Disclaimer - I don't own any part of the Step Up franchise, any music that came from another artist that I incorporate into this story, and Old Navy. I do own, however, all the OC's that have been incorporated into this story that came from me.

-Rob Thomas, Little Wonders

New York: Dance Center of the World

"Is it always this hectic?" Brynn asked herself under her breath as Moose spoke to Camille over the phone and popping her ears a few times before finally getting rid of that invisible barrier. Their plane had landed a few minutes ago and they were currently waiting for her to get here. People bustled out of every corner, shoving past each other, hardly muttering excuse me. Back in New Jersey, it was never this busy.

"Cam, no," he said for the fifth time. "Look for a curly-haired skinny kid in a purple beanie. Brynn…"

He shot her a look before averting his eyes back to door with people pouring out at a steady pace.

"…is wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a green -"

"Old Navy hoodie?" guessed a voice from behind them.

They both turned to see a girl with golden brown hair and a bright smile staring back at them. Brynn smiled back as Camille held her arms out, gesturing for a hug. The ex-ballet dancer launched herself into them willingly. "It's been so long."

"Yeah," agreed Camille. "How've you been?"

"Good," Brynn nodded. "What about you?"

"Great," Cam nodded in return, about to ask some more questions before Moose interrupted.

"Okay can we talk in the car?" he said hurriedly, jumping up and down lightly to conserve body heat. "It's freezing out here."

Once they were all inside the car Moose turned the heat on. Camille sat in the driver's seat while Brynn sat in the back behind her cousin.

"Are you excited?" Camille glanced at the fifteen-year-old in the rearview mirror.

"For what?" Brynn asked, her eye brows scrunching together in confusion.

"Your first day of school is tomorrow," Camille sated as she stopped at a red light. She turned her head to glare at the boy with the purple beanie. "Didn't Moose tell you?"

At the sound of his name, Moose's eyes snapped wide open.

"No…he must've forgotten to mention that."

"And you'll be living at the Vault."

"The…what?"

"Moose!"

"Yes…?"

"You didn't tell her?"

"I was going to," he said defensively.

Just then, the light turned green again, signaling they could go. Camille stepped on the gas and made a sharp turn. Forgetting the current conflict for the moment, Brynn looked around. It was bright out as Camille weaved her way through the backstreets of New York. Snow flitted down, blanketing the ground and greenery.

"Okay, so Brynn?" Moose asked, turning in his seat to face his younger cousin. "You're going to go to North Lincoln High, it's only a few minutes from both NYU and the Vault, which is where you'll be living and -"

"What is that anyway?" Brynn interrupted. "The Vault? It sounds kinda creepy to be honest with you."

He chuckled. "It's the place where the Pirates live. Our crew. You'll live there since you can't live on campus."

"Um…"

"Don't worry," Moose assured. "I'm sure you'll fit right in."

"This is it," announced Moose as Camille pulled up to a large cement building. A few random flyers stuck to it and graffiti was sprayed on the far end of the wall to the left. Brynn followed them up to a door. Once Moose opened it and stepped inside, then gestured for her to do the same. The ex-ballet dancer did so until she found themselves in a large crate type thing.

"Moose…?"

"Calm down."

He turned and pulled something down and they started moving up. An elevator. Camille squeezed Brynn's shoulder in assurance, silently telling her everything's okay. Brynn took a deep breath and braced herself. When the door opened, she sure wasn't expecting what was in front of her.

Music was playing loudly, leaving no part of the room untouched with the fresh, crisp beat. People were everywhere, scattered, dancing in some way. She saw some guy in the corner moving like a robot. Someone bouncing off a wall with colorful squares and into a pit of cubes. Twins dancing on a platform with three guys standing in front of them laughing. Next thing she knew the twins were on the floor and the three guys were dancing on the platform.

Holy shit, Brynn thought as she took in the atmosphere.

"Moose!" someone called from their right. "Camille!"

"Guys," Moose called above the music. It stopped suddenly and people were walking towards them. "This is my younger cousin I was telling you about."

"Penelope Brynn Griffins," she smiled broadly. "But you can just call me Brynn."

A whole chorus of greetings welcomed her.

"I'm Anala," a girl with red hair stated, holding a hand out. Brynn took it, giving a small shake before drawing back.

"These are the Santiago Twins," Camille gestured to the twins who had been dancing on the platform just moments. They had caps on their heads with saggy skinny jeans. They each grabbed one of her hands and kissed.

"Ey -"

"-chica!"

Brynn smiled and laughed.

"What? I can't finish my own sentences now?" said one of the twins, looking in the other's direction.

"I can't start my own?"

"I'm just trying to be polite –"

"Oh by kissing her hand?"

"You did it too!"

"You were practically—"

"Those three right there are The Ticks," Moose said, forgetting all about the current banter his friends were in. The three boys who had taken the Santiago Twins' place on the platform had broad smiles on their faces. She shook each of their hands.

"And this is Jacob," Brynn's cousin nodded to a dark man with tattoos riding up his arm. They were intricate shapes, twining and intersecting. Some just sitting there individually.

"Hello," he smiled and held his hand out. They gave a small shake before letting go.

"And this—" Camille pointed at a guy with dark hair and eyes "—is Legz."

She shook hands with him as well.

"Okay, so since she's going to be living here, please tell me you guys have an extra room or space for her," Moose said.

"Yeah, of course," replied someone who came out from their left. He wore cool glasses and dirty off-white overalls with some boots. "I'm Jason by the way. It's nice to meet you…"

"Brynn," the young girl supplied quickly, her polite smile never leaving her face. "Call me Brynn."

"It's nice to meet you Brynn," Jason said again. "Moose has told us so much about you."

"Cool."

"This is your room I guess you could call it," Anala said as she gestured to the place that was officially Brynn's living space. There was a black futon with a pillow and a few blankets folded neatly on the bed. A small dresser with three drawers sat next to it with an alarm clock and a lamp on it's smooth surface. Light green and blue sheets were substituted for walls and a door, giving enough room to not be too cramped inside.

"It's not much but once you decorate and get settled," Anala stated with her hands firmly planted on her hips, "you'll get used to it."

"Yeah. You're right," Brynn agreed as she set all her bags down in a corner.

"Is there anything else you need?"

"No," Brynn shook her head. "I'm good. Thank you for everything."

"No problem," she smiled. Then added, "Oh and if you ever need any privacy, just take this -" she took a bright red handkerchief that hung from a ring on the wall and flung it over the sheet that was being used as a door so it hung off both edges "- and do that."

"Thanks Anala."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You have a big day tomorrow, so I guess I'll let you do whatever it is you need to do for the night."

"Okay," Brynn smiled sweetly. "Night."

"Night."

Then the redhead left. Brynn took a deep breath and looked at the bags she had plopped in the corner. She started unpacking and placing things in her drawers, carefully and quietly. Once she was done, she placed the outfit she was going to wear for tomorrow on top of her dresser with the shoes neatly on the ground in front of it. Next, she picked up her book bag she had gotten today along with the two bags of school supplies.

After the introductions, Moose and Camille had taken her to go get school supplies. They had gone to three different stores just to find both her book bag and school supplies. Each store they went to didn't have that much; all they had there was - for lack of a better word - crap. Finally they went to the Wal-Mart across town and found what they needed. Her backpack was a normal JanSport: a rectangular pocket in the front and a full sized one for books and whatnot in the back. It was black with colorful graffiti and paint splatters all over it. She took out all her notebooks and folders and placed them in her bag next, along with her pencils, pens and hi-liters. Once that was done, she looked at the last bag she had on the floor.

Brynn sat on the black futon and hauled the bag onto her crossed legs. Zipping it open, she sighed. Even though, she hadn't wanted the MacBook Pro laptop, it was a birthday present from her parents. While her sisters had been the ones to beg for it, Brynn hadn't really cared if she had to keep using her mom's Dell. Her parents had insisted, though, and when that happens you couldn't deny. Right now, it just reminded her of home and everything that had happened just a few days ago. She pressed the Power button in the top right-hand corner and her laptop began powering up. A few seconds later, Brynn was staring at the picture of the colorful wallpaper.

She hurriedly went on the Internet and logged onto the school's website. After twenty minutes of looking at some of the faculty members, looking at a map of the school, and just perusing through, she heard the faint beat of music. She hesitantly closed her laptop, and set it back in its case. Before she could stop herself, however, she was already creeping down the stairs, following the beat.

"…lil' mama I can transform ya,

No I can't dance but I can dance on ya…"

Brynn stopped just low enough on the stairs so she could see what they were doing and they - hopefully - couldn't see what she was doing. It didn't feel right for her, to be down here, wondering what they were doing. She should just go to sleep back in her makeshift room but nooo. Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Swiss on the beats, Chris move your feet…"

They were dancing.

Holy shit, Brynn thought

They all gathered around and were clapping and laughing. Jason was the one in the middle of the small crowd. He sat slumped in the middle of the floor, on his knees. As the robotic spread throughout the room, Jason quickly caught on. Every time a beat rang through he shot up, along with it, until he was standing completely.

"Hey lil' mama,

I can transform ya,

No I can't dance but I can dance on ya,

Swiss on the beats, Chris move your feet,

And baby I can transform ya him into a me."

He stood on his toes and started tuning on them, making it seem like he was gliding. Something caught the corner of his eyes and suddenly the music stopped and so did he. That something that caught the corner of his eye ended up being a form; that of a teenage girl, to be exact. There, slumped at the foot of the stairs, was Brynn Griffins with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression on her face: eyes wider than her head, both filled with an equal amount of fright.

"U-um…I, uhh," she stuttered. "I didn't m-mean to—"

"Did we wake you?" Anala asked hesitantly, trying her best not to make her anymore frazzled than she already is.

"No. I was just…curious," she answered truthfully, not looking at any of the crew members. Suddenly Anala held her hand out to her. Brynn saw it and looked up hesitantly. The redhead's hand didn't wave, but instead straightened a little more, gesturing for her to take it. Brynn reached out slowly and took her hand. Anala pulled up the girl and brought her over to where Jason was just dancing. Realizing what was going on, Brynn tried to wriggle out of it but the crew wasn't having.

"Oooh no you don't," said Jason.

"Yeah," agreed Jacob. "We've seen what you're cousin can do but what can you do?"

"I…" Brynn began but something caught in her throat. She tried again. "I don't…"

She couldn't say it. I don't dance. What was so wrong about those little words? She tried saying it again. Nothing. She sighed and looked around her. They had migrated to the Speaker Room, a bunch of different types and sizes of boom boxes molded together on one wall and a large mat placed on the floor for dancing.

"Come on," Anala encouraged softly.

Brynn took a deep breath and nodded. Someone put the music back on and suddenly she was consumed by this feeling. She couldn't place it at first but then she thought, Is that…excitement?

The beat consumed her. It's she heard, all she felt. Once the music turned on, she let it take her. The song was different this time, though.

"Imma be, Imma be—Imma, Imma, Imma be

Imma be, Imma be—Imma, Imma, Imma be

Imma be, Imma be—Imma, Imma, Imma be…"

Brynn popped, dropped and rolled. She moved her feet fast, quickly catching onto the beat. She spun and before she knew it, the music stopped. Her body froze mid-turn and she stood up straight to look around at the crowd around her. All was quiet for a brief moment before the Pirates burst out cheering and high-fiving her.

"Damn," Jason said, looking over at a certain redhead. "She's good."

"She is related to Moose," Anala agreed, taking her eyes off the girl in the middle of the crowd.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Jason said, eyes gleaming with a certain mischief to them.

All Anala could was smile and nod at her fellow crew mate.

By the time Brynn had made it back up to her room, it was already ten. She had spent a good two hours getting to know more about the Crew, dancing and just having fun. When Moose had told her that she would get fit right in, he didn't know how right he was. Brynn saw the diary with the smooth hardcover surface sitting on her nightstand. She uncapped a black permanent marker and drew on the front DANCE in big, bold, boxed handwriting. She made it 3D by drawing an extra few lines on each letter and shading them in slightly. She picked up a pen and flipped open to the first blank page.

These are the kinds of people who understand me other than my cousin and his girlfriend. The Pirates know what it's like to not be wanted or feel like they have no place to go. They dance because they love doing it and they would never stop doing it. This is what kept them going, they never gave up.

Neither will I.

-Brynn

She closed the book and stuffed it in her bottom drawer, all the way in the back, underneath a pile of clothes. She turned the lamp off and lie down. She closed her eyes and smiled.

Hey guys! Alright, I know it's a bit late but I hope you guys enjoyed it. The music is kinda dead and gone and I wouldn't mind getting a few suggestions for some songs, so if you guys could do that for me, I would really appreciate it. I know the dancing wasn't great and I wouldn't mind getting some pointers on that either. I'm working on the next chapter now so hopefuly I get that up sooner than I got this one up. That's it for now, my loyal and lovely readers. Until then! :D