You think you truly know someone—

until they show you who they are.

All their flaws you never dissected.

You see the good in people.

You don’t judge.

Not mistakes.

Reluctantly not. It’s out of my character.

I don’t get thrills out of pulling levers.

The flags of red had already claimed the sky.

Not on purpose—

I don’t think.

The signs were there.

I just missed them.

But how?

My whole life was paid for.

My parents made sure I was set.

Nothing was scarce for me.

Truthfully—it wasn’t even a privilege.

My life was a movie.

The cameras? Everywhere.

Just not in reality.

A gust of hickory smoke hits my nose,

snapping me back to the real world.

The air fills the room like water,

snatching every nerve I have left,

pulling me into the current—

suffocating my instincts.

My survival’s at stake.

I’m gripping the tray, zoning out on a false memory

sold by a demon itself,

when a wetness fills the center of my hand.

Almost drop the tray, lose my grip.

“OW!”

The shout draws eyes to me—

face beet red like Mom’s cherry struesal.

Evading’s crucial.

Getting away’s necessary.

Staying would be stupid.

How could he do this?

The moment replays again and again.

You ripped my life to shreds.

Now it’s time I return the favor.

It echoes in my head. Instinct. Not choice.

He had a past,

but I wanted his future.

So why’s life showing me now?

My family’s one of the biggest in our small town.

Dad’s the judge.

Mom’s the principal of the only school within fifty miles.

It’s been that way for years.

We come from old money.

Blood money.

Scars speak through every bill,

ripping through reality—

silent, but aware.

I scratch my head in confusion.

I need closure.

Now, more than ever.