Chapter 1: Flip

I pulled my hair back into a messy ponytail. Class started in 5 minutes and Kalia hated when our hair was down. This was my last class here at New York's prestigious Kenmore Gymnast Academy. I didn't want to disappoint.

Tomorrow I would be living in La Push, Washington. It was an Indian reserve, and mom wanted to get back to her past. She was half Quileute and wanted to see the lifestyle her mother had grown up in.

Kalia walking in, "Girls, stretches. Now. Mackenzie, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," I replied. It was probably about my leaving or something.

We walked over to the mirrors, far away from the other girls. "Listen," she said, "I know your family is moving, and all the details are done, but we need you here, Kenz. You're the best of the bunch!"

I blushed. Kalia sure knew how to make you feel special. "I can't Kalia. I'll be enrolling in a Seattle gymnast club when I get there. Plus, how could I stay here, huh? My mom would flip."

"You could stay with me."

"Sorry, K, but I'm going with my family tonight. I'm actually pretty excited. And we'll be back in a year or so."

"A lot can happen in a year," she prophesized eerily.

"Um… yeah. Well if that was all, I'm gonna go stretch," I said, turning toward the other girls.

"Whatever. Just remember Mackenzie, if you ever change your mind, we'd be happy to have you back," she said dismissively.

I joined the other girls and stretched out my legs and arms. I didn't want to pull a muscle on my last day. This was my last goodbye; I didn't want it to hurt, literally.

"Age 10 to 13, mat. 14 to16, spring floor. 17 to 19, bars. Go," Kalia called. We all ran to our designated places. I was at the spring floor, my favorite. Kalia turned up the radio, Soulja Boy was playing, we all cheered, then got back to business.

When it was my turn, I thought for a moment, round off backhand spring, or round off back tuck?

"Lea," I said, turning to the girl behind me, my best friend, Eleanor. "Should I do the round off backhand spring or the round off back tuck?"

"Tuck," She said. "It's way more impressive. You wanna go out with a bang, right?"

I smiled. "Right."

I started running, placed down my hands and executed a perfect round off back tuck. I heard applause from the girls behind me. The girls at the bars glared, they were obviously jealous. Jealous of what? I thought. I'm no better than they are.

As I was walking back to the line, my mom walked in and waved at me. I turned, pretending not to see her. I wanted a few more seconds here before she took me home.

"Mackenzie," she called. Her high-pitched voice cutting through the rest of the noise.

Everyone turned to stare at me. "Hey, mom."

"Come on, honey. We've gotta go."

"One, sec. Let me say goodbye."

"All right, one second," she warned and walked back to the car, with dad and my brother, Austin, waiting.

I said a personal goodbye to every girl in my line. They were my closest friends. Then I said I quick goodbye to the younger girls, and an even quicker goodbye to the older ones.

Grabbing my stuff, I walked toward the door. About halfway there, I stopped, turned, and yelled, "Thank you, New York!" Hey, might as well go out with a bang as my friend once said.

Sneak peak:

It was dark as I was walking home from Jake's. Suddenly I felt a cold hand grab my neck. I felt a sharp pain, then blackness.

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