Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 35th cycle. Now cycle 36!


Had the idea for this cycle back in July or August where I thought it'd be interesting to do a set inspired by tarot cards. My initial research then directed me to the cards of the Major Arcana, of which there were 22, so I combined two, which got me to 21, making this a cycle-long set of stories. Then I did more research, to find out about each of those cards, and what they can represent. Now I need to point out that it's a more or less basic approach. I don't go into the reverse meaning or other things, just this part. ** If you would like the document of info I've collected and based myself on, let me know and I'll send it, since it covers the next three weeks' worth of stories. ** Lastly, in connection to the first card, 'The Fool', and the journey through those other cards, this entire cycle will feature, in lead or supporting form, one Brittany S. Pierce...


"My Future Too"
or 'The World'
Brittany, Emma
Companion piece to "Your Future Too"

She and Santana had gone down different ends of the hall that afternoon. Santana went one way, to Glee Club, while she went the other way, to Miss Pillsbury's office. Santana was to deliver a message to Mr. Schuester, excusing her absence, because she was the only one who knew the truth. She hadn't told the others about her sessions with the guidance counsellor, not because she was ashamed, but maybe because she wanted to surprise them, to show them what she could do, besides dance and sing.

On that day, she'd had to make a choice, between Glee Club and this… She had a test the next day, and she really wanted to do well, so she'd asked Miss Pillsbury if they could have a session earlier than usual. The only time she could do it would conflict with Glee Club rehearsal, so that was going to have to be it. She told Santana to let Mr. Schuester know, only him and none of the others… maybe Brad, but that was it. She really wanted to be with them, really, really wanted to be with them…

But Miss Pillsbury had been good to her. She showed a lot more patience with her than the previous tutors who had tried to help her. It wasn't easy, for either of them, but Emma wasn't giving up, and neither was Brittany.

When she arrived to the office, Miss Pillsbury told her to close the door and come have a seat, like she always did. They would usually start slow, and Emma would ask about her day. This time around, they had a specific purpose for their meeting, so they began on that after a few minutes. Miss Pillsbury was so organized in the way she took notes, like her neatness couldn't be helped even there. It did help, though after a while she still got a bit distracted, needing relief for her mind. Her head would come to rest in her palm, and her eyes would get lost in staring out that window to the outside world.

She knew there existed such a possibility for her, a world where she could move past this time in her life, of failures and bad feelings about her abilities, her lack of direction… One day this part would be done, and she would be grown, and she wouldn't be on her way to something, she would already be there. As it was, she had no idea what that future held because it was still that, a future. But it didn't mean she didn't think about it, invent it the way she thought it could be, even if it was one of those 'in your wildest dreams' kind of things. She would look back at this long journey she'd had to take, to make it there, but she would know that she had made it to where she was supposed to be.

There was the family thing; she'd always seen herself as getting married, having kids. When she was little, those were her dolls… and her plush friend Blippo the blue hippo, of course. But one day it would be for real, and as time went on, with one of two false alarms along the way, she had to… rethink things. And with her and Santana getting closer now, it could only get more confusing. But that was only one part of the equation, and it was a part that didn't worry her too much… it didn't have to.

Her education wasn't nearly so 'one day or another.' It didn't use to bother her, but the closer she got to senior year, with her friends heading towards graduation, like her… if she could make it… the more she started to ask herself if she would be among them. It was around that time that she started getting these sneaky bits of nightmare, where year by year more of her friends got to leave McKinley, and she would still be there… never leaving, just getting older, and more trapped.

She was tired of it… feeling that gaze fall on her sometimes, like she was useless or something. She knew it wasn't true; she had people in her life who would tell her different, Santana, her family, now Miss Pillsbury… and she knew it, too. That didn't always make it go away.

She had dreams just as much as they did. A lot of it was about dance, sure… she'd always been gifted, and she'd worked really hard to make it happen… but she had other interests. None of them probably thought of her that way. She'd always sort of had this thing with animals, but it wasn't until she'd reconnected with her father and found out he was a veterinarian that she'd become even more interested. He'd take her to his clinic sometimes, let her help, be a friendly hand to his recovering patients. He'd even taught her all these things about cats; it had come in handy for her and the Brainiacs once… She knew she might not get to dance her whole life, that she could get injured.

When she'd pulled her hamstring, the doctor had gone on about how 'one of these days, you never know.' She wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean, and she'd told her grandfather. He explained it to her, and the idea frightened her so much she walked like she was made of glass for about a week. She couldn't stand the idea of dancing being taken away from her… But then after meeting her father, working with him, she would think 'well I can do that.' She didn't like talking about it, like a fragile little bird that would break if she let anyone see it or touch it. Maybe it would happen, maybe it wouldn't happen, she didn't really know.

"Brittany?" She blinked and looked back to Miss Pillsbury.

"Sorry," she sat up, reaching to tuck hair behind her ear when there was none to tuck. Her hand dropped back to her lap.

"Okay, come on," Emma gave her an encouraging smile. "You're getting there."

"Okay," Brittany nodded, and they got back to work.

She held the future like a friend, not to be scared of. Maybe by now she was supposed to be able to stop and look back, envision what was ahead, well… she was starting to.

THE END


A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!