𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖲𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗌 || 𝖣𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖬𝗈𝗆𝗌

Mackenzie's Time to Shine

"What does Morgan have to do with everything? Well, believe it or not, she was heavily involved in the earlier years of my life. The years when I did not have a camera shoved in my face for twelve hours a day and five days a week. More people are just finding out about her, and to be honest, I was terrified of making contact with her in the first place. Yes, she may have been one of the most influential people in my life at one point, but a lot of years have gone by since then, and I was sure both of us had grown to be entirely different people.

The first time I met Morgan Isabella Clark was during the Spring of two thousand and seven ― to be more specific, it was on Thursday, April twenty-sixth, two thousand and seven ― and she and her mother came into the studio during a very hectic time.

Less than twenty hours later, most of the studio's younger competitive dancers would be competing at the Fire and Ice Talent Pittsburgh Regionals, and we were all at rehearsals between four and eight in the afternoon. I, personally, only had a solo and a trio, but some other kids had way more, hence the chaos at the studio.

After I had been dismissed by Miss Jennine, I had opted to get away from the dancer's den, where the chaos was mostly at, so I tightened my low ponytail and walked out to the front desk area. It was hopefully going to be empty, and I would be able to enjoy a few minutes of silence― Except that it was exactly the opposite.

Not in an exaggerated way, but Nessa ― the sort of "secretary" ― was attending a woman and a much younger girl. From where I stood on the doorway that led to all three, the viewing room, dancer's den, and studio "A", I tried my best to recognize either of them, but it was unsuccessful. Ironically, even after meeting so many brunettes with brown eyes and pale skin, I couldn't quite put my finger on who the girl was supposed to be.

She wore a red t-shirt with its sleeves folded inward twice, along with denim shorts that ended about two inches above her knees, and red pastry glam pie glitter sneakers, along with white socks that peeked a bit above both of her sneakers. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail, while her side fringe had been brushed to the right side of her small forehead, and a small red bow was on top of the ponytail, although I could barely see it from where I was standing.

The girl did not look much older than I was, but I was sure she was not younger, either. After all, how much younger than the four-year-old could you be?

As I continued to watch them from a distance ― I was peeking my head into the room, but hiding the rest of my body behind the gray doorframe ―, the music for "Mr. Touchdown", a trio with Chloe, Paige, and Josh, played loudly from the inside of studio "A", where the three of them were rehearsing at that moment.

"She could start classes next week, but she'd have to audition for the competition team if she wants to compete, and there aren't going to be any auditions until the season is over." I heard Nessa tell the woman and ― possibly ― the girl. "She would then start to compete in January with the other kids."

January of two thousand and eight. That was an eternity away.

"Do you think you can handle it, Mo?" Another voice ― definitely the woman's ― spoke, and I watched as she looked down at the girl who stood at her left.

While standing on her tiptoes and grabbing onto the desk with both of her small hands, the younger girl turned her head to the right to look at the woman with a small grin on her face. "I can do it."