Ignite

Prologue

Four years ago

Age: 15

The radiance of the stage lights scraped over the skin of the duo which danced on stage, like moonlight hitting two graceful swans in the darkness of a meadow with a pond hidden in its dwellings.

Grace. Beauty. The desire for perfection.

Dance, specifically ballet, was what you revolved your life around. Ballet was very much of a commitment, physically, time-wise, and financially. At the adolescent age of 3 years old, your parents were struggling with paying old college debt along with house bills, and your Nana was the one who signed you up for ballet.

Ballet had been tied tightly to your side since what seemed to be the beginning, you made one of your closest friends there who had stuck with you pretty much your entire life.

Once your mom and dad were able to get to a more financially stable position, they were able to pay for your classes. As the years went by, so did much performing experience, as well as growth in skill. What was once just a one day a week extracurricular of your earliest youth, would later grow to be two days a week.

Then, the age for pointe preparation rolled in, that would be another class to add to the schedule; which eventually led to going en pointe once your feet were developed more, especially your growth plates.

Then you became a part of the company corps, that's another one to add.

Through age, as well as experience, you were up to 5 classes a week. Practically a business schedule. On top of your commitment to dance, you still were in school, and you weren't going to waste your high school years being home-schooled, that was a waste in your mind.

Public school allowed you to get enough to happen to entertain you during those hours, since you were a considerably extroverted person. Keeping up with whatever was going on with all your friends and classmates in high school was important to you. The outside world was important to you.

Ballet was highly considered for the future you wanted to live. The most prestigious dance company in Eldia, Paradis Island Ballet Company, otherwise known as PIBC, was your dream ballet academy to attend. You envisioned your future there. Ages worth of daydreaming the acceptance into that company after a hopeful, perfect audition, plus the hopes of performing on the stage under that company's name.

Professionally dancing was the main dream. You knew that's what you wanted in your future since you were in elementary school. That was your poison without an antibody. That dream was to affect your life in ways thought to be unattainable.

Since you had been dancing for the greater majority of your life, you  always looked for opportunities to watch other companies perform. Seeing from an audience member's perspective was one thing, but one who has had previous experience in the art was another.

An audience member watching a dance recital, while already being a dancer, led to a flooded brain, leaking out commentary towards the ones on stage, staying in your own thoughts.

Her foot is sickled, bevel it out more. Tuck your hip under during your developé, you look like a dog trying to take a piss, otherwise. You spotted at least 3 different areas during that pirouette.

The thoughts were overflowing while watching the pas de deux, the pointe dancer in this partnering act was nowhere near the level a professional would be at, not to say you were to that level, far from it in fact; you were only fifteen. But knowing what you were supposed to be watching would always be easier than pulling it off yourself.

After all, this was an amateur recital you were watching.

However, the male partner almost seemed to have slipped your attention since it was so focused on the girl dancing with him. But with his presence under the blinding lights which were hoisted above the stage was unmissable.