En Pointe Part 5

As Saturday rolled around and Natalia was up bright and early as usual. She headed out for her run before getting dressed and heading to breakfast. They would be in practice for most of the morning and afternoon preparing for the show tonight.

The air was cold and brisk as she ran on the grounds. The kept the sidewalks clear and they were all pretty level, made for running on. She was jogging on the worst part, it was right in front of the dorms and she was almost finished. The sidewalk was cracked where a tree root came up. She started sprinting and something all of a sudden her knee twisted and she fell.

It didn't hurt that bad, she could still walk on it with no problem. "Natalia!" It was Tony. One of the guys that attended here; he was Jazz's boyfriend. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine, I fell it happens all the time," she said.

"Not to you. You should get it checked out," he said.

"It's fine. I'm going to change, then get something to eat. If it still bugs me I'll get it checked out," it didn't hurt that much, but the unofficial motto here was 'better be safe than sorry'.

She headed back to the room where Natasha was getting ready. "You do realize we're heading to practice right after breakfast right?" she said to her sister. She was wearing a leotard that was longsleeved and black with sparkles (it looked more like one for gymnastics than ballet) and wearing short black shorts and pink tights. Technically it was within the dress code.

Natalia put on the standerd black leotard and and pink tights with track pants and a hoodie over it. "Ready to go?" she asked. Natasha nodded. "Remember your shoes," Natasha rolled her eyes at her sister.

The made there way to the cafeteria. Most of the food was healthy, high fiber muffins, fresh fruit, low fat yogurt. She got her food and sat down at the usual table with Pira, Jazz, Anthony and a few others. The ate quickly, but Karova came by.

"Are you feeling all right?" she asked Natalia.

"Fine," she answered quickly.

"Anthony informed me of your knee. The recital is tonight if we can do anything to prevent injury..."

"I'll get it checked out by the nurse to make sure," she said with a fake smile, cleary upset.


Natalie was upset. She had to sit and watch the practice. She carefully instucted the others on parts they needed to be careful with and practice while icing her knee. Natasha was looking quite bored practicing her balence`.

After a couple hours they headed to lunch. "That was torture," Natalia said. "I should be practicing not sitting out. My knee is fine," she complained eating her salad. The nurse said it would be fine, but she better be safe than sorry so she said that she use RICE. Rest, ice, compression and elevation.

"Yeah, but imagine if you hurt it even worse in practice. Besides you practice probably three times as much as every one else," Jazz said.

"Yeah, but it has to be perfect. You know who's going to be there?" she asked. "Think of all the directors and dance instructors and recruiters," she said.

"Calm down we're only Juniors," Natasha said.

"Only Juniors? Kids at regular high schools start applying to college now," Natalia said.

"I just said to calm down, not to stop caring." she said dropping her fork.

"For you it's the same thing. You just show up to class and wing it,"

"At least I'm not so crazy, obsessed, masochistic dancer!" Natasha shouted standing up. "All you do is dance, because that's the only way you can deal with emotions. Sad? Perfect the dance Karova just taught. Angry? Try to do thirty pirouettes in a row. Stressed? Go for a run then practice your Grand Jette fifty times until you get it perfect twenty times in a row!" she yelled.

"At least I care," Natasha just shook her head and walked out.

"Tal, maybe you should..." Jazz started.

"It happens all the time. You know that, we always argue," Natalia said finishing her salad Natasha words replaying in her head, if only her twin didn't know her so well.


That night Natalia was sitting in front of a mirror. Her white blond hair in a disarray around her shoulders. She'd already changed into her costume black leotard with with black tights and wrap skirt. Natasha's was the opposite white leotard with black skirt and white tights.

"Your not ready? Amazing," she said.

"Not now, Tash," Natasha grabbed a brush and began putting it up. Once it was up she went over to her bag and dumped a bunch of things on the table. First she put in a clip in the hair. A simple black rhinestoned flower. She did the same with her own hair only the clip was white rhinestones. Then she reached for some makeup. "Don't you get nervous at all?" she just smiled.

"Yeah, but I don't let it get to me. Close your eyes," she said eyeshadow in hand. "Tally, do you ever think you could be happy doing something besides ballet?"

"Yeah, gymnastics," she said trying to be light-hearted. "Are you thinking about messing up?"

"No and I'm being serious. Open up your eyes and smile," she said reaching for the blush. "I was thinking about a transfer. I talked to Karova about it. She was going to try to talk with mom and dad after this. She thought I might change my mind after the recital," she set down the brush and grabbed the eyeliner.

"Transfer where?" Natalia asked looking at her sister.

"Hold still," she said putting it on lightly, then grabbing the lipstick and carefully putting it on before putting a light layer of lipgloss to add shine. She looked at Natalia before stepping back then grabbing mascara. "Look up," she said putting some on the very tips.

"You didn't answer my question," Natalia said as her sister walked over to get her shoes, she already had her's on.

"It doesn't matter," she said.

"Yes, it does or you wouldn't have asked me," she grabbed her sisters arm. "Tell me," Natasha wrenched her arm free and sat down lacing up her shoes.

"I can't take it. I'm tired of it,"

"Tired of what?"

"I'm burned out, I can't do it. I'm tired of spending less than half the day in too long classes then spending three or four hours doing ballet for nothing." She said then stood up. "Just forget it,"

"I'm not going to forget it, talk to me." she said nothing else then stood up. "It's not for nothing. There was a reason that guy talked to us,"

"Because we're twins! Either that or he thought you were amazing," she said. "Everyone thinks your amazing,"

"Your just as good as am; you would be better if you just..."

"Applied myself? Everyone tells me that," she huffed. Natalia couldn't think of anything else to say. "I just want to know what's it like to really relax. To not know the difference between a plie or a pirouette. To have feet that aren't..."

"Grace glides on blistered feet," Natalia said hugging her sister. "It's your choice. Come on we're on in less than two minutes and we don't want our makeup to run. Did you bring vaseline?" she asked and Natasha nodded timidly. Performers sometimes put petroleum jelly on their teeth so they would remember to smile during the perfomance.

"Yes, but I don't need it. You do though, you start grimacing!" she added shifting back to her normal self.

"I do not! Besides if I put it on, you do to," that's when someone with a clipboard came and told them it was time. "I guess neither of us do. Break a leg," she said to her sister as they walked to the opposite ends.

"You too!" Natasha called out.