En Pointe Part 11

Days passed by slowly and Natalia was in auto pilot mode the whole time. She kept a brace on her knee and did exercises to strengthen her knee. Still she felt like something was missing and she knew what that was.

After school she told her mom she was going to the library, but that wasn't were she was headed. She got off on Pine Street and saw it immediatly. Her dance studio from when she was five. She walked in and was greeted by a familar atmosphere. Mozart played in the background, instructors were yelling out instuctions, she closed her eyes and tried to remember the first day she was here.

She remembered pulling her mothers hand as Natasha drug her feet. Natalia was so happy to be starting ballet, she'd been begging her mother forever. Hours before the first class she was in her leotard and tights, black and pink, with her hair in a tight bun. Natasha on the other hand wanted to play soccer. For some reason she loved the idea of running up and down the field getting all sweaty and muddy. It was a struggle to get her into the tights, let alone put her hair up. It took three weeks, but finally both the girls fell in love with ballet and had been dancing ever since.

"Natalia?" she heard a voice ask and saw the owner standing there. She was in leggings, barefoot with a tanktop and a shirt that had the neck cut out. Her brown hair was slipping out of her ponytail. "It is you!" the woman cried enveloping her in a hug. This woman was her first dance teacher, the one that introduced the NEDC to her mother; she'd seen the girl's talent.

"Chrissy! I haven't seen you in forever," she said.

"I haven't seen you either, what do you want? I talked to your mom not to long ago and she said..." she looked down to Natalia's knee.

"I'm fine, I was wondering if you had a practice room I could use. I've been doing exercises, but I need a barre,"

"Of course room 3 is open. Your know where the changing rooms are," Natalia nodded headed over to the rooms. She put on a pair of her old tights, the ones with holes in the toes, shorts, tank top and sweatshirt with the neck cut out. Natalia shook her hair out and put on her battered toe shoes

She headed to the practice room with a deep breath looking at herself in the mirror. She tied her hair into a loose bun, then began to do what she hadn't done since her performance: Dance.


Reese headed into the dance studio an hour before his class. He hoped to have some time to work on the routine. He took Hip Hop and was starting to have some trouble with it. "Aunt Chrissy?" he called out.

"Oh, Reese the class doesn't start for another hour," she said.

"I know I needed to work on the routine." he told her. She rolled her eyes. "Is room 3 open?" he asked.

"No, pretty much all the rooms are taken. You could use 3b, though." 3b was the observation room. When they had the studio remodeled so there was an observation area where parents could stay and watch without interrupting class. It had a one-way mirror in it with a barre so it was used if they ran out of space.

"Thanks," he muttered heading to the room. He dropped his bag in the corner and began to stretch, not bothering to look at the mirror. He got up and started to count the dance in his head. In the middle he had to turn around, that's when he saw her.

She was twirling around on the floor, occasionly her kicked out propelling her faster, then from no where she started to sink to the ground. Slowly she rose as if going from a Grande Plie to standing position as she prepared for a jump. Reese wasn't familiar with ballet but he knew this was amazing. He watched as she lept into the air. He waited for her to land, but instead she crumpled to the ground. She propped her self up and rubbed her knee before heading to the barre.

He recognized the face immediatly: Natalia. Natalia was the girl from the hospital. He knew it but this just confirmed everything. She kicked her right leg up resting it on the Barre and leaning on it. Her blonde hair was escaping a sloppy bun and her eyes showed determination. She stretched before trying it again.

She tried the same thing and different things. Almost every time she fell, but every time she got up. Finally she sighed and was done. He watched her walk out and Reese hoped this wouldn't be the last time he saw her dance.


Natalia fell asleep early that night studying. She had exhausted herself in the ballet studio. She meant to go easier but couldn't help it once she got started. She was still wearing her clothes from that day with an ice pack on her knee when her mom noticed the light was still on.

A book was open by her pillow with a blanket twisted at her legs. She sighed and grabbed the book placing it on the nightstand. Her mom pulled the blanket off and was about to toss it over her daughter when she saw the ice pack. She grabbed it and looked closer. She saw the bruises on her arm. She tossed the blanket over her daughter and headed out of the room.

"Mark did you notice anything different about Natalia?"

"No, why?"

"She told me she went to the library after school. I have a feeling she went to the dance studio. She has bruises on her arms and was icing her knee again," her mom said with a sigh sinking into a chair.

"Lynn, you can't stop her from dancing,"

"She's never going to get better! The doctor said no dancing until her knee is fully recovered. I don't need another daughter in the hospital!"

"Is this about Natasha?" he asked. She closed her eyes and nodded.

"The doctor said there is no medical reason for her to be in the coma and the longer she is her chances for full recovery decrease. The last thing I need to deal with is Natalia screwing up her knee again because she's too stubborn!" Mark said no more as his wife sat there. There was nothing too say. His wife skirted around the subject of Natasha not wanting to talk about what could happen and Natalia was just stressing her out. You couldn't keep Natalia from something she wanted, it was impossible.