I
-''Willow!'' - small, blonde girl hollered and Willow turned abruptly in her direction. Soft smile embraced her full lips as she watched her best friend strutting towards her, her flawless body adorned in mid tight high, sparkling, pink dress.
-''Hey Emma,'' - Willow greeted as she finally approached her, their other friend - Sarah - hot on her heels.
-''We did it!'' - Emma exclaimed, squealing and embracing both of them in suffocating hug. -''We actually did it!"
-''We know, Emma. Stop with that noise, it's puncturing my eardrum!" - Sarah sighed, swatting Emma's hands away but the latter was too excited to throw any snide comment as per usual.
Willow smiled at her friends' antics, but the sadness in her brown orbs resisted that smile to capture them. They were basking in sadness for many months now. Sarah scanned the crowd with her chocolate eyes and Willow stiffened, bracing herself for question she hoped could avoid on that day. Yet, when her eyes connected with Sarah pitying ones, she inwardly cursed.
-''They couldn't make it?'' - she inquired and Willow only gave her a meek shrug in return.
Turning away from them, she scanned the crowd once again, absorbing her surroundings. It was a beautiful day of June, Sun's rays caressed her cheeks softly as she observed tireless buzz and murmur of her fellow classmate's. Well, ex classmates.
Today was graduation day and school's yard was packed with freshly graduates and their families, all adorned unmistakable pride in their eyes. Willow sighed, attempting to take in all euphoria and joy that ruled all around her, but couldn't help but feel envy of her classmates. Her eyes flew around like bees, from smiling mother to proud father, from old grandfather to sibling and her chest filled with sadness that threatened to crush her mask. All the happiness that was pouring around her wasn't able to lift her spirits, but she eventually learned to cover her feelings so well it horrified her.
Her parents couldn't make it. Couldn't make it.
It was much easier to accept that as an excuse for her parents' absence, for she could pretend she's neglected child of cruel people who had much better things to do than to attend their daughter's graduation ceremony. She could brush it off, pretend not to be affected, or better, claim to be emancipated young woman, able to be alone on one of the most special moments of her life.
But the truth is inevitable, no matter how much she acts in front of others, she fails to do so with herself.
They forgot.
Willow didn't blame them, she knew they had much on their plate to remember such an irrelevant thing as the fact their eldest daughter is graduating from high-school, that is finally breaking through childhood and catching a train to adulthood. However, she couldn't fight off the tiny, microscopical feeling of disappointment and hurt that sizzled in the bottom of her heart.
She wanted to slap herself continuously, hated herself for being selfish but the feeling stuck there no matter what she did to chase it away.
Emma tugged Willows hand, making her swirl in their direction and she motioned towards the parking lot. Willow nodded and hurried after them, absentmindedly straightening the non-existing wrinkles on her black, knee high dress. Walking behind them, with soft smile on her face she observed the bickering of her two best friends.
Emma was Willow's oldest friend, their friendship started in kinder-garden where they met and stretched throughout all her school days. Brownish-blonde hair, big, round blue eyes and eternally smiling face were her recognizable traits. Her bubbly, optimistic personality contradicted Sarah's stalwart, realistic view of the world. Chocolate eyed, dark skinned brunette was one of the smartest people Willow knew, therefore was deservedly declared the valedictorian. She was also famous for showing tough love when needed, always there to help her friends get down to Earth.
That was what Willow needed most of the time - getting down on Earth. She has always swam in the muddy waters of dreams whose vortex often threatened to drag her away from the coast of reality. She was always rather different from her peers. Her personality was complex and layered to the extent that some layers she herself slowly discovered, forming the question to the ever philosophical question -who am I?-. She respected herself too much to accept she was weird, but was humble enough to refuse to consider herself special. So she retained somewhere in the middle, accepting the term different as some sort of definition of her personality.
She just couldn't survive in the world where there was too much reality and too less dream. At least that was her motto before she got slapped in the face by fate itself.
Getting into the car, a frown etched itself between Willow's eyebrows as the thought of going home registered in her mind.
********
Lying in her bed, Willow stared in the plane ticked in her hands. Questions and doubts of her decision were swirling in her head, creating a turmoil that threatened to make her give up on her plan. Flickering her eyes to discretely packed bag that was placed on the floor next to her bed, she sighed deeply, trying to reassure herself of the rightness of her decision.
The situation in her house post 'The accident' forced her to spend all her savings on one way airplane ticket, allowing her parents to focus on more important things. More important people.
Willow was furious on herself that her already crushed parents had to divide their attention so she decided to help them by removing the distraction - herself. Checking the clock on her nightstand, she deemed it was safe to sneak out without anyone noticing and hoped out of bed.
The ticket was for London, England, the only place that was far from home and had any sort of relatives she could stay with. Her aunt Kathy, her mother's younger sister lived there with her family for few years now, so Willow decided to surprise her this summer.
Picking up her bag that contained essentials and all her hopes and dreams, she scribbled a note for her parents' and tip-toed across hallway only to freeze in front of her sister's room. Slowly opening the door, she found her sleeping like one of those princesses from fairy-tales their mother told them when they still believed in them. Her brown hair was scattered on white pillow, closed lids hid beautiful, green orbs and there was nothing to point out to The Accident.
Nothing, but those damned wheelchair that stood by her bed, admonishing on cruel truth.
Although aware that Iris couldn't hear her, Willow couldn't leave without some sort of goodbye.
-''That's it, kiddo,'' - she whispered, repressing the sob that threatened to rise from her chest. Her jaw quivered but there were no tears and she hated herself for her inability to cry ever since everything happened. -"I just want you to know, don't... don't think that you will never be able to feel your legs again. They just got tired from carrying such a wonderful person, so they ceded their place to wings. Fly, honey, but don't forget, you will walk again. I guarantee it with my life."
Slowly kissing her palm she blew in it, holding her hand towards Iris. Giving her last, long look, she turned away and sneaked out of the house.
It's possible, - Willow replayed doctor's words in her head while staring through window, ignoring Emma's muffled sobs from the driver's seat on their way to the airport, - that she will forever remain in this state. There is a very small chance she will ever walk again. However, in her mind and heart Willow decided to make another order of words in that sentence.
-''Please, keep in touch and call when you land,'' - Emma said through her sobs, hugging the life out of Willow. -"I don't care about the time, just call."
-"I promise."
******
-"First plane ride, dear?'' - small woman with graying her softly asked Willow. She pealed her eyes from the small window and brought them to connect with gentle, blue ones. Willow nodded, smiling.
-''But I'm not scared,''
-''Oh, I know, I know. Fear cannot be hidden and there is not a trace of it on your face,'' - old lady retorted through grin. -''I remember my first ride, now that was fear. I couldn't open my eyes let alone glance trough the window.''
-''It's psychical. Fear, I mean.'' - Willow added in her own way. After The accident she developed a belief that every emotion could be stopped using brain. She taught herself not to show fear for she considered it an attribute of the weak. Old lady mildly nodded although from her expression it was obvious she disagreed.
Willow turned her head to stare through the window again. White clouds looked like cotton islands in the blue sky, wide spaces shrank as they rose up more and more. Away from earth, away from everything she knew, away from her family.
What are they doing? Did they already discovered I'm gone? Did they read the letter?
-''I will give you an advice and I hope you will abide by it.'' - old lady's voice startled her and she turn in her direction again. -''I'm sure you have a big heart, dear, that longs to take the wheel. Sometimes give it an advantage over your mind.''
She further advised Willow to use her ticket and ride on the roller-coaster life is, for you never know when will that ticket become invalid. With fervor she talked about happiness, freedom, love.
-''Love is like rose, with its scent it can make everyone drunk. However, those who do not take care of it, who do not water it regularly, who do not forgive if they prick their finger on its thorns forever remain immune to its scent.''
Their conversation cheered Willow up a little, but it was hindered by stewardess's voice that said to buckle up their belts for the were about to land. In the sea of people on one of the largest airports on the world, one man stuck out. He looked like he was in his early fifties yet very attractive for his age, but what Willow first noticed was roses in his hands and wide smile directed to the old lady next to her.
-''Your son, I presume?'' - Willow inquired.
-''No, my ticket for life,'' - old lady retorted winking, then walked into man's awaiting arms. At first, Willow was little confused, but once she understood wide smile plastered itself on her face as she walked towards baggage claim.
Beside usual euphoria, happy and sad greetings, loud, man voice reigned over airport and it was directed to poor worker on lost baggage claim.
-''Calm down, sir. Things like this always happen,'' - worker attempted to calm him down, but without avail. Older man with fading black hair stood before him in all his beige and cashmere glory, tirelessly shouting at the former.
-''It happens to you because your work on lost baggage claim, not to me!''
Willow listened to their conversation that looked like monologue of angry rich-man, and waited for that well known sentence.
-''Do you even know who are you talking with?'' - snapped the man in beige pants. He reached for his pocket pulling out an expensive phone and stormed outside, threatening the pale worker who - like everyone else - followed him with eyes.
Damn rich people, - Willow thought to herself, - think they own everything.
Shaking her head, she pulled up her bag strapping it on her shoulder and marched towards the door. Staring at the huge map in her hand she noticed all the tourist places - Big Ben, Madame Tussaud's, Piccadilly square - were marked with black squares. She sighed, knowing that she's here not as a mere tourist but as self-banished girl seeking for break. Crumpling the map in her hands she slowly raised her head, only to be blown away by the sight in front of her.
WHAT THE HELL?
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