Chapter One The voice was so many things at once as it called her name. There was melancholy running through it, sad enough to crush the happiest of times. There was no hope, instead it sucked the joy from anyone that heard it. It sucked the joy from her.
Emily!
There it was again. She couldn’t ignore it, no matter
how hard she tried. It was yearning, seeking approval. It
was the only thing she could hear. Emily tried desperately to close her mind to it as it half-sung, half- whispered her name, but it penetrated any barrier she created.
Emily!
The voice was desperate, solitary. Alone. It smothered her like an early morning fog rolling in from the sea, enveloping any sense of self. She looked down to the familiar razor blade, ready to mark herself again, the pain all that could defend her.
‘Emily!’ shouted her mother. The new voice, a real
voice, cut through the fog and startled her for a moment.
‘Emily, we’re leaving in five.’
The harsh whispering voice suddenly gone, Emily
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