Most people didn’t believe she was abused, heck, she didn’t believe she was abused. And yet it was scary how much she could relate her life to the textbook definition of abuse. But she certainly wasn’t being abused.

She loved them with everything she had, even if it was hard sometimes. They loved to use her as a tool, loved to have a say in everything she did, and loved to guilt trip her. God did they love to make her feel like the worst person in the world for daring to do anything that they didn’t like. It made her cry sometimes because she didn’t think she would ever be good enough.

And yet the definition gets clearer when we start to discuss him. He loved them to the ends of the Earth, wanted to spend the rest of his days with them. They laughed at his shortcomings and shoved them right back in his face, they took his paycheck and argued over how much he really needed for the week to the point that he started walking ten miles to work for lack of gas money, they spent every waking moment trying to teach her to hate him and leave him truly alone where he would be his most vulnerable.

Anyone who read the case would believe it was as clear as day but it’s not. It was murky, foggy. It was harder to come to a clear answer than it was to see your hand in front of your face on an early morning during rainy season. Because though they were manipulative, though they were controlling, though they craved power, they also fell apart without these things.

As one grows up, they remember their elder years better than their younger ones. As she grew up, all she could remember about them was fighting and shouting and anger and power. They were someone that she loved, she knew she loved them but she couldn’t tell you why aside from the blood running through her veins. What hurt even more deeply than that was watching them become a shell of themselves when she grew up and started making her own path. She wasn’t under their control anymore and it was breaking them. With him taking similar steps they isolated themselves with the occasional pitiful attempt to continue what they had.

Regardless of whether or not it was abuse, she understood one thing about abuse victims. The one thing that kept them going day in and day out, what made them stay.

I can help you.

It’s why she stayed. It’s why he stayed. And it’s why both of them would always stay. Because no one would be better off if they all went their separate ways. A little part of them all would die. The victims of abuse are truly kind souls who want to help people in need even- especially when they are unable to help themselves.

This was the story of a husband, a wife, and their daughter.

Whose to say if it was abuse or not?

Tick tock, tick tock

Wake, work, eat, sleep

Wake, work, eat, sleep

Wake, leave?

Tick tock, tick tock

Wake, learn, work, eat, sleep

Wake, learn, work, eat, sleep

Wake, fly?

Wake, learn, work, eat, speak, sleep

Wake, learn, work, eat, speak, sleep

Wake, leave.

Tick tock, tick tock.

Wake, work, eat, sleep

Wake, work, eat, sleep, die.

Milo knew better than to believe in ghosts, but he’d come to believe in the power of the human mind and its ability to conjure up untruths.

When he thought of his parents, he thought of them as angels, pure souls that were blessed enough to move onto the next life. He thought of them happy, watching him from above. He liked to think that they were proud of him as he took on his responsibilities with his head held high. He thought that his mother would look lovely in white and gold with a halo resting just on the crown of her head. And his father would look just as powerful as he always did, a natural born leader. They were heavenly whenever Milo thought of them.

That wasn’t the case whenever Milo saw them. What he saw made his hands tremble and his stomach churn. Blood splattered across her face. A gaping hole in his chest. Empty eyes following his every move no matter where he ran. He tried talking to them, he tried begging them, he tried screaming at them until his voice cracked and hot tears streamed down his cheeks. They said nothing to him.

The people of the town started to think him crazy, they couldn’t see Milo’s tormentors. But they could see Milo flinching when his gaze caught something in thin air, they caught how Milo’s voice stuttered as his attention was drawn elsewhere, they noticed how his pale skin whitened further at the mention of death.

What he saw was so real, though. So real he could smell the blood, could feel their burning gazes on his skin, could touch them if he were able to bring himself to get close enough. He would do anything to rid himself of the demons that followed him everywhere he went. He considered exorsim for a time, almost went through with it, that was until his mother openned her mouth.

You made me like this.

Adam was the golden boy of the town, from the moment he was born he was destined to make his family proud and moreover make everyone in his town proud. He was strong, charming, charismatic. He knew exactly what he wanted out of life and he knew exactly how to get. He was captain of the football team, president of the school’s event committee, a group leader at the local community center. He was doing everything right with his life and he was as happy as he could be.

Now, bad things didn’t happen often in their little town, but when they did everyone took it very well. Of course losing the playoff football game sucked, and of course getting dumped by the person you thought was the one hurt, and of course, a loved one passing away causes many to grieve, but in their little town, sadness never lasted very long. Team players would quickly get excited about next year’s season, teenagers would start to believe their relationships to be learning experiences, those who loved those who passed on got to move forward. Adam had thought this was all normal until he met Tori.

It had been by chance really, that Adam had passed by that alleyway and noticed a door that he’d never seen before. It wasn’t exactly a very traveled road at night but during the day it got enough traffic to leave the door unnoticed. Adam only saw it now because he’d stayed late to help clean up the school dance and decided to walk home since it was a beautiful night.

He even almost walked right past the door, he would have gone home, had dinner with his parents and his sister, told them about his day, probably watch some television with them until it was time to go to bed and then start the next day in the morning. But he saw the door and it made him pause, pause long enough to decide to poke his head in and see what was inside. So he stepped into the alleyway, walking down its path towards the strange door. It was a small town, he had thought he had known every inch of the place.

That was what prompted him to open the door and step inside. What he found was a dark foyer, leading off in two directions. He would have turned around and gone home had he not heard the faint sniffles coming from one of the halls. He frowned and stepped into the building, carefully closing the door behind him, “Hello? Is there someone in here?”

The sniffling cut off abruptly and he was left in silence. This was certainly a curious experience if he had ever been in one and all he could do was walk towards the hall where the sounds had been coming from.

Confused didn’t even begin to describe how he felt when he approached a cell door. He felt a chill go down his spine. Though it was late into summer outside one could easily confuse these indoors with a frigid autumn day. What was stranger still, was the cell bars separating him and a scared girl with tear stains down her cheeks.

“Hey…”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, her reddened eyes looking up at him filled with heartbreaking sorrow.

“Are you okay?” He knelt down in front of the bars, his brows pulled together in worry.

He thought the smile on her face was strange. She was very openly weeping and yet the faintest of smiles graced her lips when he spoke. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine,” She said, hugging herself as short hiccups impeded her speech.

“Are you sure?” Adam continued, “What are you doing in here?” He frowned a little bit, unable to curb his concern, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“You can leave,”

The bluntness of the words shocked him. Even if they weren’t said with even an ounce of malice, Adam didn’t know how to take it.

“I don’t want you to get sad because of me,”

If possible, these words shocked Adam even more, “What do you mean?”

The girl twiddled her thumbs, staring at the movement intently, “Emotions are contagious, yanno. If one person is sad then the people around them feel bad for them, if it's not just pity then it's guilt too. I don't wanna make anyone feel that way,”

Adam knew what she said was true from the moment it left her mouth because he felt his heart hurt. How long had this girl been here? “Are you always this sad?”

She nodded her head, “I’m sad so you don’t have to be.”

“What does that mean?” Adam asked, his brows pulling together in confusion.

“Well if I told you, then you’d be sad,”

Adam frowned, shaking his head, “But you don’t deserve to be sad alone,” He argued.

“You’re right,” She said, smiling again even despite the tears welling in her eyes still, “That’s why I chose to be here, because no one deserves to be sad and cold and lonely." Her smile broke his heart.

“What do you mean?”

It took a little while for Adam to coax an explanation out of her but soon hours had passed and he learned about things he'd never been aware of.

Firstly he learned that her name was Tori, she was raised by her father, unknowing of the loving touch of a mother. But she didn’t mind that so much because she loved her father with every fiber of her being. Furthermore, she had an unbelievably vast love for people and society, even if she had never been the most social person growing up. She would accept no other option to go out of her way to make sure everyone was comfortable and happy because her care of people was boundless.

It amazed Adam that such a person existed. She had such a big heart and loved people so much. When he began to hear why she was there, it broke his heart.

When she was younger, she’d met a traveler, an old man driving to the city for his son’s wedding, who just happened to be passing by. The man had blown a tire and Tori was so quick to be by his side and helping him, a heartwarming smile on her face even though just earlier she had been hit just a little too hard by a friend.

The man had seen right through her, “Why do you not tell people that you suffer?”

She had been surprised, the question abrupt and completely without context yet not needing any of the sorts, “What do you mean?”

The man lightly scolded her for putting others above herself but at the same time praised her for being so strong. She told him about her friend and how close they were and about how he sent her a playful punch to the arm which left a nasty bruise behind. He hadn’t meant to, they had been laughing and having a good time, if anything the swing was mildly affectionate. So why make him feel worry or guilt because of something he hadn’t meant to do, for something that wouldn’t be any better just because he now loathed himself.

That’s when the man made her an offer, they spoke a little about the utopias of fiction and how she could make one in her own town. She would be the catch-all drain for all the negative emotions in the city so that everyone could lead the best lives possible. The idea had made her ecstatic.

Even now, as Adam sat in front of her with a pain in his chest for knowing where his joy came from, she looked happy to be there.

“But what about your life? Your future?” He asked, feeling close to tears himself.

She still smiled at him and it only tore his heart open more, “I never knew what it was I wanted to do with my life, I never felt like I had anything special to contribute. But you? You know exactly what you want out of life and exactly how to get it. That’s why I’m happy to do this for you. That’s why I want you to leave, and I want you to forget me,”

“But-”

“Please go,” The request was so gentle, so genuine, Adam couldn’t help but listen. He stood up, walking backward with his eyes refusing to leave Tori’s image. He kept going until he couldn’t see her anymore. When the door closed behind him and he was in the alley again, the warm night and rustle of a gentle breeze conflicted horribly with his sorrow. The night was peaceful, serene, but he was heartbroken.

He thought of Tori as he walked home, about her sacrifices and her compassion. Everyone in the neighborhood thought he was the most perfect person in the entire town, but after meeting Tori he didn’t think that he even came close.

He thought of the girl as he walked through the park, wondering if she had ever played on that playground before. He pondered how she had gotten into that cell, to begin with. Was it another one of her choices to be there?

He thought of the cell as he walked into his neighborhood. He wondered why there was a cell there in the alley. What was its purpose? What was in it? It was perplexing and the more he thought about it the more it seemed to slip out of his grasp.

He thought about the door as he walked up to his front porch. He wondered what he might find behind it and what was it doing there. How long had it been there? Had there been a door in that alley?

He stepped into his home and greeted his mother kindly. She was setting the table for dinner and gently berating him for being so late. He sat down with them and told the story of his day exactly how it happened.

He’d gone to school, went to a study group with friends after his morning classes, went to football practice after evening classes, helped set up the school dance, helped take it down, walked straight home past that one alley that he considered but decided against, and then sat down for dinner.

He never quite understood why, but he wasn’t quite as cheery as he had been after that day. It was like there was a little pit of sorrow or guilt in him and for the life of him, he just couldn’t grasp the reason why or where the feeling had come from in the first place.

"This is the best student who ever came to this school"

They called me smart

They called me the best

I was proud of being smart

Of being the best of the best

Then I wasn't

A new people, a new school

I was mediocre at best

You're so smart

You have so much potential

You're going to be great

You can do whatever you want to do

I don't know what I want to do

I have no passion, no purpose

I'm expected to shoot for the moon

and then some but

What if I can't?

What if my half baked plans fail?

What if I'm not good enough?

And what if I am?

What if I succeed at everything I do?

What if I leave everything and everyone

I care about behind so I can be great?

The king adored his newborn child. So much so that he already began to plan out the child's birthday gifts for years to come. Dr Wilhite was tasked with the child's first birthday gift, a pet alien. When they first arrived on planet D6790, Dr Wilhite couldn't help but be intrigued by it's strange structure. 71% of the Earth's surface was covered with water but it was little compared to this planet. It was smaller than Earth but it was covered in oceans with scattered archipelagos, impossibly steep islands that jut out of the water.

The aliens were strange as well. They had a humanoid resemblence. They were smaller, none of them more than 5 feet tall, all of them thin and fit. They had copper skin and striking vibrant, golden eyes. More than that they had wide, white feathered wings coming out of their shoulder blades.

Now, in order for the king to present the gift to his son, Dr Wilhite and a team of scientists were assigned to study the alien. The alien they seized was given it's own room on the ship. It was furnished with simple enough comforts. Dr Wilhite studied it through the camera that was placed in the room for a long while. He learned that the alien did not like the bed, it prefered to sleep on the floor instead. He also learned, through watching the alien's eating habits, that it preferred mostly a diet of small fruits and fish.

After a week Dr Wilhite unlocked the door and stepped in. It wasn't until that moment that he realized the aliens could cry.

Come with me brother,

For all that's changed

We are still together

And no one can take that away.

Don’t leave again brother,

For all we’ve lost

I don’t want to lose you too

And be alone in an empty house.

Join me brother,

For all there is good in the world

There is rotten evil in the city

That would be better exterminated.

Don’t give me that look brother,

For all the power I have

I couldn’t hope to save everyone

All by myself, all on my own.

Just think about it brother,

For all I wish we could be together

I will go through with this

With or without you, till the end.

I want to bend my wrist back as far as possible and stick a hot poker down the center of my forearm. I want to wrap my hands around my neck and squeeze until my lungs burn. I want to take a razor sharp shovel and thrust it through my chest, scooping out the pitfall that is taking over every bit of my being. I want to bite off each of my fingers at the knuckle. I want to crush the arch of my foot with a hammer. I want to twist my leg so far back that it pops out of the socket and tries to take the flesh with it. And I don’t want anyone else to know or else they might try to stop me. Then they would blame themselves for not stopping me, or worse yet, they wouldn’t.

In front of the grave, hands in his pockets, Eryk stared at the words carved into stone. She had gone peacefully, slept one night and just didn’t wake up.

His mother. She raised him by herself, built him into what he was today. He was never able to thank her enough for that. She’d always wanted to see him achieve great things. Like any parent she wanted him to have a better life than she had. She had been ecstatic the day he had become a knight, hugged him tight and refused to let go. They had gone from a ratty mother and child who lived in the palace for reasons no one understood to a knight and a lady.

Though it was no fault of his mother who never held back any information, it was a while before he understood the whole story, why they lived in the palace, why the king was his father, why he would never be a prince. She’d always hated that the king wouldn’t give him a chance. In fact, she had quite disliked the king himself, made all sorts of accusations that might have gotten her hanged if she wasn’t the mother of the king’s bastard son. She had thought that the entire world was against her, that Eryk was the only person left on her side. When Eryk began growing up and doing things on his own, she sometimes thought he was against her too.

Regardless of her flaws, Eryk loved her. But regardless of his love, he was happy that she was gone. That realization had struck him like a red-hot blade. The truth was she had never been happy. Every face was an enemy, every whispered word was hateful, every misfortune was personal, she’d convinced herself that she was a victim to the whole world, sometimes even to her own son. He did everything to make her happy but too often it wasn’t enough.

Eryk feared that she would hate him for finding her death so relieving, but it was. People needn’t worry about her rage-filled fits. He could live his life without hating himself for not being able to help her. He didn’t have to watch her own self-pity drive herself into the ground. He was happy she was gone but more than anything he feared what she thought of his contentment in her death.