Skye stared up at the ceiling of her bunk, silence all around. She finally had a family and a home and these were people who wanted her to be there. They loved her and cared for her, and Skye was eager to return it. They forgave her after she told Miles about them, and they let her stay.
So why did she feel so alone?
Her chest was hollow; she felt empty. She felt like she couldn't breathe; like the hollowness was suffocating her. She didn't want to do anything, either; actually, it felt like she couldn't do anything. Her phone and laptop were pushed aside, both turned off.
Skye didn't understand why she was feeling this way. Earlier, she was on her laptop, as happy as could be. Then, she just crashed. Her heart felt empty, yet it weighed heavily in her chest.
She knew she wasn't alone; May was in the cockpit or doing Tai Chi, Coulson was probably in his office, Ward was in his bunk, and FitzSimmons were in the main lounge. In fact, Skye could hear them bickering about something.
She was surrounded by people, yet she was so alone. She even felt lost.
Sighing, she slowly sat up and stared blankly at the door before getting off her bed. Slipping out of her bunk, Skye silently crept toward the stairs, making sure to stay out of FitzSimmons's line of sight. She climbed down into the cargo area, and looked around. No one was there, but she didn't feel like going back upstairs. Heading over to a marked car, she tried to open the door, but it was locked.
Skye turned to Lola, not caring if she got in trouble, and carefully climbed in, sitting in the passenger's seat. She stared up at the ceiling of the Bus, the lost and lonely feeling creeping back once more; this time, it felt heavier, and she felt it was harder to breathe.
"Coulson won't be happy if he finds you," a voice said softly, startling Skye.
"I know," she replied and sat up, surprised to see May. "What are you doing down here?"
"Tai Chi," she replied as she laid out a yoga mat. "I can't concentrate with FitzSimmons arguing. What are you doing down here?"
Skye was a little off put by the fact May was talking more than usual and seemed off guard, but she noticed her hollow, heavy heart lightening and starting to fill up; her lost and lonely feeling evaporating. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.
May glanced over at her, curious as to why Skye seemed so timid. "Are you feeling alright?"
Skye stared down at her hands, silent for a moment. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she blurted out. "I was fine one minute and suddenly I felt so alone and lost…" She trailed off and heaved a heavy sigh. "That probably sounds really stupid."
May felt sympathetic to her; she knew the feeling Skye was describing. She felt like that multiple times. "No, that's not stupid," she assured. "I understand what you're feeling."
Skye looked up, hope glowing in her eyes. "You do?"
May nodded. "The feeling hurts, especially if you can't let it go and it remains bottled inside. Personally, Tai Chi helps me lose that feeling. There are other ways to get rid of it, like talking to someone or writing about it."
A soft smile spread across Skye's face as she realized May was right; just talking to her helped her get over that feeling and was helping her breathe. "Thank you so much, May!"
"Thank you? For what?"
"You talked to me about it," Skye explained. "I guess I just needed someone to talk to."
A small smile danced over May's face. "I'm glad I could help you, then." She paused for a moment before adding softly, "If you need to talk again, please feel free to come to me." Normally, May would never say this to anyone, but Skye was a special case. She knew what Skye felt, and she had no one to turn to when she felt that way. May didn't want Skye to go through the same thing she did; once that feeling built up inside her without being released, it hurt her emotionally and caused her to feel depressed.
"Thank you so much, May," Skye replied, now beaming once more. "That really means a lot to me." It was true; before, Skye had no one. Miles was never the one to listen to her when she needed to vent, and it hurt her, but she kept that inside as well. Skye felt free with Miles gone, and the weight of that lost and lonely feeling off her chest. She felt like she belonged, and she felt trusted with May giving her that offer. It just proved that, now, she had a family that loved and cared for her deeply, even if that wasn't always clear.
They were there for each other, and Skye was proud to be a part of that.
