The way to you

The stage

Walking onto the stage for the first time in weeks is really refreshing. The smell of the wood hits my nose and overwhelms my senses, for the first time in months, I feel at peace.

Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath in and out, then suddenly someone's hands cup my eyes, preventing me from seeing.

"Guess who?" the voice says. He makes it way too obvious, "Will, I swear to god you make it so obvious." I state, I can't help but smile. He chuckles and releases my face from his hands, "no you just guess too easily," he laughs, I laugh with him. 

"Alright, everyone! It's time to start!" the director calls attention, he's one of the best I've seen so far, my old professors and directors were harsh and sometimes cruel. 

 We all form into the formation of the play, every singer here is from Julliard, I'm the youngest since I graduated 2 years earlier than everyone else. For the most part, I know Will, Samantha, Mark, and Tatiya, for some reason Mike and Julian won't speak or look at me. 

The director counts us off, "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and-"

After rehearsal, we're all tired and our throats are sore. "Damn, Alex, you really sang today huh?" Mark smirks, "haha very funny" I roll my eyes. In the beginning, when I was inexperienced with the rehearsal and the extensive use of our voices on stage, I would sing with every ounce of my voice which caused me to have a voice crack and inevitably made me lose my voice for a week and a half. 

They have never let it go ever since. That was 2 and a half years ago. I can just remember all of their laughing faces, Mark especially, he was rolling around on the floor. Supposedly dying from laughter. I narrow my eyes at the memory, then a flash of a face I don't recognize comes across my mind.

I shake my head to snap out of it, Samantha comes up to me, "hey Alex you don't look too well, your face looks a bit pale." she states worriedly, the room starts to spin, and black crowds my vision. 

My eyes roll back and I fall to the ground, I can hear worried voices and yelling noises, everything fades into the background when I see a woman.

She's wearing a blue scarf with denim jeans and a yellow shirt. She's smiling, so brightly.

I see her running to a man, who's also smiling with warmth. He catches her and spins her around.

"I love you, Daniel. I'm going to marry you if you'll have me." she tells him, he laughs, "I will gladly take you as my bride." he says in an amused voice. They both smile together, enjoying each other's embrace. 

They both look to be around the age of early twenties, now they are laying in the snow under the grayish sky. 

Suddenly I'm thrown into a new vision, the same woman is now sitting in a hospital chair, a wedding ring around her finger. Her face is of sorrow, that smiling face of warmth gone.

The man, Daniel, as she called him, is sitting in the hospital bed next to her, his face mournful, his arms are thin, his face pale. He's sick, I realize. It looks like they got some bad news, most likely about his disease that he's suffering from. 

The doctor that was talking to them leaves the room, the woman starts to cry and Daniel pats her head. "It's alright Annesa, everything is going to be alright," he says in a calm voice.

Tears start to run down my face, as an impact of sorrow hits me. Is he going to die?

Before I can see anymore I'm brought back to reality, I open my eyes to see I'm on the couch in the break room where we'd usually go after rehearsal, everyone is here, they are all huddled in a circle, murmuring about something. 

My eyes hurt, did I cry? I reach up to feel wet on my cheeks. I quickly wipe the wetness away, and cough to clear my throat. "Um- what are you all doing?" I ask. They all frantically turn to face me, they move towards me in an instant, all at once I hear them asking different questions like, "are you okay?" or "what happened to you" 

I wait for them to stop and let me talk, eventually, they do, "I'm fine. I guess I was a little dehydrated" I tell them, doubt is written across every one of their faces.

"Ok so- that was fun, I'm just going to go now." I get up to leave the break room, leaving them frozen in place.

"Sit your ass down right now." I hear Lily's voice. Oh shit. I slowly turn around back to where everyone is. "Now Alexia." her voice is completely stern. "Hehe hi, Lily." I scratch the back of my head nonchalantly and wave a small wave as if I didn't just pass out and tried to leave as if nothing happened.

I slowly take a seat next to her, she is seated in the corner, no wonder I didn't see her when I woke up.

"what brings you here my lovely and dear-hearted sister?"