Shine Again

Shine Again - Prologue

Prologue

It was the worst day of my life. I mean, that should be obvious.

  I'd had bad days before, seeing as I was teenager. Seventeen, to be exact. I was a junior in high school, with only two months left before summer vacation, then senior year. I had plans, goals - and mine were bigger than most kids my age. I'd been working hard for ten years in hopes of being accepted into one of the countries prestigious ballet companies. It wasn't just my dream. It was my plan.

  So, that March evening - just a few weeks after I turned seventeen - was the worst day of my life. It was the day everything I knew and loved was taken from me.

  I was at the dance studio, which was where I always was when I wasn't at school. We were two weeks from our next competition - we had four coming up over the next month. I had eight routines; groups, solos, a duet with my best friend, Isabelle. I danced ballet, of course, but also tap, and jazz and contemporary. My whole life had been dedicated to dance, since I was eight years old. My parents sacrificed a lot over the years to let me dance competitively. We didn't go on vacations. My mom worked two jobs. I made sacrifices, too, mostly when it came to social gatherings - parties, school dances. I missed a lot, but I didn't care. I just wanted to dance.

  "Addison," my studio director, Miss Kimberly,  called out to me, as soon as I stepped out of class. It was after 8P.M. and I still had another class before I'd head home.

  Her long, dark hair was in a braid down her back and she wore a headband, keeping the rest off of her face. I noticed right away that her usual happy, excited expression was wiped clean.

  "Hey, Miss Kimberly-" I began, but immediately saw the look in her eyes. Something was wrong. I was sweating and my heart was pounding, but that was because I'd just come out of class and I'd worked hard.

  "Please, come down to my office." The words sounded too heavy.

  "What's... going on?" I asked her, already starting to follow her through the lobby of the studio.

  But she remained quiet until we were inside her office, the door closed. I was still sweating, coming straight from my senior ballet class. Now I felt like my breath was escaping too fast. I tucked some loose hair behind my ear, trying to take a deep breath.

  "Addison, please, sit."

  Miss Kimberly was in her late forties, tall and thin. She had owned and run Extreme Dance Studio for fifteen years, and before that had been a professional dancer for many years. She was my biggest role model. She'd been training me since I started dancing competitively when I was nine. But now she just looked devastated.

  The office was too quiet and too cold. The studios weren't air conditioned, but her office was. I could feel my blood pulsing and my heart beating fast. I imagined her telling me something bad about the upcoming competition, or about one of my routines. But there was no way she would have looked this horrified about anything like that. Sure, dance was important to both of us, but this? This was something else. I could feel it.

  I sat down, but still did not expect what was coming.

  "There was an accident." The words didn't register properly in my brain.

  "Um, okay?"

  "Your parents, and Taylor... they... they are at the hospital," Miss Kimberly finally said.

  It wasn't just an accident. It was an accident involving my family. I had all of these questions that started pouring out of my mouth before I could really think.

  "They're okay, though, right? My mom was supposed to be picking me up in like an hour, but I'll call her-"

  Right then, the tears started pouring down Miss Kimberly's face. She didn't wipe them away, which really scared me. I sucked in a breath, not understanding what was happening.

  "Miss Kimberly," I said, shaking my head. "They're okay, right?"

  She waited too long to answer, though it was only a minute. "The hospital called your aunt... Caroline... she was on the list... they tried calling your cell, too." She paused, to take a breath. "Caroline called me... I guess she knew you'd be here."

  "Okay, but..."

  For some reason, it was that moment that it hit me. There was a reason the hospital would call family members from my parents files. It wasn't good.

  "Your aunt is driving down now, she should arrive in an hour or so. I'm going to bring you to the medical center-"

  "No," I interrupted. "I have another class tonight. Now." I looked up at the clock on the wall.

  "Addison... you need to get to the medical center," Miss Kimberly told me, now, finally, wiping her cheeks.  "Go get your bag, and we will head out."

  I nodded, but I think I was in shock.  I must have been. I managed to retrieve my dance bag from the change room, and ran into Isabelle and Kylie, who were laughing as they pulled off their tights. I didn't even say a word, turning back around to meet Miss Kimberly outside, at her car, in a zombie-like state.

  "Addi?" Isabelle called after me, sounding so confused. "Where are you going?"

  "I..." I looked back over my shoulder at my best friend. She was still smiling, which felt weird. Her black hair was in buns and her dark eyes were questioning me. "I have to go."

  "Addi, what's going on?" Now Isabelle was concerned, and walking towards me.

  But I didn't have anything to say, because I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know if things were okay, or that my life was going to be ripped apart from the core, just half an hour later. I didn't know, so I just shrugged at my best friend and walked away.