Jody POV

When I returned to the dumping ground, barely half an hour after I'd left I was still boiling with anger. And if someone would have annoyed me right then I couldn't have promised nobody would get hurt.

"Hey." Just as I came inside Mike greeted me with a bit of a surprised look on him. "I thought you went dancing. Didn't you just leave…"

"I did."

Before Mike had the time to worry about why I was back so early, or why I had brought the bag with all the things I usually had in my gym locker I hurried up the stairs and into my room where I slammed the door after me and threw the bag in a corner.

I was still boiling with anger where I paced back and forth over my bedroom floor. Maya could tell me whatever she wanted, I had seen the look in her eyes when she was telling me how she didn't even get a chance to join the dancing squad. And nobody hurt my friends like that.

At last I jogged over and hit the wall with my fist. I would have liked to hit right through the wall or hit until my knuckles bled. But I did nothing of it and was left only shaking with anger where I stood only staring into the wall until there suddenly was a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

The door opened and Tyler came in, then closed the door after him and sat down on the foot by my bed. And only watched me as if he was trying to figure out what I looked like.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Are you angry?"

"YES." I couldn't help but shout, turned and hit the wall with my fist one more time. "And if you've got nothing better to ask or say then you can leave."

Tyler didn't leave. But from the beginning he didn't say anything at all until my angry panting had slowed down and I turned towards him. Now shaking more of exhaustion after all the anger than that I was actually angry still.

"What are you doing back already by the way? And why are you so angry? Does these two things have something to do with each other?"

"I quit."

And no matter how angry I was and how much I had wanted to punch Miss Donoghue right in the face. I had just walked straight into the mirror hall, said those two words. Gone to the locker room and packed all my things before I left. The vision of the other girls and Miss Donoghue burning in my neck until the doors had closed behind me.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I heard. But just… can you tell me again. What did you do and why are you back so early?"

"I said I quit the dancing squad."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. At first he didn't seem to know what to say. I didn't either to be honest. The anger had run off. And no matter how much I had or had not wanted to admit it. It really did suck that I had just felt like I had to quit.

"Why did you do that?" Tyler asked at last. "You loved that squad. And I could tell they liked having you there because you are one of the best dancers there. Isn't there a competition right before Christmas? A competition they used to win every year but now haven't for like ten years?" I nodded. "Well they would have easily won with you a part of the team?"

"That would be twenty…I just never thought they'd be so shallow and vain." I sighed deeply and then at last slumped down on my bed and leaned back against the wall. "I have…" Despite having just leaned back I couldn't help but quickly rise when I suddenly had an idea. "I have an idea… do you know what we should do?"

"We who?"

"You, me, Maya, Mike, everybody in this house. Do you know what we should do?"

"Join the dance squad?"

"No… We should make our own dancing squad. Our own team and apply to the same competition as the ones from school has. And then we'll beat the crap out of them all." Tyler didn't seem too sure about what I had to say. "I think there's still some time to sign up for it. And I can't wait to see the look on Miss Donoghue's face when we get a higher score than her."

I didn't let wait for Tyler's reaction anymore. Without letting wait for anything I got on my feet and tried a few moves.

"Are you sure about this Jodes?"

"Yes." I tried another step. "These are just easy ones. Everyone can do them. And then I've got some better moves." I turned a cartwheel on one hand. "And Maya's got some- I just saw her. And isn't Mike a dancer too? I'm not sure but I think someone told me about it some time. And Archie of course… and then we can have Billie and Toni on each side… come on!"

"Jody wait." Before I had the time to go anywhere Tyler grabbed me by the arm and had me turning around in the doorway. "Are you sure about this. I mean. I believe in you and everything. But…"

I couldn't help remembering what I knew Tyler was thinking about. That first time I was going to dance with Carmen and Tee. In the living room, now that was only in front of the other people in the dump and I had broken down, ran out of the room and more or less collapsed of a panic attack.

"I'm not going to freak out like that again… HOUSE MEETING IN THE KITCHEN." I turned, then hurried through the hallway and knocked on every door. "HOUSE MEETING IN THE KITCHEN."

I ran down the stairs and into the living room, kept shouting while I ran through it and into the kitchen where I jumped up to sit on the kitchen counter when there was a thunder of footsteps as everyone came rushing to the kitchen and more or less confusedly saw me and spread around the kitchen.

"What is it?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Why all the shouting?"

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

"I thought you went dancing."

Damn it. Did everybody know that I had started to dance?

"Yes." I answered first and showed the rest of the kids and adults in here to be quiet. "But I went home again because…" I looked to Maya- this was partly her story to tell and I didn't want to break her trust so I switched the subject. "You know the dancing competition that is held every year in the middle of December at the gym every year?" There were spread yes's and nods in the room. "Well, the team from school used to win every year. Then they stopped winning for some reason and haven't won once in twenty years. Then I came along and some of the girls and Miss Donoghue told me that if I did my thing then we could win this year but then…"

I looked to Maya. Already before I saw the way she was looking at me I knew she had figured what had made me do this and what role she had had in all of it. I didn't want her to blame herself for anything though.

"…They messed with a good friend of mine. And I don't think that's fair. And they can't just mess with MY FRIEND and get away with it. So since I knew that they wanted me on the team for the competitions I went there today and then I quit. But the thing is… I do love dancing… and I do love winning. So I thought that maybe we should make a team and join the competition. And if we do our best then… I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when we win… because we will win."

"Why?" Floss asked me. "How could you know that?"

I hesitated for a moment. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and make someone upset at this moment. But I did want them all with me on this and for that it took that everybody had faith in themselves.

"I don't. But I will try. And no matter what it takes I want to show them that WE are equals and that is why WE are better than them… Now who's with me?" I raised my hand. "Who wants to do this?" I looked around, Tyler did it first. Next to me, then Archie and Floss right after that. "Come on guys. Today if you please." I glanced over the group, looking to Maya for an extra second. But she didn't seem to know what to do.

"I'm in." Mike raised his hand while a few of the kids laughed. "What? Well, whether you believe it or not. I can actually dance."

"I'm in." Candi-Rose raised her hand. "If we're going to be a team I could figure out something for us all to wear or makeup for everything." I couldn't help but moan. "I'm sure I can figure something out that everybody will be happy with. But I can dance too. What about you Chloe?"

"I'm not so sure…"

"We can figure something out that you can do too." I said without thinking, I had no idea what we could do for her. At least not yet. But at last then Chloe raised her hand too. "What about you others?"

"I'm in."

"I'm a terrible dancer. But it could be fun. So I'm in too."

"We're in."

May-Li, Joseph, Toni and Billie were in too. Archie was trying to show Joseph a move typical for him. Joseph tried too, it didn't look too hard. But ended up falling right over and into the table.

"He's okay." Alex stated who sat right by. "And I'm with him, I'm a terrible dancer but if the rest of you are in then I… Well, I guess it could be fun." He raised his hand. More than the majority of us now had their hands raised.

Now for the rest few.

"I and Dexter are in."

"SASHA." The younger of the Bellman's protested. "I didn't say I was. And I'm a terrible dancer and you know it."

"Well so am I. And so are Joseph and Alex and I'm pretty sure at least another three in this room are. We both know you were about to answer anyway." Dexter pouted for not getting to answer on his own. But didn't protest more and raised his hand.

"I'm in too. This sounds like fun."

Two left then.

Ryan looked around on all the raised hands in the rooms. Stopping by his sister's. Seeing Chloe's right hands and glancing over her chair and everything he silently raised his hand. And so there were one left.

Maya only sat with her arms crossed over her chest and staring into the table. Then, without anyone saying another word and silently like the one who had just before her, she let her hands fall to the sides and raised one of them.

"That's everybody then." I hadn't figured what to say when May- Li stated the obvious. "Now, Jody. You go to the gym and sign us up for the competition. And the rest of you, try to figure a song we could use."

"WAIT." I interrupted before everybody had the time to run off. "We need something first. We need a name for our group… We can't just be the dumping ground kids or…" I bit my lip and thought hard. "Can any of you come up with anything?"

"The dumped dancers?"

"The dumping grounders?"

Well, Finn and Alex's suggestions we could have done without.

"It should be something with Phoenix." Then at Joseph's suggestion everybody else silent. "I mean, we are called ASHdene Ridge. And Phoenixes rises from the ashes when they're born. So it should be something with Phoenix and you know… we'll come rising from ASHdene Ridge or whatever to call it. Maybe we could find a song that suits with that too."

"Oh. And clothes." Candi-Rose was as good as jumping where she sat. "We could all wear red and yellow and orange to look like phoenixes or flames…"

"Let's just start with the name first…" I tried. "…That's not a bad idea Joseph. Not bad at all."

Random fact

I need your help. I want their name to be something with Phoenix. But I can't come up with anything so pleeeeeaaaase can you suggest something in a review or send me a PM and I'll consider it.