Asia sat back on the leather sofa with her legs crossed hidden under faded blue jeans. She opened the email yesterday and had been nervous about it all night and that morning. She firmly folded her arms as her planted foot tapped the hardwood floor.

"Do you know why you're here?" The dark-skinned man in rimless glasses stood behind a heavy birch desk.

"I assume it's about my mid-term." Asia tapped her foot a littler faster slapping the hard sole of the sandals. She eyed the folder in his hand as he meandered to the cream armchair.

"You scored a ninety-seven on the exam." He crossed his sticklike legs then sat the folder on his narrow lap. "The only 'A' in the class."

"You think I cheated." She discarded her calm disposition scooting to the edge of the sofa. "I didn't. I studied...all day and night. I drank two pots of coffee cramming for that exam. Reading notes over all my notes." Her hand flew to her heart. "I promise you, Dr. Cummings."

"If that's so then you'll be able to answer this question..." He pulled the top off a silver pen that sparkled under the ray of sun that poured through the window. "What is the meaning of Plato's 'Allegory of the Cave', mainly the prisoner in the cave?"

Asia clung her hands to her waist trying to call the information she knew she spent hours studying back to the forefront of her mind.

She closed her eyes taking a deep breath until the words sat on her tongue. She refocused on Dr. Cummings as her mouth opened, "My interpretation is that the prisoners that are within the cave believe everything that happens in the cave is real; i.e. the shadows on the wall, they do not see the fire or the puppet and because of this they are ignorant of anything else. They do not realize that the world outside of the cave is the real world. They do not know the truth and the saddest thing is they do not know that the truth even exists."

The corner of her mouth ticked up as the gleam in her eyes slightly faded. "They don't know that their lives are a façade."

Dr. Cummings cleared his throat. "I think you earned that grade, Ms. Rodgers."

"Oh, please don't call me that. That's my mom's name." A smile spread across her face. "Call me, Sutton."

"Well, Sutton congratulations on your 'A'." He tapped the pen on the folder as Sutton rose off the sofa. "One more thing, do you know a...Ethan, Denver, Oliver, or Eric."

Sutton settled the tote bag strap on her shoulder. "No." She answered with a nod of her head. "Should I?" She crinkled her nose. "Are they going to be in my study group next semester?"

"No, just checking things." He pushed the glasses back over the bridge of his nose.

"Okay." She tucked her straight hair behind her ear. She glanced at the time on her watch. "I gotta get to class." She forged to the door. "A theater major's job is never done."

https://youtu.be/A0tZnjap718

Sutton darted out the door so fast she didn't hear Dr. Cummings wish her good luck on her audition. She ran down the hallway swiping passed clusters of congregating students. She rounded the corner and all her eyes saw were blue until she collided with a hard body. Her feet flew from under her and her head smacked against the polish tile floor.

"Oww," She groaned in pain cradling the back of her head. Her eyes scrolled open and she planted them on the hand in front of her. She let go of her head and gripped the hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Sutton's head throbbed as the voice that slipped in her ears caused one name to slip from her lips. "Ethan."

Sutton closed her eyes, the sun raining through the glass windows made the pounding in her head too much to bear. With her eyes closed her mind pulled her to a place, a place she didn't recall...in a backyard by a swing and by that swing she heard the same voice that came from her helping hand.

In this memory that she didn't remember he spoke, "Nothing fixes itself. You have to fix it. How are you going to fix this, Asia?"

Sutton opened her eyes and narrowed them at the guy that caused the strange memory to play in her mind.

"Are you okay?" He asked again placing a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Who's Asia?" She asked him with narrowed eyes.

He smiled then shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know but...I'm Davis." His grip on her shoulder became a little tighter as concern swelled in his eyes. "What's your name?"

Sutton rested her hand on the back of her banging head thinking harder than she ever thought before, "I...don't....know."

The End.

For Now.