She isn't fine like she pretends to be. On the contrary.
Liliana Storm Whitlock is shattered into a thousand pieces, used from the ones she loves, betrayed by the ones she loves, broken by the ones she loves.
So she lost herself.
And it all seems t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I spend the following days accommodating my flat in a sense of blissful peace, music blasting in my ears. Nevertheless, the attraction to the rink hasn't left my mind at rest. The urge and desire to lose myself on the ice, pacing back and forth continuously until dizziness overcomes me, refuse to let my mind find peace.
And I can't handle it anymore.
With skates in my hands, I walk out of my residence while breathing in the warm afternoon air. Or night, as the sun just disappeared behind one of the buildings on campus, taking with him the last glimpses of light.
I come across a few other students on my way, but as I enter the rink solitude and calm are all I am greeted with. I wasn't expecting it to still be open at that time of the day, nevertheless complaining is the last possible thought that lingers on my mind as I tighten the laces of my skates to secure my ankles.
Tonight it's just ice skating. No hockey.
My mother already called about it today, pushing me to figure skate so I wouldn't lose my abilities and tricks like she fears I would. As if she really cares.
With a swift hand movement, I open the barrier that gives me access to peace. And then I just do what I do best. Lose myself in my thoughts, quietly humming melodies in my head as I match my movements to them. A feeling of lightness takes over, the weight of the stress finally slipping off my shoulders as I spin and swirl around. An easeful moment.
Familiar chills run up my spine and coat my bare arms that are exposed to the cold air of the ice. The fabric of my top tightly clings onto my body thus keeping the chilly air away from accessing my skin, but not keeping away the chills that run through my body by getting more and more persistent as I continue my dance on the ice.
I don't stop when I'm breathless. Nor do I stop from the prickling pain lingering in my stomach. Or from my shivering members. But I do halt my movements when a sudden deep voice speaks, breaking the tranquillity of the space I created in my head. Breaking my easefulness.
"You need to leave."
The coldness in the voice rips through the thick inner peace I managed to create for a short period of time. The sudden brutality causes me to lose balance and control, which results in a heavy fall on the ice just as I was ending my spin.
And the fall is hard. My left wrist twists as I try to catch myself, creating waves of pain to shoot through my arm.
I don't let a single sound pass my lips, even as the pain lingers in my throat threatening to expose me through a whimper. My mind won't let me expose myself, so I scramble on my skates as quickly as possible.
My head snaps to the side from the sudden interruption, and I want to scold them for scaring me, but my gaze comes face to face with a person that has been haunting me for the past few days. Except that this time he isn't wearing his biker helmet, but a hockey helmet along with the full hockey gear.
