[COLOR=GRAY][CENTER][COLOR=8A9A5B][sup]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/5auMzVHFr5Zfw6IbKarZ56?si=9cca12b7d9e54a99][img]https://i.ibb.co/589szLm/harperbanneri-copy.jpg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8A9A5B][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Mess Hall[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=8A9A5B][b]Welcome Home #1.054:[/b][/COLOR] [I]The Burden With Dreams[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=8A9A5B][SUP][sub]_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][indent][sub][color=8A9A5B][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR][I]N/A[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=8A9A5B][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=GRAY][I]Maybe She Likes Her Illusions[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent]

As the flying figure of Haven disappeared into the distance, Harper’s initial burst of confidence began to fade away. The encouraging smile she had given to her teammate gradually vanished from her face as the weight of her words and their implications began to sink in. The frustration that had been building up within her - from Haven’s behaviour, from the moment she was told her dreams were just meant to be that - came back all at once, almost knocking the air out of her lungs. She leaned against the wall of the stadium for support, her breaths ragged and uneven. The weight of her decision, the things she’d said so confidently before,  pressed down on her chest, threatening to crush her spirit.

What the hell had she been thinking?

Did she truly believe that they could take on one of the representatives of the Foundation? Did she forget that their unnerving teammate had come from that very place? And to make matters worse, she was relying on [i]Banjo[/i] of all people to execute their plan. Was she so [i]desperate[/i] to prove her point, to get what she wanted, that she was willing to put her teammates in harm’s way?

The bitter chuckle that escaped Harper’s lips surprised even herself. She clenched her head in her hands, her body shaking with uncontrollable laughter as her legs lost their strength and sank to the floor. When the tears came streaming down her face, she bent her head into the crook of her arms, torn between hiding her pride, shame, or anguish. 

[color=#b3a6d6][i]“But no matter what,”[/i][/color]Amma’s words echoed in her mind,[color=#b3a6d6] [i]“this world will never accept you. They won’t forget. They haven’t forgotten. I doubt they will ever forgive.”[/i][/color]

What had Harper seen in those brown eyes that day? Had it been fear or something more? 

Like hate? [/color]