Warning
This story is a work of fiction that deals with serious topics such as
Depression, Suicide, Bullying, and Sexual Addiction.
If you are struggling, please reach out to a loved one or the Suicide Hotline
At 988. Or find your local hotline.
You are not alone, stay strong, please talk to someone.
A Flash of Beauty Part I: Audrey
"Hey, stop that!" She said, laughing and smiling. The summer cicada chirped as arms wrapped around her body, she felt the warm embrace.
She typed on the computer in a chat room with other users.
"Did you tell them about the ring?" The man asked as she looked down at the ring on her finger, she smiled.
"Not yet, I want it to be a surprise. All they know is that I've been saving and the money is for something important" She replied. The man kissed the back of her head as he stood up.
"We should go celebrate, the landlord is gonna meet us tomorrow" The man said
"Sure, let me just tell my friends!" She smiled, typing away at the keyboard before closing her laptop.
"Can you believe in a couple weeks we'll finally be living together?" She smiled as she looked up at him, the two smiling "It'll be a long painful two weeks, but the waiting will be worth it" he replied as he leaned in to kiss her. But time stopped at that moment, almost like a theater reel. The memory burned away as an alarm went off, vibrations sent reverberating on the nightstand as the tune of the alarm kept going off.
In a mangled mess of blankets, two purple eyes peaked through her eyelids as she slowly opened her eyes, grunting from annoyance. Again, the phone kept going off, vibrating on the nightstand.
"I get it, I get it!" She said in a low disgruntled voice.
her arm reached out of the blanket and turned the alarm off. Her head peaked out of the blanket, her eyes extremely tired, bags under her eyes as she stared, contemplating everything. She struggled to get up, her body fatigued, tired, sore. Her eyes glossy, nearly crying as she struggled to get up early in the morning.
The girl checked her phone, hoping to see texts to her, but the only notifications she had were spam emails and promotions for stores. She sighed as she put her phone down, struggling to get out of bed.
The girl walked down the street, feeling like everything was in slow motion around her.
She saw families with their kids laughing and smiling.
She walked past people with friends, groups, couples as she felt her heart sting a bit.
She held her headphones closer to her ears as she continued to walk down the street.
A flower sat in a window sill, illuminated by the sunlight peeking through the window, sounds of the city, dogs barking, birds, cars and people faintly heard through the window.
She sat there, playing with her thumbs as she looked down nervously, avoiding eye contact with her therapist.
"Linden" the sun shined against the nametag on her shirt.
"Have the meds helped any?" Mrs Linden asked, "Yeah, for the most part." the girl responded.
"Is the anxiety still present?" Linden asked, "Yeah…" The girl responded shyly, "But the meds help manage my depression, which is helpful so" she added, trailing off her words.
The therapist smiled with a look of kind compassion, "Audrey, Is there something bothering you that you haven't brought up yet?" Linden asked, the room was silent as the clock on the wall ticked quietly.
Audrey looked down, scared to think she regressed.
"I uh…" She muttered, "I've been having weird dreams lately." She said, her thumbs sliding against each other more anxiously.
"I've been feeling more lonely and isolated. I guess I'm afraid that it's a sign I'm not doing well, that I'm losing the progress I've made…" Audrey said with a look of fear.
Linden looked at Audrey with a look of endearment, truly caring about her like her own.
"Audrey, you don't lose the progress you make. You'll have bad days, and you'll have good days." Linden said, turning her head slightly to ease Audreys anxiety.
Audrey finally looked up at her, looking in her eyes. "But… I've been fine, and all of a sudden…" Audrey trailed off, "I'm remembering my ex, Sam. I'm unhappy with my friend group, they ignore me most the time. I have a crush on my friend who I know will never work out, and everything is just…" Audrey said, putting her hand on her head, her expression that of pain.
Linden sighed lightly
"Audrey, you are such a bright person. I know you'll be okay, and I know eventually, you'll find your people." Linden smiled lightly, but her eyes looked sad.
Audrey immediately noticed, feeling a shift in moods.
"What's wrong, why are you saying that like I won't see you again?" Audrey asked.
"Unfortunately, I will be leaving. I know it's sudden, but I have some personal things to attend to in another state and I won't be able to continue seeing you." Linden said as Audrey looked up at her with sadness.
"I have enough authority to help you get one more dosage of meds before I leave, but after that, you'll have to find a therapist again, hon." Linden said as Audrey looked dazed and out of it. Linden gave Audrey a paper with a prescription on it.
The door clicked as she opened the door, Audrey following behind her.
Linden looked down at Audrey as she gave her one last smile, "Remember what I said. You're a bright person. I know you can get through this, okay?" Linden said, Audrey shook her head in agreement, looking down at the floor. The sunlight bouncing off the tile as people walked through the halls.
Audrey's shoes squeaked as she stepped onto the tile floor of the clinic. Audrey lifted her headphones back up to her ears as she closed her eyes and put her hands in her pockets, the sun shining down on her.
"We regret to inform you that your insurance is no longer covered at our clinics." The letter said as Audrey looked down at the paper.
"All prescriptions and visits will not be covered and will be paid out of pocket upon further visits. Kind regards, LMC" Audrey read out loud to her mother as she sat at the dining room table.
"So?" She asked as Audrey scoffed.
"So??" Audrey asked, "those antidepressants don't help. They just make you more likely to want to kill yourself." her mother replied, reading the newspaper.
"What am I supposed to do about therapy, mom? I don't make enough to pay out of pocket!" Audrey asked in a concerned tone, but her mother didn't hear that. "Why are you getting upset with me?" She asked with an attitude, Audrey was taken aback.
"I don't have an atti-" Audrey tried speaking, but was cut off. "You know, if you prayed about it, maybe God would help you." She told Audrey.
She fell silent. Her mom just went back to her paper.
"I believe in God, I was basically forced to. There are things In life that make it hard to deny. But over the course of these 10 years… it's hard to agree he's on my side, or has my best interest in mind." Audrey thought to herself, walking into the kitchen.
She tore the letter and threw it away.
She walked downstairs to the basement to her room.
The lighting got gradually darker as she took a step down each stair.
She opened her door to a dark room as she walked to her bed. Audrey laid face flat into her pillow as she closed her eyes.
A moment later, her phone went off, buzzing. It was a message from her best friend and crush, Nate
"Our relationship is special, But I can't even express enough to him how much he means to me." Audrey thought to herself.
"Me and my partner are taking a trip, so I apologize if our messages are more sporadic" the message read as she looked down at her phone with a hint of melancholy.
"It won't ever work out…" Audrey thought to herself.
"I feel like the devil has his hands around my neck… or maybe I'm just destined to be set up for failure…" Audrey thought as she closed her eyes.
The next day, Audrey went to the pharmacy to pick up her meds.
"I'm sorry, but we can't fill this prescription." The lady at the counter said.
"But I just got the script yesterday" Audrey said, "I'm sorry, the authorization to cover this expired. You'll have to pay if you want them." The lady told her.
Audrey pulled out her wallet as she was prepared to spend the money
"How much will it be?" Audrey asked.
Audrey hunched over the bridge overlooking the small river as she sighed.
"Over a thousand dollars for some fucking meds…" She said to herself.
She watched the water as the fish danced around in it, little ripples spread as the fish came up to carefully grab at the bits of food on the water's surface.
Audrey's phone buzzed again
"Your aunt is home, please hurry back so you can feed her!" the text read from Mom.
"Shit…" Audrey thought to herself as she looked at the text.
Audrey walked into the living room holding a bowl of food as she sat next to the wheelchair.
"It's your favorite, Aunty" Audrey said as she lifted the spoon up, feeding her aunt.
She spit the food up as Audrey sighed.
"Come on, you need to eat dinner" Audrey said as she tried to give her another spoonful.
Her aunt hit the spoon out of her hand, knocking the bowl onto the ground in the process.
Audrey got visibly more frustrated, "What the hell did you do that for?" Audrey asked with a stern attitude.
Audrey's mom came in with her hands crossed. "Why are you yelling at her?" She asked, "She knocked the food over and made a mess of-" Audrey said, being cut off.
"I don't care, you don't have a reason to be yelling at her!" Her mom said in a loud tone.
"Well, maybe if she listened I wouldn't yell!" Audrey replied with an attitude back.
"You have no right to be this disrespectful after everything I've done for you" Her mom said, "Disrespect? I gave up my chance to go to college to take care of your sister, Mom!" Audrey said back
"You volunteered!" Her mom said, "Well it was me or no one else! I don't see my siblings here taking care of her!" Audrey yelled.
Her mom raised her arm, ready to hit Audrey as she flinched, cowering in fear.
Her mom stopped as Audrey stood there, eyes widened with fear.
Her mom held her hand up, struggling. But she walked out of the room as Audrey stood there, zoned out in fear.
Hours later, Audrey slumped into her room, exhausted.
She fell face flat into her pillow as she sighed, her breathing shaken.
Audrey laid on her back, staring at the ceiling for a moment. The room's silence only broken up by the sound of her oscillating fan moving back and forth.
Audrey's eyes closed slightly as she looked tired, not just physically, but mentally as well.
She lifted her phone up, opening her group chat.
"Yo! Does anyone wanna hang and watch a movie or something?" Audrey texted, but it was left on read.
"You guys, there's this really cool event at my mall going on with this character I love!
I should make you all watch this lore video on it! It's so cute!" Arron texted
"Yeah, I'd be down for that!" Ryan replied
"Let me just heat up some food and I'll join the VC" Lyra replied
The messages kept going as Audrey closed the app, ignored and with no plans.
Audrey laid in the dark, forced to be with her thoughts.
The room only illuminated by fairy lights.
"It's been this way for so long… everyday I'm alone in my room" Audrey thought to herself.
Audrey opened her video app, scrolling through short videos.
She stopped at one from a channel she liked, the group talked about stories online.
"This post is "what should I do about my best friend after I drunkenly kissed him?
Me and my best friend went to a party and I got drunk, he had a few drinks but not enough to be drunk." The host said, Audrey frowning a bit
"He took me outside to get fresh air, and I ended up kissing him on the lips. We didn't mean to, but things got out of hand and I don't know how to deal with the situation" the host continued.
Audrey's chest growing heavy
"Oh, that's a confusing situation to be in…" one of the co-hosts said.
"Well, it gets better. Update, we talked and decided we want to try going on a date. After a few months we both admitted to each other that we love each other. He's my best friend, and he's always been there for me, and he said the same about me" the host said as Audrey zoned out. Her eyes tearing up as she held her chest.
Memories of Audrey's past flashing before her, thoughts of missed opportunities and chances she took getting to her. Her heart felt like a black hole, pain outside and hollow inside.
Audrey started breathing heavily as she tried to control her thoughts, but they became more and more difficult to deal with.
Audrey closed her phone and threw it across the bed as she clenched her chest.
"God damnit" Audrey said in a struggle, her eyes still tearing up as she immediately stood up and went to the bathroom.
Audrey stood over the sink as she stared at herself in the mirror.
Audrey stared at her reflection as she tried to get a hold of herself.
"You won't ever get that… you aren't worth the love" the voices in her mind said
"Everyone you've tried to be with has left you. Sam, Eric, the guys you grew courage to talk to who thought you were a freak for being so forward" the voices continued
"Shut up, that's not true… I didn't know how to talk to them, I just wanted to be friends" Audrey told herself as she closed her eyes
"The truth was you were weak, they saw right through you. You aren't likable at all" they told her, Audrey turned the tub water on as she tried to stop thinking.
The tub filled with water as she stepped inside the water, she laid in the tub trying to calm down.
The bathroom was silent, her head resting, looking up at the ceiling.
For a moment, she finally had peace.
Drip… drip… drip… the faucet dripped, echoing lightly through the bathroom.
Audrey closed her eyes as she tried to move on.
The water around her turned black, shadowy hands reached up and grabbed around her body, grabbing every arm and leg, tightening around her neck.
"You aren't deserving of love. Your own family hates you, your friends hate you, you are nothing.
You would be better off dead, you aren't worth the air" the voices said loudly in her head.
Audrey drowning in an endless ocean of black water
Her neck tightened as she tried to breath but she struggled.
"Stop… please…" Audrey thought to herself, pleading in a tone of weakness.
"Please, I just want to wake up* Audrey thought as she closed her eyes.
Audrey shot up as she reached her arms out to hold herself up.
She breathed heavily as she tried to catch her composure. She turned the shower on as she stood there.
The water hitting her face, she moved her head down as the water dripped off her head.
Audrey stared at the floor of the shower as she felt weak.
She sat down, hugging her knees as she curled up, the shower water still hitting her.
She quietly wept as she felt her mind melting.
Audrey laid in her pajamas as she stared at the wall, the silence was deafening.
She put her headphones on and began to listen to music as she laid there with her thoughts still.
Her eyes grew heavy as she eventually dozed off around midnight.
The hot sun peeked through the basement window as Audrey's alarm went off.
She reached for her phone, turning the alarm off. She got out of bed, ritten with fatigue.
She carried out her morning routine, taking care of her aunt before she left, getting dressed, getting her teeth brushed.
In her free time, she went on a walk. She used that time to listen to music and think.
"Everyone always says to get out if you want to meet people, but I haven't had any luck yet…" she thought to herself.
She walked down the trail as she kept her hands in her pockets.
"I don't think I'll ever find my person… Everyone already has best friends or they fall for people in ways that… I just won't" she continued to think.
"I guess it doesn't matter… My focus is work, to find a way to get help, to move… but I've been stuck in this position for so long… am I even able to? It feels like this is all my life is and I just…" she thought, her face looked more saddened and worried.
Audrey stopped at a store to pick up a drink. As she checked out, she looked up to see the cashier, a man around her age, Audrey's stomach full of butterflies. "$1.50, please" he smiled, looking away almost shyly.
Audrey tried to pay, she was a nervous wreck as she handed him the money.
She swore she caught him catching a few glimpses of her, she blushed lightly.
"H-here you go* she said nervously as she handed him the money.
"Thanks for stopping, have a wonderful day!" He said as she walked away
"You too" she said, walking out of the store.
Her day felt better "was he really checking me out?* She questioned in her mind
"Maybe I should stop by again to see if he was…" she thought to herself.
The next day she stopped again on her walk to get a drink again
"Oh, hey! $1.50 please!" The guy said as she handed him the money, he looked at her eyes as he put the money away, Audrey blushed again.
The next day, she stopped again, grabbing a drink and a snack bar.
"Yo! $2.38 please!" He smiled, Audrey handed him the money.
"Okay, okay… he's new, so if I just make small talk…" Audrey thought to herself. She gave it a day before going back, a couple days later she returned.
"$1.50 please!" He said, as he rang her up, Audrey tried to speak up.
"I-I'm Audrey" she said shyly, "Andy" he smiled, Audrey blushed.
"Okay, okay okay! He has to be into you!" Audrey thought to herself as she left again.
The next day she stopped again "I like your hair" Audrey said, Andy smiled, glancing at her "thanks" he said "have a great day!" Audrey felt more comfortable as the days went on, but she began overthinking
"Oh God, what if he thinks I'm a stalker… I usually stop by anyways but… ugh I'm a mess!" Audrey thought to herself as she cringed a bit, but she immediately let determination win.
"I'll give him my number… see if he wants to exchange numbers… you got this Auds'!" Audrey hyped herself up.
The next day, she stopped by again.
"H-hey Andy* Audrey said, "Don't chicken out! Don't get stuck" she thought to herself.
"Hey, Audrey" Andy said as he rang her up, "I-its a beautiful day today" Audrey said "yeah, it is." Andry replied smiling.
"A-Andy, you're cool and all, and I was wondering if you'd wanna grab a coffee or something some time?" Audrey asked, Andry looked slightly confused.
"Oh, I'm usually busy, if I'm not working here, I'm usually picking up extra hours at the clinic" Andy replied, Audrey's heart sank a bit
"Oh, well, if you want my number and we can try and work something out?" Audrey asked, Andy looked slightly off. "Um, sure…" Andy replied.
Andy gave her a sticky note as she wrote her number down poorly, forgetting it halfway through "I-I'm sorry, can't think" she smiled nervously.
"It's okay, take your time" Andy replied in a slightly annoyed tone.
Audrey finished writing the number as she gave him the note.
"I'll see you later" she smiled again nervously as she left, Andy went back to his job.
Audrey walked back home with a feeling of embarrassment.
"I guess I'll wait for him to reach out…" Audrey said.
The days passed by, and no text. Days turned to weeks as it went on, and she felt like she was back at square one.
Audrey stopped waiting and knew it was a lost cause.
The weight of her failure lingered on her mind, a feeling of loss and doubling down on the feeling of not being worthy of love.
Audrey once again laid in her room feeling more helpless than before
Her friend, Nate tried to level with her, telling her there had to be reasons he never reached out, but inside she knew that Andy wasn't interested.
Audrey spent the night with her thoughts, sinking into loneliness. Those shadowy arms took hold of her again as she laid in bed, she opened her phone as her heart sank.
"It's annoying… I'm lonely, I want to be held, I want to kiss someone, I want to go out and do things, I want to live my life with someone..but I'm stuck in this shitty house all the time" she thought to herself as she scrolled through her phone.
Audrey grew quiet for a bit, her thoughts lingered
"Loneliness… needs… touch… touch… pleasure… Sam used to pleasure…" she thought, she began to sigh.
"Shut up! I don't want that…" she thought to herself as she shifted positions, growing uncomfortable.
"But… maybe…" she thought, "no… that won't help" she continued to think, she became more uneasy as she battled with intrusive thoughts.
"You know you do…" the voices said, Audrey tried to get her mind off things, but they went farther. "Everyone is asleep… they won't know…." Audrey thought. Her hand slowly reaching under her pajamas
"This is bad…" she thought as she slightly moved her hand more.
"I don't want this… I feel gross… this is…" she thought, her hand moving slightly faster as her breathing became more labored.
"Maybe it'll… help… me… calm… down… ah… Sam…" she thought as she opened her phone, she began to search for adult content as her thoughts got the better of her.
Her breathing became rough as the video played, her hand moving faster as she pleasured herself.
later, she sat in bed curled up, regretting her actions, she didn't use porn to help before. It made her feel worse, but her mind wanted more. She was torn knowing she had formed a bad vice, her eyes widened with regret.
The next day, the thoughts and guilt consumed her, her loneliness deeper, but she wanted more.
She walked to the bridge overlooking the river as she stared at the water. The trail was empty, just her. Feelings consumed her like a dark shadow, she lifted her leg to climb the guardrail slowly, her heart beating faster, keeping her eye on the water.
She felt someone staring as she slowly turned her head, seeing a guy looking at her. His eyes purple just like hers "Yo" the man said nonchalantly as he kept his hands in his pocket. Audrey stopped climbing as she stared at him.
A Flash of Beauty Part II: Bad Things
Audrey's eyes looked focused, sweat running down her face.
She gasped continuously, exhausting herself
"I can't… keep doing this…" she thought to herself, breathing heavily.
"Ugh!" She groaned
She swung hard one last time as she hit a boxing bag, Shinkiro watched on from the sidelines as Audrey's instructor smiled.
"Good job! Seems like you've had a lot of pent up aggression there" her instructor said.
"You wouldn't believe it…" Audrey said, her eyes half lidded as she looked annoyed with herself.
"See you tomorrow?" Her instructor asked
"Yeah, see you later" Audrey said as her instructor walked out of the gym.
The room empty with only Audrey and Shinkiro.
"What are you doing here?" Audrey asked, taking off her gloves.
"Bored, thought I'd see what you were up to!" He replied as he smiled.
Audrey looked at him with slight annoyance, taking a drink from her bottle.
"I don't get it… after a few weeks, I'd assume you would get tired of following me around." Audrey said as she took a gasp for air.
"You're interesting" Shinkiro responded.
Audrey stayed silent for a moment, looking tired.
"Well, I'm going home. I don't think you should follow." Audrey said as she turned around, walking towards the door.
Audrey walked into her room, sweating from the summer heat.
"Ugh… I need to shower but I'm just so tired" she thought to herself, she laid on her bed for a moment, closing her eyes.
Flashes of memories in her head, spreading like a root. She opened her eyes again as she sighed.
Audrey stood in the shower as the water hit her head.
The memories and emotions flooded her mind again, the water turned dark.
Her heart started thumping again.
She remembered the sexual feelings her ex gave her, she craved the connection again.
"Stop it…" she thought to herself, fighting hard against the thoughts, she slid down, sitting in the shower.
Her heart beating faster, she felt a strangle around her neck.
She slowly moved her hand down again, she covered her mouth with her other hand.
Her eyes half lidded as she breathed heavily into her hand.
The room filled with dark shadows, reaching for her as she gasped.
She moaned one last time as she stared off at the wall in front of her.
Her breath was shaky as she tried to regain composure.
"God dammit…" she said quietly and shaky as tears formed in her eyes.
Audrey laid in bed, her eyes wide open.
It was late at night as the moon peaked slightly through her basement window, suddenly her phone went off.
"Hey, guys. We should meet up tomorrow! You free?" Lyra asked the group
"Yeah, I'm down" Ryan responded
"Bet. Where and what time?" Aaron asked.
Audrey closed her phone screen, tired.
"Tomorrow huh?" She thought. She closed her eyes, falling asleep.
The next day, the four of them met at a local restaurant.
The group chattered as Audrey stayed quiet, looking around putting up mental blocks over people's faces.
"Yo, Auds. Let's go!" Lyra said.
"Huh?" Audrey asked, snapping out of it.
"Didn't you hear? We're heading to the park" Aaron said
"You think she was checking out some guy?" Ryan teased as the two guys laughed.
"Cut it out!" Lyra said as Audrey blushed, "S-shut up, let's go!" Audrey said, getting out of her seat.
"Yo! Sorry if this weirdo was staring at any of you handsome men!" Ryan yelled as he and Aaron laughed.
Audrey blushed more, putting her hood over her head embarrassed.
At the park, Audrey sat on the blanket as the guys threw stones into the river. Lyra laid on the blanket as Audrey looked down at her hands.
"Lyra, I think I want to leave the group…" Audrey said softly, a hint of sadness peeking through her voice.
"What, why?" Lyra asked as she looked over at Audrey.
"I just… haven't felt heard or like what I want to do is seen…" Audrey said as she watched the guys laughing.
"Audrey, we love you. I promise you it's not personal, I get ignored too, we all do." Lyra said
She sat up, putting her hand on Audrey's "We'd be sad if you left, you're important" Lyra added, those words should have comforted her, but they just made her feel worse.
"Yeah, but I just-" Audrey said, cut off by the guys.
"Yo, we're gonna go down to the water, I wanna waterboard Ryan!" Aaron joked.
"Oh, not without me!" Lyra said as the three ran down to the waterbed. Audrey stayed and watched them run off.
"Some friends, huh?" Shinkiro asked as he stood beside Audrey.
"You're totally a stalker" Audrey said as she stood up.
"I was in the neighborhood and saw you and thought I'd say hi" Shinkiro said as he smirked.
"Maybe another time" Audrey said as she walked away, Shinkiro looked a bit sad.
Audrey walked down the street, heading home as she went down an empty alley.
As she came around the corner, someone ran into her, "ah shit, move!" He said as he ran off. Audrey stared as he ran, taking a step and hearing a clank.
Looking down and seeing a pistol.
Her eyes widened as she stared, slowly picking it up.
"Was… this his?" She thought to herself.
"Take… it…" the voices said as she gasped.
In the distance, sirens rang out as they got closer. She quickly put the gun in her pocket as she hurried home.
She quickly closed the door behind her as she pulled a box out from under her bed. She put the gun in the box, stuffing it under her bed as she sat there. She breathed heavily as thoughts ran through her mind.
She stood up as she heard someone knocking on the door upstairs. She anxiously opened the door, thinking someone followed her. It was Shinkiro.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, "I came to check on you" he responded.
"My mom doesn't know I have a stalker, you have to leave!" Audrey said with a hint of frustration, pushing him away.
"Audrey, please… I know you're struggling so please talk to me" he said, Audrey's guard dropped as she looked at him.
Audrey stayed silent for a moment.
"I really don't want more friends…" Audrey said. Shinkiro looked slightly sad.
"Please… I just want to listen…" Shinkiro said as Audrey looked down.
She sighed as she walked out the door.
The sun was setting as Audrey looked over the river.
"Your friends don't seem to treat you like a real friend" Shinkiro said as he leaned against the railing.
"I know…" Audrey replied. Shinkiro looked over at her for a moment, "So why stay with them?" He asked.
"If I leave, I'm alone." Audrey replied.
"You're already alone" Shinkiro said, Audrey slumped her head down.
Audrey lifted her head up, her eyes peeking out from her arms as she stared at the river.
"I've tried… I've tried making new friends. But people don't want to take time to get to know me." Audrey said, the wind blew by slightly.
"They assume they know me, they judge me. I want deep talks, I want someone to ask if I'm okay, I want someone to pick me…" She sighed.
"I want to be someone's first choice…" she ended.
Shinkiro looked up at the sky, thinking for a moment. "That seems sort of… unhealthy" he replied. Audrey sighed heavily, hiding her face again.
"Why am I even talking to you? I could have jumped here that day, but you had to talk me out of it… why?" Audrey asked bluntly.
The water rushed, hitting the rocks underneath the water just peeking out ever so slightly. The birds chirped as distant traffic noises carried the silent conversation.
"I think you deserve to live. You deserve to be seen." Shinkiro replied.
"I don't deserve to. I'm selfish. I want to be happy, but I don't know what that looks like anymore." Audrey said, the water below rushing.
"I don't know what it'll take, I just know I should be happy. I feel like I have no right to have problems, that I should be happy." She continued,
"I don't know what happiness looks like, but I want it… How can you want something you don't even know? You don't know what it is, what it looks like. If I don't know what it is, then why am I in this position?" Audrey ended.
The wind brushed the trees, shaking their branches. The water continued to flow.
Shinkiro stayed silent, unsure of how to respond.
"Endless questions, looking for an answer hoping it'll be the one, a revelation. But I keep chasing it…" Audrey said as she stared at the sunset cast behind the river.
"Audrey… I-" Shinkiro said, unsure of how to respond.
"I never noticed I was this messed up growing up, but now that I'm aware, it's made my mind feel broken." She said, smirking while she put her finger on her head.
"I should really go." Audrey said, standing up from the railing.
Audrey started walking away as she waved, "See you tomorrow, Shinkiro." She said as he watched her walk away.
Audrey returned home, her mother waiting at the table for her.
"Where have you been?" Her mom asked
"I was out with someone." Audrey replied.
"You didn't think to give me an update on your whereabouts?" Her mom asked in a stern tone.
"You know, I have my own life, I'm 25." Audrey replied, her hands in her pocket, eyes avoiding her mom.
Her mom stood up, visibly upset.
"You still need to show your mother respect." She replied
"I do show you respect, why can't you show me respect?" Audrey asked.
"You never show me respect!" Her mom said, "you never help, you never do anything to show you respect me, you never say thank you." Her mom said.
"Bullshit! I put my life on hold to take care of your sister! How is that not respect? That I didn't go to college, that I didn't move out, that I'm a nobody for her?!" Audrey asked emotionally
"Really? A "nobody"? Don't give me the "feel sorry for me-blues"!" Her mom responded
"This is why I don't talk to you!" Audrey said in a stern tone.
"You are so disrespectful, how do you think God would react? Do you think your actions have led you down the right path? Being with Sam, having sex before marriage? Now the devil is controlling you!" Her mom scolded.
"Do not bring him up…" Audrey said in anger, "he cheated on me, I tried to be a good Christian." Audrey ended.
"What did you do that he cheated?" Her mom asked. Audrey froze, staring at her for a moment. Her eyes widened, not comprehending how her mom could have asked that.
"What did I do?" Audrey asked rhetorically "I was the best girlfriend I could be!" Audrey replied, slamming her hand on the table. Her mom stared her down.
"I'm not having this conversation" her mom replied.
Audrey scoffed, walking down to her room.
Audrey laid on her bed, angry, staring at the ceiling.
Eventually, her anger turned to sadness as she tried to keep it in.
Time passed by as Audrey stayed awake, thinking.
She looked at the box under her bed, contemplating what to do next.
She grabbed her jacket as she walked out the house.
Audrey sat on a bench along the trail as she zoned out.
The park clock read 10:17 pm.
"It's pretty late, shouldn't you be at home?" Shinkiro asked.
"Jesus Christ, you really are a stalker, aren't you?" Audrey asked.
"I work a late shift, I was on my way there just now." He replied.
Audrey sighed, defeated.
"Okay, what is it? What do you want me to talk about?" Audrey asked.
Shinkiro sat next to her.
"I want you to be free" he said.
Audrey turned to him, looking sad.
She sighed, her breath shaking.
"I just want to be seen… not just seen, but my value, my worth." Audrey said
"People always say that you should love yourself, and I do… I love my interests, I love that I care for people, I love my passions. But there's a point where you can only do so much, you need someone else to love you" Audrey said.
The crickets chirped, distant traffic and animals softly made their noise.
"Humans are social creatures. We all crave attention. I think the notion that you should be okay by yourself is bullshit. No one wants to be alone" she added.
The moths swarmed the overhead lamppost.
"I don't disagree entirely." Shinkiro replied.
Audrey hunched over, resting her elbows on her knees.
"Growing up… I thought things were just. They happened, they didn't phase me much till I grew to understand more." Audrey replied.
She remembered her childhood experiences.
Her younger self sat on the bench just outside the chapel. The church lobby filled with different people talking as the service grew to a close.
Audrey sat and ate her lunch, waiting for her parents to finish talking to their friends.
"Yo, Audrey." An older girl walked up, Audrey chewing, gulping her food to be able to speak.
"Yeah?" She responded.
"Do you really like food that much?" The girl asked with a smug look.
"Y-yeah, why?" Audrey replied, looking confused.
The girl scoffed as her friends giggled.
"Oh, just seeing. It's really interesting" she responded in a sarcastic voice.
She walked away with her friends laughing, Audrey slowly eating her food as she thought about the question.
"Does she know I enjoy cooking?" Audrey thought to herself. "Or… did she…?" She thought more.
She put down her food as she gulped, not from chewing food, but to keep it down.
Audrey got up and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up in the toilet.
She felt sick, tears in her eyes.
Thinking back on the years made Audrey's chest hurt.
She remembered a fight she got into at church with a boy, the two yelling outside.
"Why are you such a brat? You're mean to everyone for no reason!" Audrey yelled, the boy looked at her, ready to hit her.
"Why are you so fat, huh? Why don't you stop eating so much and save some for the rest of us?!" The boy retaliated.
Audrey gasped from a slight pain in her chest.
She thought more and more about her past as the thoughts rolled on.
She remembered her childhood best friend.
"You're the only one that makes plans with me, you're my best friend" Audrey said sitting next to her friend. He looked over at her "I think Austin is my best friend. He's so cool!" He replied, Audrey faking her smile.
She remembered her 7th birthday party, she invited people she thought were her friends, but no one ever showed.
She thought about her Interests and trying to express them
"There's this really cool movie I've been into! You should check it out! This guy, he um, he gets digitized into a computer and-" Audrey said, being cut off
"Oh my God, dude, shut up. No one cares. Don't you think you're a bit too obsessed with that?" She responded. Audrey stayed quiet.
She remembered her first crush, asking him out, but he denied her.
the friendships she tried to form, trying to talk in groups but being talked over or ignored. The competition she felt with her siblings, her sister getting together with her second crush.
Through the years she was bullied, she ate less, she talked less, she helped people with problems, she was there for people, she lost friendships after they got back on their feet and acted like they didn't know her. She carried these emotions for so long.
At age 10, she sat on the kitchen floor as blood dripped from her arm. She held a knife to her throat as she stared at the ceiling. She cried silently as the crickets chirped outside the window.
She dropped the knife as she stared at her bloody hands, something snapped and she couldn't go through with it.
Audrey finished telling Shinkiro as it fell silent. The crickets continued to chirp.
Audrey closed her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"That's a… lot to unpack" Shinkiro said.
"That's only half of it. My problems didn't stop there." Audrey said in a tired tone.
Shinkiro looked at her as she looked at the ground.
"You asked about it… don't think this is on me" Audrey said as she gave him the side eye.
"No, it's okay." Shinkiro replied.
"I dated a guy for about 5 years. We were going to get married, I had a ring and everything… a couple weeks before we were supposed to move in together, and he cheated…" Audrey said.
"I felt insanely insecure after that. I still tried. Got into another relationship, that lasted a few months, he didn't want to commit, had problems that he fixed for someone else." Audrey said in an annoyed tone.
"Dated one of my best friends. He broke up with me to focus on work and family and I never heard from him again. Every attempt since has ended with me getting as far as my name and being ghosted." Audrey added.
"I'm sure there's someone-" Shinkiro replied, Audrey gave him a sharp stare.
"Shut up, don't say it…" Audrey said in an angry tone.
"I've accepted that love might not be for me. Besides, I can hardly manage friendships… I have a crush on my best friend but it won't go anywhere" Audrey smirked with a hint of sadness.
"Oh, you don't know that" Shinkiro replied.
"He's gay" Audrey replied, the conversation became silent.
"Anyways. There's a lot wrong with me. I don't want to drag out the night" Audrey said as she stood up.
"Audrey…" Shinkiro said, reaching for her, but he let her go.
"Goodnight, Shinkiro." Audrey said as she walked away.
Audrey walked down the street as Shinkiro ran after her.
"Hey, wait!" He said, Audrey stopped.
"Don't you have work?" Audrey asked.
"What is it you want?" Shinkiro asked.
"I told you, I don't know" she replied.
"What is it?" He pried.
"I don't know, I guess to leave. But I'm afraid no matter what I do, it won't matter." Audrey replied.
"Go for it. Leave" Shinkiro said, Audrey looked at him with a hint of consideration.
"Don't you ever feel like you want to disappear?" He asked.
Audrey scoffed, smiling.
"I've wanted to just leave without telling anyone, yes. But I can't just leave my mom to take care of my aunt. Plus if she needs help with bills and…" Audrey replied, Shinkiro looked her in the eyes, pleading.
Audrey sighed again.
"Alright… yeah, I'll consider it. I guess it's better than being in this dump." Audrey replied. Shinkiro smiled, "good… you're a bright person, keep your head up" Shinkiro said as he walked off. Audrey turned around, puzzled by the comment. It was similar to her therapist.
Audrey opened the door, walking into the kitchen as her mom looked like she was crying.
"Where have you been?" She asked, "I went to get fresh air, I'm back now-" she said, her mom upset.
"Don't you answer your damn phone?" She asked, Audrey checked her phone to see multiple missed calls.
Audrey looked at her mom, Audrey had a frightened look.
"W-what was so important?" Audrey asked softly.
"Your aunt passed away in her sleep." Her mom replied
Audrey's eyes widened.
"She was… she was fine today, she was fine when she went to bed I don't…" Audrey said as tears filled her eyes.
Audrey felt darkness around her, feeling like dark hands reached out for her again. Stabbing through her chest. Her head being crushed by the pressure of hands.
"God damnit" her mom said as she walked out of the room.
Audrey couldn't comprehend anything, she stood there frozen as she looked at her phone.
"14 missed calls" the phone read as Audrey stared. The only light in the room from the phone screen as Audrey's ears began to ring.
A Flash of Beauty Part III: Outsider
Audrey sat as the service progressed, she looked around hoping her friends would be there.
After the service, she stood outside at the gazebo overlooking the river.
She stared at the sky as the cicada chirped. The hot sun blocked by the shade as flowers swayed in the wind softly.
She sat on the bench as she looked at her phone, waiting for a response from her friends, but it never came.
Audrey laid in bed, eyes half shut as she stared off, zoned out.
She checked her phone, her message about her aunt left on read as she shut her phone screen off. She closed her eyes, curling up as she continued to lay in the hot room.
The only noise was the oscillating fan.
The sun set as a dark blue settled over the sky. Crickets chirped as Audrey sat at the dinner table.
She looked lost, lifeless as she continued to think about the loss of her aunt.
Her mom walked in the room as she sat across from her.
Audrey stayed silent a moment as she rested her head on her arms.
"She was my favorite aunt…" Audrey said sadly.
"She was my favorite sister." Her mom replied.
Her mom didn't seem angry, she seemed relaxed. Audrey was caught off guard by this, but shrugged it off.
"I should have been home…" Audrey said, feeling guilty for what happened.
"It wouldn't have made a difference, what could you have done?" Her mom asked, Audrey looked up at her.
"I don't know… If I had been here, if I had checked on her one last time. Were there signs of declining health I didn't see?" Audrey asked, her mom shook her head.
"We knew she was declining. There's nothing we could do, we just had to be prepared. It's in God's hands now." Her mom replied.
Audrey didn't find much comfort in that. She stayed silent for a moment, confessing to her mom.
"I want to leave…" Audrey said, her mom looked slightly upset.
"What? After your aunt just died?" She asked her.
"I have a life I want to live, I don't want to waste it here." Audrey said, her mom frowned.
"God is coming back, and it's important we stay together." Her mom said. Audrey grew more upset.
"You've been saying that since I was little and I'm still waiting. I can't keep waiting, I have to make something of myself, I have to leave." Audrey pleaded with an aggressive tone.
"You think you can just up and leave? The real world doesn't work like that, you can't just hope things work out without a plan. Where will you go? What will you do?" Her mom asked.
"Home." Audrey said as she stood up.
Her mom scoffed quietly.
"You wanted to move here." She said.
"No, Mom. You did." Audrey replied, "I've been living your dream. I've been living your life. It's my turn to live mine." She replied as she walked to the door.
"Audrey, you better get back here!" She said, "I need to see my friends" She said, turning around.
She looked remorseful as she looked at her mom.
"Is that okay?" She asked softly, sad.
Her mom sighed.
"Don't be long" Her mom replied as Audrey nodded lightly, walking out the door.
Audrey stood under the lamppost as she waited, her friends walking up to her.
"What the hell did you want us for this late?" Aaron asked.
"I'm surprised you guys showed up." Audrey said with a bit of an edge.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lyra asked.
"You guys haven't been here for me. I'm leaving the group, I'm ending our friendship." Audrey said as the three of them looked upset.
"Ugh, this shit? You really do love the "Feel sorry for me blues"" Ryan said.
"Such a drag…" Aaron said.
"This is the shit I'm talking about, you guys ignore me, you don't take my issues serious. I've expressed so many times how I've been feeling, only to be ignored." Audrey said, upset.
"So what, we're supposed to babysit you? It's not like the rest of us don't get ignored either, jeesh" Aaron said, Audrey scoffed.
"Actually, you don't." Audrey replied.
"Yes, we do" Aaron responded.
"You guys always show interest in each other's topics!" Audrey said.
"You're overreacting!" Lyra said.
"37" Audrey said.
"What?" Lyra asked, "37. That's how many times I've been ignored, and that's just the past month." Audrey said.
"Fuck, you're keeping count?" Ryan asked.
"You really do got problems." Aaron added.
"Where the hell have you guys been?!" Audrey asked, raising her voice out of frustration.
"We got lives" Lyra responded.
"My aunt died." Audrey said, "I asked you to be there for me at the funeral and you left me on read!" Audrey argued.
"Yeah well…" Aaron said, trying to come up with an excuse.
"I'm done. I'm cutting you guys off." Audrey said as she turned around to walk away.
"Yeah? Who else will you confide in when you feel the urge to get off?" Lyra asked, Aaron and Ryan huffed from amusement.
"How did you…?" Audrey asked, trailing off.
"We didn't, not till just now." Lyra said, tisking.
"You got with a guy, you two had sex before. It's obvious you'd miss that feeling of being pounded, who wouldn't jack off?" Lyra said, smirking from feeling superior.
Aaron and Ryan laughed along with Lyra.
"You guys really are assholes… What I told you about me and Sam was private, Lyra." Audrey said, upset.
"Well, seeing as we aren't friends anymore, I don't need to keep it a secret. I can twist this narrative any way I want." She replied, Audrey looked at her hurt.
"Next time, don't give all the details of personal events to people. You don't know who'll end up using it against you" Lyra smiled, "Let's get the hell out of here." Lyra said as Ryan and Aaron followed. Audrey watched them walk away, feeling worse and questioning if she should have just left it alone.
Audrey walked into her room, slamming the door behind her as she looked at the group texts.
"Yo, I posted her texts online, here's the link!" Lyra said
"No way, it's got over a hundred likes already!" Aaron responded.
"Shit, did you guys kick her yet?" Ryan asked as Audrey's heart sank.
"You no longer have access to this server" The text box said, Audrey unable to interact or report the messages.
"God damnit!" Audrey yelled, throwing her phone at the wall. The screen cracked, the body damaged.
she fell to the ground, covering her eyes as she clenched her teeth, not crying yet.
Audrey's mom walked in, looking upset.
Audrey looked up at her, scared.
"Your friend Lyra told me about what you do with your boyfriends?" She said, upset.
"She's not my friend." Audrey replied.
"Well, good for her." She replied, "This is the kind of thing I was worried about. When you leave, are you going to just sleep around?" She asked, angry.
"I'm twenty five!" Audrey replied
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT" Her mom yelled, Audrey leaned back, scared.
"I did not raise you to be that kind of person! Do you think God might be punishing you? Do you think that's why your aunt died?" She asked, Audrey gasped lightly as her eyes widened.
"Do not pin that on me…" Audrey said quietly, angry.
"God is trying to tell you something, but instead you want to go out in the world and be a little slut! Masturbating, watching those horrid videos" Her mom added, Audrey stood up, angry.
"I don't want to! I don't know what else to do without my meds! I needed something to feel better, but it made me feel worse! I didn't sleep around, Sam and I were engaged, so what if we had sex? I was an adult, but you never saw me as one!" Audrey replied in an aggressive tone.
Her mom slapped Audrey as the room fell silent.
Audrey looked away, holding her face, processing what was going on.
Audrey turned to look at her, her mom gazing at her with a sharp stare.
Audrey huffed heavily, trying to gather her composure.
"I want you out." Her mom said as Audrey stared at her.
"You… You're kicking me out?" Audrey asked, her mom stared at her.
"I won't have any daughter of mine disrespecting me anymore" Her mom said.
Audrey stood up fully, her face still red as she gave her mom a look of pain.
"You won't ever see me again." Audrey said.
Her mom looked at her for a moment, she exhaled.
"I don't want to see you in the morning." She replied, walking out of the room. Audrey stood in the dark room, alone once again.
Audrey put clothes in her bag, her essential belongings. She dropped her wallet, kneeling down to grab it.
She stopped and exhaled, contemplating as she looked under her bed.
She saw the box she put the gun in, slowly pulling it out from underneath the bed.
She opened it as she stared at the gun, the moonlight through the basement window shining on its silver body.
Audrey's breathing grew heavier as she picked up the gun slowly.
Her hands shaking as she raised the gun up.
Her heart was beating quicker as she continued to raise it.
She put the gun to her head as she stared off, using her thumb to turn off the safety, it clicked.
"Please don't mess this up…" Audrey thought to herself, "Please be quick…" She said, tears forming in her eyes as she shut them.
Her finger slowly squeezing the trigger, she took one big breath as she exhaled, about to pull the trigger.
"Audrey!" Shinkiro yelled as Audrey opened her eyes, letting go of the trigger.
"Don't do it!" Shinkiro said as he looked scared, hoping to change her mind.
"I'm tired, Kiro…" Audrey said quietly, "Please…" She added as she kept the gun to her head.
"I'm tired of being in pain, I'm tired of waking up fatigued, crying every morning. Fighting the cycle of loneliness. I have nothing left." Audrey said as her voice cracked from the sadness.
"It's my choice…" Audrey said as she tilted her head, pleading with him.
"It's selfish." Shikiro said, Audrey smiled crazily.
"Really? It's selfish to want to stop being in pain? Is it selfish to take meds when you have pain? Is it selfish to go on chemo when you have cancer?" Audrey asked, standing up, smiling more.
"It's not selfish to want to stop being in pain! Don't guilt me!" Audrey said, raising her voice.
"It's not selfish, but it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem" Shinkiro said.
"It's not temporary, I've been this way as long as I can remember. The meds didn't work, there's no telling if I'll actually feel better!" Audrey said, tears forming. She began laughing, more and more. She laughed maniacally.
Shinkiro looked down, affected by her thoughts.
"I… I don't know if I'll ever be okay… Will I be stuck with depression my whole life?" Audrey asked, as she slumped down on her knees.
She began to sniffle
"I'm tired of being alone…" Audrey said, looking up at Shinkiro.
"You won't be forever… You will find someone, you'll find your people." Shinkiro said, smiling softly.
He reached for her hands, getting her to drop the gun.
She gave up, letting it go, the gun falling to the ground.
She began to cry.
"I'm so tired…" She said, huffing through her tears.
"It'll be okay" Shinkiro said softly, "Tomorrow is a new chapter." He said to her, looking at her softly.
She grabbed his hand as she placed it against her cheek.
"I'm not ready…" She said quietly, almost breathless.
"I'll stay the night with you." Shinkiro said as he helped her up.
Audrey laid next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
She was tired from the emotions, she struggled to stay awake, but fought to regardless.
"I'm scared." Audrey said softly, Shinkiro put his hand on her head.
"It's okay. You've been okay on your own for this long." He replied.
"I haven't… You've been there with me" Audrey said softly, closer to falling asleep.
"I was always with you. You just had to find me" He replied.
"I'm glad I did." Audrey said
"You've accepted that you have something you're after, you just have to find it." Shikiro replied.
"I'll always be with you" He said
Audrey's heart beat faster.
"You'll come with me?" Audrey asked.
"No. I can't" Shinkiro responded. Audrey looked up with tired eyes.
"Why?" She asked.
"You needed me here. You won't need me where you go next." He replied.
Audrey looked confused.
"What do you mean?" Audrey asked.
"You thought of me here, you needed someone to help you through your struggles, and so you thought of me" Shikiro responded.
Audrey was confused, not comprehending as she drifted off to sleep.
"I don't get what you're saying…" She said tiredly.
"It's time I go, Audrey…" Shikiro whispered.
"I'm not ready…" She replied.
"You are… It's time." He responded.
"No… I want more time…" She said, her eyes closed, falling asleep.
Audrey woke up, cuddling her plush red panda.
She looked confused, looking around the room.
She got up, thinking about Shikiro.
She looked over at her plush.
"Did I really…?" She thought, asking herself
The birds chirped as she walked down the street, her bag in hand as she continued to think about the last few months.
She stopped at the bank to pull out her savings.
She stopped at an electronics store and bought a flip phone.
She rode the train, passing through the city.
She put her headphones on and texted Nate on her new phone.
"This is Audrey, I got a new phone." She texted.
"I haven't heard from you in a few days, I hope you're okay!" Nate replied.
Audrey closed her phone as she rested her head on the bar next to her.
Audrey stood at the counter as she handed the worker a few $20 bills.
"One ticket to Andrea, please." Audrey said.
She sat on the plane as she waited to leave.
"I will be arriving by tomorrow" Audrey texted the realtor.
"Great! The keys to your place will be at the office, please stop by and we'll fill out the remaining paperwork :)" the text said.
Audrey closed her phone as she leaned against the window.
The field of calla lily moved in the breeze as the plane flew by in the sky.
Audrey laid against the window, her eyes heavy as she fell asleep.
The city was more noisy than Audrey was used to, the sidewalks more packed than she remembered.
Audrey went to open the door as a man in a suit bumped into her, the two fell to the ground, dropping their wallets.
"I Am so sorry!" The man said, "It's no big deal" Audrey replied, groaning from the pain.
The two reached for their wallets as they stood up. Audrey watched him walk off a second as she turned to open the door.
"This isn't my wallet!" Audrey said in a panic
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but if you don't have an I.D. to show proof of an invoice, then we can't proceed with the lease." The woman at the desk said.
"Damnit…" Audrey said to herself.
She sat at the park fountain, she was trying to think of what to do next. But she felt she was being watched as she looked around, but she didn't see anything too suspicious.
She took the wallet out as she thought to go through it for some I.D. to find the owner.
"Empty, no credit card, not I.D…. wait…" Audrey said, searching through it.
"It's just a pure black card…" Audrey said, confused "Is this… oh God. it's one of those rich people cards that you can only see under black light…" Audrey said, frustrated, continuing to look through the wallet.
"Finally!" She said, pulling out an I.D.
"Woah, woah.. This guy is like… high priority, I guess he is some rich person… Jefferson Barkley…" Audrey said to herself, "That name sounds familiar…" She added.
She looked around again, feeling like she was being watched. She saw a man with red shades leaning against a light pole. Audrey became suspicious as she got up and walked away.
She walked down the street, the crosswalk beeping as she walked with the crowd.
She turned her head slightly, seeing that the man in the shades was following her still.
Audrey decided to go down an alleyway to see if he'd follow, she hid behind a wall as he indeed was following her.
"Fuck…" She said to herself as she began to run away.
She climbed up a box, jumping over a fence as the man followed.
"Why the hell are you chasing me?!" Audrey asked, running up and grabbing a ladder, climbing up to a roof.
She pushed a crate in front of the ladder as she jumped down onto the lower roof, and then to the street as she made her way to an abandoned loading dock on the waterfront.
She ran into the abandoned warehouse, sitting against a beam, catching her breath.
"Is this guy after the wallet?" She asked herself, "Is it the card?" She asked, pulling out the black credit card.
As she pulled it out, another card fell out.
"Huh?" Audrey asked as she picked it up.
The card read "We've been keeping eyes on you, you can't hide, your friends: The Obake Gang" Audrey looked scared as she heard a clanking sound above her.
The man with white hair and red shades crouched on the beam above her. He smiled, the light shining off his shades, as he smiled almost creepily. "Yo!" He said as he raised his hand.
Audrey gasped as she looked frightened.