I walked through the darkened alley way, I used to use it everyday on my way to school , because it was an easy route with little people. Now that the world was overtaken by magical beings,such as vampires,werewolves,elves etc. schools are pretty much cancelled out of fear of human kids and magical kids picking on one another. Once a kid got harassed by this kid , what was his name ? Tom falken? Yeah him. Well he harassed this werewolf kid and he completely wolfed out and started attacking a bunch of humans which triggered other werewolves and in the end everyone was hurt one or two ended up in the hospital, some vampire teenagers decided to conceal themselves in night school (which is as much for humans then it is for vampires) and when they made out with humans they would feed off of their necks and say they were only giving hickies. Long story short , we’re all homeschooled or shipped off to schools for our specific race.(which I believe is an easier target) the wind blew a strand of my golden hair into my face, ugh what a pain, I swiped it away . Two minutes later I heard a voice “hello dear” it was soft and in a whisper, it reminded me of warm golden liquid, I whipped around to see if I could see anyone, No one was there. I backed up into a wall and waited, I dared not to make a sound. Again , “what a gorgeous specimen” I could identify the voice as female , there was no one in the alley with me, it was as if the voice was floating in the air. I didn’t say a word , I was NOT going to be as dumb as the people in the horror shows, calling out for the creature , except my experience is in real life , I’m actually in danger. Something about that thrilled me , excited me even. “Shy? Oh honey no need to be shy!” The voice was getting closer but there’s no one! Not a soul! Or in my case , not a body, I felt the wind brush against my neck and ear , it tickled me a bit, I slapped my hand over my neck and gasped .” What? Are you afraid dear?” I bared my teeth in anger, this part of town is known for its impeccable safety, what was I doing here anyway? Oh right walking back to my house from my friends place, a hand reached out for me out of nowhere, I stayed put . Instead of trying to take my hand it grabbed my shoulder, a woman appeared, she had long glimmering hair and pale skin , in her 20’s I think and she had blood read lips, she smiled “your eyes are so impeccably green! Reminds me of the sea” she leaned forward in a motion to bite me , I couldn’t move, I was frozen with fear , I’m about to get bitten, the life sucked out of me , drained , instead she just slightly licked my neck , pulled back looking at me with a smile, her hands on my shoulders “what’s your name ?” She asked . “I’m Claudia “ I replied shakily , she let go of my shoulders, well Claudia , you shouldn’t be here at this time of night, you could really get hurt , I’ll walk you home , make sure you don’t get abducted , or worse, stunned I just stood there breathless, I thought I was about to die, I nodded silently , she tucked a strand of my hair back behind my elven ears , I was transformed to this if I hadn’t told you yet, when the wave of magic hit , I was turned to an elf. She looped her arm in mine and asked “which direction is your house in dear? Oh and my name is Gwen” . “ it’s in this direction Gwen “ I was still shaking , she could’ve bitten me but instead she decided to help me instead

As we approached my doorstep, Gwen turned to me and gave me a piece of paper “that’s my number , call me when your walking around in the dark again” she licked her lips and walked off , I had no words...

I took a breath, then another, I dragged my sore ridden fest up the stairs, a few at a time , staring at the floor, each step echoed in my head with a thundering boom, glistening tears slid down my face in a waterfall, no sound came of me but my breath , and the deafening sound of silence, whispers in my head trying to pull me back, back to what? I asked them , they didn’t answer me... I made it to a door ,at the end of the stairway , it’s wood cold and held firm in place by its hinges, I was like a door, I used to stand firm and tall, but I’ve lost my hinges, first I lost my dad, when I was 16 . Now, years later , I’m just consumed by all the bland , lonely suffering of a cruel city where no one , not even your own mother , cares about you. I pushed the door open, the job I had, it was the only thing keeping me from being swallowed, I had no friends, I push everyone away without even knowing, my job kept me busy , kept everything off of my mind, at night of course I stayed awake dreaming of easier, happier times, where I had friends, a lover, a dad, but now that I lost my job, everything just seems to overwhelm me. I opened my eyes, I was in the air, I did a small turn , the building I lived in was extremely tall , suck as every building in 2028 . Half the population is dead, most of the world , burnt to ashes , the government provides us with fresh tanks of air to breath. I turned mid air again, I had more control of my limbs now, is that strange? It is isn’t it . No matter, I’ll be dead soon, the sky was eerily cold, and silver wisps which looked like liquid silver flew around me in the air, a wailing sound came from the roof, not like anyone I know , stories tell of banshees wailing before a death, the silver wisps the flew around me looked like they were dancing, they got wider and brighter, eventually they covered me completely, I don’t care what happens to me at this point, my chest is too heavy to bare anymore worry, the wisps now engulfed my entire body, and nearly blinded me... I’m dead

I held tight onto Ella’s hips as we swayed on the dance floor , her green dress matching perfectly with her emerald eyes , gorgeous, is the only word I can use to describe how she looked in this perfect moment, I twirled my dress as she spun me and giggled as I returned to the steps I was taught to dance , it was my cousins wedding, a typical Saturday in this cold rainy town , surprisingly everyone loved rainy weddings here ,because we always have indoor weddings and the cold silver of the sky shimmers in the sunlight , making for a wondrous evening. The music died down and all I can remember for the next few hours , was how lucky I am to have found Ella , as we drove home from the wedding, Ella sighed every few minutes, it’s difficult for me to trust people, that’s why I’m always so quiet, I push people away by not being interesting enough for their spontaneous lives, Ella is an exception I am glad to have made, She ,Ella I mean, is always there for me , the love of my life, I’ve been hurt by people all my life and I could never trust again, or so I thought, She understands me , or at least I hope so . At home , we sat and ate dinner , I made some pasta for us, Ella’s golden hair shimmered in the kitchen light, “why don’t we ever go out anymore?” She asked, picking at her food. I stopped eating and thought for a while, I’m not comfortable in large open places, nor am I comfortable in small cramped spots , people make me anxious, I just wish that I was invisible to all man kind, except for Ella .”do you want to go out again?” I asked with my chest clamped, I know she’s a people person and I’m an introvert with absolutely NO people skills, but if she’s like to go out I’m sure I can look up a place on the Internet and find a good spot for a date , “yes, but we never seem to go out any more since last February, and it’s already April , I’m bored sitting at home , on the weekends, during the week” my chest got heavy , she’s bored? Does that mean IM boring? Does she not want to stay with me? Am I- “you don’t even say anything when I talk, why is that? I’m starting to wonder if I’m just company to keep you from going insane all alone here” I looked up at her, her eyes were on the brink of tears, her long hair just covering her face, “it’s not like that-“ I tried to say but she burst “I can’t take sitting at home on the weekends, every weekend, i feel like I’m waisting my life sitting here and going to work! IM going insane! I can’t take not being around people! I’ve stayed here with you for so long but I can’t anymore! I need to leave!” She shouted , I could feel my face draining of color, my chest thumping , with my heart going faster than usual, “are you- breaking up with me?” I asked , my breath hitching every few second, now I was on the break of tears “Yes!” She stood up and grabbed her coat , “I can’t be with you anymore! I’m sorry melody! But you just... I.. I can’t stay “ she walked towards the door, I jumped up , running after her “no please wait , please stay!” I was crying now, I know I was being selfish, asking her to stay but I needed her so much. She closed the door behind her, I ripped it open and stepped into the rain , “I’ll do anything! Please Ella just stay! I can’t bare to loose you too!” I yelled after her , she looked back ,her tears streaming down her face , I knew it was difficult for her to leave me too , I guess... she didn’t understand me... I was left standing in the rain, soaked from head to toes, with a broken heart, I was sure to never share again...

I walked down the street staring at my grey boots , the grey soil and the puddles of water from the earlier rain, my hands stuffed in my pockets and my chest heavy , just a typical day in Carsonville. I’m on my way to the shop to pick out some clothes, since the world is literally grey all I need to look for is size and pattern . (Since the world is depressed and sad no one has ever experienced happiness, and happiness is considered a myth . Since you can’t miss what you don’t know , no one complains about it or acts all broken like usual) after shopping I head down to the café, I sat in my corner sipping my latte (times seems to slip now and then or it even slows down that’s why the story has gaps) the door chimes , I looked up from my computer where I was writing an essay on the suicide rate and how it so abnormally low and stays the same (one of the greatest mysteries in the world) a girl with the biggest smile stepped in , she had wild flowers in her hair , a flowing yellow dress and sneakers, her hazel nut eyes were warm and her blond her glistening. She ordered , it seemed to take forever. The café was jam packed and my table was the only one open . She sat down , her hair seemed to flow in the air conditioning. My heart felt warm , I gripped at my chest and I had the urge to wrench my jaw and lips into an alien position, a smile... what is this feeling? Is it love? But that’s just a myth too! You can’t achieve love without happiness can you ? Yes.. yes you can... but this isn’t love , this IS happiness, the glow surrounding her, they way a single word she says can sound like a million angles blessing us with a heavenly harmony. “Hello” , a simple word used every day , it has never made me feel this way . I stared at her for what seemed like forever, eventually she stood up and walked away. The sudden rush of despair keeps upon me , like drug withdrawal, I couldn’t bare it, not for one second, not even to take a breath , I needed to be around her again , I needed her presence, I couldn’t find her , adrenaline coursing through my veins , tears in my eyes, soaking the hem of my shirt , I fell to the floor , my knees skinned , I reached into my purse , I found my switch blade that I used for protection...and ended it right there on the sidewalk... who knew that even the slightest exposure to happiness in a world as depressing as this can cause you to kill yourself . So try to make the best of things, o r the next time you feel happinesses withdrawal, you’ll make your decision, and I hope it’s to live ...

I stepped through the mirror on my living room wall , I’m on delivery duty , as in I lost a bet with my girlfriend and now have to deliver a bunch of orders from customers, mainly people order natural cough medicines and potions for healing and reliving them of stretch marks and bunions . “I’ll be back at 11 o’clock babe” I called out to the kitchen “ok, but try to be quick we still have lots of orders since Valentine’s Day is coming up!” I chuckled , Valentine’s Day was the day all girls wanted their bodies to look ‘perfect’ for their partners and in so they order all our potions that heal stretch marks and sores . I swept my hand over my ear and snapped my finger , then I patted my ear to make sure they were human again . I am an elf if I haven’t said that yet , so my ears are kinda... pointy, any way , I stepped through the portal mirror and ended up in front of house number 12 on cook street . I knocked on the door , an old looking lady stepped out wearing pajamas . Ah yes she must be the one that ordered all our healing potions, scared of death it seems. I handed her the potions, she had a great full look on her face and handed me the exact amount of money I needed. I thanked her and shuffled off through the blue hole in the air which only I could see and pass through it was like a blue ring floating in the air , I did all my deliveries and stepped through the portal once more thinking one word in my head “home” I meant to the little home like shop my girlfriend and I run but I ended up somewhere else, I stepped into a large valley with beautiful hills covered in autumn trees I looked up and saw mountains stretching far across the sky as if they were sleeping giants just bathing in the warm sunlight. And then I saw it, a large tower , I felt like I was here before , like I was just hit with nostalgia, Ive been here before! But when? The only part of my life I don’t remember was when I was with...... my mother.... I ran to the tower and saw that it was so old , vines covered it from top to bottom, as if no ones been here and took care of it in years. The gardens leading up to the gate was over run with weeds , and withered rose bushes, there was a fountain that was covered in mossy tiles and tadpoles in the water . Nature will always find a way to thrive. I brushed away a strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear , I realized that my ear was back in its natural elf self . This place neutralized the transformation spell . The gates opened and a prim and proper queen walked out , she had long flowing dark hair and a gown that reached the floor , she was tall and elegant , her gown was a sparkling blue and her crown a shimmering silver with forget me nots carved into the silver and blue gems where the petals were . Her eyes were fixed on me , then she smiled and my heart was overflowing with joy and nostalgia, this woman, no, this queen was my mother . I woke with a cold sweat , my girlfriend was next to me on her knees I was on the porch of Mr and Mrs Peters house , they were in the doorway staring down at me in shock , Emilia , my girlfriend was crying pouring potions on my throat, forehead and chest “Adora! Your awake! Omg I’m so glad your awake! It seems my magic brought back your continuousness! I’m so sorry I didn’t come with you! “ she swiped at her tears and gasped a few times before calming down , I put my hand on her cheek and smiled , “I’m ok I.. I just passed out ... that’s all” she nodded and hugged me as I sat up . “Adora I’m so sorry” she whispered to me