Slanted rays of light slipped in to the studio through the open window and landed softly on the polished wooden floor. It was a chilly morning on the eighteenth floor of the Manhattan apartment building. The view from this floor was stunning. It was only amplified by the floor to ceiling mirror which reflected the picturesque scene back to the slender woman who was sliding through the heavy door. She walked gracefully over to the stereo in the corner. She plugged her iPod into the dock and selected her warm up play list. She sat on the floor, pulled off her heavy snow boot, and set them next to cabinet on which the impressive stereo system rested. She reached into her pink monogrammed bag. Her hand stretched into the bag and emerged again with two satin shapes. She stared lovingly at the small new shoes. She slipped her feet into the point shoes. The wood at the end was pressed against her toes. She pointed and flexed her feet. The shoes caressed her feet and made her feel beautiful. As she sat on the floor stretching she could feel her muscles warming up. Inside such a small frame she possessed so much power. She could command every inch of her body, she had complete control of each muscle. Any leap, turn, flex, or bend she thought her body agreed and preformed perfectly, as if each muscle was a servant overjoyed to please. She stood after stretching, her muscles warm and ready. Step ball change, and up! Her body whipped around, and around as she cut through the air. Turns in second were something she had done a thousand times before, and would do a thousand times again. Out, in, out, in. Over and over again. One, two, three, four, five, turns in a row. As her head whipped around and her body prepped for another turn, something happened. A cold sickening snap echoed through the room. She fell. Her ankle, she knew, was broken. She had a recital in two weeks, but now would not perform. She would not be paid, and she would not make rent this month. As the song came to a painful halt, so did her career. She sat on the floor with tears rolling down her eyes. She walked to the open window. Looked over the ledge and jumped in her new point shoes.