekeeper – and that was only when she had time between all the things Camilla demanded of her.

After breakfast, Nancy asked the girls if they wanted to take a walk. They went to a nearby park and walked the trails, picking wildflowers and trying to capture pictures of wild animals. They had walked over five miles of the trail when Nancy suggested they turn back.

"Jade, have you heard about Hollywood Arts?" Jade looked at her curiously. She had not. "It's a performing arts school nearby. We're putting in Cat's application. We're going for a tour next week. Would you like to come?"

Jade couldn't believe her ears as she listened to their description of the place. A performing arts school. Dancing. Singing. Writing. Her mother would never let her do it – it would be too enjoyable. "I don't know if my mom would want me to," Jade said softly.

"Talk to her," Nancy said. "I think you have a good chance at a scholarship. If it's okay with her, we would be happy to take you on the tour and help with the application." They knew from years of spending time with Jade that her mother didn't take her anywhere – and that if left to her own devices, Jades would be going to the public middle school the following year. Jade would excel in academics on her own – but Nancy worried about her socially – she knew Cat was Jade's only friend. Besides, they didn't want to separate their daughter from her best friend.

Jade was on edge for the rest of the day. She needed to talk to her father. Her mother would never go for it – but Alex West might. When the Valentines dropped her off at home, she saw that her mother's car was in the driveway. Her knees shook as she approached the foreboding edifice and entered.

Camilla West was sitting in the living room, waiting for her daughter. Her green eyes turned icy as she started at Jade. "How dare you leave without asking permission," she said angrily. "Who do you think you are?" John was sitting in an easy chair, watching television, but his ears were clearly turned into their conversation.

"I asked John. On Friday night," Jade said firmly, her eyes popping up to meet his.

"I must have forgotten," he said uncomfortably. This was the price for her silence.

"Well, next time, you call me," Camilla said angrily. "Get away from me." Jade ran up the stairs to her room and closed the door behind her. She took a few deep breaths and tried to block out her mother – she would not let that woman ruin the lovely day she'd had with the Valentine family. And she certainly wouldn't let her forget about the new opportunity she'd been handed.

Jade called her father that night and asked him to pick her up after school. He was able to rearrange his schedule and agreed. He took her to an early dinner and she handed him all of the information about Hollywood Arts that the school librarian had been able to help her find. He was hesitant.

"Jade, do you know how many people make it in show business? Not that many. It's not a good idea to limit yourself to an industry that is so difficult to get into."

"They have good academics too," Jade said, showing him one of the pages the librarian had printed for her. "They have advanced classes – better than the public school ones – and people who have gone to really good colleges. I promise I'll take all of the academics. Please." It took the rest of dinner, but eventually she convinced her father to let her audition for Hollywood Arts.

The tour was on Tuesday afternoon. Jade was in awe as they walked into the brightly colored, wildly hectic building. There were paintings and instruments everywhere. Cat was bouncing happily as they walked toward the front office.

Lane Alexander, the guidance counselor, was waiting for them. He introduced himself and gave them a tour of the school. Jade fell more in love with the place with each step she took. Cat never stopped talking but Jade barely said a word – she was drinking in the possibilities.

The library was six times the size of the one in their elementary school. They had classes on every instrument imaginable and more writing classes than Jade had dreamed existed. Dance classes were not only provided, they were required. No more avoiding the dodge ball or running laps in gym class. Lane, as he asked to be called, introduced them to several teachers as they went on the tour.

It was Sikowitz who intrigued Jade – he was clearly insane. But he knew everything there was to know about acting. They watched an after-school workshop he was holding for only a few minutes – and they could see he was a genius. They were also introduced to several other more down-to-earth and traditional teachers. One thing they all shared in common – they all had a passion for one or more of the performing or fine arts. Lane was a dancer – one of the history teachers could sing circles around most pop starts – one of the science teachers was a master pianist. There were English teachers whose works were being published and brought to stages and screens across the world.

Jade knew before the tour was over that this was her chance. This was where she belonged – and this was where she would find her future. Away from her mother – away from that huge, lonely house. Her father had written a check for the application fee, so she was able to apply that day with Cat. Lane gave them invitation to the auditions and told them what to expect – and how to prepare. Jade promised herself she would work on nothing else for the next three weeks. That audition was hers.

She practiced her dance and her song every change she got – mostly during school. Her homeroom teacher and the music teacher were friends – and had agreed that Jade could spend recess and quiet study times in the music room. She'd never taken such advantage of that arrangement as she did in those three weeks. The music teacher helped her perfect the song she planned to sing and watched her feverishly practice her dance. Cat practiced too – but she was more oblivious to her skills – she simply began to dance – and it happened for her. She was poetry in motion from birth. Jade was more practiced – more precise.

Jade never spoke of the audition at home. She tried never to leave her bedroom unless it was completely necessary. The only one who knew of her audition was her father – and he never spoke to her mother. The audition was on a Tuesday, exactly three weeks after the tour. On Sunday evening, Jade had cooked herself a small helping of zucchini pasta – it was something Molly had taught her to make. It was easy and it didn't contain any of her allergens. She was hurriedly putting her used dishes into the washer when her mother came in the door, throwing her briefcase on the kitchen table and her suit jacket over the back of a chair. She had gone from working at home when Jade was small to working mostly every day at the office or on business trips. She had been gone since Friday this time – leaving Jade with the monster who defined far too many of her nights.

Jade said nothing; it was best to wait and see if her mother would acknowledge her. If not, she would stand there until her mother left the room and then go about her business.

"Your father called me today," Camilla said sharply. No such luck. Jade turned to face her, hands resting lightly against the granite counter. Her mother had a thin, dangerous smile creeping onto her lips. "So you think you're going to be a ballerina?"

"I want to write," Jade argued. Sure, she loved dancing – but that was a hobby. She wanted to go to Hollywood Arts for the opportunity it would give her to create the stories they were singing, to mold the stories brought to life by dancers and actors. Her mother ignored this. She moved closer to Jade – who kept her ground. This was not happening, her brain told her. This was impossible. The audition was in two days. Two days was all she needed.

"When will you get it into your odd little head, darling," the woman said cruelly, "you will never amount to anything. Certainly not a pretty little ballerina." Before Jade knew what was happening, her mother had a firm grasp on her ponytail – and everything went black.

Jade didn't know exactly what happened, but she woke alone in a puddle of blood. It was small, she realized with relief. The blood was coming from a cut at the side of her head and it had already clotted fairly well. She used a dish towel to clean up the mess and went to her bathroom to assess the damage. Her vision was swimming – but it stopped when she closed her eyes. So she figured it would be best to go to bed. She wished she could pilfer ibuprofen or Tylenol from her mother's stock – but she knew what a bad idea it would be if she were caught. Instead, she washed her hair of the blood, dried it carefully with a towel, and crawled into bed.

She never woke for her alarm Monday, so she missed school. No one usually saw her out the door, so she knew if she were quiet – they wouldn't notice her. Her mother was at work – but John could still be in the house. She stayed in bed all day, her stomach not even recognizing hunger for the pain in her head.

Surprisingly, she woke to the feeling of a cool hand on her head – who in the world could that be? She opened her eyes to see Molly and Cat crouched over her. Cat looked worried – her dark brown eyes close to tears. Molly was an adult, so she didn't give her emotions away quite as easily – but she too looked concerned.

"You didn't come to school," Cat informed her.

"Sorry," Jade said weakly.

"My mom's on her way – Molly can't find your mom."

"No," Jade argued. "I'm fine."

"Well, Miss Jade," Molly said sternly. "I wouldn't call having a gash in the side of my head fine at all. How did that happen?"

"I fell," Jade said stonily. Before Molly could argue with the lame excuse, Nancy Valentine walked into the room, followed by an irritable looking John. She worked part time at the hospital as a pediatric nurse – she knew how certain injuries looked; so it was dangerous for Jade that she was there. So she couldn't lie – but she needed to bend the truth. "I fell against the kitchen counter," she said, as Nancy slipped in next to Molly to assess the damage.

Nancy clucked her tongue as she pulled Jade's hair aside to survey the gash. "You probably needed stiches – it's a wonder it stopped bleeding. And you probably have a concussion. Why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"I didn't tell anyone it happened," Jade answered.

"She certainly didn't," Camilla West said, entering the room on a jog. "My poor baby." She pushed everyone out of the way and Jade was confused; her mother had never hugged her. But here she was, doing just that. Jade trembled in fear; if Molly, Cat and Nancy left right now – she was primarily sure she'd never see them again. She could feel the anger radiating off her mother as she neared. She didn't know how her mother would kill her – but she had no doubt that she would.

"What happened, baby?" Jade wasn't sure at first who she was addressing in such calming tones but she eventually spit out an answer.

"L-last night," Jade said. "I was putting my dishes away and hit my head on the counter."

"You poor dear. You should have told me," Camilla purred.

"I'm sorry," Jade answered quietly.

"I can close the wound with liquid stitches," Nancy said. "She needs to put ice on it for thirty minutes on, thirty minutes off. Molly, could you get an icepack?" Molly disappeared from the room.

"We can do that," Camilla informed Nancy. "You've done enough."

"It's not a problem," Nancy informed her. She asked Jade questions about her vision and the pain. She then parted Jade's hair around the wound, cleaned it, and used liquid stitches to pull the sides together. It hurt – but not as much as it had the day before.

Cat held Jade's hand as her mother closed the wound, curling into her side. Jade didn't make a sound as the procedure was being done. After she finished, Nancy took the icepack from Molly and placed it against the wound – Jade felt immediate relief. Nancy helped her lie down, The icepack resting between her head and the pillow.

Jade was sleeping within minutes. Cat begged to be allowed to stay and eventually she was granted her wish; Camilla could think of no good reason to refuse. So, Molly and Cat stayed the night – the tiny brunette curled up beside her best friend and the nanny sleeping in a nearby armchair.

"What a shame," Camilla said as she walked Nancy to the front door. "She was so looking forward to that audition."

"I'll call the guidance counselor. I'm sure she can reschedule the audition – or leave out the dance portion." Camilla fought to keep a straight face.

"How kind of you. You really don't need to worry – perhaps it's for the best. She's so clumsy, my poor little Jade. Maybe dancing isn't the best thing for her." Nancy didn't answer; she still intended to call the school. She never did like Camilla West; and she was starting not to trust her.

When Jade woke the next morning, she felt worlds better – and she was insistent that she be allowed to go to the audition. Molly let them both stay home from school and made sure Jade stayed in bed, resting until it was time to leave for the audition.

Nancy Valentine had explained the situation to Lane and he agreed that Jade should only do the singing part of her audition. She'd received a glowing letter of recommendation from all of her dance teachers, so it would be enough. As they were waiting for their auditions, Jade and Cat watched as three other girls left the theatre in tears. Jade had read enough about the school to know it was a competitive place; she crossed her fingers that both she and Cat would make it.

Jade watched as Cat performed her song and dance. She was breathtaking. She brought sunshine into every word. Jade's heart was pounding. She didn't have two chances to prove herself anymore; she had one. She couldn't dance; she could barely walk across the room without becoming dizzy. So her song had to be perfect. After Cat's audition, Jade walked over to the piano and situated herself. She answered questions from the five teachers on the panel and before she knew it, the time had come.

She closed her eyes and began; the song came naturally – she had been practicing it for weeks. It was an odd choice for an eleven year old, but she sang with such a deep, soulful voice that they quickly forgot her age and were embraced by the song.

The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive but I feel like I've died
And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away

After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today, someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I'll wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today, someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

Here I am at the end of me (at the end of me)
Tryin' to hold to what I can't see (to what I can't see)
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to Your promise
There will be a dawn

After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today, someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

It was over before she could even worry about how she sounded. Suddenly, applause erupted and her eyes flew open. They were all smiling at her.

Principal Eichner stood and walked over to the piano. He held out his hand to Jade and she took it. "Miss West, welcome to Hollywood Arts." Jade froze – she couldn't believe her ears. The principal was walking over to Cat and welcoming her as well – they had both made it. They would start sixth grade together at Hollywood Arts.


The lyrics are from "Beauty from Pain" by Superchick. If you've never heard it - go to YouTube and listen. It's lovely (and haunting).

Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review – let me know your thoughts. In the next chapter, we will meet Andre, Robbie, and – Beck!