"Let's talk about Starbound competition, can we have a round of applause? Whoo-hoo!" Miss Abby says and we all clap, "Okay, so, Brooke, you blew them away, The people sitting around me were in awe when you did your handstand twist. But why all the drama with the hip? Hm? If you are seriously injured, you don't need to go to your mother and get everybody worked up, you come to me-- And that needs to be clear, yes?"

I tighten my ponytail.

"I want to talk about this week's competition." Miss Abby tells us and reveals the pyramid.

Brooke

Maddie   Chloe

Nia  Paige  Mackenzie    Melanie  Vivi-Anne

"You see there's someone new on top. Yes, Brooke, you are here because of your performance. You worked through an injury, you did what you had to do, you were a team player." Miss Abby says, "You are getting a solo this weekend. Alright, Chloe, Maddie,you are also getting solos this weekend. The bottom row, what am I supposed to do with you five? You need to step it up, you need to get your butts right back into class and start working on your technique. And you know what, since we're gonna be in Pittsburgh this weekend, I'm gonna give every single one of you a solo."

We all clap and I raise my hand.

Even me?" I ask.

"Even you, Melanie." Miss Abby answers and I smile.

All the moms leave and we start practicing our solos. Maddie had two solos this week, 'Cry' and a tap solo.
We all sit on the back of Studio A and watch Maddie as she learns her two solos. After Maddie, it was Paige, Kenzie, Nia, and after all of them, it was my time to learn my solo. My second solo ever.

My solo's called 'Welcome to Wonderland' and I like it!

"Your solo isn't going to be judged, only because you're younger than the lowest age category, yours is going to be recreational." Miss Abby tells me.

I get to dress up as Alice!

I start off the routine laying on the floor, pretending to be asleep. The singer starts and I slowly stand up and look up amazed, at least that's what Miss Abby told me, I don't even know what the word means!

"Look up surprised, shocked." Miss Abby instructs me.

I look up one more time, my mouth open, eyes wide. I really just wanted to laugh for how I looked in the mirror.

I run and do a straddle jump. I run to the middle of the stage and look around me. I walk with my hands behind me to the left and smile widely. I do 4 turns and roll into the floor. I get on my knees and look up again.

"Use your arms!" Miss Abby tells me.

I look up, this time moving my arms, kinda how Maddie does it on her 'Cry' solo. I get up and do some small jumps. I do more turns. At the end, I lay again in the floor, right where I started, and close my eyes with a smile.

"Beautiful." Miss Abby says as I stand up, "You're dismissed."

My sisters and I had to wait a while for Mommy to come back from her dinner with the other Moms, after that we went home.

•Three Days To Competition•

We all sit down at the Dancer's Den.

"I love my solo!" Maddie exclaims.

"Which one?" Nia asks.

"Both!" Maddie answers and we all laugh.

"I get to dress up as a mouse." Kenzie tells us.

"And I dress up as a bee." Vivi adds.

"If two of the youngest get to dress up as animals." Brooke says and looks over to me, "What about you, Mel?"

"I'm going to dress up as Alice." I smile.

"Alice from Alice in Wonderland?" Paige asks and I nod, "It sounds so fun!"

"Chloe, come on in!" We hear Miss Abby yell and Chloe goes practice her solo.

After a while, Miss Abby calls Maddie to practice her solo and Mommy leaves the Dancer's Den.

"Did you know Maddie's doing two solos?" Christi asks Kelly.

"No." Kelly answers as I start coloring in my coloring book.

"Melissa just sat here and said that Maddie's doing two solos this weekend." Christi tells Kelly.

"And whose ideas was that-- Hers or Abby's?" Kelly asks.

"They probably got together over, you know, lunch and talked about it." Christi says.

I continue coloring and Brooke walks over to me.

"You know that elephants are gray, do you?" She asks me.

"Just let hers be the Pinky Pie of elephants, Brooke." Paige tells her sister.

Miss Abby calls me and Vivi to Studio A. Vivi starts rehearsing her solo as I sit on the back watching her. Cathy comes in and also watches Vivi.

I go over my solo once before Miss Abby has to go talk to Cathy outside.

The day after the moms were absolutely crazy. Miss Abby was giving an acro class, Kelly didn't have Paige's music, the moms were mad about Maddie's 'super secret privates', they were also mad that Maddie has two solos, Cathy doesn't want to place her butt in the bus, this is a mess. And I, on a Friday night, was playing hide-and-seek with my friends Emma, Rylee, and Julie.

Julie was counting and she was in studio B.

"Where are you going?" Rylee asks.

"I think I'm going to Dance Jail." I tell her.

We both run up to Dance Jail and sit against the wall. Emma decided to hide in one of the bathrooms.

"Here I go!"

We suddenly see Mommy storm in the class and tell Abby something. She looked really mad.

"Got you!" Julie exclaims and Rylee runs off, she touches my shoulder, "Got ya!"

I groan and go to the Dancer's Den.

"Melie, we're leaving." Mommy tells me and takes my dance bag.

We leave for the night.

•Competition Day•

I sit beside Chloe on the bus and we leave.

"Nia?"

"Here."

"Mackenzie?"

"Here."

"Melanie?"

"Here."

"Maddie?"

"Here."

"Vivi-Anne?"

"Not here."

Chloe chuckles by Brooke's comment and I quickly fall asleep.

~~~

"We're here." Chloe gently shakes me and I wake up.

"Already?" I ask.

"It's been six hours." Chloe tells me and we get off the bus.

We go to the dressing room and start getting ready. I change into my solo costume, I sit on front of my mirror and Mommy starts doing my hair. I put on my team jacket and we all go to the audience.

"Next up we have an advanced mini tap solo. Please welcome Maddie with 'A Capella'." The announcer says and Maddie walks on stage.

You've got big black boots

And legs up to there

Kenzie runs backstage.

"Next up we have an advanced acro-gymnastics solo, please welcome Mackenzie with 'Kids Dance Pop'." The announcer says and Kenzie goes on stage.

One chance to rule with words

Make a change, your voice is heard 

We cheer as Kenzie goes off stage and I go backstage. Vivi walks on stage with her bee costume.

"Say hello to Vivi-Anne with 'Bumblebee'." The announcer says as she gets on her starting pose.

Tastes so sweet from her head to her feet

No, that's something that can't be beat

At one part of her solo she slips and some of the girls laugh.

"You can dance way better than her." Maddie tells me.

"Mads!" I say.

"What she said is true." Brooke agrees.

Vivi-Anne walks off stage and Cathy greets her.

"Next up, please welcome Melanie with 'Welcome to Wonderland'." The announcer says and I go onstage.

Everyone cheers as I get into my starting pose.

Welcome to Wonderland
We've got it all

Potions and pastries that make you grow tall

Forests and cottages, castles and cards that can talk

Welcome to Wonderland

Look where you're at

Maddest of hatters

The Cheshire Cat

Magical cabins and lovely white rabbits with clocks

Dancing through a dream

Underneath the stars

Laughing 'til the morning comes

Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart

Oh, Wonderland I love

Welcome to Wonderland

I'll be your guide

Holding your hand under sapphire skies

Let's go exploring or we could just go for a walk

Welcome to Wonderland

Where should we go?

There's a tea party along down the road

Make an appearance and maybe they'll sing us a song

Dancing through a dream

Underneath the stars

Laughing 'til the morning comes

Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart

Oh, Wonderland I love

Nothing around here is quite

As it seems

Not sure if anything is real

Or a dream

And the only thing sure from the start

Is the song that's inside of your heart

Don't let it leave

If this was a dream

Then at least I've got

Memories for when morning comes

Now that I must leave with a heavy heart

Oh, Wonderland I love

Everyone cheers as I leave the stage and Mommy greets me.

"You were amazing!" She exclaims and I jump into her arms.

Next couple of solos, Brooke did great, Nia did too, and it was time for Paige!

Make you do a double take

Why we are the when we are a mystery

She suddenly freezes and the music stops.

"Give her a round of applause." The announcer says as Paige walks off stage, "Make her feel very comfortable."

Kelly leaves us to go find her, and we all go to the dressing room. There were only two solos left, Maddies and Chloe's. Paige and Nia were getting ready for an unaired group dance. Maddie was freaking out and using bobby pins like if there was no tomorrow, so Mommy grew annoyed with her. Maddie leaves to go practice her solo and Mommy just takes a little break from her.

"All right, Maddie's on on three." Mommy says, "Come on, Mackenzie and Melanie, we gotta go see your sister."

I take her left hand and Kenzie takes her right hand. We all leave the dressing room and start our way.

"Melissa." Christi calls Mommy, "Melissa."

"Yeah." We all go sit in the audience.

"Next up, please welcome Maddie with 'Cry'." The Announcer says and we clap as Maddie goes on stage.

Well, II guess it's been awhile

Since I've seen the sunshine

Since I have smiled

We all go receive Maddie and the rest of the dances go in. The unaired group dances, Maddie's and Chloe's duet, and Chloe's solo 'Mother'.

Awards. Paige, Kenzie, Vivi, and Nia didn't place. My solo was only 'recreational'. Olivia's solo didn't place either. Chloe and Maddie's duet was first. Brooke's solo was fourth. The '007' group dance was first and the 'Rag Dolls' one was second. The 'House of Love' one was fourth. John's solos were first, Elizabeth's was seventh.

Back to the show ones, Maddie's tap solo was third, Chloe's solo was fourth, and Maddie's lyrical was first.

We all go back to the dressing room and I sit down.

"Now, we don't want to ruin the waited victory." Christi says, "Abby, we need to go to the hallway.

"Don't be doing this in front of my daughter, Christi." Mommy says.

"We can all go in the hallway." Christi argues, "'Cause I tried talking to you, and talking to you, personally."

"Why are you doing this?" Miss Abby asks.

They all start arguing and we just look at the three of them.

"You're making my daughter cry, so shut up!" Mommy yells as Kenzie starts to cry.

Gia hugs Maddie, who also started crying, and I start breathing heavily.

"How many times has my daughter beat your daughter this year! The weight has been stacked against everybody this weekend because you did it!"

"Get out of here now!"

"Let's go!"

"B****"

"Your kids feel bad, but it doesn't matter that my daughter feels bad!"

Mommy picks me up from the seat and I start crying. She takes all of our stuff and trophies and we leave.

"Your daughter is holding a national title and I will take it away in a minute!"

"Go ahead and take it away, I'll leave your studio!"

"I will! That's fine, where you're gonna go?!"

We leave the dressing room and Kelly helps Mommy. Kelly scoops me up in her right arm and puts her other arm around Maddie and Kenzie.

"Don't cry." Kelly tells us, "Everything will be fine."

"I'm scared." I cry, "Why do they have to fight?"