Punisher, Dance Moms

001. The Competition Begins

In the sweltering heat of the afternoon, the classroom buzzed with restless anticipation. Time sluggishly trickled by, echoing the distant ticking of the clock. Sunlight spilled through the glass windows, casting warm, golden rays onto the classrooms polished wooden desks. The teachers voice droned on, something about converting fractions, though most of her lesson plan fell on deaf ears as the kids restlessly swung their feet back and forth and sketched mindless doodles of eyes and hearts into their notebooks. When the final bell pierced the silence, liberation flooded the classroom. The pent-up energy of the students surged forward in a symphony of eager footsteps and spirited laughter. The teacher called out the final due date for the homework as the kids swung her door open, the sound of her voicing being mostly drowned out by clunky shoes hitting hardwood.

Amidst the flurry of bodies, Aurora emerged from the building through the curved front doors that were stuck open for the kids to pass though. Her eyes scanned the crowd of waiting parents until they landed on her dad, Andrei. He stood tall against his black BMW. One arm laid lazily atop the roof of the car, while he held up his other arm to check his watch, the glimmer of the gold band catching the evening sun. Aurora's lips curled into a smile. Her footsteps quickened until she was sprinting towards him. As her father caught sight of her, he bent down, his arms outstretched and eagerly awaiting her arrival.

Aurora threw herself into his embrace, giggling as he effortlessly lifted her off the ground, her hair swaying with the breeze. When he gently placed her back down, her hands instinctively smoothed down her tousled hair. She climbed into the backseat of her fathers car, while Andrei circled around to the front seat.

"Rora!" Her baby sister, Ivanna, shrieked with delight at the sight of her entering the car.

Aurora removed her backpack and tucked it between her feet, before ruffling Ivanna's hair in greeting. As the car roared to life with the turn of the key, she let out a content sigh.

"Seatbelt." Andrei reminded, his eyes focused ahead until he heard the familiar click of the metal buckle. He maneuvered the car out of the parking spot, making a left turn towards the gated exit. "How was your day, angel?"

"Good! I got a hundred on my science quiz." Aurora beamed, her thoughts drifting back to the night her father helped her study at the kitchen table.

"That's good, hard work pays off." Andrei replied, briefly glancing at the rearview mirror, his smile etching creases onto his face.

The gentle hum of the engine enveloped the car into a comfortable silence. As the car glided through the streets, Aurora's gaze turned towards the passing scenery. Tall buildings stood like sentinels, trees swayed gracefully in the wind, cars zoomed by quickly, and people hurried along the sidewalks, creating a blur of motion. Aurora tore her eyes away from the window when her sister mentioned the documentary being filmed at their mothers dance studio.

Aurora didn't know how it had all come about. She only recalled her mother talking about it after the contracts were signed and the deals were finalized. All she knew now was that her life at her mothers dance company would be captured and documented for the world to see.

"And it's going to be really fun." Ivanna exclaimed, her contagious smile bringing joy to Aurora's face.

Andrei veered the car to the right and turned into the parking lot of the Abby Lee Dance Company. The rocky concrete made the car bounce slightly before he parked a few feet away from the entrance. He turned off the engine. "Alright, we're here."

Aurora waited for Ivanna to pull away her seatbelt before she grabbed a hold of the cool metal of the car door and pulled it open. Her clunky Mary Janes hit the concrete with a crack. She turned and closed the car door before skipping around behind the car.