Dance Moms - Chlobird

Chapter 8 : Morning Routine

Years of morning routine bore deep in her biological system, she wakes up at 6:00 a.m. every day, right down to the second.

Unwashed, she pulls on her jogging outfit and runs two miles to the nearest forest, where she built a training ground deep within the trees. It has a sandbag to practice her fighting skills, and a target for archery.

She then ran home and washed thoroughly, blow-dried her hair and put on her glass eye.

The newly improved eye has a better grip and doesn't fall out easily. It also has a special coating that allows her to wear it through an extensive period without dipping into solution. But she felt the need to give her own flesh a rest, so she removed it before sleeping.

After losing her last glass eye, she asked the Recovery to send her two more, but JoJo couldn't resist her prank and sent her a chocolate gift box, packed with twelve glass eyes, each wrapped in a muffin cup. Four of the eyes match her dark brown iris, but the rest consist of every color a human eye can have, adding one of a cat, a lizard, a mechanical eye that glows like the Terminator, and finally an 8-ball. The box came in red ribbons, and a note written: Happy Halloween Princess!

Freshly dressed, Chloe made her breakfast of pancakes and raspberry jam, something she addicted to in the Recovery, and ate while planning out the day ahead.

Most of her records were erased when she took on the identity of Claudia Lukasikova, by a powerful computer worm that traveled through the internet, reaching every terminal in the world to erase files that related to her past - every video, photo and article, so that nothing could link back to her new name.

With the help from Sam at Central, Chloe could reinstate her social security, driver's license and passport, but the attack took place years ago, all her school reports, awards, dental records, and social platforms were long gone.

She left home before she finished high school, so technically she hasn't graduated, and without any real working experience, finding work became difficult.

Her only resume now is the show that planted deep in the dance industry, impressions from human memories that went untouched by the computer worm.

Miss Abby offered her a position at the ALDC, on the condition that Chloe participate in her new show, but Chloe didn't want to put any kids or mothers through the same ordeals she had, so she politely declined.

Cathy from Candy Apple's Dance Club also offered her a position, but she knew very well the motive was to upset Abby, so she also declined.

After applying at many studios, she finally found work at a place called Studio 19 Dance Complex, introduced by the studio hopper Jill Vertes.

Her work was to cover absence of permanent staffs, teaching beginners aging from six to nine. The pay was low but acceptable, and it pleases her to meet passionate children learning dancing for the very first time, like she was looking at her own past, so she works hard in hope of becoming a permanent staff member.

She knew she could go back to her alternative life at any time. The girls at the Recovery are still upset that she didn't go to Dubai and marry a prince, but they will still welcome her with open arms. And Prince Falih still sends her invitations on every occasion, in hope she will return to join his lavish life. But Pittsburgh was where she grew up, the people, the climate, the sound and smell, everything is telling her: You Belong Here!

Even thinking about this warms her heart, knowing that there are people who love her like family. She washed the dishes and placed them to dry, looked into the mirror and began doing her hair.