Icarus

Focus

Focus

As if walking for an hour in the cold dark night wasn't enough to calm her anxiety and self-hatred, Cassie decided when she reached her home that she wasn't going to go inside. Instead, she kept walking... and walking... and walking. Breathing deeply before releasing a troubling sigh, a shadow in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She convinced herself it was just a dog and kept walking.

Stupid... stupid and idiotic... you do nothing but fail... what's wrong with you lately? After chastising herself, Cassie's mouth was dry, her legs and hands shaking.

Thinking of Tate made her shiver even more. Distance he wanted. Space? Hell I'd put the universe between us if that's what he really wanted.

Cassie shook her head, disgusted with herself. You are so cheesy... we are not in a romance novel. Ugh Tate... how could he say that. Focus Cassie, focus. ON WHAT? FOCUS ON WHAT? ON THE FACT THAT I'M GOING TO DIE IN ABOUT A MONTH? NO THANK YOU. Chill. Everything's going to be okay.

She exhaled loudly releasing all her angst, the sound echoing down the street. Cassie heard steps. Maybe she was going crazy. A dog would definitely not make the sounds of someone stomping. Cassie wasn't scared but there was a something weird in that neighbourhood. All the houses were the same and she could almost hear the people inside, living out their own strange stories. Cassie wished she could forget about the last week and get back to her boringly tedious life, normal for her but exceptional for anyone else... even if that meant waiting another ten years to be a someone's else's guardian rather than her own.

She hurried to reach a better part of the neighbourhood to at least feel safer. That's when she found herself running down the street, desperately escaping from something that didn't exist physically. Escaping from the past, she pressed through the present while avoiding the future.

Her feet led her to the theatre where she made a presentation some days ago. She snuck in... the old man in the ticket box didn't see her tip-toeing the old marble stairs to go to one of the auditoriums. To her surprise, one of them was open.

Must be destiny, she thought.

Nobody was there... no show for anyone to be watching, she was alone. The stage called to her, empty as if it was waiting for her to arrive. Leaving her phone on the side, she stood on it, her hands folded into fists and jumping up and down like an excited child.

"Ladies and gentleman..." She stood at the edge of the stage, presented herself like a circus ringmaster. "Now prepare yourself to be amazed by a remarkable performance. The next presentation features an incredible dancer from New Zoldova's West Coast... Cascadia Blake!"

The phantom audience applauded, as imaginary lights went on and Cassie began to dance. Not a delicate and perfect ballet, but a strange sequence of weird moves, pirouettes, athletic leaps and cartwheels mixed with contemporary interpretations. Between each move she loudly carried on a dramatic monologue.

"You don't understand anything! Nobody does. I'm alone in this world full of lies... the sky help me to fly! For this dreams to come true, I'm not afraid to die."

She stopped to catch her breath, proceeding to dance in an even more free-flowing manner.

"You think I'm afraid? Well I'm not, I'm a hurricane of strength and determination!" She paused from speaking to execute a back flip. "I'm war dressed as peace; I will haunt you in your dreams." With her back arched back, she started to walk on all fours. "The stars gave me wings, I'm not afraid to fly. You don't understand anything, nobody does. The limit is the one you impose, so I'm leaving this world behind."