Unbroken

She blinked at her reflection, and stared harder. The dark mole on her right cheek looked the same as it always did- almost a perfect dot on her pale skin.  Her faded freckles were darkening with the recent bouts of sunshine in the daily weather, now a generous sprinkle on her angular nose.  Coal brows sat over almond shaped eyes that were so dark at times, that she wondered if they were actually black. Her lips were thick and full, curving nicely whenever she  flashed a smile.  A long finger traced the slight dimple that revealed on her left cheek as she practiced smiling, the way children do when asked to smile for a photograph, close-mouthed and strained. 

She drifted to the open window framed by pale blue drapes that slightly swayed in the afternoon breeze. Tall buildings glared back at her through their grilled balconies, peeking through the sparse green leaves that were now slowly turning brown. She leaned forward, balancing all her weight on her toes, making little noise on the white marble floor. In the room there was only the faint hum of traffic filtered through the squabbling of frisky pigeons.  A stray strand fell across her neck, as she thought of glossy waves and golden sands in a world not so far away. She had always loved to dream. 

For a brief moment a dog barked, off in the distance, but quickly faded back from wherever it had come from. She was snapped back to reality with a jarring suddenness, instinctively jerking backwards. Her fingers slid into the smooth, steel sill and she yanked it towards her. A sharp sting made her hiss and pull her hand away, as she muttered a curse under her breath. A  strip of crimson marked her thumb. The throb of her cut finger drew her attention, so she quickly raised it into her mouth.

Blood- the copper scent of it disturbed her. She looked away, out of the window again. The long afternoon had gradually been closing in, and it was almost twilight. A purple haze stained the clear sky, predicting the birth of a beryl horizon. She tilted her head back as she breathed in deeply, inhaling what she believed to be the scent of fresh cut grass in a rain storm; a whiff of freedom. She sighed hard, swallowing back the tears that threatened to gush forth. Stupid, stupid tears that were always calling the shots, appearing anywhere on her face, rolling, unchallenged, streaking damp trails, and ruining her mask. 

Weakness was something she had been told to fight- but she was finally sick of fighting. There was nothing left, no energy,no breath. She had always reasoned that everyone was struggling, trying to fight a losing war, but it had gotten stronger, gathering power and feeding off her misery, waiting to launch at her.These constant blows were a pain that she had gotten accustomed too, but now even a slight wind tossed her around like a scrap tissue in a whirlwind.  She had finally given up. She had no fight left in her.

She turned the record on and glanced out of the window again. The moon peeked back at her, hiding stealthily behind a pair of dirty clouds. Even the stars had come to watch, cheekily winking bright in what was now a dark night's sky. Somewhere an owl hooted in a whisper, as a cars' headlights lit up a once invisible road. The music she could hardly hear before had suddenly got louder. Like a cat it jumped up out of nowhere inside her, arching her back, and stretching her long limbs. 

She felt herself purring, as her tumbling hair swayed from her scalp as she spun around in electric motion. She let the beat flow from the top of her head, down to her spine to the tip of her toes. Squeezing her eyes close, she shut out everything, and just focused on her body moving circles around itself. She no longer dared to open her eyes. She was safe here.

High up,she swung by the crook of one leg, throwing her arms in the air with an unabashed ferocity.The once drained blood had rushed to her chalky face flooding it with a burning flush. A drop of sweat trickled down her hairline and followed the faded scar on her neck, slipping on to her heaving chest. Twirling her bare feet on the floor, she pushed away the hair sticking to her glistening face. She pressed a clammy hand against the thumping in her chest. Her head spun dangerously and stars blinked behind her eyes, but she just couldn't stop dancing.  She was too busy spinning, dreaming, and hoping. She didn't know which way was up, but now that she was there, she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to come down.