Pain.Pain was all I felt as I slowly regained consciousness. My eyes felt crusted over, and it took a great effort to open them up. Initially, everything was hazy, and everything hurt. I couldn’t say where my body began or ended, nor could I say where it hurt.Or why I hurt.Panic came about almost instantly. I couldn’t move, at least, it felt like that, because my arms and legs were jelly. I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn’t because something was tied to it. My whole face burned, making my eyes fill with tears.I didn’t know where I was or how I got here. I didn’t know why I hurt.All I could think about was that something bad had happened to me, bad enough to thrust my whole body into agony.Footsteps thudded, signaling numerous people entering the room where I was, and unfamiliar faces swam in my periphery.“Miss, miss, you need to calm down, everything’s alright,” multiple voices told me, but they only managed to heighten my fear. I didn’t know why I felt so trapped, perhaps

The whiskey stopped burning as it went down my throat a long time ago.I couldn’t remember when I’d gotten to the open bar at my family home and started to down glass after glass of whiskey. I was on my way to get absolutely drunk off my mind, something I never did. I didn’t like losing my life mind like that.But after what I found today, the thoughts running through my mind became too much.The necklace was no more than a lump of metal wrapped around a cracked opal, completely blackened. The chain had been broken, and the only reason the pendant remained on it was because it had fused with the chain. That alone proved how hot the fire had been.The inferno, the fire department as well as the police concluded, was strangely far too intense to be a mere gas fire, and definitely not enough to be an electric fire. For the temperature to get high enough to partially melt metal, there must’ve been a heck of a lot of gas leaking.The police seemed to find the fire suspicious. I didn’t care

So, this is your office!” Axel grinned before pushing open the door to a small office. I stood by the door, and I ventured in.It was quaint and calm, unlike the rest of the office. There was a brand-new computer on the desk, along with a large drawing tablet. There was a printer and a scanner, as well as a corner for physical art, with a rack of paint supplies, placed near the window so I had a perfect view of the city as well as good sunlight for painting.The office was designed for me, and I knew Terra had supervised everything. She was the one who knew how I liked to combine digital art with physical elements. It was a part of my style.“This is amazing,” I gasped, running my fingers over the drawing tablet. When I raised my eyes at Axel, I found him looking at me with a fond expression and a small smile. For some reason, it made me blush, flustered. “I cannot imagine anything better. This feels too much…”“Don’t be. According to Terra, you’re going to be taking on the bulk of th

For a second, I couldn’t speak. Then, Terra’s words registered in my mind, and I spluttered.“I…I don’t know what you mean…”“Kara, it’s alright,” Terra scoffed. “Come with me.”Numbly, I followed her back to her office, and she leaned against her desk, looking at me with an expression that clearly told me not to lie to her or make any excuses.I bit the insides of my mouth and tried not to catch her eyes, knowing full well that she was judging me. It was just like college, the expression on her face. I didn’t even know what to say.Finally, she sighed again.“It’s just like you, Kara, to try and save the day all by yourself,” she muttered, shaking her head. “When are you going to learn that it’s okay to defend yourself? That you can ask for help and expect to get it? It wouldn’t be tattling to the boss if you tell me when someone destroys your work.”My head whipped up at that.“How did you know?”“I have my ways,” Terra replied mysteriously. “Why didn’t you tell me yourself? I had t

Kara was withdrawing from me.I didn’t know what was happening. If I were to pinpoint when it began, I’d say it was roughly the day after Kara attended her big meeting. I had no idea what I had done, because Kara was perfectly polite and reasonable about it.Her fabric designs had been a rousing success despite the hardship she faced due to her own workmates betraying her, and I remembered how bright her smile had been when Terra approved of her designs wholeheartedly. I thought we’d be able to celebrate a little later, after work, and have drinks together, or dinner.I sought her out at lunch to forget the plans, but she smiled and said she had to refuse as she had some errands to run.I didn’t doubt that she was telling the truth, but something about the way she said it seemed off. At the time, I’d brushed it off, thinking it was just a figment of my imagination, and I was just reacting to her rejection by being a paranoid idiot.But then it happened again, and again.To the point,