As Yet Untitled Story.
Prologue.
Family.
That's all her life was to her. The only true meaning of life. She couldn't speak for others of course, but, in her heart, she knew. Without family, life simply was not, worth, living.
not to mention, it was all she had.
Chapter 1.
Trains. Endless in their monotony, complex, yet simple to master.
It felt like her life, no, her very existence, revolved around them.
"It's not for long" she reminded herself. If everything went according to plan, she would be among the greatest artists out there.
One step closer to the Golden Circle, but more importantly, one step closer to him. The Highest of them all. Even in her mind, the barely whispered name contained reverence and awe.
"Bailey".
Mili's musings were interrupted by a rumble, starting from deep beneath the platform. It reminded her of a dragon, waking from its slumber, slowly unfurling its wings, waiting for the moment to release its great and mighty roar, filling the tunnel with ear splitting noise.
People stood around her, filling the tiny concrete tube. All going about their daily, mundane lives, oblivious to the magic, hidden, just below their feet. If they knew the truth they would run screaming, never to return. She smiled. If Mili hadn't been a photographer, she would have been a writer. The dragon was quite a frequent visitor to her consciousness, popping up whenever her mind wandered.
The daydream lasted only a few seconds, for here was the train, patiently waiting for her to board, like her own metal steed. Well, if you forgot about the 40 or so other people simultaneously embarking also.
Once seated, Mili allowed her mind to wander again, safe in the knowledge that she would snap back to reality at precisely the right moment needed to leave the steed. train! train. "must watch that", she muttered to herself. For her daydreams were acceptable, as long as they stayed just that. dreams. However, recently they had begun to leak into her life, her words. It was worrying, and, if she was brutally honest, scary.
Soon, her worries were pushed to the back of her mind, as she slowly relaxed into the seat, the familiarity and regularity of the journey lulling her.
it was half an hour into the journey when another whimsical character decided to appear. Primrose. With her canary yellow hair, lapis eyes and blue, blue skin. She could see her now, sitting among the passengers. She would smile at the children, as their frazzled mother tiredly looked on. The children would return the look, perhaps accepting a flower or two, plucked from Prim's hair. The mother would smile at her children, simply putting their odd interactions with what she saw only as thin air, down to imaginary friends. Well. She wasn't wrong.
Little did Mili know.
Mili blinked away the particularly vivid vision, crashing back down to earth with a hard bump.
"Ouch" she whispered, however not quietly enough as it earned her a 'look' from man seated beside her. The pain and following distraction had caused Prim to disappear, back to the depths of Mili's imagination. It really was a vast place.
Just when Mili was about to disembark and begin the long, arduous trek home, she glimpsed Prim again, slowly waving farewell, still seated on the train. This was nothing new to her, however, there was one disconcerting change. Instead of her usual calm, happy demeanour, Primrose seemed sad, her eyes reflecting pain, shadows, but most shockingly, secrets. Their eyes connected, the thread of contact remaining until the train had disappeared back to its dark lair. She shivered. It's just tiredness. Exhaustion. Nothing to worry about. "I'm Normal. Not Crazy. Normal. Not. Crazy. No". She continued to mutter this mantra to herself the rest of the long walk home. As soon as she had broken eye contact with Prim, all her aches and pains had reappeared, the exhaustion from her seemingly eternal day rearing it's ugly head with a vengeance.
Finally. Home. Mili sunk down, slowly, the door at her back, The outside world shut away where it belonged. her haven engulfed her, familiar sounds, smells, sights, wrapping themselves around her like a beautifully soothing blanket. It was times like these, when Mili realised just how completely and utterly exhausting it was to navigate the world. Talking, interacting, starting, stopping, saying yes saying no saying so many words her jaw ached as well as her mind. Without fail, every night, she would shut that door, sink to the floor, (or sofa if she had some thread of energy left), and slowly breathe in the air around her, relaxing inch by inch, until her mind quieted. Which it only did when she was home or with her family.
Once her mind was silent, her body soon followed suit. She had spent an inordinate amount of money on this sofa, (her sister had never let her forget it) but she knew she would need its properties, including being almost as large and comfortable as her bed. She even kept a duvet on the back of it. pulling it over her, she snuggled further into the mountain of cushions, quickly falling into sleep. Dreamland, on this rare occasion, stayed away.
