AN: As you can gather from the title, i'm a linkenpark fan as well. My tastes are far and wide. :-p
More AN about this specific chapter at the bottem.

Chapter 13: Somewhere I belong...

"She's watching again." Angelica stated under her breath as she arched her arms above her head.

Breeze came up from behind her and, after running his hands down her sides in an almost caressing manner, picked her up.

"She doesn't have anything else to do." He replied softly, keeping his eyes on the others. "Careful…"

Skyla came over with a critical look. "Mind your arms Angelica." She said. "Use them for balance and beauty."

The boy brought her to the ground again as the woman walked to Camille and Jade.

"You two should…"

"She can draw what ever it is she's been so busy with." Angelica carried on and repeated her moves. "I think Skyla should keep her in her room."

Breeze refrained from looking as exasperated as he felt.

"Then she'd be lonely as well as bored." He said. "Imagine if you were stuck on your own for six days straight."

He picked Angelica up again and held her above his head as she did her sequence.

"She creeps me out." Angelica muttered from the heights. "If you ask me, she a little twerp that can't be trusted. Skyla should call social services."

Jade danced up to them and turned in one place.

"She did." She whispered from her spin. "They're picking her up the moment the snow clears."

She danced off with Angelica following her. "Oh well, then she'll be here forever." The girl muttered under her breath. "Honestly…"

"Angelica, Jade focus…"

"Sorry Dame Skyla."

They managed to keep their attention on their dance practice until the end of the session.

Dame Skyla clapped her hands as she called them to a stop. "That was great you guys." She said pleased, quickly checking on Joanie out of the corner of her eye. "I'm pleased with your progress."

There were some light hearted cheers all round.

The woman smiled proudly. "This is now officially the last practice of the term." She carried on. "But seeing as how you're all still here, I would like it if we can still practice every second or third morning. We can make the times later."

The five Skydancers nodded, realizing that all their hard work would be for nothing if they just stopped practicing.

"Good." Skyla said, pleased with the mutual consent. "Then we can decide on a time on Monday. Needless to say, I expect you to take the weekend off. You'll see there are some new DVD's and videos in the lounge. Sonya made double sure that you won't get bored… Immediately anyway."

The group laughed as they started to pick up their separate gym bags and clear the stage. From the top row of seats Joanie got up and hesitantly made her way down to them. The five students had noticed a small change in her attitude. Although her conversation skills were still close to zero she started to acknowledge their presence, the open hostility gone. She still kept her distance but because she seemed to have taken to following Skyla around she was bound to encounter them several times a day. Where some of them thought this was cute others saw it as irritating. One in particular, saw it as a problem. Breeze didn't have a problem with Joanie and would've preferred it if the kid spend more time with them. Not because he desired her company but because he was getting worried about Dame Skyla.

The woman was too accepting towards the scrawny kid and, as he feared, she was getting too attached.

He didn't say anything though, instead just watching the woman smile as the solemn kid joined the group. She was wearing some of Jade's old clothes today, the dungaree and gray jersey all but drowning her.

"Joanie." Skyla addressed her. "I have a very important phone call to make, so you can't come with me."

The girl frowned and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She nodded and turned to leave but was intercepted by Jade. "Why don't you spend some time with us Joanie?" The girl invited out of the blue. "None of us have class now and were planning on just well, staying here and goofing off, perhaps get some breakfast later. What do you say?"

Joanie blinked startled at the offer and she wasn't the only one.

Angelica frowned but one look from Breeze quickly convinced her that she really didn't want to protest.

The younger girl hesitated and gave Dame Skyla an uncertain look.

"Well, I think that would be a great idea Jade." The woman said pleased. "What do you think Joanie?" There was more than a hint in her tone of what she thought that girl should do.

Joanie shifted her weight again; she shrugged, glanced at the group and nodded.

Dame Skyla smiled. "Good." She said. "I'll see you around. Take care."

She disappeared off of the stage.

The group stared after her in silence and shifted uncomfortable.

"So…" Camille said slowly and looked around.

Joanie hunched her shoulders and stuffed her hands into her pockets. She looked to the floor and studied it with interest.

"So." Jade finished for Camille.

Angelica shook her head to herself and started dressing up for colder weather.

"So," Slam said suddenly and went to the stereo, "I don't know about you guys but I'm quickly going to listen to some new stuff I downloaded from the Internet."

Breeze smiled at him. "Here in this cold hall?" He asked shocked. "You've got to be kidding."

Slam fiddled with the stereo. "With this thing's sound system, yeah I think so." He motivated his madness. "Come on you guys, one song then we can leave. Camille you're going to like this one.

They grouped around the stereo.

Joanie glanced in the direction that Skyla had left then up to where she had sat. Without saying a word she turned and ran back up.

Jade turned to follow her but Breeze rested a hand on her arm.

"If she wants to leave let her." He whispered softly. "There's nothing we can do."

Jade sighed and nodded. "Can't blame a girl for trying?" She said with a smile and glanced at Slam as his new CD started playing. The boy had a fondness for hip-hop, R&B and rap. As soon as the music started playing he winked at Camille who shared his interest and started break dancing.

The girl smiled and clapped her hands in rhythm with the music.

"You show them Brother." She said with a laugh as Slam did his moves.

The rest laughed and joined in as well.

When Slam paused for breath Camille took over his place, adding her own more feminine touch to the moves.

Angelica laughed as she joined Breeze's side and rested her hand in the crook of his arm. "I should call Dame Skyla and tell her that you didn't practice enough." She joked. "Honestly you guys."

Camille stopped and made way for Slam who started up again.

"You're just jealous because you can't do it Miss Prissy." She quipped. "Let's see…"

"Joanie." Jade interrupted her friend with a smile. "You still here?"

The girl blinked up from where she had been staring at Slam and gave Jade a hesitant smile but no explanation.

Slam paused from where he had done a head spin and stood up on his hands.

"You have some moves you want to share with us squirt?" He queried good-naturedly.

Joanie sniffed and shook her head.

Returning his feet to mother earth Slam moonwalked to where Jade and the girl stood. "Come on Joans." He coached. "I see you have some beat begging to come out. Show us what you have kid." There was a communal intake of breath as he held out his hand to the frozen child.

Joanie glared at his hand before she frowned up at him.

Slam grinned and took his hand away. "Chicken?" He queried.

The little person stuck her tongue into her cheek. She sniffed and with out warning slipped out of the gray jersey and handed it to a smiling Jade. Rolling up her sleeves she all but stormed past Slam, muttering to herself.

She stopped where they had danced and paused.

The group of Skydancers stood closer to each other as they saw her relax her body and nod her head in rhythm with the new song.

Slam leaned closer to Jade.

"Knew that would get her." He whispered to her and got an elbow in the ribs for his trouble.

"That's mean." She said, but her eyes sparkled.

They cheered as Joanie seemed to trip herself and start her dance.

Her moves weren't as smooth as Slam's, nor as graceful as Camille's but every one later agreed that she did have skill. She kept her beat and balance as she twisted and maneuvered around on the floor. Even Angelica had to clap her hands together as Joanie, her face taunt with concentration managed to balance herself on one hand whilst threading the rest of her body through a loop she formed with her other arm and leg. Threadbare muscles were pulled taunt on her sinewy arm as she shifted her weight and dropped to the ground in a not so elegant heap.

She stared up at Slam who had moved to stand over her.

"I'm… no chicken." She said, catching her breath. "You're… an elephant with the… moves to match." She giggled suddenly. "I can head-spin as well." She said and stood up, without taking Slam's offered hand. "But, I don't have my hat on. Don't want to mop up the rest of my crop by spinning it out on the ground." She ran her hand through her short insipid blond hair.

There was a child-like spark in her eyes as she faced the group. Jade grinned at her and handed the jersey back to her.

Camille stood closer and held a tentative hand for Joanie.

"You rock Sista." Camille said with a smile. "Next time you bring your hat. Where'd you learn to dance like that?"

Joanie, still grinning, gave her a high five. She seemed completely taken by the moment. "I'm no homey," she said excited, "but I hanged with the gangs every now and again. That's where I picked up most of my stuff. There was this big black dude; he could flop around like a seal. I loved watching them."

She sniffed and gave them an expectant look.

The troupe grinned at her.

"Let's go." Angelica said. "It's really getting cold in here."

"And I'm hungry," Slam chipped in, "Joanie come and have breakfast with us, I want to know more about what you did when you were… hanging around. You cool with that?"

The child-like spark flickered for a moment but then the girl smiled again. She watched the group as they picked up the last of their stuff and wait for her to join them.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and nodded, her expression cautious. "Yeah, sure." She said. "If you don't mind…"

Jade smiled and motioned for Joanie to fall in next to her.

"Not at all kid." She said and put a tentative hand on her shoulder. "For now, you're one of us okay? You certainly have the moves…"

Joanie's mouth twitched as she glanced at Jade's hand then at the floor. She felt the same feeling bubble up inside her that she had felt the previous night when she finally gathered the courage to take the woman up on her offer for piano lessons. She knew that she should ignore it, that it was only a matter of time before she would have to leave this all behind but…

She pushed her doubt away and unconsciously moved closer to Jade.

It was great to feel as if she belonged.
AN: Okay, here we go again. This is a chapter that, like one in 'To Dance', would've been a deleted scene had it been a movie. I put it in, firstly to give you another insight into Joanie, sort of a motivatoin why she would ultimately fit in at the dance academy. And, she needed to start interacting with the rest of the troupe, I've finnished writing the final chapters believe it or not, so now it's just a question of filling in the blank spaces. At the end of the next chapter, I might up a short "summary" at the end just to show you where we are so far and more specifically where Joanie's standingattitude is at the moment. But, that's for next week. For now, hope you enjoyed the chapter and if your on holidays, I hope your enjoying them as well!

Take care now,

Alys

"Meddle not in the affair of dragons, for thou art crunchy and tastes good with ketchup!"