Freedom

Kezia reached the middle of the balance beam and wobbled. Shaking her head, she jumped down, took a few deep breaths and tried again. Another wobble, in exactly the same place. For two weeks now this had been happening and she knew she had to get her shit together before the competition. She could feel Coach watching from across the gym as she gave it another shot. Same again. Frustrated she grunted, leapt from the beam and headed for the changing room.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Kezia studied her body. Tiny but strong. Tiny because she had starved herself for years. Strong due to the sheer volume of hours spent practicing, practicing, practicing. All muscle, not an ounce of fat. Sometimes she looked at other seventeen year old girls, admiring their curves, the way their dresses clung to their womanly figures. Kezia never wore a dress, she looked like a child. In fact she still shopped in the kids’ section of whatever soulless store she was dragged into.

In other countries, with the amount of medals she had won and the media coverage she received, she would be wealthy by now. But in her home country, the only truly equitable society on the planet, she received a basic wage just like her compatriots. The rest was swallowed up by a fund created to empower athletes of the future. Kezia had once been resentful, but now she didn't care about the money. She just wanted to be free. This had been her life since she was three years old. No real childhood to speak of. She had endured many painful injuries, missed out on a myriad of childhood treats, never had a holiday. It was time.

Kezia slipped out of the gym complex before Coach could notice she was missing. She wasn't going back to the lonely, grey apartment she had shared with her mother. Her mother who had jumped from the top of the building almost a year ago. She entered the woodland behind the gymnasium, retracing her footsteps until she found the big oak tree. It had just started shedding leaves and dropping acorns as autumn drew her veil across the northern hemisphere. Scraping away leaves and earth, Kezia retrieved a large holdall, then walked through the woods, emerging on the other side, where a car and driver waited patiently.........

A week later, Kezia sat under cloudless skies, eating a strawberry and chocolate ice cream. Her newly cropped pixie cut shone bright red in the sunshine and she wore a colourful kaftan, bangles adorning both wrists. She smiled across the table at her friend and fellow adventurer. Fuck the past, she was enjoying the present and couldn't wait for the future, for this was what freedom looked like.