Chapter 7: Arrival Unlike her last trip to California, this time, Yume’s parents had decided to come along with her. They insisted it was mainly to visit Sora, Ken, and Hana, but Yume knew their real reason was to make sure she adjusted to her new life in America. Normally, she would have been annoyed, thinking that they were still treating her like a child, but Yume was actually glad they had decided to come with her, since it gave her a little more time to say good-bye to her family. The three of them left Tokyo late Sunday afternoon and arrived in California around three in the morning, Tokyo time. Local time, however, was ten a.m. Sunday, and Yume marveled not for the first time how it always seemed as if she had gone back in time whenever she flew to the States. Thanks to the long nap she had taken on the plane, Yume was fairly well-rested. Her parents, on the other hand, who were not as accustomed to flying in planes as she was, fought back yawns as they made their way to the luggage claim, where Sora, Ken, and Hana were already waiting. “Ojii-san! Obaa-san! Aunt Yume!” Hana, spotting them first, let go of Sora’s hand and ran over to greet them, throwing her arms around Yume’s father’s legs. “Ohayo, Hana-chan,” her father said, smiling as he playfully mussed Hana’s blonde hair. “My, haven’t you grown since the last time your obaa-san and I saw you. You’re almost a big girl now!” Hana pouted. “I am a big girl, ojii-san. Mama and Papa say so.” “Oh, my mistake then. Gomen nasai.” Sora and Ken came over as well, Yume’s mother bringing a hand to her mouth when she saw Sora’s bulge, which had grown slightly larger in Yume’s absence. Sora smiled and patted her swollen belly, saying, “I guess Yume managed to keep it a secret after all. I thought for sure she would spill the beans the moment she got home.” “Hey, I resent that,” Yume said, arching an eyebrow at her older sister. “I can keep a secret.” “But why didn’t you tell us sooner, sweetheart?” her mother asked, giving Sora a hug. “This is wonderful news. Another baby!” “Consider it payback for not telling me about that one until she was practically born,” Sora quipped, pointing her thumb at Yume, who stuck out her tongue. “Actually, though, we planned to tell you when we came to watch Yume compete at All-Japan, but since we weren’t able to make it…” She shrugged. “We just really wanted to tell you the news in person, that’s all.” “Well, in any case, like your mother said, it really is wonderful news,” her father said, picking Hana up. “Are you ready to be a big sister, Hana-chan?” All of the sudden bashful, Hana nodded, then hid her face in her grandfather’s shoulder, causing everybody to laugh. “Anyway, if this is all, we should get going,” Ken suggested, grabbing the two largest suitcases from the pile he had gathered off the carousel. “Sora and I took separate cars, so we thought she would go ahead and take Yume-chan to the dorms, while I take you two straight to the house. That is, unless you would rather go with Sora and Yume-chan…” Fighting back another yawn, Yume’s mother shook her head. “No, I think Chikara and I would like to settle in, Ken-san. It’s been a very long flight. We can see the dorms later.” “I guess we’ll see you later then,” Yume said, dividing her luggage from the rest and handing Sora a couple of the lighter bags. “Ja ne!” “Ja ne!” With that decided, Yume’s parents, Ken, and Hana went one way, while Yume and Sora headed in the other direction. “So, are you excited yet, Yume?” Sora asked conversationally after they loaded up the back of her car and got in. “Yes, but I’m a little nervous, too,” Yume admitted, buckling her seatbelt right before Sora took off. “This is going to be the first time I’ve ever lived apart from Mama and Papa, and my new home is in a whole different country.” “That’s to be expected.” “Were you nervous when you moved here on your own?” Sora laughed. “To be honest, I think I was too enthusiastic about following my dreams to be really nervous about leaving Japan. Still, I did miss having Mama and Papa around at first. I kind of wish they had come along with me like they are now with you, but they weren’t exactly pleased with my decision at first, and I was just so gung ho about doing things on my own, you know?” Yume nodded. Sora had always been the independent, courageous sort, the type of girl who didn’t think twice about moving to America at sixteen to try out for one of the top performing circuses in the world. It was one of things Yume most admired about her big sister. “Hey, do you know if my things have arrived yet?” Yume asked, thinking of her new home. “I shipped them off a few days ago and paid for express delivery so they would be here when I arrived, but I don’t know if they were that fast.” Sora shrugged, pulling her car off on the exit that led to Kaleido Stage. Already, Yume could see the top of the distinctive building in the distance. “I haven’t checked, but if they haven’t, don’t worry about it. I doubt you’ll have much time to do much unpacking and decorating anyway,” she said, chuckling a little. “May’s already got all the skaters on a strict training regimen in preparation for the show.” “They’ve already started practice without me?” “Well, from what I’ve seen so far, at the moment, I think she’s just trying to pick the right partners for the four other girls they hired. You‘re friends with them, right?” “With three of them,” Yume corrected. “Dominique doesn’t seem to like me much.” “That French skater?” Sora frowned. “Ken told me about her. I don’t think she likes anybody that much, Yume. In fact, she’s the only one who doesn’t have a partner yet. She keeps finding something wrong with every guy May partners her with.” “I guess nobody else can compare to Mikhail. I know she really wanted to be his new partner.” Letting out a sigh, Yume absent-mindedly began twirling a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail around her finger. “To be honest, I wouldn’t really mind if she was his partner instead of me.” Sora glanced over at her in surprise. “What do you mean? You don’t want to be the star of the show?” “No, it’s not that,” Yume said. “It’s just that we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot during the auditions. He’s not the friendliest guy in the world.” “Ah, another Leon Oswald.” Sora nodded her head sympathetically. “I know the type. Arrogant, rude, condescending?” “Exactly.” “Still, Leon wasn’t that bad once you got to know him,” she continued. “He really pushed me to do my best, and he was a great partner. I don’t know if I ever would have been able to do the Angel’s Maneuver without him. Maybe it’ll be that way for you and Mikhail.” “Maybe,” Yume said unenthusiastically. By that time, Sora had parked her car in front of the Kaleido Stage girls’ dormitory, popping up the trunk to get Yume’s things. Yume, anxious to see her room, immediately jumped out of the passenger’s side and began unloading her luggage. “Yume! You’re here!” a familiar girl’s voice called. Shielding her eyes from the already bright California sun, Yume looked up to see Clarissa standing on a third floor balcony, waving down to her excitedly. Yume returned the wave, and a couple of minutes later, Clarissa was coming downstairs, nearly knocking Yume over as she threw her arms around her in a huge hug. “Clarissa…I…can’t…breathe…” Yume gasped as Sora giggled. “Oops, sorry!” Clarissa immediately let her go, taking the bag in Yume’s hand as an apology. “I guess I got a little overexcited. Me, Pilar, and Liza have been waiting for you to finally come back.” Yume looked around, wondering where the other two girls were. “Speaking of Pilar and Elizaveta, where are they?” “Oh, Pilar is still asleep, if you can believe that.” Clarissa rolled her eyes. “Just because it’s Sunday and Coach gave us the day off doesn’t mean she should be sleeping the day away, but I’ve been trying to wake her up since eight with absolutely no luck at all. She’s dead to the world. As for Elizaveta, she went back to her room after breakfast to study her English. She bought this set of CDs that are supposed to give her a crash course in conversational English, and she listens to them every free moment she can find, which isn’t much. Coach Wong has been killing us in practice.” “So Sora’s told me,” Yume said with a small frown, realizing just then that she had yet to introduce the two. “Oh, by the way, Clarissa, this is my sister, Sora Naegino Robbins.” “Everybody here knows who your sister is, Yume,” Clarissa laughed. “They’d have to be living under a rock not to. After all, she is the star of Kaleido Stage. Still, it’s very nice to formally meet you, Ms. Robbins. I’m Clarissa Bachman, one of the new skaters.” “It’s nice to meet you, too, Clarissa,” Sora said, smiling and taking the hand Clarissa offered. “Call me Sora. It’s great that Yume’s already made some friends here. I hope you will help her get acquainted with how things work around here.” “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.” Grabbing another one of Yume’s bags from the trunk, Clarissa headed toward the entrance. “Come on, Yume. I’ll show you to your room. It’s right next door to mine.” “Don’t I need to get a key first?” Yume asked, causing Clarissa to drop the suitcase she had been holding in one hand to lightly bop herself on the head. “Oh, yeah, that probably would be pretty helpful…” “You girls go ahead and start taking things upstairs,” Sora said, waving them away. “I’ll go find Marion and get the key.” “You don’t mind, Sora?” “Sure. What are big sisters for?” With that, Sora headed off to find the dorm manager, while Yume and Clarissa started lugging her bags up to the third floor. “You’re in room 314, by the way,” Clarissa informed her on the way. “I’m next door in 313, and Liza and Pilar are in 312 and 315 respectively. Dominique, in case you happen to be interested, is in 316.” From the tone in her voice, Yume could tell Clarissa didn’t really think she would be interested in the French skater’s room number, although she gave it anyway. “Sora tells me that Dominique hasn’t made many friends here,” she said diplomatically. “Ha! Try none at all.” Stopping in front of 314, Clarissa set down the luggage she had been carrying beside the door and rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me wrong. We all tried to be friends with her at first, since we are going to be working together, but she’s just not interested. She and Pilar are on especially bad terms.” “Why?” “Oh, because Dominique keeps asking to be paired up with Pilar’s partner, Sergei. Other than Mikhail, he’s the best pairs partner here at Kaleido Stage, a former Russian champion who had to cut his promising amateur career short due to injury. However, Coach Wong really likes the chemistry between Pilar and Sergei and won‘t make the switch, so Dominique is jealous.” It sounds like me and Pilar are now in the same boat, Yume thought with an inward sigh. At least she had company. “What about your partner?” she asked, changing the subject. “Who is he? Do you get along?” The frown on Clarissa’s face immediately turned into a bright smile at the mention of her new partner. “His name is Jason Kerry, and he is so incredibly cute. Oh, wait until you meet him, Yume! You’re going to hate me, absolutely hate me. Seriously. Pilar and Elizaveta already do, especially since Sergei is gay and Liza‘s partner Dmitri is engaged to some girl back home in his native Ukraine. You should have seen their faces when Coach announced he was going to be my partner. They were positively green with envy.” Yume laughed. “So, you really like him, then, huh?” “That’s the understatement of the year. Too bad he never seems to notice me off the ice.” Clarissa sighed heavily, leaning back against the door to Yume’s room. “Are you sure he’s straight? He could be like Sergei.” “Oh, he’s definitely heterosexual,” she insisted. “I catch him staring at Zoe Alexander all the time.” “Zoe Alexander? The contortionist?” Yume asked, remembering her from the production of The Little Mermaid she watched at the try-outs. “The one and only. Every straight, available guy here at Kaleido Stage lusts after her.” “Clarissa, I’m sure you’re exaggerating. Zoe is very pretty, but I doubt every single guy is in love with her.” “Not by much. It’s the contortions she does. I’m sure they’re all imagining all the dirty stuff she can do in bed. Nobody dares to actually go after her, though, since we all know that she’s Kalos’ and Sarah’s daughter and she’s underage.” “I thought that was supposed to be a secret. Sora told me she used a stage name so people wouldn’t think that she got special treatment because of who her parents are.” Clarissa shrugged. “Well, it obviously didn’t stay a secret for long. I learned about it a couple of days after I moved in.” She straightened up, her eyes focused on something over Yume’s shoulder. “Oh, your sister‘s back with the key!” Yume turned around. Sure enough, Sora was walking toward them, followed by a blonde, twenty-something woman Yume recognized as Marion Benigni, Kaleido Stage’s star trampoline artist, as well as the girls’ dorm manager. “Yume, how nice to see you again!” Marion gushed when they made it to the door, giving Yume a hug. “I can’t believe you’re joining Kaleido Stage. I guess talent really must run in the Naegino family.” Yume blushed bashfully. “Sora’s really the talented one in the family,” she insisted, waving her hands in front of her. “I was just lucky.” “I doubt that. Kalos certainly wouldn’t have hired you if he didn’t think you had the talent,” she said, pulling a key out of her pocket and holding it out for Yume to take. “In any case, welcome to Kaleido Stage. Here’s the key to your room. As I’m sure your sister has already told you, I’m the manager of these dorms, so if you have any problems, feel free to come see me, and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can. I know I have a reputation of being a bit strict around here, but my rules aren‘t hard to follow. As long as you don‘t play loud music after ten, smoke in the dorms, or let unauthorized visitors -- a.k.a. boys -- spend the night in your room, we'll get along great. If I do happen to catch you breaking any one of the rules, however…” Marion didn’t finish her warning, but Yume got the picture. By the fiery look in the dorm manager’s eyes, she could tell it was in her best interests to follow the rules. “You won’t have to worry about Yume, Marion,” Sora assured her. “She’s not a trouble-maker.” “Good.” Marion smiled, losing the threatening look, and looked down at her watch. “Anyway, I’m sure Sora and Clarissa here can fill you in on everything else you may need to know about life here at the dorms. I’m already late for practice, so I’ll let you get settled in. By the way, the things you sent ahead came in yesterday. I went ahead and put them in your room. I hope you don’t mind.” “No, that’s great,” Yume said, relieved to hear that her things had indeed arrived safely. “Thanks.” “No problem. See you around!” After Marion left, Yume unlocked the door, and she, Clarissa, and Sora carried in her luggage, setting everything in the center of the room where a stack of cardboard boxes had already been piled, just like Marion had said. The dorm itself was larger than Yume had thought it would be, almost like a small apartment, although the lack of furniture besides the bare necessities probably made it seem bigger than it really was. When they first came in, they stepped into a small living area, consisting of just a kitchenette, a round table with a set of three chairs, and a couch. The walls were painted a mellow yellow that Yume loved, and, except for a circular rug, the floors were hardwood, which was great if she wanted to work out. In the bedroom, there was a twin-sized bed pushed up against one wall, a desk along another, and a large armoire against another, along with another rug for the floor, this time square-shaped. What really impressed Yume most, though, was the fact that she had her own private bathroom. To a girl who was used to the Japanese-style of bathing at home, it was quite unusual to her. “Wow, this is great,” she breathed, taking it all in. “This is really all mine?” “Yes, it is,” Sora said, smiling as she took a seat on Yume’s bed. “Boy, this place brings back memories.” Leaving her big sister to her reminiscing, Yume went over to her desk and waved Clarissa over. “Hey, help me move this over there,” she said, taking one end of the desk and nodding her head toward the wall opposite. If she wanted to do any rearranging, it was best to do it now, before she started unpacking her things. Clarissa took the other end, and, together, they lifted it up and carried it over to the other wall. Luckily, it wasn’t too heavy, but Yume frowned when they set it down, deciding she didn’t really like it there after all. “Maybe over there would be better,” she suggested, pointing at an empty space beside the armoire. “Yume, I’m not sure that’s going to fit,” Sora warned from her spot on the bed. “It looks big enough to me.” Again, Yume and Clarissa picked up the desk, but as it turned out, Sora had been right. The desk was too wide to fit in the space. “What do we do now?” Clarissa asked. “Move it back?” Yume shook her head. “We’ll just move the armoire. I don’t really like it there anyway.” “Move the armoire? Are you crazy? That thing is huge!” “But there’s nothing in it yet. It can’t be that bad.” To prove it to her, Yume went over to the side and attempted, unsuccessfully, to lift one end up. Even empty, it was too heavy to move. Deciding to change tactics, she turned around and pushed her back up against the side, trying to slide it to the other end of the wall. That, however, didn’t work either. “See?” Clarissa said, laughing and heading toward the door. “Look, if you really want to move it so badly, I’ll go get Liza and drag Pilar out of bed. I’m sure they’re anxious to see you again, anyway, and maybe the four of us together will be able to move it.” Yume smiled gratefully. “Thanks.” ***** Ten minutes later, Clarissa returned with Elizaveta and a very sleepy-headed Pilar in tow. Pilar hadn’t even bothered to change out of her nightclothes, dressed in a pair of red satin pajama pants and a black tank top that said “Muy Caliente” in letters that looked as if they were on fire. Her eyes were still half-closed as she followed Clarissa into Yume’s bedroom, and she nearly crashed into the doorway, saved only by Elizaveta’s quick thinking. “Gracias, Liza,” she mumbled after the Polish girl pulled her out of harm’s way and guided her safely through the door. Pilar instantly perked up, however, when she saw Yume chatting on the bed with Sora. “Yume, you’re here! How long have you been here?” Yume shrugged, looking down at her watch. “I guess about half an hour or so.” “Half an hour?!” Pilar glared at Clarissa. “I thought I told you to wake me up the second she arrived!” “Hey, I’ve been trying to wake you all morning! You wouldn’t even budge!” “Oh, well, it doesn’t matter.” Plopping down on the bed beside Yume, Pilar threw an arm around her shoulders. “Great to you see you again, chica. You’re here for good, right?” “Yes, I am.” “All right! The Four Amigas are back together again, ready to take Kaleido Stage by storm!” Yume giggled. “Isn’t it supposed to be the Three Amigos?” “Well, that doesn’t exactly work for us, does it?” “No, I suppose not,” she admitted, and they both laughed. Elizaveta, who had yet to say anything, finally spoke up. “Welcome back, Yume,” she said, with less stuttering than she had the day of the auditions. Evidently, the CDs Clarissa mentioned she had been listening to were helping. “Did you have a nice flight?” “It was okay, I guess. I slept most of the way, so I don’t remember much.” “Are you tired? Maybe we should let you get some rest.” Yume shook her head. “I’m fine, really,” she insisted. “Actually, I was planning to some rearranging before unpacking, and I could really use some help.” “Slave labor, huh?” Pilar teased. “So that’s why you had Clarissa come get us.” “N-No! I wanted to --” The Hispanic girl laughed. “Yume, I was just kidding with you. Of course we’ll help, right, Liza?” Elizaveta nodded. “Right.” “Well, I’ll just get out of your way then,” Sora announced, standing back up. “I actually have a doctor’s appointment today, so I’ll see you later, Yume. It was nice to meet you girls.” “I’ll walk you out,” Yume said, following Sora to the door. After she said good-bye to her sister, the four girls got to work rearranging the mini-apartment. Having two extra sets of hands certainly made things a lot easier. When everything was finally arranged to Yume’s satisfaction, they took a short coffee break -- luckily, a coffee maker was among the few appliances provided in the kitchenette, along with a microwave and mini-fridge -- then began unpacking Yume’s boxes. “Oh, wow, you have a ton of Kaleido Stage stuff in here!” Clarissa exclaimed, opening the box of Yume’s Kaleido Stage memorabilia. “Programs, ticket stubs, toys, hats, posters…” Taking out one of the posters, she pulled off the rubber band and unrolled it, whistling in appreciation. “An autographed poster of Rosetta Passel! Amazing!” Yume, who was putting away her clothes in the armoire, smiled, remembering the day Rosetta gave that poster to her. The poster became the first of an extensive collection. “I have a lot of signed posters, actually,” she said. “It’s one of the perks of having a sister who is a star performer, I guess. I even have one that Coach Wong signed, back when she was still doing the trapeze.” “What about Leon Oswald?” Pilar asked, ignoring the box of CDs she was supposed to be putting away and scooting over on the floor to look through Yume’s collection. “Do you have one of him?” “Yeah, it should be in there somewhere.” “Here you go, Pilar.” Clarissa handed Pilar another one of the posters she had unrolled. “Mmm-mmm.” Pilar practically drooled as she held up the poster of the man people used to call the God of Death. “That is one fine specimen of male. Such a shame that he’s retired.” Using another one of the rolled-up posters, Clarissa lightly bopped Pilar on the head. “You do realize Leon Oswald has to be pushing forty now, don‘t you?” she teased with a roll of her eyes. “That poster has to be at least ten, fifteen years old.” Pilar shrugged, grabbing a bit of putty and placing small pieces behind each of the poster’s corners. “Older guys can be hot, too, you know,” she declared, and stood up. “Hey, Yume, where do you want me to hang this poster?” “Hmm… I don’t really care where you hang most of the posters,” Yume said after a quick look around the room. “Just make sure the big one of Sora goes right above the headboard of my bed. That’s where it’s always hung.” “Right.” “What about these?” Elizaveta asked. She was sitting on Yume’s bed, going through a boxed marked “Skating,” which held the medals and trophies she had won over the years, along with some framed photographs and a few select stuffed animals given to her by fans, including Snowflake. It was Snowflake who caught Elizaveta’s eye first; smiling, she lifted the white bear out of the box and smoothed down her dress. “How cute! Is it from a fan?” Nodding, Yume blushed, wondering if the other girls thought it was immature of her to still collect stuffed animals. It was normal in Japan for girls to collect plushies well into their teens, but she didn’t think it was as common in America or Europe. “She was the first, so she has sentimental value,” she said, feeling the need to explain herself. However, none of the other girls teased her. In fact, Elizaveta sighed, placing Snowflake against the pillow on Yume’s bed. “I wish I still had my first gift from a fan,” she said a little sadly. “I used to bring Pawel along to all my competitions as a good luck charm, but, a couple of years ago, I accidentally left him behind at an arena in Germany. By the time I realized he was gone, it was too late.” “My nephew took possession of mine,” Pilar grumbled, joining in the conversation as she hung up another poster. “He was three at the time, and I let him play with it to shut him up one night when I was baby-sitting. What a mistake that turned out to be. The little monster fell in love with it, and neither me or my sister Mercedes were ever able to get it back.” “I still have mine,” Clarissa admitted, “but I left it back at my parents’ place back home. It’s a little something for them to remember me by while I‘m here.” Since Pilar had unofficially taken charge of the box of Kaleido Stage paraphernalia, Clarissa joined Elizaveta on the bed to help her with Yume’s skating awards. “Hey, Yume, you had a pretty successful singles career, right, before you came here to Kaleido Stage?” she asked, pulling out the gold medal Yume had won at Four Continents. Yume shrugged. “I guess I was a bit successful,” she said modestly, “but nowhere near as successful as you and Brian were.” She hadn’t realized it the first time that she had met Clarissa, but, when she returned back to Tokyo after the auditions, Yume had done some research on her new friends and discovered that Clarissa and her former partner Brian Sims, the two-time and reigning U.S. National pairs champions, were the American pairs team who had skated two spots behind Mikhail and Tatiana during the Olympic short program. They ended up placing fourth overall, right off the medal podium, but many felt that had they not fell on that one jump during their short program, they might have managed the silver thanks to their memorable free skate. “You actually went to the Olympics. That must have been amazing.” Clarissa blushed. “It was pretty incredible, although it would have been even better had we managed to medal.” “Why didn’t you and Brian stay together until the next Olympics? You could have given it another shot.” “Yeah, I’ve actually been wondering that myself,” Pilar confessed. “After all, with me and John gone, along with Jessica and Tim, you could have easily won Nationals for four more years.” Pilar and John Gruber had been another top American couple, although the best they ever did at Nationals was a junior title in 2019 and winning the bronze in 2021. They had been unable to compete for a berth on the Olympic team last season, thanks to a groin injury on John’s part that eventually led to their break-up and Pilar‘s decision to turn pro without him. “Well, Brian and I had already decided before the Olympics that this past season was going to be our last,” Clarissa explained. “He’s graduating from college next year and wants to go onto medical school, which would be near impossible to do in conjunction with our training. I suppose I could have stayed eligible and found another partner, but you know how tough it is to find a good partner… I just wasn‘t up to it.” Elizaveta nodded sympathetically. “I know what you mean, Clarissa.” Elizaveta, like Clarissa, was a two-time national pairs champion, although in her native Poland. She and her partner had never been terribly successful in international competition, though, and they broke up two years before the Olympics due to her partner’s decision to skate with an American girl. After that, Elizaveta had tried to find another partner, but couldn’t and eventually retired from eligible skating. “Anyway, I think I ultimately made the right choice,” Clarissa said. “Having another chance at an Olympic medal would have been wonderful, but I’m just happy that Brian and I did as well as we did. Our free skate was the best we ever skated, so I feel like we ended our amateur career on a high note. Besides, it’ll be nice to be able to skate for the pure joy of it again, instead of worrying about competitions and medals.” Yume smiled. It sounded like she and Clarissa were kindred spirits in that regard. “Yes, definitely.” Over the next few hours, the girls continued to bond over stories from their competitive careers and their lives on and off the ice as they helped Yume unpack. Pilar, who was the oldest of the group -- and, therefore, had the most experience -- had them all in stitches with tales of some of her former skating partners, and Yume prodded Clarissa into telling them anything and everything she remembered about her time at the Olympics. Though Elizaveta didn’t speak much, still not entirely confident in her English skills, the Polish girl came alive when she talked about ballet, her second love behind figure skating, and even gave a short, impromptu performance that absolutely amazed Yume. It was strange, but even though they had only met a little over a week ago, Yume felt as if she had known the girls all her life. For the first time in her life, she felt like a normal teenager, gossiping and laughing with her girlfriends instead of always practicing, practicing, practicing. Of course, starting tomorrow, that would change as she had her first practice as Mikhail Vladimirov’s new partner, and she still had much to learn about pairs skating, but, still, it was a nice change of pace. DISCLAIMER: "Kaleido Star" doesn’t belong to me. AUTHOR’S NOTES: Any comments and criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. If you’re interested in the story behind Yume’s autographed Rosetta Passel poster, you can read about it in my story "Birth of a Dream".