Dance Moms - Lorelei

Chapter 20 : Reality

Another fireman was making his approach, but he did not want to result like his fellow man, despite wearing safety harness. The young girl standing before him was motionless, but seeing how she attacked his colleague, he has to take caution.

The young patient was standing on a four inch weight concrete fence, beyond that was a hundred foot drop. The wind was strong, blowing her light weight to the edge of balance, she swayed back and forth, as if offering her life to the chance of nature.

Suddenly the patient shivered, her eyes snapped open. Chloe stared down at her barefoot, and the sheer depth before her. She tried to find balance, but she has not yet gain full control of her body, she has just woken from her sleep.

Compare to the dream world, her real body felt heavy and clumsy, her hospital gown flapping violently, trying to pull her off her feet. She spread her arms wide fighting for balance.

"Chloe!"

She heard a familiar voice, turned and saw Detective Kelly not far away.

"Chloe! Look at the man to you right! He's going to help you!" Kelly yelled out instructions under the strong wind.

"Give me your hand!" the fireman beside her said, offering out his hand.

Chloe saw the hand, she raised her own, trying to meet the distance. They were arms apart, then hands away, closer and closer, until their fingers touched...

A sudden gust of wind swept across the roof, her body responded on instinct, taking a step back to stay balance, but instead stepping into the empty air

"NOOOO!!" Christi screamed in horror.

Like a slow-motion movie she watched her baby stepping off the roof and began her descend, passing one floor at a time. Chloe heard her mother, but she knew it was too late. She stared up the night sky, and the building pulling away from her.

"I'm very sorry, Mom." she wept. "Sorry... for everything..."

At freefall her tears seemed to float in midair, glittering by the surrounding light like liquid bubbles, in each she saw a performance she did, a medal she won, a friend - Brooke, Paige, Maddie... all the best friends she made in life.

She visited one bubble after another, reliving the happiness in her past, the winnings, the fun, the loves of her friends and family, all the way back to her very first attendant on dance class.

Two year old and barely able to speak, she was so excited she couldn't sleep the night before, and wouldn't stop dancing since.

Yes, I loved dancing... Chloe wanted to tell her mother. I really do...

* * *

With a heavy thumb, the emergency mattress deflated, shot out air from all sides, breaking the fall for the young girl like a giant cushion.

Chloe wasn't sure if she was dead or alive. She felt herself floating on tumbling waves, as medical staffs stumbled over the safety mattress from all directions.

Someone opened her eyelid and shined a light into her, another shoved a stethoscope to her chest.

"Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"

"Her heart is racing!"

"Blood pressure is high!"

Words busily exchanged by the staffs, she wasn't sure if they were talking to her or at each other.

"Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can hear me." a voice asked.

Chloe took a moment to collect herself, cleared her throat and answered.

"yes..."

"Do you know who you are?"

Images flashed before her eyes, she saw the many forms of herself, young and recent, good and evil.

"Chloe." she answered. "I am Chloe Lukasiak."