Practice Makes Perfect (Completed)

Chapter 1

Anastasia had endured a lot of pain for the sake of her art, but nothing so bad as the pain in her ankle as she picked herself up off the floor. There was still half a song left before her performance was over, and she needed to show the judges she was serious about her craft. Apparently, she hadn't really been ready for the complex jump she had added in last minute.

She hissed as she put weight on the foot, and tried to take deep breaths. If her ankle could hold her weight, which she was certain it could, she could finish the routine without jepordizing her chances of victory in the competition. Gritting her teeth, Anastasia closed her eyes, and put all of her weight onto her bad ankle. It was time to dance.

Every step was agony, and she couldn't force her swelling ankle into a proper point position, but she managed to stay on rhythm and make everything flow. The music seemed almost too loud, and the lights were dizzyingly bright when she dared to open her eyes. Everything was chaos and pain for nearly a minute and a half.

Then, blessedly, the song came to it's finale. Anastasia had practiced the turn a million times, but the pain was blurring out her logical thought. When she balanced on her bad foot, she could barely remember how many times she was supposed to spin before she stopped, let alone execute the move to her full potential. She settled for twisting three times, a bit off balance and even a bit off tempo. It was a releif when the last note faded, replaced by the voices of the crowd. 

Anastasia dared to look at the judges. None of them looked happy. She bit her lip.

Distracted as she was, she nearly forgot to curtsy, and was forced to rush the manuvuer as the curtains cloased on either side of her. Her ankle was screaming in pain, insisting she tend to it, and as soon as the curtain was closed, she collapsed ot the floor.

Her coach appeared from bakcstage, carrying water, blankets and a fresh ice pack. When he saw the condition of her ankle, he went pale.

"That was a serious fall." He handed her the ice pack.

Anastasia gritted her teeth. "Just a bit."

She carefully wrapped the ice pack around her ankle. The next performer fiddled with her tutu as she waited for Anastasia and her crew to clear the area. In mere moments, the curtain would open again, and the new girl would be onstage. Anastasia wasn't exactly being fair by blocking her from setting up, but her ankle hurt just enough that she didn't really care.

"Can we get a medic back here?" Her coach called.

The girl in the tutu was too shy to force them off their stage, but the countdown clock was ticking towards zero. Anastasia wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Lets get you off stage." Her coach leaned down and scooped Anastasia into his arms.

The movement sent a wave of fresh pain through her ankle, but it was better than trying to walk again. Her coach carried her to a backstage area, where a medic was already waiting.

"I have to go on again in an hour, so let's get this wrapped up." She said as her coach set her on the nearest table.

She wished she was as confident as she sounded.

The medic pushed aside the hairbows and ballet shoes that cluttered the table and focused on Anastasia's ankle,  which had swollen to nearly twice it's normal size.

The medic touched it, and pain exploded from her ankle. When he kept prodding at it she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming.

"Its definitely broken." He finally decided. "You'll need an x ray, and probably a cast."

"We'll get that x ray after my last dance. For now, I'll take whatever pain killers you can subscribe."

"You really need to get this looked at."

"I thunk I'll be alright. Coach, could you grab my ankle brace?"

Her coach rifled through her nearby bag and produced a cheap ankle brace, meant for minor strains more than bone breaks. As soon as Anastasia had it in her hand, she started to fasten it over her ankle.

"Look, I've been dealing with ballerinas all day, and I know you don't want to jeopardize your score, but you need to come to the hospital. This is a serious break."

Anastasia tightened the brace as well as she could over the swelling. It hurt even when she touched it.

"Do you have any painkillers or not?" She asked.

"If you come to the hospital, they'll give you some."

"Coach, advil?"

He had already gotten it from the bag and handed it to her the moment she asked. She took two pills.

"Thanks doc, for everything. I'm gonna go but some I've on it and get ready to dance."

The medic looked annoyed. "Keep in mind, you're ruining your body."

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "I think I'll risk it."