Mp3

Sabra, was never popular. She was more into music, than her social life. She listened to her music more than she listened to other kids. She probably cared more about her music more than she did other kids. Though she still had friends, they probably felt the same way about music.

Sabra slept and she awoke to music. Her music player, currently mounted on a larger music player on her bedside table. An alarm clock, glistened the time from the top of her dresser. She looked at the music player from her bed, she had gotten good sleep, up until she had awoken five minutes before her alarm clock rang. She pulled herself from her bed, to turn off the alarm clock. Her black stringy hair flowing behind her. The numbers of the alarm clock shone red upon her ghostly pale skin. She bit her lip, and grabbed her towel, and continued on to the shower below.

Entering her room only after she was completely showered, and clean, she began dressing. Along with her music sense, her fashion sense was all her own also. She wore band t-shirts layered upon other band t-shirts. She wore baggy pants and heavy boots. She let her hair dry how ever it wish. Adding nothing but a dab of makeup, she continued on her morning.

Exiting her room, she walked down the stair to the kitchen. She flipped on a light, though she really didn't need it - for the warm light of the sun shone through the widows to her right. Sabra grabbed a usual breakfast of cereal, and ate it fast, as she noticed that she was running a bit late.

Remembering that she had forgotten her music player upstairs she ran up the stairs grabbed her player, and ran out. On her way back down the stairs she placed a familiar earbud into her ear.

Even all the biggest storms can't take my pain away

Where is my love?

The singer swooned playfully into her ear. She smiled to the familiar tune, and continued her journey down the stairs. She decided that it was already time to leave for the bus, and she made her way for the door.

Stopping only to grab her backpack, she made her way out the door. Closing the door loudly behind her, she pointed herself towards the bus-stop. The bus-stop was not far away, but getting to it did consist of walking through a field of overgrown grasses. The dew that laden the grasses, tried to wet her shoes, but failed. The dew did soak her pants, which tickled her legs. She did not pause to itch her legs, before she reached the bus stop. Climbing the hill to look down upon the bus-stop, she saw the cars waiting for the bus. In these cars where other children whom would be brought off to the same rusted, rundown school she attended.

When her school came into view, she placed her player back into her backpack. She practically jumped off the bus, in a hurry. Standing right out side of the school, she looked up at the ugly brick faced building, and the blank doors that all of the students entered through. The bricks where weathered, and the doors where old and rusty. The awning above the doors was also quite old and rusted. The name of the school was inscribed in white letters above the awning.

The front of the school was not full of windows - it was solid brick, and bore the signs of being older than she was. She walked slowly towards the rusted old doors, looking at the teacher holding it open. It was a small teacher, that she herself did not know. The chains that locked the doors at the end of the night, where hanging loosely from the bars on the door. They rattled as she pushed the door open, and walked through. She looked up from the ugly tiled floor to see all of the students, standing around talking to each other. These students stood so close to each other in circles to tight that if they where any tighter - in Sabra's mind - they would squish each other.

She noticed that none of her friends where present, and she joined another circle. The people looked at her for a second, two of them nodded at her, and the rest just ignored her. Sabra grabbed her player from her backpack, and listened to it for the rest of the time she would have to wait.

A shrill sound erupted from the ceiling, and the people around her dissipated. She watched the people around her leave, and she followed suite. She gathered herself, and walked towards her first class.

Sitting in her first mod - she saw the absence of her friends. She wondered why they weren't here - but she wasn't worried. As the teacher placed a paper before her, she did not need the explanation - for some reason she felt as if these things had already been taught to her. She grabbed her pencil, and started her work. Her earbuds still in her ears, the music they emitted made her feel comfortable, and it helped her concentrate.

As she began to work, the music in her ears became fuzzy for a half of a second and then went back to normal. She dropped her pencil - as if to wait for it to happen again. Her pencil rolled the length of the table, but her music did not glitch again.

She reached across the table, to grab her pencil, she grimaced as her music glitched again, this time only for a second. But, it still worried her. Why? She wondered as she looked around, is it doing this now...? She cursed and looked down at her work, the boy looked at her with a weird look drawn on his face.

- - - - -

As she sat in fourth mod, she felt as an animal in a cage, she just wanted to go insane - or leave. She sat deafly, as the teacher told the class to write such in their composition books. Her music was loud, and somewhat industrial. So it comforted her a bit, as she began to write a bit in her composition book.

Her hand writing was quite big and loopy, for her hand was cramped around her pencil. Sabra sighed as she did the math equation the teacher presented. Halfway through the equation her music flickered and died, cursing quite loudly, she wrenched the ear-buds out of her ears. The eyes of the boy next to her lingered on her for a bit, and then the boy that sat in front of her said,

"What was that about?" said he,

Sabra shot him a look that told him to leave her alone, as he did so she went back to work - musicless.

After awhile, she wondered why her player has shut off. She slid the player out of her pocket, looking at it. At first, she was quite confused: the song still played. The time that remained on the screen flipped down every second: as if it was playing. The battery, or what represented the batteries seemed to be fine also, half-way full, but fine. Her face scowled down upon the machine, perched in her hand. Looking down upon it, she placed the earbuds back in her ears, and went back to her work.

Later on that night, Sabra lying in her bed her eyes wide open. She stared at her music player, it was currently attached to a music player. She absentmindedly took the player into her hand and gazed at it with blind eyes, she did not look at the machine, but look past it on to the music. She gazed upon the music with all hearing eyes. The musics' book unfolded into her eyes, the music was sung into her ears, but she did not hear it, but she read it, if you don't know where your going, any road will take you there. The words written loud into her eyes. For a second she was lost in the sensation that overwhelmed her, but one thing pulled her back to reality, and back to reality she was pulled.

Sabra was not pulled back to reality for no reason, her player had glitched. And glitch again it did. Blinking she stared at her music player, for it was not only her music glitching this time. The screen, which was originally lit by a back-light, was now completely blank, the song name gone, along with all the rest of the info. that was usually on the player. Poking it with her finger, wondering when it was going to flicker back to normal. Still staring at her blank player, she stroked the edge of it and stared off in the distance. She stared at her reflection in the glossy surface of the player, her face looking like a blob in what light existed around her, which was little from the speakers witch her player was hooked up to. She blinked, and in unison her reflection blinked back. She blinked again.

But, her reflection didn't blink back. Instead there was a flash of color, red to be sure, and Sabra blinked, and her reflection was back. What was that? Sabra said and shook her head, and blinked some more. Pulling her hair back a little bit, she looked into her music player, the name was back along with the time. She blinked, and then laid her head back. Her player in her hand, and her feeling swimming in her head, she slept. And slept well, she did.

When she awoke, she found her music player lying abandoned next to her, on her pillow. A slow song was playing into her ear, whispering to her soul, in a slow awakening.

Follow me down to the valley below,

You know,

Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul,

Reaching out, she touched the music player, with her soul in her hand she took the player and looked into it. The song name that represented the song pouring out of the speakers, meant nothing to her. Such a small word for such a complicated thing? How could this be?

Letting the player fall out of her hand, she stood and grabbed a towel.

- - - - -

Sitting on the bus, fully clothed, and completely uncomfortable, Sabra stared out the window. Her eyes dull and lifeless, donated to the music itself. Her lips perfectly perched on the corner of her mouth, red as a cherry, just picked. Her dark eyes, angled towards the grasses out side - but sat no where but her music. Her hands where cupped ever so lightly around the music player that sat in her lap, which played an assortment of music. This assortment, which fit into the amount of time on which the bus drove.

This morning, the bus drive felt as nothing, to her - it flew past. The music traveling so fast past her ear, it had no time to set the mood for her.

Leaping off the bus, she felt free of the metal death trap. Breathing in a sigh of relief she walked the short distance between the bus and the school. Zipping the mp3 player into her backpack, she pulled the door open and walked into the school, the padlocks and chains jingled behind her.

She looked up surprised to see, the blond lanky boy, whom stood in their social circle, but not the strawberry-blond boy whom she was looking for. She sighed, and joined the blondish fellow, who was listening to his music and staring at the floor. She shook her head, and joined him - staring at the floor.

The blondish-redish haired boy, whom she had been waiting for did not arrive. She was sitting in her first class wondering why he had skipped the bus, but she knew this happened a lot and didn't mind it. The music in her ears, and the blank paper before her was all so comforting. But, until the music glitched, and when she pulled it out of her pocket - the name and time was gone. She looked at it awkwardly - and looked up to see where the teacher was. The teacher - luckily - on the other side of the class room helping someone, she kept it out to see what was wrong.

Looking up for a second, she heard a scream. A blood-curling, feminine scream, one that bore into her soul, and ripped out her senses. Out of reflect she pulled an earbud out of her ear. The scream instantly stopped. Blinking, she placed the earbud back into her ear - it continued until it broke off into hard breathing. Looking down upon her music player she noticed a face - a face not of her own. She blinked again - she knew that face - the face was of a girl, a fourteen year old girl that was in her school. Blond hair was strewn about her head, and her face was terror stricken. Her hands poured down the screen of her player. What the HECK? Thought she, as she looked down upon her player. The girl breathed hard into her ears, and then she started to speak, but then as she shaped her lips into a word, a knife protruded out of the base of her neck. Wrenched out, by strong hands, and she stood there, for a second - her mouth agape with dead words. Falling forward, she did. Her eyes glazed over - the twinge of life had fled to be filled with the absence, of which is death. Blood sprayed from the wound and from her mouth, showering the screen with her blood. She fell - now out of view of the screen, and the hand reached over her - with knife in hand. She was undoubtably dead.

Sabra gagged, her eyes bore tears, and she looked about the room in wild excitement. Her adrenalin was playing magic upon her limbs, she shook. She glanced at the boy next to her - was he noticing this? No, he was not. He was hard at work on his paper, or was her. Looking back at her player, which had gone blank and then back to normal. The song played back to where it would have been, if it would not have stopped. Did that really - just happen? She looked around, she breathed hard and she dropped her player. It clanked hard upon the floor, the earbuds being ripped out of her ears. She stared at the board in awe - thinking of what had just happened. This caused the boy behind to her to look at her.

"You-" said he, looking at her face, but when she noticed that he was talking, she turned to look. He continued talking, "you dropped your mp3 player."

She nodded, and bent down to pick up her player, and earbuds to shoved them back into her ears. A creepy feeling dawned on her, as she placed the earbuds back into ears. A feeling that she couldn't control, running down her body - like a million termites teasing at her skin. As if she was some kind of wood, that they would eat away at, over time. Grabbing her sides, so she felt as if she would not fall apart - she ran form the classroom. And on her back, were twenty-five pairs of eyes.

"What was that about?" questioned the boy to no one inperticuclar, as he squished up his face and returned to his work without another thought.

Out in the hallway, she felt better, the music less blaring and more soft. I want to know that life is worth this struggle, She looked around. Her music player was turning down on it's own accord, as she walked down the hallway. The speckled floor beneath her, the dotted ceiling above her - for a moment she found it hard to tell which way was up and which way was down. For a moment she was completely confused and slightly dizzy, she stopped and looked around in this moment. Placing one hand on a nearby locker, she felt as if she was going to loose her breakfast. Placing her unused hand on her stomach, and the other on the locker she held onto her breakfast. Holding on to reality, as the world spun around her, she felt as if she was going to loose her breakfast once again.

Once she had gotten over this feeling of nausea, she continued walking down the hallway. Halfway down the hallway she looked up to see a figure appearing from a classroom. This figure was smiling, looking back into the classroom. But, as the face emerged she felt faint. The perfectly carved features, her wide brown eyes, her perfectly plum pink lips set below her nose. Her hair curled ever so delicately around her ears, and jaw line. Her clothes where pulled tight, and her jean skirt was ragged - ever so in-style. Tiffany Warther, was the name that came to her. Some how, she knew that was right.

Straight for her, this Tiffany girl was walking. One had laid ever so slightly on her hip, her eyes set in and ever-seeing way for the hallway before her. She seemed not to notice the standing - hand against the locker and her eyes cask on her - blackly dressed girl. Her flip-flops smacked against the dotted floor beneath her, and once again she couldn't remember if the floor was the brownish one or the ceiling was the whitish one. Doubling over, but keeping herself upright, as if she felt she was going to loose her breakfast she continued down the hallway in a moment of panic as she passed this girl on.

She skipped the rest of first mod, only to return at the end to gather her belongings. Breathing slowly as she watched the stream of people move past her in the hallway, she felt lost for a moment. Lost in all humanity. Lost in a endless stream of nothingness that would surround her forever...

Snapping out of it, she walked a bit faster and looked at the numbers of the classrooms. She found herself reminding herself over and over, Second mod, second mod... But, she couldn't force herself to think where her second mod might be. She just stopped after awhile, and stood in a corner. Standing there, she had time to think, time to listen. She listened as the students around her talked amongst themselves, as they walked by.

Staring at the floor, she did not notice the arrival of the strawberry-blond boy. She only noticed him, when he touched her on the arm. Flinching she looked up, beyond his golden glasses, she noticed his eyes - which glistened with a weird light. His golden eyes played tricks to his face, drawing out his jaw line. Beneath his backpack straps, he wore a Pink Floyd shirt. His jeans played good contrast to the browns in his shirt. Upon his wrist was adorn a single watch, it's dial glistening in the hallway lights above.

"Are you okay, Sabra?" He said with a tinge of worry played upon his face.

"If I told you, you would not believe me." She spoke the truth, looking down again. She looked down, only too see his clean new shoes. Squared at the shoes, in which he called 'snazzy', and made Sabra giggle. She slid his fingers between his, leaning in she whispered into his ear, "Lead me to second mod, Syd." She paused, his name lingered on her tongue. She placed her mouth next to Syd's ear, and breathed, "Crowley," his last name, upon her tongue like nothing else. "Lead me on,"

He looked at her with weird eyes for a second, and then accepted her hand and walked on to second mod.

- - - - -

The darkness surrounded her like a seat of blackness. It eased over her, soft as silk, and weightless as air. After awhile, this cloak of darkness rapped around her, and pulled itself tight. Choking, she gasped for air. Sabra rolled about, and soon fell of her bed. Groaning she pulled herself up from the hard carpeted floor. It had been two hours, and she unable to sleep - was desperate.

Walking down the stairs and down the small hallway she reached the bathroom. Walking into the bathroom, she flickered on the light. Closing her eyes she let the light filter though her eyelids. As her eyes adjusted she wondered if the pill bottle was still there - she couldn't remember when was the last time she had taken the pills. Opening her eyes she looked upon the pill cabinet - it was hidden behind a smallish mirror to her left. The cabinet clicked as she pulled it open. The white bottles that covered the messy shelves of the cabinet, spinning them around to figure out which bottle was which, was not as easy as it would seem. The bottles kept falling, and the tops didn't stay on perfectly. She found the bottle with the correct label in the left upper hand corner. When she pulled the bottle open, it popped with little sound. The little blue pills looked so lonely cramped in the bottom of the bottle.

Pouring a single pill into her hand she looked down upon the blue pill. A moon was imprinted into the center of the roundish pill - making it look special. Closing the pill bottle up, and placing it back into the cabinet, flicked the light off and left. Taking the pill without water, it went down fine.

Falling in back to her bed, she waited until the sleep-aid began to work.

She awakened to the sound of her buzzing alarm clock. She jumped up, in reaction and bashed her alarm clock until it turned off. Bathing awakened her senses to the world around her. She felt more alert, than ever before. Blinking away the water in her eyes, as she stepped out of shadow, she felt quite happy. Wondering why she felt this way, she dressed. Clad in a layered band t-shirt, black cutoffs, and boots she walked down to eat. Grabbing her music player she proceeded down the stairs. Sighing inwardly she wondered what the day would bring to her. She hopped it was nothing like the day before.

As she poured some sort of multi-grain cereal, into the bowl before her on the table she looked towards the newspaper, it was opened to the section where it listed the 'newly departed'. Sitting she began to munch on her breakfast, and she held up the newspaper. But, suddenly she noticed that she couldn't get her eyes to focus correctly. Slamming down the paper, she finished her breakfast.

And with a full stomach she headed for the bus-stop. Dew instantly soaked her vans, reeking havoc upon the colors which dyed them. The water instantly soaked her feet too, which meant the rest of the day she would have soggy feet. How nice, thought she, regarding the sight of her wet shoes. She wiggled her toes aimlessly as she walked. It was not far to her bus-stop and she knew she would not be late.

Moments later she reached the bus stop, the beautiful lyrics swimming in her insides. Making her feel anything, but melancholy. Though she still felt disturbed by the sights in her music player, she tried to put it behind her - like some freak incident. Her troubled mind mingled with the next song's troubled lyrics.

And a thousand people smile

They're smiling at me

But I want to die in this moment,

I want to die,

She stepped on to the bus, all of the time looking down upon her music player. She found her seat - still looking at her music player, and dropped her backpack on the ground - still looking at her music player. Sighing she placed her head back and sighed deeply. Breathing in this air was like breathing nothing else, arsenic perhaps to her lungs. She choked, and then quickly switched her eyes from the holey ceiling above her, to the window to her left.

The window, was her whole ride, and the school was where she arrived. She pushed through people, who where strategically placed right in front of the doors. Pushing through these people, she got a few nasty looks, and a few curse words placed upon her.

Arriving at her circle she looked around. She noticed that Syd was not present that morning - at this circle, or he was soon to arrive. But, she quickly took note of the two other attendants - Paige and Derek. Paige, whom fit no where into their social circle, she owned no band t-shirts and she wore no black. She wore a pink striped shirt, adorn with a shiny new belt, jeans and (Sabra twitched) vans. Her hair was a nice blended blond color, it was tapered up from her cheek bone. Her smoky blue eyes looked mysteriously out from under her tapered hair. Around her waist was scarred arms, of a paper whitish shade. He was about a foot taller than Paige, he looked awkward standing behind such a peppy girl. He wore the typical 'gothic' outfit. He wore huge baggy, cargo pants. These pants where black, and filled with unneeded zippers and large Xs. Down to the ground they reached, and even beyond. His skinny, lanky body was covered with layered band t-shirts, and his arms where covered in rubber black bracelets and sweat bands. His hair was longish and reached his shoulder, it was bright blond. Beyond his hair where vivid blue eyes, and in perfect contrast was his lips. They where a dull pink, like his skin, which was a shade lighter in any contrast.

No one cares,

About that fucking pretty face you have,

This song echoed in her head for a moment, as she looked at the odd couple. She couldn't remember a girlfriend that Derek had for so long. She couldn't remember a time when they hadn't been together. How weird it made her feel. Deep down in her soul, a squirm that made her feel... so.... so... awkward. They looked at each other with shining eyes, and Sabra look awkward eyes. Skimming the crowd, she saw Derek's lips move, and his eyes in her direction. Taking ahold of the earphones wire, she pulled upon it; causing the earbuds to be ripped out of her ears.

"What?" said she, not trying to be mean in any sort of way.

"Where's Syd?" Asked he,

"Uh, I'm not sure." She said, and in truth she had no idea where he was.

Placing the earbuds back into her ears, she sighed and turned back on her music. And to her surprise hands appeared around her waist. Pale, lanky ones. She twitched and looked back at her beholder. It was, of course Syd. Smiling into his face, he asked her what she was listening too.

"Good stuff." Sabra said. She smiled and then wiggled out of his grasp.

First mod, which was better today, Sabra noted as Derek was there, and so was Paige. Paige sat as a perfect student, taking notes when appropriate, and asking continuous questions. Sabra sat behind her, her endless bout of music playing. Derek was sitting next to her, oddly rubbing his fingers together.

"And so the electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in exact orbits, because they cannot exist between..." and the teacher continued to talk endlessly, her voice monotoned and quite annoying. She had her back to the class, and was drawing a diagram of which she was speaking of on the board. Chalk dust, flying everywhere.

By the end of the class mod, Paige had finished all ten worksheets they where instructed to work on, Sabra nine, and Derek three. He was slumped over the table, sleeping. When the bell rung, his whole body twitched and awakened from his slumber. Paige poked him with a thin finger, she was already packed up and ready to leave. Derek looked up at her, his eyes circled in blackness, and his hair quite messy. He shoved his papers into his bookbag, never to be seen again.

Walking out of the classroom behind the couple, she felt odd again. The overhead lights seem to beat down upon her like an all-seeing eye, the light blue lockers around her seemed to go on forever. And the children which walked back and forth in no patter what so over made it all seem like she was falling into a pit of insanity, everyone along with her.

Sighing she entered her second mod class. Her second mod class was directed by a young lady. She was quite appropriate for her title. Wearing a classic black skirt, which came below her knees, chunky black shoes, along with a yellow button up shirt. She smiled to the students as the walked through the door, when which Sabra rejected her smile - she gave her a weird look, but went back to smiling at her students.

Walking up to her desk, which was a desk which on the edge of a big square of desks. Sighing she fell into her chair, her music was a soft buzzing in the back of her head. For a second, she ignored the headache that seemed to be buzzing on to her senses just as her music. Syd chose is seat in front of her, placing his backpack neatly next to his desk, and turned to look at her. As Syd turned and looked at her, she hid her head in her arms. Her head seemed to increasingly hurt. Every moment that passed the pain seemed to get worse, and when she thought it couldn't get any worse - it did. Placing her head between her hands she breathed slowly. She felt a hand on her arm, she looked up, it was Syd - of course.

"Are you okay?" She heard his worried voice above the music of her ipod.

She forced a smile,

"You look quite pale," He said, placing a caring hand upon her forehead.

Her smile twitched, and she placed her head back into her hands. She felt a paper scrap her skin, as the teacher placed a paper before her. Not even looking up, she waited until the teacher passed on.

She felt a wrenching at her ears, as one of her earbuds were pulled out. As she opened her eyes, and looked up, she saw the teachers hand holding her headphones. "Please, I must apprehend your music devise. " Said the teacher. "And please get to work," said the teacher in a most pleasant way, and nodded towards the papers she had placed before Sabra.

Sabra stared at her blankly for a few moments, trying to comprehend what she was saying over the massive pain that lurked in her head. Placing her palms against her temples - applying pressure helped a bit with the pain. She understood, but looked blankly at her hand, and quite blankly at the papers before her. She released her temples and stood.

"My head, freakin' hurts." Sabra said, groping her temples for a moment.

"Please hand over your music player," Repeated the teacher, in a ever so pleasant voice.

Sighing she took the music player out of her pocket. Watching in disbelief as she pulled her music player out of her pocket to hand over, she saw a face in her music player. The pain became emence now. She practically fell over with pain, and the teacher asked her again. "Give me the music player." Said she, though she said it with the same pleasant voice, the voice exploded into Sabras brain.

Screaming, she practically fell over. The teacher looked at her with wide eyes.

Syd was on his feet, "Are you okay?" he asked, in Sabras brain pain erupted again. Screaming, Sabra grabbed the desk and practically threw it across the room.

"Shut the hell up!" she screamed, the voice echoing about her head, as she ran out of the room. She did run out of the room, blinded by pain she tripped and stumbled the whole way. Stumbling into the hallway, she ran a bit of the way down the hallway. Then feeling as she couldn't run anymore she stopped. Breathing hard and rubbing her temples, she fell bodily against the lockers. Feeling as she couldn't stand anymore she fell to her knees and then fell to the floor. Gasping in pain, she looked at her music player. The girls head appeared to her. To a single glance she could tell she was what most people would call 'goth'. She had multiple piercing to the eyebrows, nose and ears. Her eyes were painted black with make up, along with her lips. Her eyes where filled with sorrow and oddly... joy... Her hair was painted black and a light pink with dye, and around her neck was multiple metal necklaces with an assortment of dragons and chains. Placing the earbuds slowly back into her ears - she wondered if she actually wanted to watch this.

Across her lips was a piece of tape, she wondered why this was, as she continued to watch. She isn't moving, she thought as she watched a bit more. How come she isn't moving? She asked herself, the pain in her head resided a little. Then she saw the tape around the girl's midsection - the only thing she could guess was that she was taped to a chair, and couldn't move. Biting her lip she continued to watch, in horror. There was a murmur in the background, as if someone was talking and she could not hear it. A shadow of a man stood behind this girl, holding a knife to her cheek. There was static, and within this static was a voice, a voice in which was distorted from this static.

[Are you afraid?] This distorted voice asked.

The girl shook her head slightly, as if away from the knife. Sabra stare bore into the girls eyes, she could tell - deep down somewhere in this girl, she was indeed scared. The shadow brought the knife across the cheek of this girl, drawing blood. Though the cut was not deep, the blood it brought up trickled down her face in a waterfall of redness. Sabra grimaced a pain shot threw her head again.

[Are you sure?] The static-distorted voice asked, and brought the knife to her other cheek.

The girl seemed to grimace again and then shook her head. Sabra curled herself up into a ball, and hoped that no one would walk down the hallway. She hoped that no one would notice her - lying next to the lockers, in the middle of two classrooms that were only about twenty feet on both sides of her.

The girl, whose name escaped her at the moment, closed her eyes as the knife drew across her cheek. Blood spilled down her chin and then down her neck.

The shadow then, in one quick motion grabbed the back her head and pulled hard. This quick motion exposed her neck. Placing the blade at her neck, she saw a tear appear in the girl's eye.

[Afraid now, Isabella Callisto?] Her heart pounded as this voice said her name, giving incite to this girl. Holding the gun to her left temple, she saw the girl shivering - or perhaps shaking with - what? - fear? She wondered why this girl would not admit to being afraid, perhaps that is what the murderer wanted out of this - the fear from his victims. Sabra couldn't tell. The Isabella shook her head. She was not afraid although her body language obviously showed that she was.

He did not bring the knife across her bare skin, instead he grabbed her again - and bashed her head against a wall of cement. She heard Isabella cry out in pain. Blood leaked down her forehead, and she could see a darker liquid leaking down the back of her head. She saw as this girl's footing faltered, and she almost failed to stand. The shadows hand appeared to pull the duct-tape from her lips.

[Don't lie, now.] Said this distorted voice. A horrid look wiped across her face with disgust.

"Oh, I wont." Said she, keeping her mouth tight, and her voice even tighter.

The shadow grabbed her again, and threw her to the ground. Blood leaked from her head on to the cold, bare cement floor. Her teeth where set, and she didn't make a sound. Placing a dark leather boot upon her neck, he said once again...

[Are you feeling alright? You look a bit scared.] Her face was all that appeared on the screen, her mouth formed odd words, but all that came out where awkward gurgles.

"Fuck!" Sabra practically yelled at the screen. With her hand on it, she bashed it against the ground - but she still kept her eye on what was going on in the screen. The man, presumably, brought a gun around - and with out hesitation he cocked it and blew a bullet through her skull. The scene upon her player folded into blackness, and she looked away - for she did not see anything more, nor did she want to.

Biting her lip, to keep herself from crying, or much worse - she felt a hand on her arm. Cold, corse fingers upon her skin, she cringed - more like shook from the contact. She rolled over to look at whom had touched her arm. It was Syd - she wondered how he had gotten out of class.

The pain had resided to the back of her head now, and was less threatening. "Syd." Said she,

"Sabra." Said he,

They stared at each other in silence, for a while. He removed his hand from her arm, causing her to look at his hand. He held out his hand in a proposed way, as he would propose for her to take it. Almost forcing a smile, she took it. But, not trusting her legs, she pulled upon his hand for standing.

Pulling her up, Syd stood there - back straight, and waited until she pulled herself together as she stood. Sabra straightened her shirt, and ran her hands through her hair in a repeated way. Her hair was completely straight, but she couldn't stop herself - it was quite addicting. Biting her lip and forcing herself to stop, she looked at Syd one final time she looked at herself and then turned to leave. As she started to walk down the hallway, she heard a voice from behind her.

"Where are you going?" Said he, his voice small, as if he didn't understand.

"I don't know." Said she, but she kept walking. She knew that no matter what - she could get a ride from her mother. She walked, and walked blindly, she just walked until her mind was completely blank, and her mind was completely calm.

She found herself in the lobby, she looked down at the speckled floor and found herself amazed. Walking out the lobby doors, she continued to walk down the highway. Watching the people flying past in their earth killing machines. She did not look at the cars - but she did wonder why these people where out - driving at this time... It was in the middle of a work day... She looked at the over grown grass she bore through, the dark dirt beneath the grasses made her wonder - wonder.

About an hour into her walk, she called her mother to come pick her up. She did not ask her one word, she just agreed to come pick her up.

Sabra's mother - a smiling and concerned lady, in a purple small car, stopped in front of her.

"On a highway?" She asked her child,

Not even looking at her mother she climbed in and sat in the back seat. She pursed her lips and stared out the window. Turning around, her mother was quite for awhile and then asked her:

"Are you okay?" Her voice filled with concern and lines showing in her forehead. Her bright green eyes shining as she stared at the road before her.

"Yes, mother... I just had to get away..." She said softly, still staring out the window.

"Away from what?" Questioned her mother,

She did not answer right away, but knowing that she would have to answer right away, she said, "Away from everything."

"Where is your backpack?" Questioned her mother again,

Sabra remembered that she had left her backpack in the classroom. She would have to get it tomorrow.

"Mmmm..." Said she, and her mother took this as she left it behind. As they arrived home she climbed out of the car and walked into her house.

Lying on her bed in front of a book, she wondered what she was doing... Why wasn't she telling anyone? How could she just be sitting here. Then the idea popped up in the back of her mind. She was afraid. She was afraid to tell anyone about her mysterious problem - she was afraid they would call her insane or desperate for attention. But, she knew that this was real, or perhaps she thought it was real. She felt confused for a moment, and then she knew that she had to tell someone. Perhaps her friend - her closest friend. Her closest friend, had moved away a year ago - but, they still held a close relationship through phone and computer e-mailing, or instant-messaging.

She rolled over to grab the phone that was laying on the night-stand to her left. Flipping the phone open, she fast-dialed the number. Listening to the ringing on the end was torturous. It rang in one ear and seemingly out the other. And on the third ring, her friend picked up. Her voice was hummingly comforting.

"Hello?" Her friend seemingly asked, Sabra smiled.

"Hey! It's Sabra!" She said, wondering why talking made her so nervous.

"Hey! You sound horrible, what's the matter?" Her friend instantly hearing the nervousness or worry in her voice.

"Mmm... Well.. I've been having this problem..." she started, and then wondered what she was going to say - she was seeing things? Or perhaps hearing things? That would make her sound completely insane. Perhaps she was completely insane. No. she thought, she was not completely insane.

"Ah. And this problem would be?" Asked her friend, completely open to what her friend would have admit with her. "Is your boyfriend beating you, or something?" She asked trying to make Sabra open up to this occasion.

"No. No. Nothing like that." Said Sabra, rolling over on her bed, and looking at her posters that were tacked upon her wall. They seemed to be staring down upon her with all-seeing eyes.

"Mmmhmmm..." her friend hummed into her ear, "Then what is this call about?" Her friend asked, "You obviously aren't calling to catch up."

A burning blush lit her face, her friend could read her without even seeing her - how obvious she must be. "Well... I don't know how to put this -- but, you probably wont belive me."

"Oh, come on, what wont I belive? Did you....?" She trailed off, and waited for Sabra to answer.

"I think... I've been seeing people... Die..." She practically whispered into the phone.

"Seeing people die?" Her friend said with disbelief. "....Die?" She repeated, and then she sighed. "Have you seen a therapist?"

"A therapist?" Sabra asked, "I'm being totally serious."

"Me too!" Said her friend,

She clicked the phone closed with all intensity, and with much flame. Screaming, she flung the phone against the wall with anger, and then burrowed her head into her blanket and screamed again - this time the scream was muffled by the blanket. Rolling over, she looked at her clock. It was mounted on her dresser - it's red numbers reaching out to her. It was about one o'clock in the morning. She sighed, and then pulled herself up from the bed. She placed her book on the dresser - next to her alarm clock. She pulled on some sleeping clothes, turned off her light and then fell into bed.

Wide awake, she laid there for an hour. Sabra was not about to sleep. She pulled herself up from the bed and walked down the hallway and to her bathroom. She turned the light on, and pulled open the medicine cabinet and looked at the pill bottle that contained those little blue pills. The little blue pills that she knew that would give her a bit of happiness. The little blue pills that would give her a time in which she had pure peace. The little blue pills that would give her some time not to worry - time to worry about nothing.

Grabbing the pill bottle with her whole hand, she pulled off the top with all intensity, she poured two into her hand and downed them without a second thought.

- - - - -

She boarded the bus, half asleep, half awake and half herself she did not think. She listened to her music, and once she sat, and leaned her head against the window - she was practically asleep. Half asleep - half awake - she felt the vibrations from the bus drowned through her head, and through the rest of her body. The vibrations that meant nothing to her what so ever - but they blended with the lyrics drownding in her head, so beautiful.

This cold world is not for you

So rest your head upon me

I have strength to carry you

His voice blending with the masterful piano, and his voice singing to her - and only to her made her want to just... Sit there.. And sleep. And sleep she did.

She only awoken to see the bus driver poking her and telling her to get off the bus before he had to carry her. She looked at him with sleepy eyes, and agreed. She stood, grabbing her backpack and walked off the bus with slipping, unsure feet. Her vision was blurred, and unfocused - she wondered if she was going to fall asleep upon her feet - she didn't doubt it. Walking through the front door, she saw the people standing in her way. She ignored them, walking completely around them.

Finding her circle she looked at Paige and Derek and rested her eyes. Derek poked her,

"Don't fall asleep on your feet, girl." He said, with his deep soothing voice.

She nodded, she knew she would have to awaken to get over this feeling. Sabra opened her eye real wide and then blinked a few times. She already feel as she was waking more, but she really wasn't sure. Looking down upon what she was wearing, she giggled. She was wearing a band t-shirt with her pajama pants. Though they were comfortable she knew what the school rules stated - and she hoped that the teachers wouldn't notice.

Between her temples shot a volt of pain, and she grimaced as the music on her music player stopped. Knowing what was coming she pulled out her player she grimaced. A face she knew was on the screen. It was a well-known jock in this school, his face thick with muscle. His neck was thick was muscle also, and his shoulders wider than an oak tree. His eyes a shade of brown, shining of ego. His hair the typical buzz cut, and his nose the biggest thing on his face. His shoulders below his neck, straining with all his will - obviously trying to escape.

Sabra had enough, she threw her music player on the ground with hate. She heard a crack as the screen broke. The earbuds where ripped out of her ears, and she almost felt bad - she wouldn't be able to listen to her music anymore. But, as she bent over to pick up her player she heard that it was still playing. A scream erupted - though quite softly - from the earbuds on the ground. Picking up her foot, she brought it down - with all the force she could - upon her music player.

Derek and Paige watched her with worried eyes. Derek almost let out a laugh, "What are you doing?" He asked, looking at the smashed music player that lay on the ground - practically in pieces.

Looking up, to find the two looking at her, she was reluctant to answer. She shrugged and looked down at the pieces of her music player. Now what? she asked herself. She heard no more from the earbuds - and hoped she never would. Looking at the crushed music player, she finally just walked away. Leaving the player- in pieces - behind her.

First mod was torture without music. She leaned back in her chair, her head over the backrest of her chair and her eyes closed.

"Come on, Sabra." Said Derek, poking her once more.

Sabra almost laughed, why was he the one that always slept worrying if she slept? She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"What?" She asked, rubbing her eyes once again.

"You aren't usually like this - what's wrong?" He asked, with little concern in his voice.

She shook her head, and looked towards the front board. Watching the teacher draw diagrams and she thought, you would never belive me. Running her pale fingers through her dark hair she wondered why.

Running her fingers down the metal side of the bus, the texture tickling her fingers she wondered. She wondered She felt like she was all alone, wondering why she felt like this - she looked around to all of the other students riding her bus. They were talking to each other, harassing the girls in front of them - throwing soda bottles at people who refused to throw them away.. She just wondered. Looking out the window, trees passed - tree by tree - the school was obviously was in the middle of no where. A deer, quite serene in itself, ate the grass growing on the side of the highway. She watched it as it passed - wondering how it could be.

As the bus entered her housing development, she leaned towards the window trying to counteract the force of the bus turning. Sliding a bit, she got around the turn with the buss. The houses were nice to look, big and white they all seemed the same - but little changes held them apart. The wide spaces between the houses seemed to go on forever, and they made her feel quite spacey. As the bus pulled to a stop, to let off a lanky kid who was carrying a lacrosse stick. Around the corner from this stop, was Sabra's stop. She grabbed her backpack, and then stood. There was only one more girl whom got of at her stop, this girl was a red-haired curvy girl whom looked at her with strange eyes. Sabra jumped off the bus first, landing quite awkwardly she pulled herself together.

The last time she had walked home with out a music player was... She didn't know how long. It was longer than she could remember. Sighing heavily, she started home. The sun beat down upon her, like a brutal force beating at her skin. The grass tickled at her ankles and the silence in her ears tickled her soul.

Arriving home, she was quite sweaty from the sun that had practically burnt her skin. She slammed the door behind her, and looked to see if her mother was home. Throwing her backpack in a heap on the floor she called out:

"Mother?!"

"Yes, honey?" Came her mother's voice from a nearby room. Her best guess is that she was currently playing some sort of game on the computer or checking her e-mail.

"Hey, mom can you give me a ride to the store?" She stood there waiting for an answer - she had taken off her shoes, her bare feet sticking to the floor. She wiggled her toes as she waited for an answer.

"What store?" Her mother questioned, not moving from her place in the other room.

"Uh... Like Walmart or Radio Shack or something." Sabra answer slowly,

"What do you need?" Her mother questioned again,

"My mp3 player died." She paused, wondering if her mother would buy her a new one. "I need a new one."

"Do you still have it? Perhaps we could take it back." Her mother said, and she heard her get up, and her heels clacking against the wooden finish in the other room. She walked a few feet, then stopped.

"Uh... No -- I think.. uh..." She couldn't think of an excuse for the action she had taken against her music player. Stubbing her toes against the floor in an embarrassed sort of way, she flung her hair behind her shoulders and looked up. Her mother was walking through the doorway looking at her.

"I suppose." Said her mother sighing, letting her brown hair fall past her shoulders. Her mother was dressed in a comfortable non-fashion sort of way. A big sweatshirt worn over a looser t-shirt. Her jeans didn't fit her and clogs which were nice on the feet - but not nice on the eye. She wore no makeup, and her eyes seemed slow and tired, as she had been beaten as a child. "When do you want me to take you?"

"Uhm... Anytime this weekend is fine." As she said this, it struck her - it was the week end. She would be free - this whole weekend.

Walking down the isles of the towns Walmart she looked at the glass case that contained the fashionable music players of that time. They were sleek, shiny, and expensive. Towards the back of the case where the less sleek, the less shiny, less expensive ones. Those were the ones that appealed in Sabras eyes.

Sabra leaned into the case, practically pressing her whole body up against the case. Her slender frame was covered in a coat of black, and blacker. Her t-shirt was half metal, half cloth, and half some fake material that made no sense to anyone. Her pants where belted around her waist - and if they weren't they would fall to the ground instantly. Her feet were clad in big army boots that were five sizes too big, and clopped around non- sensely. They were not tied, and they seemed as they would fall off at any moment. Smiling brightly, she imagined her holding each and every one of the players... Stroking the new screens, untangling the new headphones, or perhaps placing the player into her pocket for a change... One that would fit into her pocket would be nice - thought she. Her mother was shopping for food items why she was back here staring at music playing devices, so she had all the time in the world.

"Can I help you?" Said a strange voice from above,

She was wrenched out of her fantasy and thrown back into reality, looking up she saw the sales cleark. He was a young boy - about her age.. Perhaps a year older. His hair was gelled in an awkward way. His eyes were dull behind his thick glasses. His face was covered with a random array of zits and his cloths hung from his body like dead leaves on a dead tree.

"Uh..." She stammered, and looked back at the players. "No, not until I figure out which one I want." She said, looking back at the lines of players. Though they did not have many players, she knew that her mother would not drive her further away just to get such a simplicity.

Soft sleek metal, formed in such a way - that no one could explain. The luster it created under a certain light, shining in her eyes only. The bright light of the lcd screen - when activated the numbers and letters shone so brightly. The placement of the buttons, the softness of the buttons, the sleekness of the buttons - when you pressed them they shone out for all to see.

Holding her new music player ever so slightly in her hand, she walked through the field to the bus stop. Her vans below her - where soaked, but she did not take notice of this. She walked with her head down, and her hair hanging below her shoulders - in her face and practically covering up so. Her black hair hang down like a black shady curtain over her pale face, shielding her from all evil. Above her shoes where ripped jeans, ripped in a nasty way, and her shirt was a layered band t-shirt and lacy halter top.

Stopping at the bus stop, she ran her fingers along the glossy surface she giggled to her self in an insane way. Watching the black letters run along the screen, she enjoyed it so. She did not notice the bus arrive, because of the loudness of her music. But, when the bus driver honked for her, she jumped and looked up. Noticing the bus, she practically ran onto it. Looking out the widow of the bus, the music player perched ever so comfortably on her lap. After awhile she noticed that the volume was scrolling up and down, so repeatedly she almost felt sick. Looking down upon the sleek, shiny surface she took it into her hand, whispered to it: "What the hell..." and placed it against the window, for effect.

This love is slowly killing me

For me, there's no one else

As she was about to rip the new earphones out of her ears, she stopped. Her music had became distorted. She grimaced as it became blurry, and tripped through her ears in weird waves of sound. These waves of sound became inconsistent, and rolled doubtfully through her head. Slowly they washed around her temples in a maze of awkward glory, shining in no glory until the sound blinked. The sound blinked only for a second at first, which made Sabras heart skip a beat, but when the sound regained quality and continued she felt more comforted.

Sabra lifted her head from her player to look around the bus. She never really paid attention to who was aboard her bus. She never really cared. The boy in front of her had his head against the window sill, sleeping, and his head lolling ever so slightly from side to side. A girl in front of this boy was txting someone on her bright pink cell phone. These cell phones amazed Sabra, because they seemed to be so compact yet they could endure all the poking and prodding done by human hands. These cellphones could also endure the gripping done by these girls, they gripped them so hard - as they would never see them again, or perhaps if they let go - they would fly right out of their hands. A girl next to this girl, whose blond hair seemed to blind people whom pass her - was giggling to herself about a book she was reading. And on the far left of the bus... Sabras heart practically stopped. She blinked and then tore her eyes away.

The girl whom had been brutally murdered. Her face was adorn with white makeup, save for her black lip-stick she would look like a porcelain doll. Her eyes were masterfully done with black eyeliner, down her cheeks were her tears of sorrow. Her eyes were downcast perhaps looking at her own player of sorts. For earbuds hung in her ears and shone out bright above her black dyed hair.

As she tore her eyes away for a second time, she looked down to hear that her music player was glitching again. This time when it glitched it rang-out in silence for over five seconds. The name of the song was still posted on the front in ever so nice font, and scrolled ever so nicely. But, the song popped back, in a ever so nice way. But, the look on Sabras face was far from... ever so nice.

- - - - -

Through the door she walked, and walked ever so slowly. Her player hung from her ears, and her thoughts where else where. She practically walked past Derek as she found their social circle. Derek was not hard to notice on this morning, his shoulders adorn in a bright red t-shirt and black pants that dragged to the floor. When he shifted positions the metal that ran down his legs, and the chains between them, clanked quite loudly. His bright blond hair, which looked coated in grease moved easily - which confused her a bit. Paige was not present in the circle yet, and Derek looked quite lonely. Another boy stood in the circle, his hair brown and curlish and his eyes downcast.

Sabra knew this boy, but she knew that he only stood there for a bit and then moved on to other circles... He seemed like a social drifter.

Ignoring this boy, she turned back to Derek who had his eye on an arriving Paige. Her artifically tanned legs shone from below her white and red stripped dress. The dress was waisted high, and the amount of fabric increased as it swirled downwards. It ended high above her knees and showed a wide variety of skin. Her shoulders where the same fake tan color as her legs. Her hair was pinned up in a fashionable way, and shiny hair pins held it in place. Around her neck was a wide array chunky jewelry, from white beads to shiny gold chains.

The two lovers, instantly arm-in-arm so close that it almost made Sabra sick. Looking down from the couple, she felt happy for them. Two different social groups, two in which usually hated each other - happy in one in other's arms. They ignored all the comments made around them, and they ignore the lingering awkward eyes.

But, drawn away her eyes where, into the distance - where nothing existed. She saw the music notes that drowned out from her music player. She saw them tiny pinpoints of sound floating in an endless void of nothingness. These pinpoints, explosions of sounds in each a single pitch. The color which drew her eyes, was an invisible color that rang true in her eyes. She saw the color with much passion, passion in which none other she shared. But, when all of this invisible colors, and individual pinpoints where combined they made a masterpiece, a complete drop of sound. This single drop, a drop with no color in general - but all. It drops from no where, in this empty void, and lands no where, it creates other ripples in the empty void, creating other pinpoints of sound. Other pinpoints that that define other songs, and other songs that played else where.

Surrounding her was this completely calm void of music - the void in which she loved so dearly - so passionately. She could almost feel the music notes brush ever so lightly against her skin. The music around her stopped, and she flinched with so much ferocity she almost flinched out of her shoes. Still current in her void, she saw a etching rippling at the edge of her vision. A rippling that made her quiver, a quiver in which she did not know if it was fear or a sadness that lingered in her senses. Then from the ripples erupted a scream. A scream that was not feminine, a scream that was not perfect in all it's rights. A scream that was so filled with masculine pain that it made her cringe a bit more, and she pulled herself back to the lobby of the current high school she was attending. Still standing, she looked quite dizzily down upon her music player. A face she saw in this screen, a face she recognized instantly. Anyone in the school would know the star football player, and anyone one would know his name. Steve Trenson was his name, a name that would be printed in white across the back of a blue uniform. A name that would be the first in his class to graduate, a name that would be posted across some star quarter back in the future. A name that should in some peoples be remembered.

Her eyes downcast upon this boys face, this boy - whose curly brown hair was usually combed back and gelled, was not. This boy, whose shirt was usually neatly ironed and tucked in, was not. His whose hands where usually untainted and clean, where blood stained. And brutally nailed, and the closer she looked he was not nailed, but bolted. He was bolted to a twelve foot, metal cross.

From the cement ceiling above, there was a drip, that made Sabra cringe. It was not a drip of water, she somehow caught- it was a drip of something different. Something, she knew that this strange liquid was not water. In drops they dropped, one by one, falling some length to burrow itself into the thick of his hair. Many other drops had fallen, for the thick of his hair was wet with this liquid as was his shoulders.

Looking closer - or at least trying to look closer, she noticed that his clothing where torn and the skin underneath - blood. His arms - which practically supported his whole body where strained, his muscles bulging from beneath his polo. Upon his strained skin, which seemed to barely cover these perfectly sculpted muscles, where covered in small, torn gashes. These gashes which seeped blood in a moderate way. The blood was a thick and dried upon his arms, as if he had been hanging there for awhile.

Behind the hanging boy was a shadow, a shadow so menacing, a shadow so dark... She blinked. As she watched, the shadow walked around to the front of the boy. To what she saw he drew a knife. This knife she saw, was of fine quality - it shone with a luster that seemed to want to kill. A luster that longed to take lives of which was not it's own. The edge of this knife was serrated, in such a way that it looked violent in it's own way. The knife - she noticed was being held in slender hands, the bones making creases in the skin. Theses slender hands did not look frail, but where laced with a forced muscle. Drawing her eyes away from the hand on the blade, she watched the blade move swiftly through the air.

She did not hear a voice, nor a sound on the other line of the player. She woundered if anything was wrong. But, in the back of her mind she was happy she was not hearing anything. She could see the pain in the boys eyes, she could see the pain which was labeled strictly on his face.

Sabra even watched as the blade was brought deeply across the boys leg. She watched - unblinkingly as the blade was dug deeper into the boys' knee, as to ensure that he would never - in his life - ever play sports again. She was unhearing to his screams that echoed the large room that he was in. His screams a plea for life, a plea that he may live longer. All unheard, and heard these screams where unheard by all. After burrowing it deep into his tendon and muscle tissue it was ripped out by those strong hands.

Blood instantly poured from the deep wound, running down his calf. His shorts which where above his knee did not get blood stained instantly. The blood, a sickly thickness to it ran down his leg - leaving a trail of redness behind to mark it's path.

The shadow seemed to twist in place, and bring the knife to the boy's other knee almost instantly. Sabra - deafly - did not hear his screams this time, nor any other time. This time the Shadow seemed to grin upon his agony, and twisted the knife deeply into his knee. Burrowing it deeply into his muscle, and deep behind his kneecap. Twisting it in place, did nothing but cause the boy to cry out in pain. Twisting it again did nothing more but the latter. Wrenching it forward with a sickly motion, the kneecap was pulled out of its place and was instantly shattered by the blades sharp edge. The boy bit his lip with pain, the pain so emence that he bit his lip as so hard that it bled, and bled itself.

Ripping the knife out, he did so slowly, slowly as to make the pain last longer. The knife was coated in a sick red paint, one which had caused pain to paint. Wiping this red paint upon the boy's lower leg, he moved on. She heard the knife being thrown upon the floor. Shaken, she wondered why she heard this sound. The ringing of metal, as it hit cement in an awkward uncanny way. The vibration forced by the throw.

Then she heard something, that she didn't want to hear. Her heart stopped. It was a cocking of a gun. This shadow, was going to kill this boy too. She knew it. He was going to die. He was going to die, just like the rest of them. Sickly. She watched as the boy, looked at the shadow with death already present in his eyes.

[Oh, you think you are going to die?] The distorted voice mused, holding a gun up. The gun was cocked, and ready to be fired. The Shadow held the gun so it was level with the boy's ribs. [Oh, no you are not going to die, much worse. Much. Worse.] Said the voice which buzzed in Sabra's ears. This voice she hated to hear - this voice she loathed with ever cell present in her body.

Leveling the gun out, he pulled the trigger.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she did not want to see another murder. She knew not what to think of these murders. She wondered if they where true. She wondered blandly if they would leave her be. As darkness surrounded her, as her eyelids encased her eyes. She heard the heart wrenching scream of this boy, Steve. His voice was full of agony, and pain. The pitch of his voice made the hair on her arms stand at end. When the scream departed from her ears, she opened her eyes to look at the screen to see if her music would come back any time soon.

She had been mistaken, this boy was not dead, he was shot - but shot in the ribs. She was surprised to see him alive - upon this cross. Blood, which had instantly soaked the right half of his shirt, was beginning to weigh down to his pants. Steve's face was knotted up in pain, his eyes closed, and his mouth twisted in an awful way - Sabra wondered if he was still living. But, when his eyes opened the rest of the way, she did not wonder. He was still alive. Sabra heard the scrape of metal as the knife was being lifted off the floor once again. The shadow seemed to tease the knife in his hand for a second and then advanced on this boy again. Approaching the boy's face in a way that Sabra still couldn't see the shadow's face or anymore of his body, the distorted voice said, [Do you want to die, now?] Teased the voice, holding the blade below the boy's throat. The knife teased at the skin below Steves chin, teasing it so that it bled. The blood formed around the knifes metal ridges, that barely even touched his skin. Twitching the boy, seemed to look at the shadow with all intensity that he had left, that hadn't been burnt away by the pain that was residing in his body at the moment.

The shadow brought the blade down his his neck. Only a few drops of blood appeared in its wake. Trailing down the jocks neck, and then to his shoulder and following his shoulder to his arms. Sabra watched as the knife was brought across the perfectly sculpted bicep. Under the knife, Steve flexed his muscle as to push the knife away. But, as the hand drug the knife across the perfect muscle, the longer he went - the more pressure he placed upon the blade. The additional pressure made the blade seep deeper into his skin. By the time the blade reached his elbow - there was a gash leading away from his shoulder. Steve gave a shout of pain, and then said in desperation,

"What the hell do you want? Just kill me now! End it all! I don't care!" He said, the muscles in his neck tensing at his own words. These words were full of rage, and confusion - which made his voice sound uneven and quaky. His bloody lips where twisted and now he forced shut with all his worth.

[How could you say such a thing?] Said the shadow with obvious excitement. There was a click, of metal, as the knife was being dropped to the floor. The shadow reappeared with a wrench in hand, and a gun in the other. With these words still lingering in his mouth, he took the wrench to his right hand and with one quick and painful motion he ripped the bolt out of the metal and out of the boys hand. With a yell of pain the boys face twisted in pain once again. The shadow shoved it's elbow into the boy's chest so that he wouldn't fall from the metal spikes. With musement in his distorted voice he said, [It will all be gone in a second...]

The gun was forced into the boys hand. For a second the boy wondered what he was suppose to do. He watched as the blood oozed from the whole created by the bolt. Bending his arm, with much pain - the gun pointed at his own head. He held the gun there for a second, almost faltering - the barrel of the gun shaking in his own fatigue. He didn't think that his hand had enough strength for him to pull the trigger. But, he was wrong.

The echo of the bullet shot, rang through Sabras ears. The sight of his body hanging limp from the cross was enough to make her shake, more than she already was. His blank eyes, not feeling the pain that he was - where glazed over, and his limp blood red lips where curled in a small smile and the bottom of his face. His limp body hung from the metal cross, the gun fell to the floor in a flash of metal. His body sagged forward, the other hand where the weight seemed to be supported. She knew what was going to happen: the hand was going to be ripped from the cross. Just as the bolt seemed to tear away from the boys hand, music flashed back on, and the black font began to scroll again.

She looked away from her player, and her music blinked back on.

That's it. Thought Sabra, ripping the earphones out of her ears with all her strength. Flying out of her ears, she felt slightly relieved for a moment. She started to wrap the cord around the player, and blinked hard - as not to cry. She shoved this player into her pocket, and then turned to leave - perhaps to hide somewhere she did not have to look into the faces of the innocent. Turing on her heel, she ran right into the chest of someone whom was wearing a tye-dyed Doors t-shirt. Looking up from her spot on the floor, she looked into the face of comfort. Instantly wrapping her arms around this fellow, she burrowed her face into his soft cotton t-shirt. She felt his arms encircle her waist, and she began to cry. Crying heartfully into Syds shirt she felt wholly comfortable.

"Aww... Babe, whats the matter?" His deep voice sent vibrations throughout his body, in which Sabra held onto. She felt his comforting hands rubbing comfort into her back. Sabra blinked back, and looked up at Syd with sparkling eyes. Sniffing, she continued to look up into his large golden eyes. She shook her head, and and hid her eyes from view once again.

- - - - -

Sitting in the office made Sabra nervous, having the office assistants staring at her with inspecting eyes - didn't make her feel any better. She felt as if everyone was watching her - watching her every move. Hunching down into her chair, she looked at her music player - which was working to it's max. Holding the little case of metal in her hands, she watched as the little letters passed across the screen. After awhile she got lost in the scrolling letters, stuck between a L and an O. Her eyes blurred the vision before her, and she felt as if she was going to fall of her chair. The wooden chair beneath her creaked as she swayed a bit to the left. The chair squeaked again as she swayed back to her original position. She pulled herself back to reality and looked around.

A box full of papers sat next to her to her left, and to her right where more chairs. Looking back over to the wooden box full of papers, she noticed that these weren't just any random papers, they where attendance slips. Leaning into to read the list of students that where on this slip, her eyes traveled down the list. She knew a few of the names, but others she did not recognize. Then her eyes travel across a name that was distraught by a line:

Christopher Walter - Absent

Tiffany Warther

Rachel When

Her heart beat fast, as she looked down upon this list. Looking up, she took the paper in her hands and looked up to the office workers. "Why is her name crossed out?" She asked with a low voice to a girl whom looked to be a senior - or somewhere close.

She looked up to see the girl's eyes widen, and look at the paper a bit longer. She watched as the girls lips move, but no words come out. Finally, after some work she formed her lips into three words: "You haven't heard?"

She tilted her head in an awkward angle, as to say, no - I haven't.

"She..... Died...."

"Died?"

"Yes. She was brutally murdered - haven't you heard? No? hmmm..." Deep in thought, this girl walked away - with the attendance slip in her hand and deep in thought. Sabra watched her walk away. As she stood for she saw her mother in the corner of her eye - standing in the doorway - she did not know what to think. These visions - they were true. As she stood the room began to rock around her. Feeling quite nauseated she held on to the back of the wooden chair. An office assistant turned to look at her.

"Are you okay?" She heard off in the distance. The room became a fuzzy blob of rocking objects as the truth swirled in her head - they were all going to die. All of them. Every single one. Brutally. They would brutally die, as it was shown to her. Her stomach revolted - but she held on tight. As another wave of nausea hit her straight on, a curtain of blackness fell around her - in one single sweep.

- - - - -

Her dark eyes blinked open, almost blindly at first. She did not understand where she was. White washed walls where around her, odd tubes and shiny objects stood against the walls behind her. Cabinets, which stood closed where upon the walls in front of her. Everything was washed in white, and she squinted to see all of this. She twitched, she was in a bed - covered in white uncomfortable sheets, and a loosely knit blanket. Next to her was a unit she was attached to. Looking at her arm - there was an IV.

Sighing, she knew where she was - she was in a hospital. She must've passed out, she thought, and wondered if they had called the ambulance to come pick her up. Behind the closed curtain that stood in front of her bed, she heard a few mumbled words and a rustling sound. The curtain was pulled back, but only long enough for her mother to walk through.

"Honey." Said she, with all look of comfort and confusion in her shallow eyes. Her mother's brown hair was in a state of chaos, half was frizzed to no extent and the other was loosely curled as if she had tried to style half of it. She was wearing no make up, and lines of worry played under her eyes. "You are awake." Said this lady, walking up next to Sabras hospital bed, and taking her hand into one of her own.

Sabra blinked a few times, as if to see if all of this was real. She looked at her mother for a second, and felt the warming touch of her mothers hands, and closed her eyes. Biting her lip, she asked, "What happened?" Just to be sure.

"Oh, honey- you don't remember do you?" Her mother's eyes shined so brightly as she looked down upon her daughters face.

Sabra opened her eyes and shook her head slowly, and with out much effort.

"You passed out, right as I was coming to get you."

"I passed out." Sabra echoed, and she remembered the curtain of blackness veiling her sight. But, she couldn't remember certain events leading up to the blackness - what had caused this incident? She wondered moving a bit, to get into a better position.

"Yes, honey. When an office assistant told you -" her mother paused, and looked at the curtain - as if the doctors hadn't wanted her to tell Sabra this. "that Tiffany died." whispered her mom.

"Tiffany." Echoed Sabra again, and she remembered. She remembered everything, the room rocked slightly around her. Gripping the sides of the hospital bed, she felt as if she was on a boat, a boat that was lost at sea - never to return. Her stomach began to churn. But, this time she felt stable. She did not let go, she wasn't going to faint this time. The room around her stayed solid, and the shining eyes above her watched her with all curiosity.

"Are you okay, honey?" Asked her mother, taking ahold of her daughters arm - with quite a strong grip.

Sabra forced a nod, "I'm fine, mother." she forced a smile, and turned her head to look at her heart rate monitor. The continuous perfect heart rate made her feel a bit sick so she turned away from that too.

"The doctors just think you are in shock, so they are going to let you go today. But, they said for me to keep an eye on you." Said her mother, inspecting her daughters face further. "And I think for the best, you should return to school tomorrow."

These words echoed through her ears with no avail. She twitched, she didn't know if she could face all those penetrating eyes. But, she knew she would have to face this new found fear.

Only soon after, the doctors released her on account of she needed no medical attention and she was seemingly fine.

They arrived home on a late time, in which her mother sent her off to bed in a hush. For her mother had bags laden under her eyes, and usually straightened back was off in a slouch. She nodded towards her mom, as to say that she was alright - but with all the thoughts swimming in her head, she was all so confused.

Turning on the light in her room, she looked around. Everything was normal - as it should be. Sighing she knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep - and there was no point to. Her head was buzzing, and her nerves were playing tricks on her. With every thought she twitched. And with ever twitch she looked around as if to see if someone was watching her twitch.

Throwing herself down upon her bed, she felt awkward in her clothes. Placing her back against the backboard, she looked around. As to see something misplaced. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she sighed, but she could not relax. Every moment she looked up. Then she remembered her player. Where had she put it? She searched her pockets and couldn't find it. She looked around her room, but no avail. She would have to wait for tomorrow to find her player.

Twitching once more she tried to force herself to relax. Rolling her shoulders forwards, loosening her leg muscles, and so forth. But, halfway through she forgot what she was doing and her mind wandered back to where she had started - nervousness. Blood ran down the front of her inner thoughts. Sighing inwardly - she hated this feeling, she hated all of this. She became nervous, thought - and couldn't quit thinking.

There was one thing, that she knew, and knew well - would take away this feeling. Leaning back against the backboard, and reaching out to her side table, she pulled open the drawer. Smiling, she reached to the back of the drawer with wandering fingers. Touching what she wanted, she pulled up herself and walked over to the windows - which faced the back yard. Pulling one of them open she stood there as the night air rolled into her bedroom. The night air, cold and moist rolled into her bedroom with out a second thought. She stood there, feeling this air and letting it drownd her in the numbing air. But, soon the thoughts where back, pouring blood upon her inner-self.

Jumping back upon her bed, her bed sagged under her the pressure of the jump, and then eased back upon her. She rolled over, back into the original sitting position that she was in: her back against the backboard. Slipping her hand back into the open drawer next to her, she pulled out a baggy, and a cheap lighter. In the nifty resalable baggies seemed to be three crudely rapped cigarettes. Smiling down upon them, she pulled the bag open, reached in a delicately pulled one out. Placing the bag on the table next to her, still open she lit the end of the rolled plant. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes. Smoke swirled from the end of the rolled paper, and around the room. Filling it with sweet aroma. Out the window it swirled also, but it had little affect.

Sabra giggled, breathing in deeply. Letting her head loll back, she felt comfortable, which she wanted to feel all along. Deciding that she ought to let some smoke out of the room, she pulled herself up from her position on the bed and rolled off the side. Hitting the ground hard, she waited to pull herself up. In a fit of giggles she looked up to the windows above her. Holding the crude rap high above herself, she pulled herself up. Looking around, she wandered towards the second window. Almost loosing her footing halfway there, she steadied herself on the nearby wall. Unlocking the window took sometime, but once she got it - she pulled at the widow with all her strength. Finally getting the window open, she fanned with her arms, trying to get some of the smoke to travel out the window. Though her arms where no help, some of the smoke traveled out the window on its own accord. Completely happy with the results of opening the second window, she fell back upon her bed and finished off what was present in her hand.

With the smoke completely gone, and Sabra in a state of what she thought was comfort. She looked around her room with lazy eyes, and decided that she needed to change. Pulling off her clothing, she selected some thin pajamas and placed them on her body. Falling on to her bed, she knew she was going to have a peaceful night.

- - - - -

Waking up was confusion, the next morning. She got up five minutes before the bus came, pulled a comb through her hair, threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and ran to the bus. Stopping in the kitchen to fill a large travel cup full of black coffee. After getting this, she grabbed her awaiting music player - which sat peacefully on the counter, and then ran straight out the door. Noticing her backpack, sitting neatly on the floor next to the door - she grabbed this too.

Running down the yard, music player in one hand, and travel cup in the other - she kept her head down. Her black hair, corse from the non-washing, flew around her head. Her sweatshirt tugged at her shoulders and her backpack jumped up and down on her back. Pounding hard textbooks upon her spine.

Arriving at the bus stop, she looked around. The bus, she saw, was just appearing over the hill. She placed the earphones ever so lightly into her ears, blinking hard as she looked down upon the screen - she noticed it was off. She never remembered turning it off - perhaps her mother had done so.

Placing her player in her pocket - she didn't feel in a music mood right now. This was awkward because, every day on the way to school she listened to music. And every day she did not hear the usual conversation, that buzzed around the bus - and to her ears today. She leaned back, and stared around the bus for a bit, not at all worried about how long the buss ride took. She sipped at her coffee until it was gone, and she felt it burn down her throat. The acrid taste making her cringe. She had forgotten to add sugar. She had forgotten to add anything.

It all felt weird to her, the voices of the thirty people buzzing around in her head, their awkward words meaning nothing to her.

As the bus pulled into the round-about, Sabra pushed her coffee cup into the side of her backpack and found her way out of the bus. Jumping down the stairs, she landed hard upon the cement down below. Her shoes made a clad nocking sound against this, but muted so, for it made her feet ache.

Walking inside, she instantly felt as if someone's eyes where trailing her. Looking around, she did not instantly see whose eyes where on her. The lobby was a bit empty, which made her feel quite early. Walking up to where she usually stood, she saw no one. She didn't bother to drop her backpack on the floor, because she was going to leave if no one was present in her social circle.

"Hey," The voice was deep - and it was a voice she did not know. Twitching she turned to look who it was. It was a tall upperclassman, beard and all. His eyes were gray and dull, his clothing just as unique.

"Hey," Sabra said back, with all confusion prominent in her voice. She looked around, she couldn't imagine what he wanted.

"You're dating the Syd kid, right?" He said, his uneasiness shone in his eyes as he looked around to see if anyone was watching. As if talking to an underclassman would hurt his social status.

"Uh, yes. Why?" She said, the thoughts in her mind blinking before his eyes.

A laugh erupted from this boys lips, a laugh that haunted her, a laugh that made her throat squeeze tight. "That son of a bitch is passed out on the bathroom floor." He said, jerking his thumb in the direction the bathroom.

"Thanks," She said her voice filled with disgust. Shoving this boy out of the way, she made her way to the bathroom - with out another thought.

Entering the boys bathroom, was not the hard part, facing her boyfriend passed out on the floor was a little different.

Syd, lying in the middle of the floor - was adorn in a brown band t-shirt, and dark worn blue jeans. Sighing as her eyes traveled over his interesting shoes, she wondered what mess Syd had gotten himself into. His knees where pulled up to his chin and his arms where limp besides him.

Sitting over him, she wondered if she should wake him. Thinking the best of it, she took his shoulders and shook them. "Wake up!" She murdered, really not wanting to be found in the boy's bathroom. Shaking him harder, because the gentle shake she was applying on him was obviously not working. Then after the third vicious shake, his eyes twitched open - and instantly Sabra knew something was wrong. Syd took her shoulders with cruel, strong hands and shook her back.

"What the hell do you want?" He said his face full of crazed emotion, shaking her so hard almost snap her neck. Then when he stopped shaking her, he looked around, his eyes confused at where he was, "Where the HELL am I?" He said, practically screaming. He jumped to his feet in all swiftness. Looking around he inspected a bit, and then looked down upon him self, and practically screamed, "What the HELL?"

Then he looked back at the mirror, he walked up to it and pointed straight at himself with all intensity, and said, "Who are you?!" He said, looking from a different angle. Then deciding that he didn't get the answer he wanted, he screamed, "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!? ANSWER ME?!" taking his fists, at the same time he smashed the mirror. Shards of glass flew everywhere, splintering into his hands and fell to the floor. Breathing hard, Syd turned and looked at Sabra - who was observing still upon the floor. A devilish smiled crossed his lips, and he started to laugh. His laugh was a laugh of a mad man, echoing through the ceiling of the bathroom. His teeth where all exposed as he laughed, as if he was laughing all he could. His chest heaving and his hands still lightly balled into fists, blood running down the back of them, and dripping upon the barren bathroom tile.

Sabra looked up at her boyfriend, with all worry in her eyes. She did not know what was going on, and she didn't think she wanted to. She watched him as he laughed, and she watched him as he fell. He walked a few steps forward - his arms outstretched - as in a peace offering, and then fell. He fell into a fit of sobbing on the bathroom floor in front of her.

Hesitantly she reached over to him, at first she touched him lightly - waiting for a reaction. As she watched him sob, she felt bad for him.

"It's okay...Baby..." She said, taking him into her arms. She looked at his hands which where covered in blood, and now bleeding down her own pants. She sighed and got him to stand. He was still sobbing, but she had to help him - somehow. Standing him before the bathroom sink, which still held a unbroken mirror. She turned on the sink, and lightly ran the water over his glass wounds. It didn't seem if he cared, for he just stood there and cried, softly to himself.

Heavy footfall was the next thing she heard. This footfall was not far off, it was just in the doorway of the bathroom. She turned to see, a heavyset teacher staring down upon her with large eyes, which glared at her from behind thick lensed glasses.

- - - - -

Later that night, Sabra, deep into a book of war and frustration, her mind begins to wander. Though her eyes still travel past the words upon the pages, and the words play upon her mind, they begin not to make sense - for her mind is elsewhere. As her mind begins to wander more, the words begin to twist sideways before her eyes, trying to follow them she looks at the speakers next to her bed. The distilling music floated out to her ears, and made her think, and made her want to talk to Syd.

You find me wanting

You find me bloodless but inspired

You find me out

You find me hallucinating fire

A phone, she saw, present on her night stand. She reached over and grabbed it.Opening it, she looked at the numbers. The small luminous squiggles, meant nothing for a second, and then the meanings where forced back into her brain. Forced so fast - she almost felt dizzy. Pushing the number to Syds cell number as quick as her fingers would let her, so she wouldn't forget it halfway. She forced the phone to her ear, and listened to the ring. For a few moments, she just wanted to sit there... And listen to the ringing forever, and not hear the break and the voice say,

"Hello?" Syds low voice rang from the receiver,

"Hey," Sabra greeted, "What happened today?" She asked slowly, and softly.

There was silence for a moment, as if he hadn't heard her - but she knew that he had.

"What?" Said he, in an almost non-caring voice.

"What happened today?" She asked, this time forcing the syllables between her teeth one by one with all affect.

There was a pause and sigh on the other end of the phone, "Nothing, babe. Don't worry about it."

Holding back a bit, she said, "But, Syd... I care! We should tell each other things!" Biting her lip, she looked across the room with a worried glance.

"Don't worry about it, babe." He said, simply.

"Don't you-"

"I said, Don't worry about it." He cut her off, and there was a loud click on the other line, and he hung up. Sighing, Sabra took the phone from her ear and looked at it. She did not end the call - but simply looked at it. Closing it, she placed it back on her nightstand. Staring off into the distance beyond her phone, she wondered what she had missed. Lazily, she returned to her book. But, though she read on, she did not soak in the words and take them to heart. She just let them drip through her subconscious.

About two hours into the book, she decided that she was not going to get any sleep. Walking down the hallway blindly, she finally found the bathroom. Still half blind from turning on the light, she reached around in the medicine cabinet. Grabbing a bottle blindly, she took it and looked at it. Inspecting it before opening it, she noticed she grabbed the wrong bottle - she had grabbed mouthwash. In the bottle, the green liquid sloshed against the plastic walls. Placing it back upon the shelf, she grabbed the next bottle over. Opening it this time - she knew it was the correct bottle. Opening it, and pouring two pills into her hand. Looking down upon the tiny blue pills. She looked at them for a bit longer, wondering how such a tiny thing could have such an affect. She poured another pill into her hand and popped them into her mouth. Swallowing them all at once, she almost choked. Forcing down the pills, she placed the top back on the bottle. Looking around, she placed the bottle on the self, flicked out the lights, and headed back for her bedroom.

Turning off the light, and turning up the music, she fell into her bed - with a sigh of relief. Curling up on the top of her blankets, the blanket rubbed their soft fuzzy skin upon her sensitive skin. Smiling and curling deeper into their depts, she felt an easy sleep creep across her eyes, and put her mind to rest.

Waking only a few hours later, on a high dose of sleeping pills - wasn't as easy as she thought it would be.

The alarm rang for five minutes before she pulled herself from her bed. Holding her hand above her alarm clock, she listened to the repetitive ring. Pushing the button with a cringe, she grapped a towel and walked down into the bathroom. Opening the bathroom door, she turned on the light and looked around. Everything was as she had left it. Turning on the shower, she turned it as hot as it could go - in hope that it would wake her up more.

Stepping into the shower, the water instantly burning her skin. She bit her lip and stepped further in the water. Standing beneath the waterfall of water, she looked up into the light to see the water steaming above her. Sighing she turned down the water - to a more bearable temperature.

Scrubbing at her skin with all her might, with lavender scented soap so bubbly. Scrubbing harder, until her skin turned a bright red. Scrubbing down her legs, and around everywhere else, she felt comfortable. As long as she was in the shower, she was not facing any great fear. Her fear that she held currently was to face Syd. She didn't know what she was suppose to say to him. They really, had never gotten into a fight like this before - or what ever this was. The longer she stayed in the shower, the longer she stayed away from any awkward moments - thinking of this - she scrubbed harder. She scrubbed until the soap was gone, she scrubbed until her legs where numb, she scrubbed until the shower turned cold. All in all, she scrubbed way too long. Finishing off with the shower, she switched off the water and hopped out. Grabbing a towel, she toweled her head and then rapped herself up.

Dressing in her room, she felt as if she wanted to stand out a bit. wearing a tight red tee, black leather belt, and tight black jeans. To finish the look all of boots, and bit chunky and a bit metal. They finished off the look perfectly, in Sabras eyes. But, she knew that trying to stand out in a school was opposite. To stand out, you had to go against every trend in every magazine. So the clothing she wore today would do her no go in standing out, but it would just keep her from awkward glances. No one would notice these clothes, in ways they noticed the goth clothing Derek wore. No one would noticed these clothes, in ways they noticed the preppy clothing Paige wore.

Letting her hair dry by itself, she applied a bit of makeup - but nothing more than usual. Walking down the stairs, she looked down at her player - which she had clicked on - that she was drastically late. The bus had probably left five minutes ago, and she hadn't even eaten yet! As she reached the bottom of the stairs she looked around, her mother would have to drive her - and she'd be awake in a matter of minutes anyways. Walking into her tiled kitchen, she grabbed a bowl. Every day it seemed, she ate cereal. And ate cereal is what she did today. Pouring a brown, chunky looking bran cereal in her decretive bowl, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Nervously she walked to the refrigerator. Standing there, staring at the refrigerator she did not open it. She heard music. Looking around, she saw her player, on the counter - where she had placed it. It was on, but not playing.

So much more than this

There is something else there

When all that you had has all gone

She heard faintly in the background, but decided to ignore it. Opening the refrigerator with one hard pull, she looked in. It was barren except for a few mild groceries. She grabbed the open one of the two milks. Walking back to the kitchen table, where she ate, she poured a good amount of mild on her cereal. Looking down upon her drowning cereal, she smiled. Sitting at the cast iron chair in front of her place, she began to eat. She ate slowly, once again - the longer she was here, the longer she was away from any awkward situations.

Finishing off her cereal, she turned to see her mother pouring coffee from a pot. The black liquid, falling in a stream into her mothers cup. Watching the sickening liquid, she decided that she wanted some too. Her mother finished up with her coffee, and turned to see her daughter staring at her.

"Hello, Sabra." Her mother said in a friendly way, her face was beautifully crafted with make up. And her hair curled and styled in such a perfect way. The clothes upon her body, complementing her feminine curves in ways unknown. "It seems as if you missed the bus, dear." Her voice crackled into her ears, and rang around the inside of her head.

"Mmm...." Said she, and asked with all sincerity, "Can you drive me?"

"Of course." Said her mother, and she went on her own duty of making her own breakfast. "I see you already eaten." Said her mother, noticing her used dish upon the table. She picked up the dish and placed it neatly into the sink.

Sabra ignored her mother, and continued on her quest for coffee. Grabbing a mug, she poured her own. She looked down at the sickly brown liquid, why would anyone in their right mind drink this stuff? Sabra wondered, as she looked around for the milk once more, and sugar after that. Spooning three large spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee, she remembered why she hated black coffee. Her mother seemed in no rush this morning, so neither was she. Walking over to the table, she sat in the opposite seat of her mother, and watched her eat.

Her mother asked her questions about school, which she answered in bland one word answers. Her mother soon grew bored with the one sided conversation and quit and went back to her own breakfast. Her down-cast eyes, almost made Sabra feel guilty. Seeing that he mind was else where she felt no such thing. Sipping aimlessly from her coffee, she stared at her mother - but at he same time did not see her. Her eyes where unfocused, and she stared in the distance - seemingly beyond the physical being of her mother. Even after her mother got up, and placed her used dish into the sink, she did not notice.

"Sabra, come on, lets go!" said her mother, looking at her from the sink. Sabra did not respond. "Sabra!" She said a bit louder this time, to her unresponsive daughter. Walking over to her daughter to see what was wrong, she stared at her the whole time. Sabra sat unblinking, staring at the same spot the whole time. "Sabra?" She said, taking ahold of her shoulders.

The touch brought Sabra back to reality. The touch of a mother's fingers, upon the shoulder of a daughter. She blinked and shook her head,

"Yes, mother?" She said, looking up at her mother, wondering how she had gotten there.

"Let's go!" Said her mother, who was getting over her worry. Smiling with her perfect lip-sticked lips, she led the way out of the door.

Sighing, Sabra followed, but on the way she grabbed her player, backpack, and left her half-drunk coffee on the table.

The car ride was boring, and dull in any other words. It was silent, in a sense that neither of the two did much talking. But, Sabra looked down upon the player the sat in her hands. It seemed to call to her. She almost felt deprived of music, and she knew that there was no way that she could live through this day without any music.

She slipped the earbuds into her delicate ears. Looking down upon the player, she randomly pressed play. But, it seemed even before she pressed play the music enfolded her, in a wonderland of smoothness.

It can't be that cold, the ground is still warm to touch

This place is so quiet, sensing that storm

Swooned the lyricist, in her ears. Red Rain, is pouring down.... It seemed enough to comfort her soul, it seemed enough to pass all her fears away. She seemed committed to this song, even though it had started only a moment away. Falling headfirst into a complete void of nothing but musical notes, and harmony she sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Touching her eyelids lightly she felt completely at peace.

A light sleep had slid over her eyelids, on the way to school. A light sleep that was deeper than any she had felt before. A light sleep, so light that a feather seemed dense in comparison. So light, that all things around her weighed her down as she opened her eyes to see the cement brick, she called a school before her. Without a word to her mother, she picked herself up and opened the door before her into a world she knew, but knew not well.

The chains upon the door rattled as she opened it, and looked around. Watching the door behind her slide shut, she didn't know what to do with herself. Running her fingers through her hair, she waded through the people whom did not notice her, but only noticed her shoves. The lobby was quite full, because she was quite late. She found her social circle, but once she saw it, she almost turned back. But, his eyes struck her, and she could not turn. Those beautiful golden eyes, turned upon her. They seemed to draw her in, and keep her trapped there. Paralyzed it seemed, she stood - staring back at him - not knowing what she should do.

"Syd-" She stuttered, as he walked towards her. His grace in ever step. His white, squared toed shoes making a perfect sound as the hit the floor. His jeans wrinkling perfectly as his legs moved beneath them.

"Sabra." He said, his lips parted in a smile. He put his arm around her in a peace offering. She leaned into him, and looked up at him. He walked her back to the circle where Derek and Paige where deep in an embrace. She looked away, though she found it hard not to look up at Syd. Holding her eyes on the floor, she ditched her backpack.

"Syd-" She tried again, but failed, he was there before her.

"I was thinking, Sabra. Would you like to go to the movies tonight?" He paused and looked down at her, his golden eyes twinkling with that beautiful light. "I heard that new one was suppose to be good."

Jump in the water, c'mon baby jump in with me

Jump in the water, c'mon baby get wet,

The lyrics spoke softly into her ear, as she heard his proposal. Smiling she said, "A movie, on a school night?" She blushed, what a sweet thing... She smiled up at him, "Of course, I'd love to go with you." She turned to look up at him, and his arm encircled her waist. She put her arms around him, not even noticing that bandages that where vivid on the back of his hands.

He proposed to pick her up around four, and around four he did pick her up. His car shining in the sunlight, she stepped into the passenger side.

But, a question stood thick in her mind, as she closed the door behind her. "When did you get your license?"

He just smiled at her, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. That made her think that he did not have a license at all. This did not make her nervous though, as he started up the car.

Driving slowly down the driveway, she thought he was a good drive enough. Sighing, and leaning against the window and looked out the front window.

He drove the correct speed limit down all of the major roads, and he drove correctly all of the way. He impressed her, and she needed no more to.

He parked perfectly before the movie theater. Hoping out, Sabra took ahold of Syds hand and smiled up at him. He smiled down at her, and together they walked into the movies. Standing at the movie booth, he paid for a movie two hours later, so they could roam the mall for about two hours.

And so they did, arm in arm. Entering an entertainment store, that sold mostly cds, Sabra was in haven. Looking down the rows of everlasting glory she smiled. Looking at every cd she had ever wanted, she read the backs and looked at the beautiful album artwork.

Sabra unknowing, Syd kept in hand those cds that Sabra adored so much. Sabra had to pull herself from the racks to leave. She had thought as she walked out the door that Syd was right behind her - but she was wrong. When she turned to talk to him, she turned to see thin air where she thought he had been. She looked around, and saw him at the register, buying something. He must've found a cd he wanted, she thought and waited for him.

Finished with his workings, Syd saw Sabra standing outside the door. He walked up to her, holding a plastic bag, full of cds. Smiling down upon her, he handed the bag to her. She looked down upon the bag of cds - first in confusion.

"Syd!" She said, in totally excitement. She opened the bag a bit, and she said, "Syd!" And fell into his arms. Ecstatic, she peeked back into the bag - almost crying. "You didn't!" She said, looking up at him. He just gave her a look, and she buried her head in his shirt.

Syd put his arm around her waist, and together they walked throughout the mall. Lingering in stores, and eyes drifting upon each other. Syd did not buy her much else than those cds, a shirt, and a single beautiful necklace that currently rested upon her neck. The jewel twinkled brightly from the florescent lights above. The jewel was cut, in a way that seemed to smile up from Sabras pale neck. She touched it with a lingering finger, as to see if it was actually real.

But, when two hours where up, the couple almost seemed reluctant to leave the mall and enter the small theater. Standing in the isle way, looking upon the movie seats in front of them. It was half-full, and people where still entering. The dark colors of the movie theater swirled around in Sabras wide eyes. The lights that where currently on, where little crystals that hung from the curtain sides of the theater. The large projection screen before her, was still rolling the pre-trailer advertisements.

Syd spotted two seats, next to each other in the top row. Climbing the little stairs to reach their seat, Sabra noticed there seemed to be no teenagers, as her in the theater. She wondered why this may be. Sitting in her seat, which seemed to be so padded that she sank into it, she looked at Syd who sat next to her. He blinked then looked around, he laughed and said,

"We have forgotten the popcorn!" His teeth showing as a laugh escaped his lips once more, "I'll go get it." said he, and he stood. He looked down upon her, his strawberry berry blond hair falling every so slightly into his face. Where is hair touched his face there seemed to be a deep shadow. Behind his glasses though, his eyes shone brightly, as he looked down at her.

"I'll come with you!" She reacted, trying to stand.

"No. It's fine." He said, placing a strong hand upon her shoulder - keeping her in her chair. "You have to watch the seats." Her heart jolted as his strong hand kept her in her seat, but after he eased up, and walked away her heart returned to normal.

Sabra breathed easily and wondered what that was about. Watching the screen, the repetitive screen transitions, she gazed out further.

Only a few moments later, Syd appeared back with a single popcorn and two small drinks. That was fast, thought she. Usually lines for drinks and sweets where really long when movies where about to start. Shrugging she accepted the popcorn, and the drink. He sank into the seat next to her. As Syd became comfortable, the lights dimmed around them and the trailers rolled before them. The trailers rolled by for around fifteen minutes, but when the movie started - Sabra instantly knew why there where no teens in this theater. This movie had so much gore, that in the first few moments of the movie even she had to look away. Totally disgusted, she hid her eyes in Syd's sleeve.

She felt Syds eyes bore into her head, and she looked up to meet his eyes. He smiled down at her in some what of an apology. He touched her face, and she smiled into his hand. The screen flashed dark, as Syd leaned into her.

When the credits appeared on the screen, Sabra removed her eyes from Syd's shirt. She hadn't watched any of the movie - she had been to afraid to watch the fake blood, and the actors pretending to die on some fake weapon. Syd stood first, and he stood tall above her. Sabra looked up at Syd for a moment, and he offered a hand. Taking his hand, he pulled her to her feet. Drawing her close, he whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry, that movie was horrible." "It's okay. I had a good time anyways." She said, smiling up at his smiling face. He nodded and then led her out of the theater. As they walked out of the small hallway leading to the theater, and regular lighting was restored - Syd looked down upon his watch.

"It's late. I suppose I should drive you home now."

- - - - -

The next morning, she awoke with a smile upon her lips, and new music upon her ears.

wish there was something real, wish there was something true

wish there was something real in this world, full of you

i want to, but i can't turn back

The seemingly depressing lyrics, of the males voice, only made her happier. She took a quick shower, the shower so quick she wasn't even sure that she washed her hair. Brushing her hair slowly, and blow-drying it slower, she wanted it to look good. Finding nothing she could do with her paper-thin, yarn-straight hair, she went straight to makeup. Placing upon her face, a light foundation, and dark eye-shadow - the contrast was beautiful. Spraying on a bit of perfume, she grabbed her player and practically skipped out of her room.

Jumping down the stairs, when her feet hit the bottom step - they made no noise. Walking into the kitchen, her eyes brushed past everything in the kitchen. She popped two pieces of toast in toaster and made a cup of tea. The microwave beeped as it finished heating her cup of water. Popping a tea bag into her blazing cup of water. She then, waited a few moments until the tea darkened, and then pulled the tea bag out. Throwing the tea bag away, she instantly took a sip of the steaming cup. She sighed as the blazing liquid crossed her tongue and dripped down her throat. She looked down upon the minty liquid that swirled around in her cup. As she was about to take another sip, the toaster popped up her breakfast. Buttering it lightly, she placed it on a plate. The plate she used was actually smaller, than both of the two pieces of toast combined. She giggled to herself, and then placed it on the table.

Finishing her breakfast, and drinking down the last few cold drops of tea, she grabbed her stuff. Standing motionless in the middle of the kitchen she looked around. She had two minutes before she had to leave. She shrugged and left anyways. She walked slowly to the bus stop knowing that she had extra time. She placed her earbuds into her ears, and looked down upon the player. Music instantly swam into her head, and echoed off the walls of her mind.

I caught sight of my reflection

I caught it in the window

I saw the darkness in my heart

When her bus stop came into view, she saw the cars that waited - running their engines. Smoke billowed out of the back of the cars, and up into the crisp morning air. She looked down, as to downcast her eyes from the pollution, and saw the dew laden grass. She saw the feeble attempt to soak her shoes- the smudged water on the outside of her boots.

This petite girl, and her pale skin looked up to the sky. The sun was hardly over the tree line, but the land was bathed in a warm mellow light. This light reflected off of every waxy leave, that hung from every tree branch. As a cool, slight breeze tickled her cheeks and swirled around her body. The mellow sunlight seemed to swirl with the breeze, as it lingered over her clothing and around her shoes. It pulled at her hair, and whispered into the shadows around her face. Her hair floated around her head, and her face was exposed to the morning light. The cool breeze upon her face, made her blink and continue to look up to the sky above. The blue, uncannily empty sky.

She sighed, but when she breathed in, she breathed - smoke - smoke that tasted horrid. She looked down to see the bus, sitting waiting for her. Her heart leaped, she wondered how long the bus had been waiting. She also noticed, that it must've waited awhile because the other attendants had already boarded. She ran towards the bus, which in turn left before she reached it. Blinking, she watched the bus drive past her. The yellow, chipping paint flashed before her eyes in only a few seconds. She cursed the ground and watched the bus drive even further away.

She shook her head, as to figure out if what she saw was real. It seemed to be. It was. She turned, and without a second thought, she started walking home. Walking slowly, she looked up - she looked up and out. She looked at the plants that surrounded her the way home.

But, halfway, her music glitched, and fell out. The music gone, left a hole where the lyrics had been. She looked down, and it was not the scrolling words she saw, but a face - that was so familiar. Her brownish-blondish hair was completely a mess, but it still bordered her muddied face. Her makeup was smudged, and her mascara ran below her eyes. Her eyes where dull behind her thin lashes. Her small nose had mud spewed across it. Upon her left cheek was a line of dried blood. The blood was long clotted, and was long dried. She wondered what struggle Paige had gone through. Sabra stopped walking, as the view panned out, and Sabra saw Paige was hanging. She was hanging, her wrists chained to the top of what looked like the inside of an eighteen wheeler. At this point, Sabra had stopped walking, she was halfway between her house and the bus stop. She stopped and was now staring down upon her player.

The wind swirled around her, whisking at her clothing, and once again pulling at her hair. The birds, sitting in the surrounding trees, chirped happily. All of the other animals in the surrounding areas seemed to go about their business, as if she was not there. The honey bees, stopping from flower to flower, their back legs brimming with bright yellow pollen. Butterflies followed suite, but showed off their flashy wings in the bright sunlight. Ground-hogs where out nibbling on the ends of grasses, and bright flowers.

The girl, Paige in which that seemingly stared out at Sabra let out a shrill scream as a knife was held to her throat.

[You are afraid... Already?] said the still distorted voice, static hung around this voice - as the bees where drawn to attractive flowers.

Paiges eyes went round, as the shadow appeared in front of her. Her eyes - round - in wonder, and she spoke no words, rather her lips where pressed even tighter together.

[Afraid?] The voice asked again, and drew the knife away from her throat, and brought it back to her cheek. Placing it against her skin, the hand paused. Pausing none after this, he pulled the knife across her cheek. Reopening the existing wound, and blood ran anew. Blood ran over the dried blood that had already existed, and had dried. He pressed harder against her cheek with the blade, and she grimaced - but did not make a sound. Blood dripped down her cheek. Paige bit her lip. Running the bloody knife down her face once more, the shadow brought the knife to under her chin. Under the chin, where the bone was not. Before he cut into her skin, the shadow brought the knife over her tender skin. Once more he teased her skin, with the blunt side of the knife. And once more she tried to inch away from the knife.

"Why?" Asked Paige, the word seemed forced, quite painfully through her teeth. The shadow seemed to stop, and to listen to her words. "Why - Are you doing this to people?"

['To people'] Said the distorted voice.

"You murdered Tiffany - Didn't you?" She said with forceful words, her eyes strong behind the mud.

[Tiffany?] He said more than questioned. [Names mean nothing to me.] Said the distorted voice, he drew the knife away from her face. The knife, out of view, he brought a razor-blade to her face. [Was she as pretty as you?] The warped voice asked, bring the razor blade over her nose, leaving a nasty gash. The blood pouring down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them again.

"As pretty as me?" Paige asked, looking up at her torturer. She paused for a moment, looking at the razor blade that was so near her face. "She was even more so."

The staticed voice chuckled. He brought her hand around, pushing her hair back behind her ear. And with one smooth motion, he brought the razor blade into her ear, and drew it through her skin, towards the front of her face. The wound was gaping, and oozed blood more so.

Touching her hair again, the voice said, [You take so good care of your hair...] With this he took a hand full of her hair, and brought the razor through it. Her hair roughly was cut off, at where he held it. She squeezed her eyes shut. [beautiful now?] The voice laughed - a laugh that was not strange to Sabra. The hand then threw the hair down, the hair floated softly to the bottom of the truck.

Her clothes, Sabra noticed, where perfectly clean - no mud had gotten on to them. The cotton white t-shirt that held her body perfectly was stainless, and her straight-legged jeans where tight against her body. Her shoes, which where hanging loosely from her feet, where even quite clean except for a bit of loose hanging mud clots. Her jewelry around her neck, was also, perfectly arranged and was perfectly around her neck. And it seemed that the shadow was also taking notice of these things.

He drew the razor blade up to her neck, and cut off her jewelry. This amazed Sabra because her jewelry was a thin gold chain, a few big beads that where on a lace thread. With out hesitating, the shadow threw her beads on the floor. They hit the floor in a loud rapping noise. Paige looked down upon him, or perhaps her eyes where just closed, tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

[How do you stay this skinny? It's unnatural.] Said the voice, bring the razor blade to a bit below her underarm. Paige did not even open her mouth, to answer his comment. She just grimaced. Blood was now pouring down her neck, like thin red paint. He brought the dagger deep into the side of her ribs, and bore down to her waist. Her shirt was cut through, but it did not move, and became instantly soaked in the not rare, red liquid.

Breathing shorter breaths now, Paige looked on. "You are going to kill me, aren't you?" She asked, looking - with difficulty down upon the shadowed man.

[Kill you,] Said he, and brought the razor blade around - as if to question where he was going to cut next. But, the razor did not linger in any one place. He bore down the front of her chest, opening a nothing but gaping wound. Cutting below her chest, he made a cross. A blood cross. Blood poured from the massive wound, and Paige herself knew she was going to bleed to death.

Blood bubbled to her mouth and oozed out the corner. She looked straight at the camera, and said, "I will only die for the one I love. Derek." Her eyes lost the spirit they held, and her head lolled forward. Her wounds, died her shirt red, and continued down her pants.

Down her face, the blood followed, and rolled down her face, making her neck look completely red.

Sabra was pulled back to reality, as the scene before her dissapeared in a flash of redness. Sabra was pulled back to reality so fast, she felt dizzy or perhaps she just felt dizzy because she knew the girl whom was killed. She had seen her smile, she had seen her eyes look at her lover.... Sabra felt her stomach heave, and began to run back home. She ran recklessly back home, her steps misguided. Her hair streamed behind her like a dark river, attached to her head. Her eyes where wild, and looked about with astonishment. Her earbuds hang halfway from her ears, and her mind was jumbled.

She tore into the house, throwing her backpack down, without even stopping she tore across the house. She pulled the door open to the bathroom, and threw herself to the floor. Hanging her head over the toilet, her stomach revolted. She did not vomit, her stomach refused to let go of her breakfast. Her stomach cringed again, and she slumped against the wall of the bathroom. Sighing she looked around, a sink and a box where the only two things in the bathroom. A mirror above the sink, shined brightly - reflecting the lights from above. She blinked away from the blinding light, and slumped harder against the wall. She slid down the wall, and ended up on the floor of the bathroom. Lying in the fluffy rug on the floor in the bathroom, she wondered if her mother had left yet.

Thinking she probably had, she laid there long, thoughts of nothingness swimming through her head. She felt lost, lost in the world she knew so much about, yet now she felt as if she knew nothing. The colors of her life, swam in her head. They swam around so quickly, in such unison, she didn't know what to think of anymore. She didn't know what was what, and which way she should head towards. She became lost, in all of the colors, she became incredibly confused.

Give me love,

Give me love,

Give me peace on earth,

These lyrics made the colors of her eyes realign. She blinked as her vision came back to her, her stomach settled and she looked around. She was still lying on the floor in her bathroom, the rug keeping her from laying on the cold tile below. She reached out, and with the delicate pads of her fingertips, she stroked the floor in front of her. The cold smooth tile, tickled her senses. Placing her whole hand upon the tile, she felt the coldness reach through her whole hand. The sensation was refreshing - though she did not know why. Placing her other hand, next to this hand on the tile floor - she pushed her self up.

Back against the wall, the movement was oddly refreshing. She used the wall as a back support as she rose to her feet. The movement got oxygen to her brain, which made dots appear in her eyes. She rubbed her face with her soft fingertips, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked fine, though quite pale - though she did not notice this until she looked a bit longer. Looking a bit longer, she also noticed the dark circles that lingered under her eyes. She wiped at them with her fingers, as to wipe them away with a single finger. They lingered, but more as she drew her finger away. Her eyes lingered on her appearance for moments more, and then she pulled away from the mirror, and walked out of the bathroom. She turned the light off behind her, and then walked slowly into the kitchen. Discarding her shoes in the middle of the kitchen, she placed her bare feet upon the tile in the kitchen. The coldness stung her pale feet, looking down upon her toes - she wiggled them.

Deciding that she couldn't sit in her kitchen, watching her toes wiggle all day she looked around. She grabbed the landline, and held it in her hand. Looking down upon the thick phone in her hand, and the glowing buttons. Thinking for a second, she dialed Syds cell-phone number. Dialing it slowly, as she thought of the numbers, she finished the sequence of number by pressing the send button.

Placing the cold receiver against her ear, she sighed as she herd it ring. She shrill ring, sounded in her bare ear. She listened to it ring again, and then again the ring sounded. Then his voice sounded on the other line,

"Sabra?" Said this voice,

"Hey, Syd." She said, glancing around the room. "You at school?"

"Yes, what's the matter, babe?" His voice was sober, and sincere.

"Nothing, I was just looking for a ride." Sabra said sighing, she almost pulled the phone away from her ear. Then she thought for a moment. "Oh, was uh... Paige there today?"

"Paige?" Asked the boy on the other line. There was a pause, complete utter silence on the other line. Sabra stood there patiently, staring off in the distance - as if she was watching her phone conversation. "Paige - I'm not sure. I missed the bus this morning." He said,

"Oh, okay." Sabra whispered into the phone. Her voice quite, and her mind wondering.

"Is there anything I can help you with, babe?" He paused, and then added, "I just kinda walked out of the classroom here."

"No, no." Said Sabra, she didn't want to keep him from his free education. "I'll see you sometime."

"Alright, bye." He said, and she heard him remove the phone from his ear and click it off.

Sighing she stared at the floor. She would probably have to walk, and she didn't mind walking, but it took so much longer to walk - then to just get a ride. Grabbing her socks, shoes and a soda, she made her way out the door.

Taking the 'back' way took her an hour, but the regular way took twenty minutes shorter - but she enjoyed the humming nature around her, of the 'back' way. She breathed in the sweet sent of blooming flowers, and she opened her eyes to take in the fresh colors of the green leaves, and the vibrant colors of the pristine sky above her, and the bright flowers around her.

The grass crunched loudly below her feet, as she walked down a grassy lane. On both sides of her where white painted fences. The paint upon the wooden fences, was chipped and old. The grassy lane ended to a powerful street, and in contrast a few mainstreet stores.

She walked through a alleyway, squeezed between two buildings. Stepping over a bit of trash, she ignored the mold that grew on the side of the two brick buildings. As Sabra exited to the other side, she looked around to the familiar welcoming shops of the little street. The fronts of the brick buildings where adorn with wood arches, and glass doors to welcome wandering guests. A chocolate shop stood to her right, and to her left was a small coffee shop, and further left was a small pizza shop, and even further left was an even smaller antique store. She smiled and walked a few feet into the coffee shop. The brown carpet, and the the cold air welcomed her. Smiling into the air-conditioning, she looked around.

The small coffee shop was jammed with big fluffy chairs, small round tables with chess boards on them, and a wide variety of antique looking art-work, that hung from the walls in such a mysterious way. The fat chairs that overdosed on cotton sat in the corners, and beside the natural colored chairs where small coffee tables. Only two other people sat in the coffee shop, both deep into their books. A musical-artist sat at a microphone in the corner. In his arms was a sleek acoustic guitar.

This boy looked about twenty-one, his dark hair falling into his face. His pale features where hidden by a shadow, as he sang down into the microphone. His hands strummed the guitar with light fingers, his spindly fingers working the strings' magic. The magical notes were amplified by the hollow belly of the instrument. His voice whispered into the microphone seemed to sound perfect in contrast to the beautiful guitar playing. The words of his song, was purely his own, his written music sat next to him.

"Hey Gabe!" She said to the boy, as the bell tinkled behind her. Walking back to the back of the coffee shop, she threw herself into her favorite stuffed chair. Gabe nodded in hello to Sabra. Sabra smiled back, and settled herself deeper into the chair.

The chair was comfortable, and she sank quite low into the cushions of the fluffy chair. As she closed her eyes, and took out her earbuds, and listened to the live music.

"Hey, Sabra! Can I get anything for you?" Sounded a very feminine voice, She opened her eyes and looked at the regular waitress. When the coffee shop got slow, in times like these - in the middle of the day, they had waitresses. But, when times sped up there were no waitresses, it was just like a regular coffee shop and you ordered at the register.

Looking up at the perfectly make-uped face before her, she smiled. The uniform that adorn her body, was a simple black polo and tan pants. She held a small notepad in her hands.

"Um... I suppose a latte would be fine." Sabra said, with a smile present upon her face. When the waitress walked away, the musician Gabe, finished his song. Ending it on a long, sad note, Sabra leaned into it. Closing her eyes. When the note faded into the distance, a long vibrating sad note.

"Hey, Sabra." He said, as he pushed the microphone away. His voice was soft and low, his eyes shown a soft dull light, as they looked into hers.

"Hey, Gabe. Been doing anything new lately?" She smiled at him,

He placed his guitar on the guitar stand next to his chair. Rubbing his hands together, and pressing his fingers into his palms as if pain had been residing in them. His clothing sagging on his body, he stood and answered her question. "Ah. No, I really haven't." Stretching his legs, he sat back down and gently placed his guitar back into his lap. "You want to hear anything special?" he said and winked at her in a very friendly way.

"You know what I enjoy most." She said, and smiled. She practically was a regular to this coffee shop on weekends, and it seemed to her that they had the same people present no matter the day.

Gabe started the song, with slow - soulful strumming. He brought his long thin hands, down upon the metal strings of the guitar. The sound it made was pure beauty, vibrating through the air. As the sound reached Sabras ears, she leaned back into the soft chair. Her head resting upon the soft fabric, that coated the fluffiness of the chair. The music brought Sabras soul to a peace. She felt herself slipping away, the music placing her upon a raft, drifting into an ocean of vibrating waves of beautiful sound. She was stranded, but stranded she loved.

When she opened her eyes, her latte was sitting on the coffee table next to her - cold. She rubbed her eyes, and wonder how long she had slept. In her dreams, were beautiful, soulful singing, music making her mood - soar above the clouds. She looked around, trying to figure out how long she had been out. There were five people in the room, enjoying Gabe's constant singing.

She looked at Gabe, he was indeed still singing. A few empty bottles of water sat at his feet, and he looked a bit tired.

Sipping her cold latte she enjoyed his music once again. But, figured she must be getting home. She placed money upon the coffee table, and with latte in hand she walked out the doors, smiling, and waving back at Gabe. He nodded to her, and she turned fully and walked through the door - bells tinkling merrily behind her.

She arrived, late at home. Three hours after school would've gotten out. As she walked into the house, her shoes scraping the tile floor. Discarding her shoes in the middle of the clean mud-room, she walked into the kitchen. The first thing she saw, was the mad face of her mother. Her brows where furrowed as she stood next to the island table. She placed her hand, rather hard on the counter-top before her.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Her mother said, her pink lips pressed together in an angry sort of way. Her normally beautiful face, was furrowed and full of wrinkles - as if she had been standing there for hours.

"Uh-" She started, but was interrupted,

"When I got a call from the school, saying you where sick - I thought you'd be at home. But, when I arrived home to find you, you where not here...." She looked at her with intense eyes. As to finish the sentence with her eyes alone.

"Sorry." Sabra shrugged,

Her mother huffed, breathing in and out in two quick breaths - in a mad way. "That is not a meaningful apology!" Her mother said, huffed over to her in an angry way. She grabbed her arm and said, "To your room, and you'll be lucky to go anywhere this weekend!" Her mother forcefully shoved her up the stairs, and watched her climb the rest.

Sabra looked back at her mother with big eyes, as if those eyes alone would change her mind - but they did not. She walked slowly up the stairs, her head down. Opening the door to her room, she looked around. It was not messy, but it was not particularly clean. She closed the door behind her, and threw herself upon her bed.

Though she had not thought of doing anything this weekend, the thought of being stuck in her room all weekend did not appear positively in her mind. She felt as if she was caught, her room, even though large - seemed to get smaller before her eyes. She felt like a caged animal, and the bars kept getting closer. She covered her head with her hands.

"Ahg." She said, and then rolled over, to be staring at her music player. Attaching her music player to the bigger speakers, she turned it on.

See the animal in his cage that you built

Are you sure what side you're on?

Better not look him too closely in the eye

Are you sure what side of the glass you are on?

The man's voice, sang out into her empty room. Leaving her soul, a small pigment on the window. For a few seconds she felt unattached to her soul, she felt as if her soul was ripped from her body - and lent to the music itself. Then when she was torn back to the music, and she felt quite depressed - and depressed for a reason she herself did not understand.

She just laid there, as if she couldn't move. Her limbs, as heavy as lead, and her thoughts heavier. She closed her eyes, and she did not know it - but she fell into a fitful sleep. A fitful, nightmare filled unwanted sleep.

She turned and twisted in her sleep, visions of blood, and decay upon her eyelids. Her face twisted in agony, and her limbs twisted beneath her, she woke in a cry of pain as her arm became totally twisted beneath her body.

Pulling her limb free, she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Her limbs hurt as a whole, and the sleep she had just awoken from was everything, but refreshing. As she stretched her arms, and legs - but they hurt more as she did so. Her mind hurt in an emotional way, as if every time she thought, a more physical pain shot through her body. Twitching in pain, she sat up straight. Her clothes wrinkled, and distorted, she had to tug at them to make them fit her right again.

She felt horrid, every single inch of her, even the inside of her body wanted to squirm, in pain. She could not stand, with out her legs causing her pain. She sat back down. She looked around, and shrugged. She looked at her bedside table, and a thought struck her mind. Digging through the stuff in the drawer, she found another baggy filled with crudely rapped cigarettes. Walking, with a odd limp over to the window, she looked out it. The night was beautiful. The stars sone with such a beauty, and the moon holding on next to them. She stared at the sky for a bit longer, and then pulled the window open. Following the window, she pushed the screen up too.

The night air, easily breezed through her room. The humidity was low, and the night air which smelled quite bittersweet in her nose. Tickling her skin, the cold air made her feel better. Kneeling at the totally open window, she pulled out a lighter and one out of the baggy. Placing it upon her lips, she lit it easily - even in the billowing night air. Breathing in deeply, the sparks upon the end of the paper glowed brightly. She exhaled out her nose, slowly, and watched the smoke billow from her nostrils. She watched as the smoke curled around the widow pane, and up into the ceiling of her room. She watched it curl around the ceiling, and then watched as it slowly dissipated into the ceiling.

Breathing in once more, she let the sweet-smelling smoke curl around in her lungs. This time when she breathed out, she leaned out the window. The watched the smoke curl up towards the brightly glowing night sky. Looking at the roof below her window, which curved down immensely to the the earth 25 feet below. This drop made her feel dizzy. She leaned further out the window, and breathed out again, the smoke curling around herm and then out the window.

She leaned out the widow, looking at the land below. The light that leaked through her window, bathed the lawn below. It was late in the night - or early in the morning, but either way the grass was lightly coated in the morning dew - reflecting the electronic light. Breathing out a lung full of smoke, she looked back up to the stars - to see the smoke curling up towards the heavens once again. Flick the bud towards the lawn below, she grabbed another, and lit it up. Breathing in once more, she watched the flame flair.

Leaning heavily against the windowsill now, she gazed around. She ignored the sky now, and thought of nothing. Her mind was full of this sweet smelling smoke. Her limbs where light, and her body felt no pain. She looked down at her toes, wiggling them - she giggled to herself. A few moments later, she decided that she needed to get the rest of her night sleep. Throwing the rest of what she had in her hands away, she groped her way out of her room, and down the hallway. In her bathroom, she grabbed the pill bottle. Instead of pouring a few into her hand in the bathroom, she brought the whole bottle back with her to her room.

Sabra sat on her bed, the bottle open, as she stared down at the little blue pills. Her head was not swimming with thoughts, as she poured four into her hand and took them blindly. Without replacing the cap she placed the bottle next to her music station. Getting up, once only to turn off the light, she fell soundlessly back into her bed - fully clothed still.

She woke up, hours later to the ring of her alarm clock. Slamming it off, she felt sick. She felt really sick, her stomach swimming in her throat, she ran down the stairs. Throwing the door open to the bathroom, she didn't hesitate to throw her head over the toilet. Emptying her stomach, she gripped her sides - as if to stop the revolt: no avail.

Stomach totally empty, she leaned against the shower in agony. Tears glistening in her eyes, she supported her self, as if without support she would fall over. Her side against the shower, the bathroom swam around in her eyes. She felt sick again, but she knew that she had nothing left in her stomach, to vomit. Picking herself up, she decided that she aught to lay down somewhere. But, she didn't get far - as to she picked herself up, and instantly fell over and lay on the fluffy rug on the bathroom floor. She cursed to herself, and pulled at her sides. She didn't move, and got comfortable on the floor. Curling in a ball, she brought her knees up to her chin. Rubbing her nose into her clothed knees - she still wore the same clothing as yesterday - she had not changed. She breathed in deeply, but her lungs revolted - she coughed. Coughing hard, her ribs shook.

She did not know how long she lay there on the floor. She had no idea how long she sat there with her knees to her chin. She only noticed her mother looking down upon her when her mother did one of those ever annoying polite coughs. She looked up, with out moving her head. Her hair a mass of oil surrounding her face.

Her mother was showered, and looking perfect like always. She looked down upon Sabra with the weirdest eyes. "Are you okay...Sabra?" She asked, kneeling down next to her child, looking into her eyes.

"I'm not feeling too well." Sabra forced out, her chest hurting massively. Her stomach hurt, and was empty. Her lungs seemed to feel as if they where going to shrivel and die. She cringed again from talking, and hugged her sides.

"Aw... Babe, you look horrible." Her mother said, and reached out with one of her sensitive hands and stroked her daughters face.

Sabra opened her mouth to say something of the such, but all that came out was a sigh or a grunted sight. She coughed, and rolled away from her mother's touch.

"Here, Sabra - let me help you to your room." she said, and then put her arms around Sabra, and helped her to her feet.

The room instantly swam in a sea of nausea around Sabra. She gripped her stomach, and got use to the motion. After she had gotten use the room around her, she took her mother's hold and leaned upon her mother. Sabra's mother lead her up the stairs and tucked her back into her bed. "I'll go get you some tea, and perhaps some soup." Said her mother, looking down upon her sick child. "And then I must be off to work."

Sabra nodded, but she didn't think she could eat the soup, without her seeing it a second time. But, when her mother arrived back with soup in one hand and a big mug of soothing Chamomile tea in the other, she accepted them both. She placed the soup on the bedside table, and held the tea in her hands - staring at the blank wall before her. She watched her mother leave, knowing that she did, indeed need to go to work. She said bye, with a lung of empty air. Her mother kissed her on the cheek, and left slowly. Sabra slowly enjoyed her tea. She felt better after drinking the strong liquid. Her mind felt clear, and her muscles felt relaxed.

After finishing off her tea, the cup still smelling of the strong liquid, she placed it on the table besides her. She rolled over, and grabbed a book. The book she held in her hand was an enjoyable read - and would keep her amused for the rest of the day.

- - - - -

Her mother did not let her out the rest of the weekend, and Sabra paced the grounds of her room over and over so. The carpet endured her constant walking, and her mind did not get much thinking done - even though she had all weekend, and that's what she intended doing. But, her mind didn't allow her to think of anything that she wanted to, and just became a torrent of unwanted thoughts. Her feet where covered in rug burns, that she ignored.

She felt perfectly fine, when her alarm-clock awoken her on Monday.

Her eyes opened, and with wide eyes she looked at the buzzing alarm clock. The buzz rang through her ears, and she stood. She stood, and took a deep breath. Reaching out she turned off the buzzing. Silence rang through her room, as it had moments before the clock had emitted it's buzzing. She grabbed a towel and went down the stairs to shower.

For some reason, the shower would not heat. She was forced to take a cold shower. The cold water, cascading down from the shower head, was not cold enough to numb her body - but it was cold enough to make her shiver. She rushed, washing her hair, and washing her body even more. Soon after, she stepped out of the shower, and toweled herself off. The air conditioning vent on the ceiling seemed to produce warmer air then the shower water. She looked up at it, as she scrubbed at her hair - trying to dry it a bit more.

Walking back to her room, she had already decided what she was going to wear. Opening her door, and turning on the light, she looked around. She easily found her pants, but more hardship was to come, in order to find her shirt. She dug through her dresser, pushing unwanted clothing aside - only to find another shirt that she did not want. Dressing in it anyways, she sighed and combed her hair. Not pausing to put on makeup, she ignore the eyeliner and foundation, as she walked down-stairs to continue on with her usual morning.

Sitting on the bus, she ignored all around her - and listened to her music. She did not look up, to see the gothic Isabella to be not sitting in her usual spot.

We are hopeless and slaves to our fears

We're an accident called human beings

Her music rang endlessly through her mind, she did not think this morning - and nor did she act. She seemed to be in no mood to talk to the annoyance of a boy next to her. She also did not notice the difference in the route the bus driver took this morning - for the construction zone on the road, shoved them into a detour.

Sabra just sat there, blindly staring into the face of her player, until the bus came to a halt in the front of the brick faced building she would be residing in for the next seven hours. Walking off the bus, with her player in her hand, she looked up to see someone holding the door for her. She looked not at their face - but at their feet, and continued to walk through the doors.

She continued on to find where their social circle usually stood, but only one stood there. Sabra stopped, as she saw the only smiling face of the social circle. It was Syd.

Dropping her player, the earbuds ripped from her ears, and she ran to the girl's bathroom. She flung open the door to the nearest stall and lost her breakfast. Wiping off her face, with the back of her hand, she thought about the bathroom around her. She hated the run down stalls, some missing hinges. She hated the cracked mirrors, and the single coated cement floors. Her stomach churned again, and she gagged. Nothing, this time, and she dropped her back pack.

Breathing hard, she didn't know what to do. She looked around, the bathroom walls, seemed to rise menacingly overhead. She breathed harder, and ran her hands down her face. Pushing her thin fingers into her soft face, nothing seemed to bring back reality. Derek is not here. She thought, and took off out of the bathroom. Derek is always in school, no matter how ill. She thought, and took off out through the main entrance.

Sabra knew where Derek lived, he live close - and every morning he walked to school. Sabra ran all the way to his house. She stood in his front lawn for five minutes, staring up at the front of his house. She didn't know what she was going to say. She didn't know what she was going to do, and she really didn't care.

With a shaking hand she walked up to the front door, a gigantic green, monstrous thing. Her hand shook, as she went to knock upon it, and with effort she forced herself to. There where a few seconds of silence and then foot steps. The door was pulled open to reveal a rather large, burly man. His hair a mop upon his head, and his eyes appeared out from underneath.

"Yes?" He said, his voice rather small for the size of his body.

"Uh. Your son - Derek?" She stared, her voice shaky, and she knew not what to say.

"Yes, what about my son?" He asked, his eyes from beneath his hair - quizzical.

"Is he.. here?" Sabra asked, her knees shaking now.

"Yes. He's sick today, rather sad from his girlfriend's rather tragic death." Said his father, these words where like a blow with a lead brick to Sabra's head.

"C-Can... I see him?" She asked, her vision threateningly spinning around her.

"I suppose... He's in his room." Said Derek's father, as he moved out of the way, to let her enter. He pointed up some rather large stairs. As his father started walking back into the other room, he said, "First door on the left - and what are you doing out of school anyways?"

As she climbed the stairs with a quickening pace, she couldn't think of an excuse, so she just kept her mouth shut. Hesitating before the first door on the left, she held out her hand. Her hand lingered over the brass door knob. Clenching her jaw, she grabbed the door and flung it open. A bed appeared in front of her, the sheets distraught. To her left there was an open closet, that she could not see into from this angle. There was a bookshelf beyond the closet, and to the right of the bookshelf a dresser. By any means, this room looked completely normal.

Where could Derek be? She wandered, walking into the room. As the closet came into view she did not wonder this anymore. For his body hung limp from the rack above. Around his neck was a noose. A noose in which he did not resist. His face seemed peaceful enough. Walking closer, with a hand over her mouth, sabra heard a crunch beneath her foot. She looked down to see a note with inscribed in Derek's own handwriting:

I cannot live without My Love...

Not moving, Sabra noticed that Derek was indeed not wearing a shirt, and upon his chest was a carving - in which Sabra guessed was of his own hand.

Paige

This was carved upon his chest, in what looked like strokes that he continued over and over - a labor, which seemed so deep. Sabra gagged, she felt as if she was going to throw-up again. But, she knew that there was nothing present in her stomach, so there fore she could gag all she wanted, and nothing would turn up.

She knew she would have to leave, and she did so quickly. Sprinting down the stairs, she ran into his father. Tears upon her eyes, Sabra said, "You might want to go check on your son." And sprinted back out the door. She ran as long as she could, taking all of the back roads, as to save her tears for herself. She sprinted for more than an hour, for more than an hour and a half.

Finally coming to a complete stop - her legs aching, and her hear pulling upon her chest. She couldn't take another step. Yet, she forced herself to. She couldn't face calling her mother. She couldn't face calling anyone else either. She knew it would take long hours to walk home. Perhaps half the day.

She stopped on mainstreet, to grab a coffee and to think over what she had just encountered with sweet sounding music. Losing herself in the same chair, this time she did not make contact with Gabe. She did not want to make contact with anyone, in fear that she would start crying once more. She couldn't take explaining her sorrow, she couldn't take the people's looks of comfort. She didn't want comfort, she didn't want their helping hands. She wanted to be alone.

After gathering herself back up, and tossing her empty coffee out, she headed back home. By the time she would arrive home, she knew it would be late - and she did not want to encounter her mother, so she did not know what to do.

Standing out side of her house. She started at the door in front of her. Not wanting to open it, she placed her hand upon it. As if to test it first. She opened it slowly, not making a sound... Perhaps her mother would not notice her. Perhaps her mother was already asleep. She walked in the door, once again discarding her shoes, she walked slowly into the kitchen. There was no awaiting anger, there was no mad face of her mother. She was relieved.

Entering her room, she discarded her clothing into a corner, and got dressed for bed. The moment she finished putting on her night pants, she threw herself upon her bed. There was no music to comfort her, there was nothing.

Dereks limp body, flashed through her mind. His thick blood running down his chest, from his many wounds... She blinked, and rolled over. On the other side of her, was the lifeless face of Paige, blood bubbling from her mouth. She blinked again, and rolled over once more - to face her bedside table. She grabbed the bottle of sleeping pills, and poured an unaccounted amount upon her hand. She swallowed the unknown amount of pills dry. She turned over to stair at the ceiling, to wait for the moments to pass. They did so slowly, when she noticed her eyelids where not falling upon her eyes, and she was not getting the least bit drowsy, she grabbed the bottle again. She dumped a few more pills into her palm, and then blindly took those. Placing the bottle back, upon the table, she rolled over again. Rolling over to see the bloodly murders knife. She jumped, and blinked. This time she saw the gun - blood splattered all over it's shiny surface.

She started to get a little drowsy, as she turned over again. She grabbed the bottle, and popped one final pill into her mouth - there was none left. Cursing to her ceiling, she closed her eyes. But, only to have them pulled open by a nightmarish scream, that she knew to be Steves.

As her eye lids became heavier and heavier, she looked at her hand. The mp3 player appeared back into hands. She stared down upon it, and there was Syd. His gleaming face, in her player. He was smiling like a mad man, and what he held to his lips was a blood stained knife. Sabra's eyes became heavier, and the internal sleep fell over her, and like that - the black blanket of death fell upon her, that night.