I woke up to the sound of my alarm, now working (thanks to Mara's handiwork). I really wanted to rollover and hit snooze, but I knew that I'd miss dance if I chose to continue sleeping. I got dressed in dance friendly clothes, packed up my bag, and headed downstairs.

As I walked in the dining room, I noticed only a few people sitting at the table, eating some hot oatmeal that was sitting in the center in a large pot.

Amber looked at me as I sat down and I gave her a quick smile.

"I have some news to report to you when you get the chance…" Amber trailed off, a twinkle in her eyes.

I shrugged and scooped some oatmeal into a bowl. As I dug in, the rest of the house slowly came in. I was just about finished when Joy came in, the last of the group to arrive. She smiled brightly at me and I shrugged it off, not entirely in the mood for cheerful news after last night. I finished eating quickly and said goodbye to my housemates. I then grabbed my bag and left the house to find my cab in the parking lot, with the ever faithful Rob waiting in the driver's seat.

We both greeted each other briefly as I got in the back seat. Rob quickly drove to the studio, chatting about the abnormal yet wonderful weather we had been having. He then dropped me off in the front and I dashed out, thanking him along the way. I was eager to start dance and get away from the problems that had been showing up in my life (namely, the ones concerning Eddie).

I entered the building and waved hello to Hannah, the receptionist, who was taking a call. She waved back before focusing on the other person on the phone.

Room 8 was surprisingly full when I arrived. I checked the clock on the wall, and it read 9:55. All of the dancers stood on the other side of the room. It puzzled me that everyone, including Kevin (who was always late) arrived at least five minutes before me. What was going on?

Diane turned to acknowledge me and I was shocked at the seriousness of her face. Her twinkling, cheerful eyes were replaced with concerned yet strict ones.

I immediately fled to Cora and Courtney, as well as the rest of the dancers who stood across from Diane. Thankfully, they all looked just as confused as I was.

"So, as I was going to say: this travel team will not be dancing straight away today. Ms. Alison Evans herself has made a request to come and visit us before the rehearsal started," Diane stated firmly. Her arms were crossed firmly over her chest and her words didn't register quickly enough.

Courtney's sharp intake of breath caught me off guard, and soon I realized why. Alison Evans, owner of the studio was a strict, critical woman who didn't like to get involved with the students, let alone the travel team at all.

"What is this about?" I asked, eyes narrowed. I could tell the other dancers were thankful of my frank personality at this point, because this question was on their minds too.

"To be honest, all I know is that it is a very serious matter concerning this team and the competition," Diane said.

Just then, the door to room 8 was opened swiftly, and I saw the short, brunette owner herself. Alison walked in, her gray eyes steely. She wore professional office clothing, and this made her look all the more intimidating. Her black, crisp hair sat in a perfect, tight bun.

"Hello, Diane," she greeted, her tone demanding. Diane simply nodded in response. She turned to us. "Next month, the new season of dance will begin. As the studio grows, I am going to require a certain standard be set in order for a dancer to become part of our elite travel team. You will all take a test now, and I will tell you if you qualify. Is that clear?" she asked, daring someone to ask her a question.

"Follow me," she stated, and we all immediately exited the room after her, hoping to make the cut. I rolled my eyes to myself as we walked, single file. It felt like we were in military school.

She led us down the hall to a back room in the studio, one that was practically empty. There was a wooden desk with a chair that sat in the corner. Also, a few cheap, plastic chairs were lined up along the wall. A nearly empty and wooden bookshelf stood beside them. Lastly, a weight scale and measuring tape that was attached to the wall sat on the other side.

"Each one of you will tell me your weight and height, and if you do not know, check it over there," she said, pointing to the scale and measuring tape. She gestured for Cora to go first and she did. Next was Courtney, who quickly checked herself on the measuring tape and weight scale. Slowly, everyone (including myself) was finished and we went to room 8 to practice once more.

Diane greeted us happily, and she confessed that she was required to be strict for Alison. We all breathed a sigh of relief together, glad our coach was back. Diane then allowed us to stretch and then worked with Clarisse and Matt, who were duet-ing at ShineDance. Throughout the practice, she allowed us to work on our performances for the competitions and focus on ourselves.

The time passed quickly, as we were all working hard. A sharp knock at the door distracted all of us, and we turned to see who it was. Alison entered a thin smile on her lips.

"I have your results. Please line up in this order: Matthew, Clarisse, Coralline, Isaac, Courtney, John, Kevin, and Patricia," she said. We lined up; bags in hand so we could leave practice right after and received a paper from Alison. The others smiles were bright as their papers and Alison stopped at me, not handing me my paper.

"Would you stay a moment, Patricia?" Alison asked. I had no time to respond and she shut the door, ignoring me.

"It has come to my concern that you are about 54.5 kilograms, or 120 pounds, Miss Williamson," she said. Her eyebrows were raised as if she was expecting me to realize something.

"Yes, and that is in her healthy zone for her height," Diane said becoming defensive and taking my side. I looked at Alison skeptically, hoping she wasn't going to say what I thought she was.

"That won't make the cut. In order to be on this team, you must be less than 50 kilograms, at least 110 pounds," Alison said, unaffected by my surprise. "You must lose some weight, Miss Williamson, if you'd like to stay here. That is all," she said, and handed me my slip of paper. "Oh, and concerning the competition: I'd like you to weigh, at most, 115 pounds by ShineDance. We must keep up our standards."

She exited the room and didn't stop to look back at me. I felt the presence of Diane disappeared as she left behind Alison.

My stomach dropped. I thought I was healthy. I thought I was fine. I thought I was beautiful. I stared at myself in the wall mirror, my eyes widening as I looked down to my stomach. There was a part of it that jutted out, and I guessed I never noticed it before. The other dancers on the team didn't have that. They actually had abdominal muscles that anyone could see. I felt sick to my stomach as I looked down. Alison was right. This stomach, this fat had to go.

Then, the realization hit me. I had to lose about 5 pounds in less than a week.

Sorry for the semi-late chapter this week, folks! Thanks to B and B are Back, Gray Melody, Dallas, MiaAndOak, bookgirl39, HOAFORLIFE, Slytherin Princess 1313, mbj2323, chey1235, Fanficlover98, pattywilliamson, and ..13 for reviewing and helping me reach my goal. I love you guys, seriously. Be sure to review this chapter!

And as for the chapter, it's definitely not my best one, but a very important topic is introduced. I have to warn all readers that things will start getting serious with Patricia in the next few chapters- not only concerning her relationships, but with her dance also. This is one of the main reasons that the story was rated T.