Taking Flight

Crashing Dreams

Dear Eomma,

Things are going great. I am getting along well with the other girls. The other day we all went out and got ice cream together, it was really fun! Don't worry about me. I am practicing hard every day on my dancing and singing. It is so exciting to be part of Albatross, there is always so much to do, but I am fine. Being here is...

Park Daia paused in her typing, her hands hovering over the keyboard. How could she continue to lie to her mother, when everything was NOT fine, it was NOT okay. In fact, everything couldn't be worse! She was tired and hungry all the time, and now she was struggling to get along with the four other members in Albatross.

The past few weeks had been tough as they were preparing for a comeback. They had only been out in the world for a year now, and already it was overwhelmingly tough. All five of them had been on a diet, and had been practicing all day and night. Each one of them was on the edge of a volcanic eruption. Mi Young just happened to be first. Last night, she had fought back at their Manager , shouting and screaming about how the company was mistreating her. Her tempertantum had made a huge scene. To help soothe, management had decided to give the girls a morning off. Today, they were allowed to sleep in and not come into work until 11 am.

But, despite being given time to rest, Daia was sleepless. Thus, she was emailing her mother at 3 am, trying to feel tired. She knew she could try harder to sleep, by lying down and closing her eyes, but the peaceful feeling of the early morning in a quiet dorm was a rare occurrence. The only times the girls got to be in their dorm was to sleep. So, to be awake in the dorm was a blessing.

Daia was seated out in the living room on a brown leather couch, bundled up in her favorite fleece blanket. She could hear the soft pitfalls of breath from the sleeping girls across the hall, and the occasional snore.

The room was dark, except for the bright white light of her laptop that shown on her face and the city lights the twinkled beyond the balcony. On the coffee table to right, sat a small metal frame, that encased a group photo of Albatross.

The photo had been taken during their first promotions. They didn't really know each other that well then. And they still weren't that together yet, but they were trying. Daia was good friends with most of the girls, one she could say was her best friend. But, then there was that one who she could never see as being her friend.

Her best friend would have to be Rosa, their leader and also the oldest. Currently, she had long brown hair with a curtain of bangs. She was tall like Daia, and her best friend. Rosa was the one who was having the most impact on Daia, helping he to come out of her introverted shell. She never would have made it to debut without her support. They had been so many instances where Daia was to be kicked out, but Rosa had stood up for her and helped her stay. Daia hoped that one day she would be able to repay her for all the help she had given to her. In the picture, they were standing next to each other. Rosa had her arm around Daia's shoulders, as Daia hated taking photos. She had this 6th sense of about knowing when someone was in distress and where to find them.

Next in line was Sarang, one that Daia considered friend. She was the second smallest in the group, but the most savage, and she was a tomboy. Every day, she wore a baseball cap, backwards, with a tuff of her short black hair sticking out the front. Daia admired her honesty, if she didn't like something, she would let you know. She never let anyone step on her or push her around. She seemed to know who she was and what she would do. At first, she frightened Daia because of her tough exterior. But Daia had come to find that behind her tomboy personality, there was a sweet girl there.

Daia had discovered this about a few months ago when the girls had gone on a trip for a photo shoot. Rosa had been super nervous as it was next to a lake, and she had a fear of large bodies of water. But, Daia observed as Sarang quietly and silently stood by her said the whole time, giving comfort by being there. To Daia, she was the one to admire and to aspire to be like.