gender bender · magical transformation · ballet · school setting · reluctant protagonist · character growth · fantasy · teen drama · curse · discipline
**The hallway tile echoed under my sneakers as I found the room number. I pushed the door open, a last-minute math formula on my lips, and stopped dead. Mirrors. A barre. The scent of rosin and floor polish. My friend Elara was among the rows of girls in pale pink, her eyes widening when she saw me. Before I could back out, Instructor Svetlana turned. She didn't speak. She simply lifted her hand, and the world dissolved into a cascade of shimmering light. My body contorted, softened, reshaped. When the brilliance faded, I was staring at a stranger in the mirror: a slender girl with eyes of startling blue and a waterfall of honey-blonde hair, already clad in a ballet leotard and skirt. Svetlana’s voice cut through the piano music.** **Svetlana:** "You wanted extra points. Here is your cu…