AN: I actually had plans to be working on a story that I nearly abandoned last year, but I had plans to write this since this summer, I have it all plotted out for the most part, and it has a theme song, so I thought 'what the hell, I've got free time; might as well write a fanfic for a show I don't even watch anymore'. So, I apologize for any errors in grammar, spelling, and characterization (well, I don't apologize for characterization in this chapter) ahead of time. Hopefully, though, this will be read and enjoyed almost as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Prologue

The distant wailing of sirens traveled to her ears, sending chills down her spine. Close, so close, but most definitely not on patrol for someone like her. Barefoot, cold, and alone, she knew that nobody had even come to look for her. Though, she supposed, that was exactly what she had expected. She had only just recently started the process of turning a new leaf and all of her new connections were still in the process of being built, void of any emotional ties. And the old ones, well, they had yet to lose all traces of resentment.

Cars drove past her, headlights flashing one by one, nearly blinding her with their suddenness. Lights on. She was there. Lights off. She was invisible. Lights on. Lights off. Light on. Lights off. All lights off. All lights off for the girl walking along the side of the road where anyone could snatch her up in a fit of ill will. All lights off for the girl who'd like nothing more than to be hidden in the darkness. And keep it she would.

Goal in mind, her feet took her off the side of the road and into the swarm off trees that happily coexisted beside it. Without a trace, without a whimper, without a sound she wandered into the forest with one thought in mind: Glory. For once she had that one thing, she could finally end him.

That one thought flooded her mind, overtaking her senses, blocking out all thoughts of reason. Important. It was the only thing that truly mattered, the only thing that could truly make everything right again.

The brush from the random plants dug into her feet, small rocks attempting to embed themselves into her skin. Stray branches clawed at her face, tearing away at everything it could, leaving microscopic cuts in their wake. She didn't feel the pain. She didn't feel the nicks or the scratches, only identifying with the overwhelming sense of euphoria that filled her when she realized just how close she truly was to her destination. She could smell it. She was so close she could smell it. Everything that had led up to this….everything she'd sacrificed…it would all be worth it.

Determination filled her veins, adrenaline pumping through her system as she took off into a run. Glory. Glory. Glory. She had to obtain Glory. She was so close.

The trees thinned out into a clearing where the grass grew wild and tall, the flowers with promise, everything melding together with the calm that the location held. She was there. She was finally there.

Relief washed over her body, bringing the weight that once lay on her shoulders down with it and into the ground where she belonged. Light once more, she dropped to her knees, grin stretching over her face as she looked to the star filled sky. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, pulsing as she gazed at the luminescent full moon.

"I made it." The words were lost in the night's cool breeze. "I made it. I made it. I made it. I made it."

She sighed in content, the laughter coming up soon after. It bubbled from within, bursting forth from her lips with the power of a thousand angry bulls. It filled the space around her, tickling the aged wood of the trees that lined the clearing, before dying away with one final guffaw. It ended before it really even had time to begin. "I made-"

Her words were cut off as what was left of the crimson bun she had messily put her hair into earlier was ripped back, pulling her head back with enough speed to cause whip-lash. A cold blade pressed up against the skin of her neck, just gently enough to grace the skin. Just gently enough to let her know just how close she was to death.

"Hello, Karin."

It's strange how fast things can change. In most cases that would be a reference to someone's youth, the words falling out of a proud parent's mouth the moment you do something that proves that you really are finding a place in the world, accompanied by the watery eyes that come just before they tell you that you're growing up so fast. It had always been so easy for me to just tune out all the occurrences in the world, turn them into background noise and focus on the here and nows, the more simple parts of my life. It had always been so easy to forget-to forget the one thing that actually does make a difference: life is never simple.

One moment, you're solving for f of (–x) or even and odd functions, and then, the next thing you know, your neighbor's screaming bloody murder like the world's about to implode. It was really such an important moment, so significant, and I knew that. I could feel that. Racking through my bones and pounding in my heart, I knew it, even as I rolled my eyes and complained to my mother about how the neighbors were always so overdramatic and that this was the sign of what I always knew-their drama was finally causing them physical pain.

But then came the ambulance. Then came the cops. Then came the body, zipped up nice and safe from prying eyes as it was wheeled on the gurney with a one stop ticket to the morgue. Multi colored lights flashed, my neighbors flooded the lawn, and the middle aged woman who seemed to be lost in the center of it all as she clawed at the police with the desperate, wailing plea for them to just bring back her baby.

That night, my neighbor, Karin, died. She overdosed on drugs and a friend of hers brought her home where she died on her basement couch. 6 hours later, her mother found her pulseless, lifeless, and pale.

Things change fast. One moment you're solving for f of (-x) or even and odd functions and the next thing you know, your neighbor is dead. You'll never see her again. Because dead people…they don't come back to life.

AN: I wish you could give out awards to music artists who make writing easier. If I could, I'd give a thousand of them to Electric Guest.