The Clearing

Snap. She could feel it in her head, this physical sound, the sensation of something breaking. A small thing, a very soft sound, almost overlooked... but she knew what it meant.

She felt the veils fall around her mind, cushioning her conciousness. Her eyes changed as something in them darkened and something in them lit. "She" was quiet... she shut down. And all there was left was a shell, stronger against the onslought of emotion, yet oddly empty against the world. She lacked that center, that crucial aspect of humanity that grounds one to reality.

The sky was so blue, the sun so bright, yet the wind so bitingly cold. It looked perfect, looked beautiful, yet sucked the heat from your body when you reached for it. Like her. They saw the smiles, the laughter... and they missed the hidden tears swimming just out of reach. The brave reached beyond the walls, and got their warmth pulled from them by the desperation swirling in her mind.

Everything seemed brighter, everything seemed clearer, as if she weren't quite there, as if she were just an observer, watching the chaos. She wondered when what had broken would mend.