Vertigo

Chapter Seven - The Girl Who Lived Twice

"When I said I wish we could go out for the night, I meant a tuna'n'mayo sandwich with some Starbucks," I said as my father stepped out of the BMW, posing for the camera crew before looking back at the car. "Not fancy dresses, more make-up than the Joker and especially not paparazzi."

"You clean up good, though." Cassidy joked. I was dressed in a shoulderless red dress that hugged around my ankle and a leather jacket. The bruise on my face had been concealed by a thick layer of makeup that felt heavy on my face. Heels and been where I drew the line, though. Cassidy slid over and got out as my father opened the door. The cameras went crazy again, undoubtedly pairing the two together in every gossip column possible. Then they turned to me.

I sighed before stepping out knowing what would happen next – the air around us froze as every reporter's mouth fell open, their gazes heavy on me. And then the sudden burst of flickers that left me disorientated as they all descended on me like a pack of starving buzzards, waiting to pick the flesh from my bone with their razor-like questions. My heart began to race as the world around me slowed to an agonizingly slow pace – voices turning to mud as the faces of their owners became all the more clear, burning into the back of my eyes, my breath hitting the bottom of my lungs heavily minutes after I breathed in. I felt my father's hand press into my back, leading me into the entrance of the New York museum.

"You okay?" Cassidy asked, leaning down to compensate for the height difference of her heels. "You looked as if you'd seen a ghost out there."

"I don't think I'm the one who saw a ghost..." I answered absently, looking around the large hall. The snack bar had been the first thing I noticed, placed right in the middle of the hall. The next thing had been the large Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton looming above it, and the grand stairway behind that. If I hadn't been as shocked as I was, I might have made a joke about the dinosaur wanting a snack.

"True. After all, you are the girl who lived twice," She nudged me, "Perhaps, next you'll hear there's an all-powerful evil wizard that only you can defeat."

"The world would burn if I was their chosen one," I stated as I continued looking around the room — it had been filled with even more people then there'd been outside who thankfully seemed to be too engrossed in their own conversations to notice me. There had been reporters in here, too, keeping their eye on the people of interest in the room – big business owners, British aristocrats and ambassadors from various international companies. "Why are we here again?"

"Haven't you been watching the news?" She asked, puzzled, passing a plate of quiche to me. I took four before passing it back to the waiter and promptly stuffed it into my mouth.

"Turned it off—" I paused, still chewing, "Every time I saw him. Why?"

Cassidy sighed before scolding me. "The Dawn Initiative, you idiot."

I choked on my quiche and started pounding my chest, grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and downing it in an instant. Cassidy frowned as I wiped the tears from my eyes, "I have an initiative?"

"Yes..." She face-palmed. "Damien started it three years ago after you... Well, supposedly died. It's a charity initiative."

"Huh," I stated, feeling like a jerk as my father strode up to the front of the group, taking a mic from one of the hosts with a smile on his face.

"I'm sure all of you are enjoying yourself, no?" He spoke, pulling the entire rooms attention towards him. For a man who showed very little emotion, he seemed elated. "Great food, wine and perhaps even better company."

"He just said more then I've heard him say in my entire life," I spoke softly, earning a laugh from Cassidy.

"Three years ago, I was in a dark place. The news reached me that my daughter passed away. And, for the longest time, I stayed there; burning my money on pointless items — cars, suits and jewellery." He paused, looking around the room. "Of course, none of it filled the gap in my chest. None of it could take away the guilt I had after sending my own daughter too far for me to protect her."

I felt dizzy, perhaps from the champagne. No, it was more than that. I felt overwhelmed. Cassidy picked up on it, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"That's when I started the Dawn Initiative. At first, it had been on a whim. Perhaps, even a half-hearted attempted to get over my conscience by doing something good. But, eventually, it felt more than that. So far, with your help, we managed to help more families then Grace Industries has staff, bringing food to them – medical attention. But," He paused, looking at the ceiling. "It wasn't enough for me. There had still been a feeling of emptiness. A feeling I couldn't shake. A feeling that there was something out there that I could have and would fill the gap."

"Then she showed up at my front door," He smiled, pointing at me, "My daughter, Dawn."

The audience broke into an orchestra of gasps, turning to where I stood. I had been a deer in headlights now, frozen and shivering under the thousands of gazes. I stumbled until my back hit the wall – my breath overtaking my racing heart as I felt my consciousness slip. Darkness flooded in.