Hello! I just wanted to tell you that I just finished the second one of the stories that I told you about earlier. This time I finished one called "stranger defended" that have been quite slow and boring to write. Still I wanted to finish it and I'm so happy and relieved I finally did.

Thank you CharlieSmarts12 for reviewing.

"No Alex. It goes like this. How many times do I need to show you?"

The whole the dumping ground- group had gone to the dance studios one regular Sunday afternoon. Chloe we had decided what was going to be her part in the choreography sat on the floor towards what would be the front of the stage and we stood in a group. I and Jody and Mike- who were the best dancers stood behind her, then a mix of the others to her left, and the last others to her right.

The first part of the song was quite simple, Chloe held up her right hand and the group from her right came walking onto the stage also, while walking with special dance moves until they, after the first four lines of the songs kneeled and looked down while Chloe let her right hand fall and raised her left hand, and the other group did the exact same as the ones on the right had done until they too kneeled.

During the bridge towards the refrain Chloe raised both of her hands and the groups started dancing together. I, Jody and Mike didn't come in until in the refrain when I and Jody turned each cartwheel towards the front of the side while Mike held out his arms as if doing a move to push us.

And then it was time for us all.

That's the part where everybody got it right except for Alex, and he was right in front of me to see it.

"What?"

Alex seemed annoyed. If I had been thinking about him for a moment I would have seen it. But this was the hundredth time he'd done it wrong and the hundredth time I had mentioned it hoping he could get it right next time.

"I did it right this time. I'm sure I did."

"No you didn't. I saw you, it goes like this." I showed him. "And for the hundredth time you still go like this." I pretended to move all of my limbs weirdly and clumsily and wrong as Alex did. "And you have to get it right. Everybody else are. And believe me. If anyone does it wrong at the competition, the judges are going to see it. Everyone. Start over again. And Alex, get it ri…" I hadn't been able to finish the sentence when suddenly there was a loud cellphone's signal going through the room. "You have got to be kidding me. I told everybody to turn their phones off and I did it for a reason."

Mike pulled up the phone from his pocket, checked who it was, then grimaced slightly and ran out of the room while he picked it up.

I couldn't hear who he was talking to in the short seconds before he was out the room, but it just gave me such a weird feeling.

"I can't get it right when you keep changing your mind about how we're doing it every time."

"No I'm not. And everybody else are doing it right. Except for you."

"BUT HOW…"

"ENOUGH." May- li broke up the discussion. "That's enough you two. For now we'll just wait for Mike to come back, and all of you- QUIET. And when he comes back…"

She didn't finish the sentence. But held up a warning finger when Alex was about to say something and continue. Then at last, all of us fell silent. And that for the next five minutes while we waited for the Mike to come back.

All of a sudden, like many times a day even though I kept on forgetting about it- I figured I had still not told Mike about the surgery I was having later this year.

But just as I thought I got other things to being occupied with when Mike came back into the room, pushed his phone back into his pocket, stopped where he stood and glanced over the whole group. Mike somehow always knew the right things and I hoped that he could find another way to teach Alex the right steps.

"Maybe it would be for the best if we call it a day and go home."

"NO." I had shouted before I had the time to stop myself. "We need to practice. Only a couple of weeks is left before the competition and we need to practice. And ALEX NEEDS TO GET IT RIGHT."

I didn't mean to shout, I was just so damn frustrated.

"I AM."

"NO YOU'RE NOT."

"DON'T START IT AGAIN." May- Li interrupted. "THAT'S ENOUGH. WE'RE ALL GOING HOME NOW."

I kept glaring at Alex, and he the same towards me. But obviously we couldn't keep on doing this if May- Li would keep on interrupting and still, while we all got downstairs and into our minivan. I didn't say a single word, and neither did anyone else of us.

The people of the dumping ground had probably never been as silent as during the way home that day. People were just either grumpy, too tired or just not speaking until Mike shouted back when we were almost back.

"Maya. Can you come with me into the office when we come home please?"

I froze in the position while Mike pulled over in front of the house I was knowing so well by this time. The office? What did he want? Usually when I heard that I had done something wrong and once again I had to change care homes. I had been at different homes in half of England by now. And never more than a few months until now.

"What did I do?"

I couldn't force away the shiver in my voice.

It was just that whether I wanted to admit it or not I quite liked it at Ashdene Ridge. And I couldn't remember any other place that had ever felt as much as it did right here after only having been here for a few weeks still.

It wasn't about Alex was it? It was just that I wanted to get everything right before the competition.

"That call I picked up…" Coming into the office I closed the door after us and Mike turned to me. "Hey… It's okay. You don't have to be afraid… Breathe Maya… Come sit down…" Mike sat down on his chair and I in the couch in the corner. "You haven't done anything wrong. I'm not about to give you a lecture or yell at you. While you weren't very nice to Alex today I know this competition is very important to you. And I'm going to ask you to act calmer and more respectful. Not everybody are as good dancers as you, me and Jody. Therefore yelling might not help them to get it right. Okay?"

"Yes."

I gave a slight nod, of course I knew all of that. But like he did say this competition felt very important to me and all social skills just seemed to disappear when I was just so frustrated.

"Now. That call I had to answer to was from old mountain security center. Does that sound familiar to you?"

I gave another nod.

"Stupid name for a prison right? It sounds like something that should be nice. And whatever it is I want for my dad… never mind. What did they say?"

"I do know you asked for your dad to come to the competition and watch us. As you know there's about an hour and a half's drive and your dad is also very closely monitored at whatever he does. In the prison or outside."

"That's what happens when you try to murder a kid."

"…And they've been talking to your dad about it." Mike ignored my mutter. "Agreeing that him, along with two guards can come and watch us on the competition. And if I got this right, he has said that he actually wants to do it."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow- wanted to? My dad wouldn't want to do anything that wouldn't be fun for him. Such as drinking or hanging out with his friends. Or rather- coming up with new ways to kill me.

Shivers went down my spine, and I suddenly understood somehow that this was going to become real. That we were going to the competition in the middle of December, dad were coming to watch us and the next day I had surgery.

"Like I just said there will be two guards with him." Mike tried to calm me down when I still hadn't spoken a single word. "Depending on how he's acting he might or might not be wearing handcuffs. He'll be wearing normal clothes and not one off those orange overalls. Most likely he'll be wearing like sweatpants and a jacket or something similar to that. Those guards won't leave his sides…" Mike laid a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to be afraid Maya. When your father comes along he will not get a single chance of hurting you. And if he as much as tries he will be taken straight back to jail. We're also all here for you if you need anything…"

And then once again.

"You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm not." I shook Mike's hand off my shoulder. "And if I was, if I didn't want him there I wouldn't have asked for it. I just want him there… I haven't seen him for so long… it's a bit hard to explain. But we need to practice now. We need to get it right."

I'm not…

Mike heard my words and I did my best to cover whatever I was feeling up. I barely knew what it was myself.

But I also knew that Mike had worked with children for most of his adult life, and I knew he was a people- person.

Through that I did know that no matter how much I tried to hide what I was feeling he could read me like an open book.

I hope that ending makes any sense.

I actually use a name generator for name for the prison, names for schools and such. It can also give names for characters even though I prefer to come up with those myself. And it is fantasynamegenerators. Com if you're interested in using it.

The song they're using is Phoenix by Molly Sandén. Listen to it. It's a great song.

Random fact

If I could dance I might have been able to try some dance steps and describe them more. But I can't dance and I'm happy with how I made it.