I had known since puberty about the insatiable hunger that resides inside my body. The hunger had followed me from infancy, slowly growing- trying to find its escape. I had grown to a dark brown hue, spotted in milky patterns and had decided that I would not allow this mysterious hunger to control me. I allowed myself to go to school, gave myself space for friends and relationships. But as I sit on these green sheets across from her, I can feel the hunger well up inside my stomach. Her midnight locks spring forward as she blurts the next question. “Okay how bout Aerosmith or Cyndi Lauper?” her smell became intoxicating as she leaned forward, waiting for the response. I couldn’t help but pause and stare at the scene infront of me, the landscape of pale milky skin, dotted in moles and freckles. Starry had been my best friend for years, but as my hunger changed, so did our relationship. Her tank top strap had come loose, exposing her naked shoulder to me. I look down at her hand and take it into mine. The sun had set ages ago, and I wondered why I hadn’t left with the sun. I absorb myself into the contrast of our skin, the neapolitan mixes of browns and whites and pinks. “Do you wanna kiss?” she says bluntly The question leaves spots of heat across my face, my eyes sprint to hers in shock. She’s smirking and there’s touches of teasing and a huge fire of desire in her huge hazel eyes. Sensing no sign of embarrassment, mine shrivels away and I smirk back at her, unable to identify whether the feeling leading me was lust or pure hunger. I raise my self above her, and I slowly pull a loc of her black hair behind her ear, and then slowly tracing her neck with my finger “I don’t think you know what it is that you’re asking for.” I barely recognized myself, I had become an amalgamation of all the romcom monsters I had ever seen. “I..I want it” I heard a shriveled squeak from underneath me. I had forgotten to look at the face under me. Her pale skin had turned pink, and her booming confidence had vanished from sight, leaving her behind to deal. Her eyes had grown darker and wider as they looked up at me, she seemed so docile like this. I smile and I kiss her lips gently, then remove her other strap and I kiss her shoulder, gently sinking my teeth into her- not alot but just enough. This felt necessary, although I had never done anything quite, like this. She squealed from underneath me, so I remove my teeth and look at her response, I had let myself get carried away and I had to face the face of truth. She looked melted underneath me, no sign of hate or disgust. I giggle, her brow furrows.
“Hey! I’m right here Nicole!” she pouts and crosses her arms. I notice blood coming from the spot on her shoulder, I rush to clean it, licking her blood from her reddened skin. The crimson tasted sweet and salty. I look at her in her eyes “You’re so beautiful star, I- I didn’t mean to giggle- you just changed fast” She turns an unnatural shade of red “So did you..” she whispers, head hung in shame. I kiss her forehead, explaining there was nothing wrong with how either of us replied, I tuck her in and lay beside her, glaring out the ice covered window. After moments of silence I hear a voice from the other side of the bed. “Nicole… are you still awake?” I hear her soft breathing slow as she waits for a response “Yes Starry, I’m still awake.” She flips her entire body towards me aggressively and I do the same. “Nicole.. are we still friends even after today?” she looks down in embarrassment. “Star, nothing could break us up, not even a kiss” “what about a bite?” she giggles I roll my eyes at her comment, her not knowing the weight of her comment “not even a bite” I decided from this moment on that she was mine.

“Man or monster?” Read the sign in huge blocky letters, All of the lights in my brain rang to walk away, But I knew I had to see the grotesque scene, I sat in the circle-shaped tent alone waiting while my leg bobbed up and down in anticipation, My mind began to wonder what he would act like, would he diminish himself solely for this show? Was he always acting in this manner? “INTRODUCING!!!!!! THE ONE!!!! THE ONLY!!!!!!! MAN OR MONSTER!!!! IS HE A MAN??? IS HE AN ABOMINATION???” My mind comes back after hearing those words, I was ready to see him. Out came a cylindrical cage covered in a wine-colored cover- the cage didn't appear to be shaking, And the silence coming from up there kept me mute Finally The ringmaster removes the wine cover to reveal a shriveled human, Its bones peaked under its transparent skin littered with veins, Its mouth is the color of dried blood and its body is hunched in an unhuman scene Its overgrown hair covered its downwards-faced complexion The ringmaster snaps for him to look up to the crowd The glimmer of astonishment in my eyes changed to disgust as I recognized his eyes as my own, I look down in shame at the twisted, emaciated mirror image in front of me, When does a man become a monster?

I run my finger over the jagged side of the natural object that had resided in my hand for weeks, The medium-sized milky sediment revealed shades of blue and purple under the buzzing overlight, my eyes began to weaken as my thumb slowly began to numb over the pebble, and the nothing feeling spread through my veins as I looked to the wall-sized “mirror” placed in front of me, I wonder if they can see the sparkling mass in my palm, I hope the reflection of hues has distracted their eyes from the brushstrokes of my soul, As the paralyzing feeling finally covers my body my fingers release and the mineral clanks across the floor in a melodic fashion, Goodbye beaming uv ceiling light, Goodbye rickety metal chair, Goodbye strangers across the glass, Goodbye, little pebble, My eyes divert from inward back to the pebble, I feel my heart slow as warmth begins the fill my cheeks, How could something so small take up so much space in my heart?