Chapter 15: Just Skye
613 Words
For once—
No cameras.
No stage.
No schedule.
Skye stood in front of her mirror, barely recognizing herself.
A simple hoodie.
Loose jeans.
Sneakers.
A cap pulled low over her face, oversized sunglasses hiding the rest.
No glam.
No spotlight.
Just… normal.
She exhaled softly.
“I need this.”
—
Los Angeles moved like it always did—fast, loud, alive.
Cars passing. People talking. Music leaking from open shops.
And for the first time in a long time—
Skye walked through it without being Skye O’Hare.
No one stopped her.
No one screamed.
No one stared.
She blended in.
And it felt… freeing.
She smiled to herself, hands tucked into her hoodie as she crossed the street, taking in the simple things she’d almost forgotten.
Normal life.
Normal air.
Normal silence.
—
“Excuse me…”
Skye kept walking.
“Um—sorry—”
She paused.
Turned slightly.
A woman stood there, mid-30s maybe, looking at her closely… uncertain.
“Do I… know you?” the woman asked.
Skye’s heart skipped.
“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I don’t think so.”
The woman frowned slightly, studying her face… or what she could see of it.
“It’s just—you look like—”
“No, yeah, I get that a lot,” Skye cut in lightly, already stepping back. “Common face, I guess.”
She turned to leave.
But then—
“Oh my God…”
Another voice.
A younger girl, holding her phone, eyes wide.
“That’s her.”
Skye froze.
“That’s Skye O’Hare.”
—
Time slowed.
“No,” Skye said quickly, forcing a small laugh. “It’s not—”
“Wait—take off your glasses!”
More people turned.
Heads started to turn.
Whispers spread.
“Is that her?”
“It is her!”
“Skye?!”
Her cover was slipping—
Fast.
“Guys, it’s not—”
“SKYE!”
And just like that—
The crowd formed.
Not huge.
But enough.
Phones came out.
Excitement built.
“Can I get a picture?”
“I love you so much!”
“Your last concert was insane!”
Skye stood there for a second.
Caught.
No escape.
Then—
She sighed softly…
And smiled.
“Okay, okay—one at a time,” she said, pulling off her sunglasses.
The reaction?
Immediate.
Screams. Gasps.
“It’s really her!”
—
And just like that—
She gave in.
Signed a notebook.
Took selfies.
Laughed with them.
Real laughs.
Not staged.
Not forced.
“You’re even prettier in real life,” one girl said shyly.
Skye smiled warmly. “Thank you.”
“I’ve been listening to you since your first song,” another added.
“That means everything,” Skye replied.
For a moment…
It didn’t feel overwhelming.
It didn’t feel like pressure.
It felt… genuine.
One-on-one.
Real people.
Real love.
—
“Can I hug you?” a younger fan asked.
Skye hesitated for just a second…
Then nodded.
“Of course.”
The girl hugged her tightly, like it meant the world.
And maybe it did.
—
After a while, the crowd slowly thinned.
The moment faded.
And Skye stood there again—
Breathing.
Smiling.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she murmured to herself.
Maybe fame wasn’t all chaos.
Maybe some parts of it were still… beautiful.
—
Across the street…
A figure stood still.
Watching.
Not smiling.
Not moving.
Just observing.
Waiting.
—
And for the first time—
He wasn’t hidden in the dark.
He was right there.
In the open.
—
And she never noticed.
- Writer
