Plié (Lost Birds Book 2)

Part 10 Thursday.

I woke up at seven am to practice. 

My mother was adamant that if I wasn't up on time I would be punished and I wasn't sure I could handle the punishment she implied.

This time I was careful to check my tights for any wholes and I matched my black strappy leotard with my black flats. It was perfectly acceptable attire.

After waiting down stairs for my mother I realized I had made I mistake in choosing the strappy leotard over the sleeves. The straps were digging into my shoulder painfully already.

I did my best to ignore the pain. I stretched my legs and my good arm as best I could without aggravating my shoulder even more. By the time my mother came down I was almost fully awake and only partially wanted to curl up and cry.

"Did you stretch?" She asked.

"Yes." I said. I stood up strait and waited for her orders.

"We'll see." She said scanning my outfit. She made no comment on my posture or clothing so at least I had gotten that part right.

"Fifth position." She ordered.

I crossed my legs so that my toes were pointing opposite each other. Once I was sure of my positioning I locked my hands and forced my arms above my head. My shoulder seared in protest but I ignored it.

My mother watched me carefully. She was searching for any signs of weakness and I was doing my best not to show them. My arm was already starting to tremble.

"Plie en pointe." She directed.

I shifted lowering myself halfway down and then rose back up to the tips of my toes. When my mother made no move to redirect me I repeated the motions. Half way down, all the way back up. I'd shifted my hands so that my good arm was providing most of the support for my other but my shoulder was not happy with the angle it was forced to in fifth position.

"Grand plie en pointe." She finally spoke after my twenty-sixth plie.

I switched my movements, lowering myself into a full plie before rising up to my toes again. On my third grand plie my legs began to shake. The pain from my shoulder was beginning to radiate out again, down my back, and up into my head.

"Tendu, third position." She ordered.

I slid my feet slightly apart without lifting them. It was a simple transition from fifth to third. I was also permitted to lower my arms. I held my good arm out in front of me and let my other arm rest at my side. It wasn't exactly how I was supposed to place them but it was close enough that I only received an eye roll instead of a corrective swipe.

"Arabesque." She directed.

I sighed but on the exhale, I shifted into the move. I bent at the waist, straightening one leg out behind me and raised my good arm above my head for balance. I stilled once I was sure that I was in position. My shoulders trembled but I ignored them.

"Sauté arabesque." She said.

She wanted me to repeat the position and add in a jump. I knew that the pain I was feeling from just trying to hold these positions that jumping around was going to exceedingly painful. I took a deep breath and did it anyway. As expected the jarring movement caused a new wave of pain to crash over my shoulder and down my back. My steps faltered but I managed to pull through.

"Sloppy." My mother said. "Pirouette into sauté arabesque."

"I...I can't." I sputtered. It was the same move she had me do yesterday and there was no way I could add the jump at the end like she was asking.