Vibrant pinks and baby blues. All have colors, but only some true.

Big doe eyes or razor sharp teeth. One can be vile while the other is sweet.

Brown spots on wings to ward off intruders. A facade of indifference to scare potential suitors.

Caterpillars form pupas to protect their change. While humans set boundaries to do the same.

Wings of all sizes emerge from their havens. People decide the parts of them worth saving.

They unfurl and show their new wings to all. Progress should be celebrated no matter how small.

Insect or mammal, no matter the being. Everything is different and time is fleeting.

Patterns can deceive and humans can lie. But the truth lies within, and never shall die.

With each storm, A piece of you leaves.

Your mural downtown, Its edges, They bleed.

Week after week, Paint chips away.

The sound of your laugh Refuses to stay.

The echo of your voice. The feel of your hand.

The warmth of your touch, Their memory like sand.

An hourglass holds What little remains.

As time passes, I still feel the same.

When the grains run out And the mural is gone.

I hope to feel better, And to finally move on.

The moon and I Used to be so close. It wasn’t a good thing. Not a brag nor a boast.

She slept with me in bed and accompanied me in the shower. She claimed that she loved me Yet took all of my power.

I grew tired of the night. We would yell and fight. She refused to change, And I took the blame.

Starved for attention, I begged to be prioritized. She left me hungry, then Labeled me as “never satisfied.”

Thunderclouds roared. Skies were opaque. Pieces of myself, She continued to take.

Stars deprived of luster. Love, I could no longer muster. I mourned for a sunny day, Finally sending the moon away.

Overcasted skies Comforted my cries. But I needed a sun And soon I had one.

My days never dull With a heart so full.

The strength of her love As she shines from above Keeps me warm in the cold. With her I want to grow old.

Five years have passed Since I have seen a night. Some days are dark But there is no moon in sight.

Like a spring flower, The light is where I bloom. But one cannot appreciate a sun If not for a moon.

Judge Thompson cleared his throat into the microphone, hushing the jabbering voices present in the courtroom.

“With this guilty verdict,” his deep voice bounced off of the wooden walls, “Ms. Vendel do you have anything you would like to say to the victim’s family and friends?”

Freshly convicted Annika Vendel stood from her seat with a satisfied smile. She clasped the button on her grey blazer and smoothed her hands down her torso. “As a matter of fact, your honor,” her smile then meeting her blue eyes, “I do.”

“Please join me at the stand,” Judge Thompson gestured to the box adjacent to him.

Annika gathered a small stack of papers from the table in front of her before using them to shield her mouth from any witnesses. She whispered something to her lawyer. Whatever she said earned her a pitiful expression before the man nodded and gestured toward the same place as the judge. Annika tapped her papers twice on the desk to align them before smoothing her blonde ponytail and taking her spot on the stand.

The hum of the air conditioner was the only sound filling the courtroom, but the tension felt like a blanket of smoke contaminating the air. Annika spread the papers out across the desktop and stared into the crowd. After a long moment, the judge piped up, "Anyday now, Ms. Vendel."

Without looking away from the first row, where her deceased lover's family sat, Annika spoke. "I would like to issue a formal apology to all who knew Jasper." Her former mother-in-law sobbed into her husband's shoulder as he held her against him. The convict noted the far-away look in Jasper’s brother’s eyes and the dark circles under his sister's. "Jasper is--was, sorry," she corrected herself with a small smirk. "Jasper was seemingly a flawless son, a perfect partner, and a genuine friend. My husband commanded the attention of every room he walked into. There was a reason that he was the star quarterback, the prom king, the town's prince." Nods of agreement rippled like a wave through the crowd. "There was always a reason for everything that he did. He was a well-thought-out man, and he was so careful." Annika allowed a moment of silence for the audience to soak in the words, probably missing their double meaning.

Judge Thompson's sharp inhale was heard through the speakers, but Annika held her hand up to cut him off. "Your honor, I am not done."

"Proceed."

Ms. Vendel nodded before continuing, "His reasons for hitting me, for example, were always because I 'didn’t know when to shut my goddamned mouth.'"

Whispers and gasps erupted from the audience as the plantiff's lawyer stood to shout, "Heresay, your honor!"

"Sit down," the Judge demanded. "Language, Ms. Vendel."

"I apologize, your honor." She batted her eyelashes at the man and turned back to her audience. "And I apologize to all of you. Jasper was a perfect man because he was a manipulative narcissist, and he was damn good at it. He fooled all of us into believing he could do no wrong, and I’m sure many of you will believe it.”

Annika honed her sights on her ex mother in law. “Mrs. Lacoste, I am sorry that your favorite son grew up to be a rapist who refused to accept the word ‘no’ from his wife. Mr. Lacoste--" His hand shot up in an attempt to silence Annika's speech. "I am sorry that your oldest son used all of those years in boxing classes against his wife. I apologize that you had to turn a blind eye to my constant bruises inflicted by your son." Annika took a sip from the untouched glass of water in front of her before continuing.

“Peter,” she looked at the victim’s brother and he now looked at her. “I’m sorry that you never had a proper male role model. I hope that you never become the abuser that your brother was nor the coward that your father is.

“And Lena,” she addressed her former sister-in-law, “I wish for you to never fall into a spider’s web the way that I did. Jasper cocooned me and fed on me then apologized when I said it hurt. After I’d believe his apologies, he’d do it all over again. Someone who loves you does not intentionally hurt you.”

For her final apology, Annika allowed the tears in her eyes to fall. “Lastly, I am so, incredibly sorry to seventeen-year-old Annika Vendel. I am sorry that you fell for a web of lies. I’m sorry that he made you promises that he never kept. It isn’t your fault for believing him when he claimed he was sorry. I am sorry for the six years of hell that you were forced to endure.” Annika paused to gather her papers that she did not glance at once.

“What I am not sorry for is cutting myself from the deadly web of Jasper Lacoste. He got what was coming to him."

Judge Thompson's gavel slammed against its sound block as his voice commanded order. Police officers blocked audience members from spewing profanities at the convicted killer. The sheriff met Annika at the entryway to the stand with handcuffs. She rose from her chair, wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled at the man. Annika clasped her hands behind her before walking backward towards the officer.

“How do you feel knowing that you further damaged a family,” the man asked while clasping the metal cuffs around Annika’s wrists.

“I feel free,” the blonde woman sighed.

When my minty spit splattered onto the ceramic of the sink, the air felt charged. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention and goosebumps coated my skin. Knowing what was to come, I stepped backward to get distance from the running water. The bathroom lit up brightly before I was submerged in darkness. A loud pop sounded from somewhere in the house and silence crept into my ears as the ever-present hum of electricity died. I finished up in the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen for breakfast in the dark. The pounding of rain on the house was occasionally overshadowed by sharp cracks of lighting and the distant rolling of thunder. Floorboards creaked beneath my weight and I stuck my pointer finger to the wall on my right. The clouds outside allowed no early morning sunlight to peek through, so I was walking blindly. As I neared the kitchen I took a detour through the last doorway which housed my study. I walked toward the corner where my desk sat and felt around its surface for my phone. A bolt of lightning provided enough light for me to grab its charger and see the tall, dark mass sitting in my desk chair. A scream escaped my throat and I yanked my phone from its charger in a haste. After sprinting back to the doorway I tried the light switch. I vocally laughed at my stupidity before using my phones’s flashlight. The purple blanket that I wrapped around myself last night sits in the exact place that I left it—on my chair. I let out a small chuckle of relief, but still couldn’t seem to shake the unease. I returned to the hallway, this time equipped with a light, and tried to rationalize what I saw to ease my panic. Shadows continued to play tricks on me before I would flash them with a beam of light and see them for what they really were. I set my phone face-down on the dining room table to light up the entirety of the kitchen. With a hankering for toast, I grabbed two slices of bread from the bag on the counter and huffed as the realization of no power hit. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich would suffice. While I stooped down to look in the refrigerator for jelly, a feeling of being preyed on washed over me. My torso reverted to its upright position, and I scanned my surroundings. Once I made a 180, the feeling increased tenfold. Sweat broke out on my palms as my heart rate spiked slightly. I was now face to face with the dark depths of the pantry. I never failed to close the door, because if I didn’t, Milo would certainly help himself to an all you can eat buffet of cat chow. A recollection of Milo’s yowls from the night before crossed my mind. I had to hold him back with my foot as I shut the door because he hadn’t eaten in three hours. Presently, in contradiction to my memories, the door stood wide open. Light seemed to be barred from entering the room because the black doorway only darkened the longer I stared into it. Without breaking eye contact with the darkness, I shut the refrigerator door and grabbed my slices of bread off of the counter. Stale sourdough for breakfast sounded just fine to me. Out of paranoia, I quickly lunged for the phone on the table before holding the light out toward the pantry. The change in angle did nothing to brighten its dark interior. A sick feeling settled in my stomach and I sped walked to the front door. I kept my phone pointed toward the living room as I threw on my shoes. It’s an old house. I told myself._ Things settle in the night._ Never enough to open securely closed doors. Anxiety consumed me and I ripped my raincoat from its hanger on the wall. After zipping it up, I grabbed at the empty corner next to the door for my umbrella. Where did I leave it? I wouldn’t leave it anywhere besides its designated bucket. It’s probably on the porch. Probably. From the small table next to the door, I collected the lanyard holding my house key and bus pass. Light noises beyond the foyer caught my attention and I paused with my hand on the doorknob to listen further. After a minute of silence, I reminded myself, _it’s your mind playing tricks. _I believed this until the sound of quick and heavy footfalls echoed from the hallway. I did not stay to find out if they truly were from my paranoid mind. Water splashed beneath my feet as I ran down my gravel driveway and reached the incredibly weathered road at the end of it. Locking the door and umbrella be damned. After jogging about a quarter of a mile on the main road, I reached the pole marking the bus stop. I took a moment to catch my breath. I tapped the screen of my phone but the water coating the glass prevented it from registering. Instead, clicking the button allowed me to see a blurry 7:36. 9 minutes until the next bus. A charged feeling rushed over me once again. The hair on my body stood on end and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to not be the target of the lightning bolt soon to come. Thunder bellowed from the clouds above, but no lightning preceded it. Rustling came from the forest behind me. I chalked it up to an animal to avoid stirring up the paranoia that I was still working on settling. I checked the time again out of both impatience and distraction. 7:39. Are you serious? Crunching replaced the rustling behind me. The sound progressively got closer. Goosebumps burned their way across my skin and a shiver violently racked my spine. It’s a curious animal. _A squirrel, maybe. A branch snapped. Heavy ass squirrel. Okay it could be a deer. Feet drug onto the concrete next to me. Try a bear. _Heavy breaths filled the space beside me, the hood of my jacket blocking my peripheral view. My own breath stopped as the rain pelting my jacket ceased its assault on me. The chorus of raindrops bounced off of whatever now covered the air above my head. My heart leapt into my throat, showing me that it was still in fact beating, though erratically. A strangled sound escaped my lips as I slowly craned my neck to look above me. Peering down at me from the black fabric were two white initials W. P. I was looking up at my own umbrella that I labeled to avoid confusion at the office. The same umbrella that was missing from its corner less than 15 minutes ago. Every muscle in my neck burned in protest as I swallowed against the dryness in my mouth and looked to my left. If i had eaten the slices of bread instead of leaving them by the front door, they would be partially digested and lying on the ground right about now. Even in the absence of light, I could see the features of the thing standing next to me. It is identical to what I saw this morning in my study, and it feels like whatever was emitting from the pantry. Its small smile barely visible against its massive form. It stood, unmoving. Its blank, white stare fixed on me despite the amount of water splattering against its face. The noisy breaths came from the air entering and exiting the hole where its nose would be. Water leaked down its face and entered the hole, but it did not to be disturbed by it in the slightest. A third eyelid slowly crept over its white irises and its smile deepened. The grip that it had on the umbrella did not falter. Why is it helping me? My phone vibrated in my hand, bringing me back to reality. Realization dawned on me that my phone had an SOS setting. Five quick clicks to the power button later and I regretted my decision. A blaring alarm accompanied each second that ticked down. With every second that passed, the monster’s smile grew another inch. As the emergency operator’s voice sounded through the speakers, I could only react with a blood curdling scream. Rows of razor sharp teeth were revealed in the creature’s grin before it began to lean closer to me. The world around me seemed to go black, locking me into a void with the thing before me. My skin began to buzz and my body succumbed to numbness. I tried to scream but found myself paralyzed. As the creature opened its jaws, I closed my eyes, forced to surrender to whatever it had planned for us.