Shifting and changing,

Rearranging

Into something only I see,

Mystical, magical

But only to me.

Clouds and their beauty

But I get teased

When I mention all the wonders

And wonderful things I see.

I see faces in the little things.

Patterns and such,

So illuminating.

Something I wish

I could trace;

I’d give up so much space,

Hoping I’ll still see it the same

When given paper....

I stay in bed too long.

I know it’s wrong.

But sometimes my chest aches,

Pulling me back down again.

At least now I don’t lose my breakfast,

But really, get this:

Maybe the pills don’t work like they should—

Luckily though, they’re not limiting my mood.

Sadly enough,

I’m still afraid.

Mainly though,

I’m afraid I’m depraved.

Why am I like this?

If only I could

Rip out that which

Harms ...

My heart,

It pounds.

It’s like a damn

Surround sound.

I’m angry but more scared.

Will I be okay out there?

Can’t I stay where I know?

Do I have to go solo?

Maybe I can take a step.

Not forget,

But let go.

Her voice doesn’t need to echo in my head anymore.

But then I sing.

I sing of her.

My throat tightens and

My eyes water.

I was like a lamb to

The slaughter.

Caught in her trap...

Little fingers and

Little toes—

Once upon a time,

I was that old.

Being young is a thing

I have stuck.

Sometimes, I wish I could simply untuck

The layers of wear,

The layers of grime,

Those things that I cannot seem to spare.

I am happy

Sometimes.

I like being 17

Rather than 16;

I feel more real,

Less childish

Simply because of a number.

But I’m afraid

‘Will we make it another day?’

I...

A crash and a boom,

Flooding of the roads and

Flooding of the mind.

I remember that night.

Vaguely.

Just like how I remember

Everything.

I was scared,

I don’t remember why.

I was lonely,

And I cried.

Family was away,

But I was with family,

Right?

My mind wasn’t kind;

It raged like a stormy night.

Flashes of light,

Booms.

Terror flooded throughout a room.

The storm wasn’t what scared m...

This place didn’t always have walls, blocking off both sides. This place didn’t always have a tenuous peace.

This place, wonderful, terrible, binding, did not used to exist. It’s here after the first drops of crimson, after the ghosts erupted from the ground to bring home friends.

It’s here because the goddesses couldn’t help themselves. It’s here because brick and stone is more reliable than ...

The woman in red—yes, she’s here as well.

She’s no Red Riding hood, she’s no falsity. She’s real, and she’s everywhere.

You’d expect someone like her to have hands, dripping red. She leaves that to the others. She simple lets them do it.

You expect someone like her to push you into the street or steal your keys,

But she simply watches on as others do so.

She doesn’t find herself godly, unl...

My eyes open, and I immediately know I have to keep calm.

He sits in front of me, setting down the knife he was polishing when he hears my quick breaths. “Oh, the sleeping beauty has awoken,” he says, smiling. It’s that type of grin when you know it’s over, when you know it’s through. At least, that’s what the movies say.

I thrash against my ropes and yell something to him, but it’s all muffle...

A resounding boom echoes throughout the City, walls shaking, earth quaking. My heart jumps into my throat; this feels familiar in an odd and awful way…

Hazel glances at me, her eyes wide. “That… can’t be good.” We all ignore the sparse glass that’s coating some of the floor, shattered and glinting; we simple head outside.

We really shouldn’t have.

Murders and droves of crows scatter this way ...

“You… picked up.”

“Yes, yes, I know that, but—”

“No… I never meant to— Brooke! Come on, you have no right—”

“I know… I know I can’t fix it… Hey, I know, okay… Just… please listen to me, even if it’s for the last time.”

“You know I would never mean to even hurt her—!”

“You’re right. Fine. Wait, no, don’t—!”

Beep… beep… beep…

“Fine, then. I guess I know who’s next… Makes my decision easie...