A Different Perspective

            Serenity kept her head down, arms wrapped tightly around her body as she stumbled from the humid air of outside into the lobby of Dreamwood Terrace. It was almost deserted. Only the receptionist was at the desk. He didn’t even spare her a glance, used to strange people coming in at six. He probably just assumed that she had gotten off of a shift at work, or something.

Serenity’s head pounded. She made it to the elevator, blindly pushing a button that felt like the button to the seventh floor. Leaning against the wall, next to the poster advertising some author coming to the local bookshop, she tried to push the voices to the back of her head and take deep breaths, like her mom used to tell her to do whenever Serenity had an episode and her mom freaked out.

She was glad her mom wasn’t here right now.

            When the elevator dinged, Serenity moved swiftly out, heading down the hall and hoping that she could get to her apartment before it all became too much and her neighbor found her sitting against the wall, like she had the last few times. She was so intent on reaching her apartment that she didn’t see the person coming out of their apartment before they ran into each other.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there, I’m so sorry, really I am, I just….” Serenity trailed off when the stranger reached out and grasped her chin, looking her straight in the eyes.

The stranger seemed to be an older woman, wearing clothes similar to that of an old fortune-teller.

            “I’m really sorry” Serenity tried again, one more time. The woman smiled, then turned Serenity’s head from side to side before speaking.

“How strange it must be for you, my dear.” Serenity stared at her. “To think one thing and be another.” The woman smiled, turning Serenity around and giving her a push back towards the elevator. The doors closed, hiding the woman from view, and the elevator continued its ascent to the seventh floor.