Shadows of the Past

Alexia's POV

I gripped the edges of the porcelain sink, my knuckles whitening as I stared into the mirror. The reflection that met me was a ghost of the woman I had become, haunted by the specter of the girl I once was. Memories, long buried and festering, clawed their way to the surface, each more painful than the last.

It began with my father.

*********

In the dim glow of the jet's bathroom, Alexia sat on the cold marble floor, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. The hum of the aircraft was a distant murmur, drowned out by the cacophony of memories crashing over her.

A Week Before the Inauguration