Effortless Stefanielle/Marina Oneshots

Focused (Maya)

The brown wood, standing tall yet out of sight in the crowded forest. Spikes from the stripped wood poked and scratched as you moved across it. No matter how you moved, it seemed to move with you. At night the walls came alive, it breathed slowly. Soaking up every piece of oxygen you owned. The sound of the pressured wind rushed against the slow pacing walls. The adrenaline rush of the water coming from behind you made you feel more than amazed. Watching as the the earth painted light blue strokes in the dark colored waters. The firefly's created a string of lights that swings from the tree to tree, in an array of colors. The lighter green at the bottom and the darker green at the top.

This was a safe space for the girl. From her family problems. Dealing with a father who acted as if he was the captain of a private plane company. Like he was the head CEO of the most popular business company in all of Seattle. She was his employee. He had full control of everything she did. What she ate, what she wore, how she participated in professional setting, and many more than that. And like any other employee, if she didn't abide by his rules there was consequences. She was that one employee that never got fired. She just got extra work, extra responsibilities to live by, but her paycheck was cut in half. Then another half. And another. And now she was working, unpaid, overtime, and never seemed to catch a break.

But she was only in high school. A high school sophomore at that. And that "job" she owned, that she had been employed to since the 5th grade, was her position on the track team. That CEO position her father had was to coach this track team. Tracking her every move. How hard she ran, how fast she ran. How many events she completed in and what she placed. His motto "second is first loser" and that was glued into her head twenty-four/seven. Her "paycheck" was the free time she got to spend with her friends on the weekend. Sometimes it'll be what and how much she was able to eat at dinner every night.

If she "overate" anything, her father would make her go run it off. Even if it was 10 o'clock at night and there was a major exam she needed sleep for the next day. He didn't care, and she was brainwashed to believe the same beliefs he did. Because of all the things her father made her do, it caused a huge hole in their family. Her mom left, a long time ago. She couldn't bare to see the man she once loved destroy her daughter like this. She took herself and her son as far away from them as she could. Even if that meant to move across the country and live with her parents until she was stable enough to get a job and then a house and improve from there.

That's where that treehouse came in. She found the safe clear space she needed from her exasperated father. For her to collect her thoughts. For her to forget the dangers of the world she was forced in.

With the feeling of the ice cold water coming in contact with her face, the girl shot up quickly. Like she had just been awoken from some deep dark dream of hers. "Get up! You overslept! Didn't you hear me calling your name!?" The girl looked over at her alarm clock in confusion. It was only five after eight and to be fair she didn't really hear her father calling her name. After the long practice she had yesterday it wasn't shocked that she was still in her deep sleep phase. "I...no I di-didnt." She stuttered not wanting to make her father more upset then he already was and make herself seem scared but her nerves overturned her and let him see right through her like a glass bottle.

"UGH! Useless. Just like your mother. Get up!" he pulled the blanket away from her tan and sore body and quickly pushed her off her bed. Her body hit the floor and a quiet whimper escaped from her lips. Her kicked her, or as he would say lightly "tapped" her, and she quickly got up off the floor in pain. Her glared at her and left her room, slamming the door behind himself. She flinched at the sound of the door meeting the wall and a tear feel free from her eyes.

After running for some time, pushing herself overboard as a way of punishment for making her father upset earlier, she quickly came upon the "hidden" trail she made in the woods that lead the old treehouse she had found years ago. The girl quickly jogged her way up the hills and through the think grassy grounds before stumbling upon it. The ladder stood there tall and proud and she quickly climbed it. Entering the enclosed space she came across her old pictures of her track team and her mom and brother before they officially left Seattle. There was a small mattress that sat in the corner of the space. And yes she did drag the entire thing all the way down to the woods. And blankets, and lights, and everything else she could imagine. One day she imagined that she and the girl of her dreams would come here to sleep and watch the stars as they formed shapes in the sky. As they would talk to each other until one of them fell asleep and the other would them until they woke up the next morning. But that was only a piece of her imagine, a piece, the rest of it ran into pleasing the man who had control over her.

The sun started to rise and the sky turned into this magical zone for the world. The girl looked down at her watch and it read 6:04. She quickly climbed down the ladder and jogged her way back home. Upon returning home she noticed her father wasn't there and she let out a pleasing sigh. Those extra minutes when he wasn't present in the home made her more safe than when he was there. No matter if he was sleeping or watching tv, she never felt safe within those 4 walls.

School was a different story. School she felt a tiny bit more freedom than she ever had. She was able to laugh, to smile, to see friends without being punished. Maya ran with a good group of kids. Athletes, straight A's, an excellent student. Teachers absolutely loved her but some despised her.

As she sat in class on this rainy Wednesday early afternoon, her mind raced in and around her head. There was a track meet today and if she does great she can be qualified for state, if not then she could possibly face the worst punishment in her life ever. Well not in her life, she's just only 16. She's sure they're would be many more to come. Although she wanted to go out and party and do things like other people, she knew deep down that she couldn't. The track team had just got dismissed and she put her head phones on as she walked to the field house. A way to make herself confident enough to do well in the meet today. Running the 800m as well as 4x4 was not an easy task and Maya knew she needed everything in her power to do good and to please her father.

long time, no see. what's good!? :) thoughts??? :)