This book is dedicated to my dog Luna! ( yes this is her )

In the busy, lively city of Chicago, Grace, a fantastic dancer was preparing for a competition! “ Have one week until the competition!! And remember train insane or remain the same! “ There coach said. Grace has been training and practicing for a 4 days a week, for a solid month. She was very determined towards her dance academy winning first place this year. “ You ready for the finals? “ Her friend Ella asked. “ Uh yeah! I pretty much got my routine down. I just need a little extra practice. “ Grace replied unsure. If they don’t win at least 3rd place there dance academy would have a very slim chance of making it in the future. She puts her stuff in her dance bag and takes her long brown hair out of it’s bun. As she headed for the door she was trying to picture her dance academy not going to the finals again. It gave her anxiety.

After practice was over, Grace packed up all her stuff. “ Hey, great work today. But remember you’re one of the best on the team. We need you. So if you nail it and impress the judges we will for sure be up on the leader board.

It’s up to you. No pressure! “ Coach Karen said. Grace left the dance studio and walked to the curb. Her coach left her thinking. Was it really all up to her? If she messed up would she let down the whole academy? She wasn’t gonna let that happen. Like coach Karen said, she was on of the best!

After practice was over, Grace packed up all her stuff. “ Hey, great work today. But remember you’re one of the best on the team. We need you. So if you nail it and impress the judges we will for sure be up on the leader board.

It’s up to you. No pressure! “ Coach Karen said. Grace left the dance studio and walked to the curb. Her coach left her thinking. Was it really all up to her? If she messed up would she let down the whole academy? She wasn’t gonna let that happen. Like coach Karen said, she was on of the best!

CRASH!!!! Then everything went blank. Grace couldn’t hear or see much of anything, the only thing she could her was her mom yelling, Sirens from police cars. She opened her eyes to see an ambulance pulling in, she tried to sit up. Sh could move her arms and chest, but her legs were dead! Great she thought, All I wanted was to be successful in dance and win first place!! She tried to move her legs but they wouldn’t move. They were in so much pain, her body ached everywhere. Just then 2 paramedics, lifted her up and got her on a stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance

Her mom was in there with her. “ Oh my gosh GRACE!! Are you okay?! “ Her mom said. She tried to answer but her body was in shock. The paramedics ask her mom questions related to the incident. “ I don’t know. She walked out of dance class and had to cross the street to get to get to me. I  guess she never saw the bus coming and. “ Her mom started to cry. She wanted to comfort her but she couldn’t move a muscle. Just then they arrived at the hospital. She knew it was over for her.

They unloaded her stretcher out of the ambulance and into the hospital. Grace remembered when she was little and she used to hate going to the hospital. Mainly because it had doctors dressed up as mad scientists and they used needles. One of the paramedics explained to the lady at the front desk what had happened and she immediately gave them a room. They went down the hall passed some over rooms with patients in it. One room had a kid with a broken arm and another with a kid getting injected with a needle. She knew that none of them where like her. None of these kids were stupid enough to not look both ways before crossing the street. They covered that in kindergarten.

When they reached her room, they wheeled her inside. The room was fairly large/ looked like one of the hospitals larger rooms. There was large window with a ledge, Two reclining chairs in each corner, a bed, a big machine that helped tell heart, and pole with IV fluids in it and some nice pictures on the wall. One of the pictures was a scenery with a pretty garden with a dog in it. Another one was a picture of a flower in a vase with a bowl of fruit next to it. Her favorite so far, was one of the moon over a big city. It said Luna next to it. She’s pretty sure It means Moon in latin. Just then a doctor came and was talking to her mom outside. The paramedics examined her legs in the ambulance. By the looks of their faces she could tell it was not good.

Her mom came back in the with tears in her eyes, the doctor right behind her. “ Uh Grace? Hi, my name is Dr. Starnes! I heard about the bad accident. “ Dr. Starnes said. “ Is it bad? Will my legs be ok?! “ Grace asked frantically. “ Don’t worry we will tell you everything. Your legs are super bad shape and putting them in casts and rehabilitation them would not do you any good. So our options would be below knee amputation or simple surgery to fix the bones, but you would be in a wheelchair for most of your life. I will be back in a minute you and your mom can think about it. “ He leaves the room and grace just stares at her mom. They decide to go with amputation.

Dr. Starnes came back in the room. “ Have you made a decision? “ “ Yes we are gonna go with amputation. “ Her mom replies. Dr. Starnes goes back to inform the surgeons. The surgery will be done tomorrow at mid morning. She decides to watch TV on the TV in the room sense it’s already 4 in the afternoon. Her mom leaves to go back home for an hour or two to spread the rest of the news to her dad and 2 brothers. There was nothing good on so she turns it off and looks up at the pictures. For some reason they calm her. She shuts her tired, brown eyes and waits for tomorrow’s dreaded time.