Perks of having an Alter-ego. [POHAA]

chapter-2c Eagle eyes

"A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry. A strong person is the one who cries & sheds tears for a moment, then picks up their sword to fight again."- Unknown.
______________________________________

Chapter-2c "Eagle eyes"

I was scared of the darkness, I always was. It consumed me, pulled me into a dark void of isolation where no sound filled my ears and not a single flame of light flicked, where everything felt cold and dead, all that remained and I felt was a melancholy of silent chaos.

I didn't try to come back, but I embraced it and I braced for the impact,
No matter what, I will not break down!

I felt my tensed body slowly loosen, my clenched teeth release. Then my fists opened and my breathing returned to a rhythm and I felt the warmth, the light, the sound. And I heard it.

"It's uh...Liii..."
She pulled the word on, just to add some dramatic effect. Some gave up throwing their hands in the air, as they heard 'L', someone with my name might have puffed their chests to suck in all the victory, but I braced for the fall anyways.

She continued, "Liam Chan!"

And my heart dropped to the ground, bursting with a splash, like a water-balloon. I left the air out of my lungs that I didn't even know I was holding until. My vision wobbled with a blur, What was I expecting? That was So naïve of me.

I slouched forward and lifted my gaze, my heart had already become cold and calm. I searched for his face, he sat there looking straight into my teary eyes, it was stern, not sympathetic and not concerning.
Pete probably did understand my feelings, but he didn't say a word and I appreciated it. Last thing I needed was someone holding my shoulder to comfort me, breaking into my personal bubble of space and that aside, certainly I didn't want it to be some stranger that I met just a few hours ago.

I had always been alone and I liked it. It gave me freedom. Moreover - just a side note- I would never want to break down into an ugly cry in the middle of a crowd.

My imaginative hand patted my back, as my mind consoled my self,
'you did everything in your control, it's okay, it was not your fault!'
Was it though? It was indeed my fault, I shouldn't have ruined my interview in the first place.

The lady started speaking again and I assumed it was some sort of scripted wrap up, it went something like this-
"Guys! Surprise, surprise! Yep. You heard it absolutely right. We have a teeny-tiny added change this time, any guesses? We have an extra winner. Cheer up you guys. So the winner is.."
she paused briefly clearing her throat and hopped over to a desk to drink some water.
Then she resumed back to announce
"It's Leela Das. Congratulations!"

I didn't hear any of what had happened before, but the last part of 'Leela Das' caught my attention.
And I whipped my bent neck up, that whip was something that could potentially break all the bones in my neck, leaving me paralysed for my whole life.