Starlight | Fillie

Starlight

☆

Her career started off as a dream but it ended up as the most dreadful nightmare.

Her job, what Millie considered the most important and rewarding thing in her life, turned into a personal challenge that took it all away from her; her attitude, her self-esteem, her reputation, all the hope she had left...

And almost her own life.

She hit rock bottom that dark day of August, and she wasn't sure how to reach the surface again. Praying God wasn't enough; dreaming and hoping? Neither of those options worked.

After all, life is not a goddamn movie directed by some superior entity, and even if it was, the chance of getting a happy ending was still scarce.

The only thing Millie was left to do was fight with her inner strength, especially in moments like the one she is currently living.

At the sight of the crowd surrounding the building and her car, her heart rate picked up.

One by one, she can spot them all through the tinted windows of the SUV she is hiding in. The photographers are armed with their deadly cameras she grew to despise.

You see, it didn't take that much time before the paparazzi figured out where her therapy session took place. Getting a shot of her after the rumors was like winning the lottery and they wouldn't miss this chance.

Too bad Millie wasn't exactly in the mood to be their source of income today.

She swallows the bitter taste of saliva, controlling her hands from shaking. There's no fear—just an infinite amount of rage exploding from each pore.

"Miss Brown, we're ready whenever you are." Oliver calls for her from the driver seat.

Millie nods, wearing her sunglasses, shoving her messy ponytail under her dark hoodie. She will make sure no one catches a glimpse of her face.

Fuck them all.

"We can go."

Oliver climbs down the car and in the fraction of a moment, Millie hears the screams of the photographers and the sound of clicks cutting the reality of silence she desperately tried to build.

The SUV door opens from the outside and the flashes start to catch her every movement. Millie jumps out of it, keeping her head bowed and hidden as much as possible, as her other two bodyguards protect her on both sides and a huge umbrella hangs over her, held by Oliver.

"Millie, over here, over here!"

"Millie, why are you going to therapy?"

"Millie, please, show yourself!"

"Milie, are you going back to acting? What happened to your Instagram account?"

She commands to not stop herself there and slamming each of their cameras to the ground, disarming them from what was killing her.

But, of course, she can't. Not only because she'd be depicted as the rude one, but she also doesn't want to spare a single word to these strangers.

The only thing she wants is for these people to not cross the damn boundary. She always gave people everything they wanted; entertainment, pictures, news, an open diary of her life, reason to make fun of her and it still wasn't enough for them. She gave and gave without gaining something good in return.

Now, even her mental illness was a reason for money and collective amusement. Yes, even a private session with a psychotherapist can't be left out—there is no sense of shame when it comes to her. An animal at the zoo wouldn't be that different from her.