When Giselle opened her eyes she was disoriented at first, but then realised she had asked her mother if she could sleep at their dance studio since the classes had a summer break. 

From the moment Giselle could walk her mother started teaching her ballet. They had their own studio next to their house. It wasn't big, just one hall and a changing room, but big enough for the few classes that came by. 

Giselle loved their studio, one wall was covered in mirrors and the opposite wall was all glass. She looked through the window to see the sun was setting, she had been sleeping through the day. 

The view took her breath away. A burning sky above the forest and a golden glow over the grass that stretched out behind the studio and their house. She sighed and looked at the bag she brought with her. 

She got off the mattress and took out her pointe shoes and dance clothes, which existed out of a pair of leggings with an oversized Queen shirt, and put them on. 

When she was ready, she walked over towards the middle of the room. She didn't bother to put her hair up and just looked in the mirror, her reflection staring back at her. This was where she grew yup, right in front of this mirror. And with that she closed her eyes and begun to dance. 

There was no need to put on any music, because all the music she needed was in her head. She felt her body elegantly move in sync with the sweet melody of the music. 

She started out calm, just as she did when she was young and unexperienced. As the music swelled, she started to twirl, her pirouettes flawless, just as her mother teached her. 

Her body moved on its own to the music as her mind drifted of to the countless memories she made here. From the moment she finally pulled off an arabesque to the moment she nailed her first lift. 

Every memory, every emotion, every part of her was poured in this dance. Her muscles trembled as she pushed herself until the limit, but she didn't stop. 

As the music slowed down until only a single violin could be heared she rose to the tip of her toes and tiptoed through the room. She looked and felt vulnerable, and looked back on her anxieties and insecurities.

She never thought she was pretty which made her very insecure. People thought and said ballet was boring and for little girls. She struggled with her weight and now this...

But as soon as the music picked up the pace again she jumped in circles and let go of each of her insecurities everytime she flew through the air. With everytime she hit the ground she felt lighter and lighter until she believed she would be able to jump and fly away. 

She danced as if her life depended on it with twirls and jumps and wide movements of both her arms and legs. Her face was sereen, but inside she was almost bursting with utter joy. 

She knew the music would come to and end soon, just like her.

She ended her dance with a perfect arabesque and stood like that while the music faded away.

As she opened her eyes and looked it the mirror she could still here the last notes fading.

She looked at herself, she didn't pant, her muscles did not ache from dancing, she could not she a drop of sweat.

Because just like the music, her ability to dance was just in her head.

Her lip quivered and tears filled her eyes. As she kept looking at her reflection.

Her body was fragile and her skin pale. She had bags under her eyes and her lips were chapped. But you couldn't see the damage done to her body.

The sickness eating her alive from the inside was not as present on the outside. And that was it's trap.

She had been sick for a very long time apparently, but she hadn't seen it, nobody had. Only lately she had been feeling a little off, but she pushed through and kept dancing and forcing her body to go on.

It was her motto, through all these years, through periods, sickness, fevers and a broken toe she still kept dancing, 'the show must go on'.

But now it wasn't about the willpower to go on, to pull through and keep dancing.

One day she collapsed in the middle of a show. when she was rushed to hospital, she was diagnosed with leukemia. The sickness had already spread. They had to treat her, but soon she was too weak for treatment and stayed home, knowing one day would be her last.

She pulled the wig of her head and walked back to the mattress with shaky legs.

The sun had set completely and stars illuminated the sky. Giselle laid down and looked outside through the glass taking in the beautiful view of the sky.

"One day," she whispered to herself, "One day I'll be a star."

And with that she closed her eyes with a content sigh and danced away on the music in her head. 

https://youtu.be/t99KH0TR-J4