Three of a Kind

Unveiled?

TW// panic attack

As kayce turned the key in the lock,the familiar click signaled her return to the sanctuary of her new apartment.Stepping inside, a light sigh escaped her lips, a silent release of tension accumulated from the whirlwind of emotions that had swept through her day.

After showering and laying into bed, Kayce's thoughts raced back to her past. The dim light of her bedroom did little to soothe the storm brewing in her mind. She had escaped from her abusive mother, but the memories were always lurking, ready to strike when she was most vulnerable.

As she closed her eyes, her mother's image appeared, the familiar look of contempt etched on her face. Kayce's chest tightened, her breathing became shallow and rapid, and her heart pounded like a drum.She tried to remind herself that she was safe now, far away from that house, but the reassurance felt hollow.

Her mother's voice echoed in her mind,sharp and cruel. Each word felt like a dagger,reopening old wounds. Kayce's hand trembled holding the sheets as if they could anchor her to the present. Her throat constricted, making it hard to swallow and her vision blurred with tears.

The room seemed to shrink around her,the walls closing in.
She felt the familiar weight of anxiety pressing down on her chest,making it hard to breathe.A clammy sweat broke out across her skin, and her pulse raced uncontrollably. The rational part of her mind knew she was safe, but the past was too vivid, too powerful to dismiss.

Desperate to escape she tried grounding techniques, focusing on the feel of the cold sheets and the sound of her breath. But every time she closed her eyes, her mother was there , her face twisted in anger. Kayce's breaths came in short,shallow gasp, each one a struggle against the rising tide of panic.

The anxiety attack fully took hold, dragging her back into the whirlpool of fear and helplessness. She curled into a tight ball, her body shaking as she tried to ride out the storm. All she could do was wait, hoping that the relentless grip of her pass would eventually release her, leaving her exhausted but intact.

After what felt like eternity, the intensity of the panic attack began to decrease. Her once shallow and frantic breaths started to deepen, though her chest still ached from the effort. She uncurled from the tight ball she had formed,her muscles still stiff and sore from the tension. The room , which had seemed so oppressive before , now felt like a prison she needed to escape.

Determined to find relief, she swung her legs over the edges of the bed and stood up on shaky legs. Her body felt weak, as if she just ran a marathon, but her resolve was stronger. She grabbed her keys from the nightstand with trembling hands, their cool metal a small comfort against her clammy skin.

She moved quickly too the door, her bare feet padding softly on the floor, each step feeling like progress towards freedom.
She slide into a pair of slides left at the door. Fumbling with the lock , she yanked the door open and hurried down the steps of her apartment building. The confined stairwell echoed with the sound of her rapid footsteps, but she barely noticed, her focus entirely on reaching outside.

Finally, she burst through the front door and into the open air.
The cool night breeze hit her face, a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere of her apartment. She took a deep breath, the fresh air filling her lungs and beginning to clear the fog of panic from her mind.

She could hear distant traffic,the chirping of crickets, and the rustle of leaves in the breeze- the sound of the world that felt reassuringly normal compared to the chaos inside her mind. As her body slowly relaxed, she opened her eyes and looked up at the sky, the vastness above her reminding her that she was indeed free, and in this moment safe.

Kayce began to walk, not knowing where she was heading but needing to move. After about forty minutes of walking in a straight line, she found herself in a quiet park with a small pond at its center. Drawn to the water, she approached the pond and noticed a solitary figure sitting by its edge.

Curiosity and a need for human connection pushed her forward. As she neared the figure, she decided to break the silence.
"Late night ," she said softly adding a gentle chuckle.

The figure turned to look at her, revealing a familiar face with sad eyes.

It was the business lady from Ashra's shop, the same lady that made Ashra cry.

But now she didn't look harsh or intimidating.

Instead she seemed vulnerable, her expression softened by the quiet night, revealing a shared humanity that Kayce hadn't expected to find.