Madness. That’s all there is to know about Alice as she hides herself within the fortress of her own mind — away from the judgement of the prying eyes of those around her; away from world’s reality. A whirlwind of emotions seems to be clawing at her from the inside that causes such a deranged look on her face to form. The voices never stop, they never do. She wants to escape, yet she felt so chained up. The darkness of her own mind was all she knew; it was all she held on to — darkness was the closest thing she’d feel as home.

The anger and hurt have become too much to bear as her eyes twitched. She wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all together. The bags under her eyes an indication to what she’s deprived of. She was sick of these walls — she was sick of feeling so suffocated. Every day was the same old cycle.

In the dead of the night, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The intoxication throughout her system helped her forget for a while until she would sober up— until the pain hit her all over again. She’s lost hope of ever having someone understand her. They’re all the same. She tells herself that there’s not even an ounce of such hope, yet she’s still here. As much as she wanted to tell herself otherwise, deep down she knew that she couldn’t just fall into the path of despair. This was not how she wanted her story to go. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but who cares? She held onto hope, her hand releasing its grasp on her last resort. She smiled at the photograph in her hand; it was like looking in a mirror as she stared at the woman smiling at her. They both had the same features, yet such different lives.

From that day forward, Alice promised herself not a happy ending but a new beginning.