It was another hot day at Madame Blanchet's ballet studio. The hum of the overhead fans almost drowned out the soft classical music playing in the background. The gentle music and the hot-blooded exertion of the dancers holding their attitude pose contrasted sharply. The Madame walked the row of dancers, inspecting each one closely. She called out praise or admonishment to each dancer. The star student, Esme, earned her usual high marks, "Excellent form as always Esme."
"Merci madame," she replied in her affected French accent. What a joke, Daniel thought. Everyone knew she was from Kansas City.
Eventually, the Madame reached the end of the row and arrived at Daniel. He had always struggled to hold this pose. His legs simply weren't as flexible as his female peers.
"Daniel, straighten your leg! Point out those toes!" the Madame called out.
"Yes Madame!" he grunted, struggling to hold his body in the correct form. Looking up the row of girls, he could see they were full of barely contained giggles and derisive comments. Esme in particular was giving him a glance of pure mockery. Satisfied by his efforts, Madame Blanchet relented, "This is acceptable, but I expect more from you Daniel."
On that embarrassing note, the Madame ended class for the day. Daniel wanted nothing more then to head home and rest, but on the way out someone grabbed his shoulders. Turning around, he saw the person who grabbed him was: