Marianna keeps scrolling, the most recent messages catching her eye.
"Hey, Coach May here."
5-9 18:20
"Coach, don't tell her I paid for her to compete in Gyrate."
"Don't worry, I won't tell her. Can I ask why you don't want her to know?"
"Maybe I'm just being selfish... I haven't decided whether I'm going to let her go to Hazlitt yet."
Marianna keeps sliding her finger down the screen.
5-9 18:35
"Mari has a real talent for diving, works very hard too."
"The best diving coaching and facilities are all in Hazlitt. It's the best place for her to go."
"How long would a career as a diver even last? We have to think about her future."
"I just want her to stay close to home for school, find a steady job when she graduates. If she has any trouble, I'll be there to help."
Marianna keeps scrolling down.
5-9 19:02
"You can't look after her forever..."
"I don't mean to intrude, but as Marianna's coach, it's really clear she's very passionate about diving."
"Just talk to her, okay? Maybe you'll learn what she truly wants."
5-9 19:12
"You aren't wrong. I could probably learn more about diving, if it really means so much to her."
"Thanks, Coach."
"So the competition fees and travel expenses were all paid by mom. I thought my diving performance was so good that they waived the fee. I'm so stupid. Since moving here, mom's been working so hard to give me a better life, but I... She's right, the selfish one is me. Only thought about myself, never thought about her feelings, never shared her burden." Marianna looks out the window as the sky darkens. "I won't make it in time... At least I can talk to mom, apologize properly." Marianna takes out her phone and quickly sends a message to her friend.
6-9 20:05
"Vita, I need your help! Can you bring a ladder over to my house? I got locked out."
Ten minutes later, there's still no response. With a pop, a firework bursts across in the night sky, just outside the window. "I totally forgot she was going to watch the fireworks tonight. I won't even be able to apologize at the end? ..." Marianna sits, helpless, crouched, head in her hands against the wall, as rustling noises come from the ventilation duct, followed by a cat's meow. "A cat? Seems to be coming from the ventilation duct... That's it, I can crawl out through the ventilation duct!" Following the black cat's voice, Marianna escapes through the ventilation duct.
Marianna coughed as she exited the ventilation duct. "Made it out."
The cat meowed in front of her, along with the strange girl she saw before, who sighs. "You're going to fail again this time."
"You again?"
"Don't think about running away, face up to it instead."
"What do you mean, running away or facing it? What is 'it'?"
"The giant Anomaly will bring disaster, but it will also give you strength."
"What do you mean the Anomaly will give me strength?"
"You'll understand..." The black cat meowed.
"No, I don't have time." The fireworks show at the market has already started, Marianna runs off into the night.
YOU ARE READING
Endless Summer
Fantasy[ Bonds : Retribution Prophecy ] [ Part 1 of the Estero Harbor Saga ] Prologue: Nightmare - Finished Act I: Early Summer - The Beginning - Finished - Dreaming? - Finished - Secrets - Finished - By The Clif...
