In which Aspen Fray is thrown into a world with creatures that belong in fantasy books. While also trying to grasp a secret that her mother kept from her for 18 years.
STAND-ALONE
(season 1 - season 3)
(s t a r t e d : N o v e m b e r 17th, 2022)
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The air fluttered in and out of Aspen's lungs, as she extended her body to its fullest potential. Gracefully spinning across the dance floor as the inspectors observed her movements, trying to catch any little mistake that the redhead could make. She ended her routine with a switch leap as she delicately lifted her arms above her head into her ending pose. Short gasps left her lips as she placed her hands behind her back and stepped into a model's pose. The two inspectors whispered to one another, leaving Aspen standing there with anxiety flooding her veins from her performance. The girl had trained for this moment since she was three years old. Her only dream was to attend Julliard and be a professional ballet dancer, and if she can make it to the last day of auditions her dream will finally become a reality.
The two women stopped their whispers and focused their attention onto Aspen, serious looks sculpted onto their faces. "Please step forward Miss. Fray," one of them said.
She slowly walked up to the table and resumed her previous position. "Second day of auditions is just as important as the last, as you must know already," the other one said. "We get thousands of applicants each year with only an eight percent acceptance rate, all of you with the same dreams. But what makes you so different? What makes you valuable of our time other than talent?"
Aspen swallowed a lump in her throat, not expecting any follow up questions, "I don't think I could tell you anything different than the other thousands of people that have applied. Other than that, I've known what I've wanted to do since I was three years old. I knew that one day I would be standing here one day just waiting for the chance to prove my talent and to show off the things that I have sacrificed and worked so hard to accomplish,"
A sigh escaped the first inspector's lips, a piece of her brown hair falling out of her perfectly done ponytail. "You're right Miss. Fray, it's nothing we haven't heard before," Aspen was ready for the words she was dreading to hear, waiting for her heart to shatter.
"But, I can confidently say that I haven't seen a dancer like you in a long time. I can see your passion through your dancing and it adds a very special element and feeling. We would both very much appreciate if you would join us tomorrow,"
"Yes! Yes, absolutely, thank you so much," Aspen squealed, shaking both of the women's hands.
The redhead turned around heading towards her bag on the floor with a smile spread across her face. She was so close yet still so far from her dream. Aspen reached into her gym back, seeing that she had one unread message from Clary in the groupchat they had with their best friend Simon.
"Meet at Java Jones in 10. News about art school,"
Aspen didn't need to hear the words to know that Clary had gotten into art school. She would try and pull the sad face card and try and act like she didn't get in, but she knew her twin sister.
~~~
Aspen walked into the small modern coffee shop spotting her sister's red hair immediately, a smile morphed onto Simon's face. "Hey, guys, wait don't tell me," she pointed to Simon, hinting at his facial expression. "She pulled the sad face and you actually got accepted?"
