Only The Brave ⟨⟨ʟᴏᴜɪs ᴛᴏᴍʟɪɴsᴏɴ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ ᴄᴀʀᴏʟɪɴᴀ ⟩⟩

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ɴɪɴᴇ
Carolina

2017 slid into existence with a type of normalcy that irked Elora Rayne. It was a subconscious irking, something felt slightly off in a way that twinged at the back of her mind. The individuality of her experience in London left her experiencing odd isolation from her contemporaries that was easy enough to disguise. The problem arose in her moments of vulnerability in which the shadows of that time creeping in the crevices of her mind and the memories would taint her perception of all around her. Practically nothing of her current life was reflective of those three months anymore so she tried her best to ignore it and pretend as though she hadn't experienced a slice of heaven only for it to be stolen from her.

Life went on perfectly normally around her and it was suffocating. This gargantuan aspect of her story was overlooked by everyone around her and it was all her fault. She could have told everyone the stories and shared the intimacy of that experience with them but she always held back and eventually that hesitancy resulted in her rather niche loneliness.
Elora was blessed though, she had regular contact with Niall and Harry despite their hectic schedules and those moments of conversation offered her a reprieve from the unnoticed tension that constantly sat around her chest. They listened to her when she admitted to feeling so alone despite being surrounded by people whom she loved and they were there to assure her that they understood in a way that no one else would.

The largest issue was simply that Elora knew how entitled she was being by feeling the way she did. Her 'isolation' was merely a pedal stool she had placed herself upon and refused to let go of when she refused to relinquish the exclusivity she felt at having spent three months with popstars. Every time she considered all of it, there was a slight repulsion with which she viewed herself. She had never intended to be so stuck up and that was why she vowed to put it behind her as much as possible. It had been a beautiful, surreal phase and she had two amazing friendships left from it that she hoped to retain for the rest of her life. As for everything else, all she could do was promise to live each day with an appreciation for her current life.

The brief exposure to the enlightening world out there left her yearning for more, however, and the restlessness that shivered in her bones was a constant reminder that she could not live the way she had been for the rest of her life. So when her brother offered for her to visit him in Los Angeles for a quick holiday while he worked on his latest film, she had no restraint in her resounding 'yes.'

Years spent growing up and ageing in the Mediterranean climate of her home country prepared her for the warmth of a sunny day in California. Fortunately, it was still winter in the Northern Hemisphere so, despite their rare warm day, it was still a reprieve from the sweltering heat of February in South Africa. Elora may have been accustomed to the temperature, didn't mean she enjoyed it.

The bustling interior of LAX threw her off but she shouldering past the dawdling tourists and made her way to the baggage claim. After battling her way through the various procedures undergone in that dreaded industry, she found herself in an open expanse filled with assemblies of strangers. The brief, yet thorough, panic of not knowing what to do with herself was quelled upon the sight of her bored brother resting lazily against a towering pillar.
Contradicting his air of insouciance, a wide grin spread across his face as she moved towards him until he was eventually able to pull her into a tight embrace. Clinging to his tall frame, she nuzzled her head into his chest and held on for a few beats, relishing in the familiarity of his comfort.