Privacy. What she would do for just a bit of privacy. Erika lounged on her bed, thinking about it. It haunts her, as the moon haunts the sun. Not always shining in the front, but always there.

Erika sighed as she brushed much-bitten nails through her hair. One finger got caught in a knot, and she yanked it free. It was an act done harshly, unlike her own life that dwindled to exist.

Not that her life wasn't filled with harshness, no. It most certainly was filled, nearly brimming over with it. A harshness tearing her soul apart, bit by bit, each day by day. A harshness leaving her more and more lost, alone and afraid.

There was only one thing holding Erika down, strapping her to this feeble existence. One thing that had kept her from being completely lost for over a year when she thought that the light was gone. One thing, and his name was James.

"James". A boy so sweet and kind that her lips savored his name. So sincere and thoughtful that her ears longed to hear the whisper of his loving voice. A boy so handsome that...

No. She would not let herself think of James, not today. It might be enough to push her over the edge one last time. Except this time, James wouldn't be there to pull her back in...

Erika got up and started pacing. How had all of this thinking started? Oh, right. Privacy, as it almost always does now...

Life had been nice for Erika before. Not to wonderful, but bearable. A loving, devoted boyfriend, parents that cared for her, friends that trusted her with their lives... All thrown away in one long, fated night...

"Privacy is a privlage. It is clear to us now that you no longer deserve this privilage." The words of her father lingered in Erikas ears. Wisps of smoke on a hazy morning, not noticed by any but her...