Chapter Text
IMAGINE
Imagine:
And around, again around, like a loop. Hands up to the sky as I desperately gasp for the bright moon. The clouds hide it from me, and in sadness, my hands slip back down. My whole body hangs as I fall to my knees in a sit spin, spinning around. In back scratch, up and up, trying to catch a slight beam of light. In desire to possess it, I expand my arms, as if the world is mine, whirling them like a bird that is free. In an axel jump, I rise to the endless sky, flying above, reaching again for the stars. In the agony of loneliness, I let the wind caress my skin, singing a mild song. I catch
myself in the air, falling from a cliff, spinning just above the surface; my body clenched together, as if trying to hide from the world. One last time, I gaze up at the sky. The music quiets. Back scratch spin, and I stop. Nothing has changed—it's still dark and sane.
"Quite a performance," a voice unexpectedly echoes through the empty hall, snapping me out of my thoughts and bringing me back to reality. There, at the entrance, at the rim of the ice, I notice someone. A tall handsome man with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, dressed in a simple sports outfit. He reminds me of someone—I think I've seen him performing figure skating.
"I thought there was no one left," I murmur, somehow not glad to be disturbed. I slowly skate to shake off the intense shivering from recent strain.
"I heard music, so I came to check." He smiles, a mild, barely-there smile that widens on my face.
"I see..." I slide toward him.
"You have an interesting style," he says, glancing at me with interest, still smiling.
"I move as I feel." My expression doesn't change much; I'm not sure if he understands what I mean.
"That's only correct," he says, and I nod in agreement. Maybe he does. I glance at him in silence while I take a water bottle that I left on the fence of the rink.
"Anyway, I'll be going. It was nice to meet you~," he says in a cheerful voice, raising his hand in farewell.
"Oh–, ye..." I say somewhat surprised at the surprisingly short interaction. He most likely just came to make sure someone hadn't forgotten to turn the music off.
"See ya," I murmur, watching the other leave. It's not long before my focus drifts to the inner world. Once again lost in thought, I reach for my phone. Playing my music playlist as I decide to skate a little longer despite the growing tiredness.
And already, I'm sliding again, relaxed, letting the sweet breeze keep me company. Freedom. I close my eyes, and a new song on the playlist begins to play. Completely unsuitable for 'decent' skating—at least that's how it appears. It's lively and dramatic, with a gentle, calm intro; it fires up my anger, and I open my eyes just to feel my speed increase.
In a sudden jerk, I raise my arms, catching the air of emotions between them, closing them into a cage. I wave them left and right while whirling around in a layback spin. The music breaks into a peaceful, trance-like tone. Sliding, I do mohawk, like I'm flowing through the universe. I gently let my hands slip apart, as if I can no longer hold on to these emotions. Around and around, I shed them in a scratch spin. But they keep coming back, dragging me down. Still, I spin to let them go; I expand my leg in a camel spin, then go down to a sit spin to prevent myself from falling apart. Around and around, I climb back up, out of the abyss of my heart, into an upright spin.
Undecided, one hand pulls me left, then the other right. Both I tug toward my heart, spinning my head, waving backward to release them. The music dramatically makes my heart skip. I break into a run, kicking left, kicking right—a battle to defeat these feelings. I do a back scratch spin to skate backward in crossovers, to see how far I've come. I jump a triple Salchow—it's not enough. A triple toe—it's not enough. A triple loop—I can't get out! It pulls me down, smashing me into the cold ice. My hips hurt, my legs ache, my arms burn, my hands are eaten by the toxic cold. Before I know it, I'm unmoving, lying on the ice.
"Why..." I whisper again at the bottom. "...am I trapped in this darkness..." again, exactly at the same point I failed. Hurt and exhausted, I support myself on my elbows, only to collapse back down. I raise myself again, just enough to notice skates in front of me. I gaze up. There's the man from before, crouching in front of me. Not completely sure what's happening, my limbs begin to shake from exertion.
"Ehh, you~," he says, grabbing my arm just enough to help me rise onto my knees, then offers his hand.
Didn't he just leave a while ago?