"Plie first pozeetion, plie second pozee-tion — nice and slowly — plie sird pozeetion, plie fourse pozeetion — veeerry slowly — plie fifs pozeetion . . . and . . . stop. . . . Non, non, non!" cried Madame Noelle. "Do not fall to zee floor. Come to a nice, graceful stop like zee lovely ballerinas you are. Now, once again."

We plieed in all the pozeetions again and then came to a nice, graceful stop, even though I — and every other student in my class — just wanted to lie down and sleep for a week. We had been working hard.

I am Jessica Ramsey, otherwise known as Jessi. I am eleven years old. I am in sixth grade at Stoneybrook Middle School (SMS). In case you can't tell, I am also a dancer. (Or as Madame Noelle would say, a doncer.) I live inStoneybrook,Connecticut , but I take ballet lessons at a special school inStamford , another

Connecticuttown (actually, a city), which isn't too far from home.

Ballet is a very important part of my life. Maybe I will go to a dance school inNew York City . Maybe I will even become a professional dancer.

Class ended that day when my friends and I did not keel over after the last round of plies. We changed out of our toe shoes (I am proud to say that I can dance en pointe), and slipped jeans or skirts over our leotards. Then we waited for our parents to pick us up.

Usually my mom comes to get me, but that day I waited and waited. Finally, fifteen minutes after everyone else had left, my dad drove up. He works inStamford , but my lessons usually end long before he's ready to leave the office.

I ran to his car.

"Daddy!" I cried. "How come you're picking me up? Where's Mama? Did something happen to Becca or Squirt?"

Becca is my younger sister. She's eight. Squirt is my baby brother. His real name is John Philip Ramsey, Jr., but since he was the smallest baby in the hospital when he was born, the nurses started calling him Squirt. And the name stuck, even though now Squirt is the same size as most other toddlers his age.