I am a Dancer (Naruto fanfiction)

35: Empowered Resolutions

"I can't do it," I whispered to Chalice, my purple hourglass pendant. "I'm not good enough."

What are you saying now? You almost had it! Keep your core strong and count one, two, three, jump. It's the timing, Star.

"Abby isn't happy. She says it's not enough."

You're hiding yourself again. Dig inside and pull out your emotions. Abby wants a deep, facial emotion from you. That's why it's not enough. Show it with your whole body. Let your suspended body linger as if you're trying to say, "I don't want to leave the dead lonely."

"Alright." I put down my water bottle and glanced at the main studio. There was Maddie, dancing for Abby again. Abby was smiling at her golden girl, causing my heart to grow heavy.

Ignore them, My Little Star. Focus on your own work, not hers or anyone else's.

I headed to an empty room and began practicing my routine again. Chalice was placed on top of my folded jacket as I danced. Even without my necklace near me, I could still here words of encouragement filling my head.

Take it easy here, good girl. Watch your spacing! There you go.

However, my emotional frustration had reached its peak. I collapsed on the floor and banged my head on the ground. "See! It's not perfect!"

Chalice was silent for a moment. Then the necklace spoke.

Hirano, do you know what an hourglass stands for?

"I don't know, time? Calculating time?"

An hourglass stand for time, but there's a deeper meaning. It represents your heart. Hirano, you have the ability to appreciate the time you have now. You have a sense of balance; not too much of this, not too much of that. You know when to stop and when to change.

When sand falls, it represents a human life is slowly slipping away. Take Maddie for example. She may be fantastic now, but sooner or later, her dancing career must come to an end. You, on the other hand, have the ability to turn the hourglass over and continue. Don't give up on your dream to become the best dancer the world will ever see.

I remained silent for awhile, thinking what Chalice said. "What if I can't turn the hourglass over?"

I'll remain at your side and turn it over for you. I'll give you the breathe of air you need to continue. I'll guide you through your faults and remind you what your Konoha friends taught you. Remember?

"Yeah." I wasn't thoroughly convinced, but thanks to Chalice's words, I was willing to give dancing another shot.

The next day, when I was doing my make up, and my mother was fixing my hair, I heard Chalice singing Bounce with Me by Tune Up. Energy flowed through my veins, but my pounding heart began to relax and return to a calmer state.

"Next up, we have number 47, 'Take my soul away'!" The announcer called my number. I walked to the center of the stage and showed my back to the judges.

Straighten your spine slowly, feel the stretch.

I arched my back and threw my body into a smooth backflip and spun as elegantly, yet strongly as I could. My face released all the excitement, allowing my body to wilt slowly. I dropped to the floor, arching on leg over and flipping my body off the floor, curling my body into a ball then throwing myself open again.

As I danced, I could feel silence surrounding me like a shield, protecting me from danger or harm. I pirouetted and fell out of my final turn carefully then let my leg swing up above my head and down again. I ended my routine with a gentle flourish, as the music finished.

The silence remained for a moment, before cheers and clapping filled the auditorium. That evening, I earned a bright smile from my teacher and went home with a trophy.

I was off to a new start.