This was it.

Two days before competition.

They had to leave today since the flight was thirty five hours long.

The three teams had to practically beg their coaches to allow them to ride on a public plane together instead of a private jet.

"We won't get there as fast." Murphy huffed impatiently, mainly to himself.

"I know." Jack smiled, taking his stuff and Signe's from the back of the taxi he and Signe took from his house to the airport.

"I can carry my own stuff." Signe protested, taking her suitcase back.

"Yes ma'am." Jack replied sarcastically, earning a light slap on the arm.

It took them awhile to find Amy, Mark, Felix, and Marzia since they were in the midst of a large fan group begging for photos and autographs. Mark shot Jack a pleading look and Jack almost felt bad. Almost. Instead, he tried but failed to hide the fact that he was laughing at his friends while the three coaches managed to get a hold of security to help fend off the fans.

"Thanks." Felix sighed in relief once the sea of fans begrudgingly dispersed.

"C'mon, our flight's about to take off!" Marzia tugged on Felix's arm. Together the group had to practically sprint to reach the plane in time without being late. They were riding first class, which meant that they boarded earlier. They always rode the plane normally for conventions.

Even though they were on the same plane, their coaches made sure to have them sit far apart from each other. Since they were on a plane and didn't have international service, none of them could use their phones.

Jack resorted to tossing paper airplanes at Felix, using a piece of spare paper Signe had brought with her to draw on.

"Stop it." Murphy hissed as Jack scribbled something down on the airplane and tossed it towards Felix. It fell short of his seat by a couple of feet, but Marzia got up and grabbed it, showing it to Felix. He then wrote something in response and tossed it back with more success than Jack had.

Jack ignored his coach's protests and tossed the plane to Mark. It ended up hitting Amy in the back of the head while she was sleeping, causing her to wake up. Mark to look around to see who threw it, unfolding it to see Jack's and Felix's handwriting all over it. Jack mouthed an apology, watching as Mark wrote something down and threw it back to Felix. Taylor intervened by snatching it from the air before Felix could grab it, crumpling it up and sticking it into his pocket.

The rest of the plane ride was boring, Jack drinking one of the alcoholic drinks brought around by one of the stewardesses out of sheer boredom. Mark fell in and out of consciousness, his hand in Amy's the entire time. Felix and Marzia talked quietly to each other, both unable to sleep due to the excitement of the competition and the fact that they were going to someplace new.

As soon as the plane landed, the group grabbed their luggage and rushed off quickly, eager to be able to move around and observe their new surroundings that they would be in for a couple of days.

It was about seven in the evening when the plane landed, so all of them were hungry.

"All competitors are supposed to stay in the same hotel. We should go there first and drop our stuff off." Smith suggested. Each team paid for their own rental car and drove to the address their coaches gave them. It was large and extremely fancy, which intimidated Jack. He was used to whatever was cheapest and worked.

At least I don't have to pay for it, Jack thought as he and Signe got their room key and took the elevator up to their room, Murphy promising to wait for them in the lobby.

Their room had two Queen sized beds that felt so soft that Jack wanted to melt inside of them. There was also a large flat screen tv, a mini bar, and fully stocked kitchenette, as well as a desk in the corner and a comfortable chair.

"Why do you guys always separate us from our friends?" Signe asked as they got into the car.

"Not really my choice, Taylor is a stickler. He's worried about you guys sharing secret techniques or something with your friends." Murphy shrugged apologetically as he drove them to the restaurant. It wasn't as fancy as the hotel they were staying in much to Jack's relief. It looked like an Irish pub.

As soon as Jack stepped in, he was greeted with the almost overpowering scent of hamburgers, vomit, and beer.

"Just like home." Jack smirked, spotting his friends sitting at a booth in the corner. He started walking towards them when he felt something run into him from behind, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his face on the wooden floor, earning a small scratch on his face.

"Watch it!" A man that had dark green hair dressed in all black sneered, one blue eye and one green eye glaring at Jack as Signe helped him stand back up.

"You ran into him first!" Signe argued, glaring back at him.

"Is there a problem?" A man dressed in a black suit with a red tie stepped in between them. His eyes were a dark brown that looked almost black, his hair a pitch black.

"This son of a bitch shoved me!" The dark green haired man pointed at Jack.

"I-I didn't!" Jack stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"Don't lie!" The black haired man yelled at Jack.

"Back off!" Mark warned the dark haired man, Felix, Amy, Marzia, and the three coaches standing defensively behind him.

Without warning, the black haired man swung at Mark, hitting him square in the cheek. Mark stumbled back in surprise, but didn't fall as he spat out a thin line of blood.

Amy launched herself at the dark haired man, and Smith had to hold her back as they walked back to their seat.

Only no one noticed Jack run back and punch the dark green haired man in the stomach.

He wheezed in pain as the black haired man retaliated, delivering an upper cut to Jack's jaw that made stars appear in his vision as an all out brawl erupted around him.

It didn't last long since the group was kicked out of the building. Both of the dark haired men smirked smugly and waved as the door closed in the group's faces.

No one spoke as Signe fussed over Jack once they went through the McDonalds drive through and reached the lobby of the hotel, making sure he was all right. Amy examined Mark's wound and insists he kept the cup filled with ice Amy ordered pressed to the spot where he got hit. He had a large bruise developing on the side of his face, the inside of his mouth no longer bleeding to his relief.

"That was pretty badass." Felix remarked. He had gotten through the ordeal with only a minor scrape on the arm from when people started throwing glass around. Amy had a small scrape across the cheek, Signe had a bruise on the arm, and the rest of the group seemed to be alright.

"No, that was stupid of you two! And I know Murphy agrees with me when I say that you two should be ashamed of yourselves!" Smith sighed in exasperation.

Murphy nodded in agreement, but mouthed no when Smith wasn't looking at him, earning a small smile from Jack and Signe.

"We start practice at four in the morning tomorrow." Smith stated coldly.

"But-"

"It isn't open for discussion Amy, practice starts at four in the morning tomorrow!" Smith snapped before storming off.

"Practice for us will be after you two eat, and don't be late." Taylor instructed Marzia and Felix before leaving as well.

"She trained one of the guys you were fighting with you know." Murphy remarked casually.

"Who?" Mark asked in surprise.

"The black haired one, people call him Dark since he was never given a name as a kid. He ended up losing the competition last year and he blamed it on her...as for the green haired guy, the story's about the same for him as well. Everyone just calls him Anti since that's the only name he listens to. He was the guy I coached." Murphy fell silent, a dark shadow passing over his usually joyful face.

"He got bullied by all the other competitors for his multi colored eyes, so he just...quit. He and Dark ended up moving away to Germany and now I guess they're the Germany team for this year." Murphy wearily rubbed his face with his hands.

"Damn." Felix muttered, summing up everyone's thoughts.

"Sorry to be a downer, you two should get some rest. Practice starts after lunch." Murphy nodded at Signe and Jack before standing up and exiting.

"We're still gonna be friends after this, right?" Marzia interjected as they all stood up. No one answered as they walked back to their room and fell asleep, wondering what the future would hold for them.