Chapter One
Ravens were meant to fly, to spread their wings, to soar and overcome. She, she was no raven. She was but a woman, an orphaned child, sitting on cold concrete, secretly broken, secretly mangled. The air was crisp and clear, and yet, Haley couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could barely move. The pain in her chest had crept up during her sleep, first stirring in her stomach and slowly gripping her chest, her throat. The blankets had felt so heavy, and so she escaped. And here she found herself, on cold concrete. Her legs were bare, and goose bumps travelled up to her thighs. Haley didn't notice her shivering body. She cried until she could no more, until her body became limp, and her eyes became heavy.
The sun rose and peered into the master bedroom. The rays spread onto Nathan's face as he rolled his face into his pillow.' Sun', he thought, 'too early'. He reached his arm out expecting to feel the warmth of his wife's skin across his fingers. In place, however, were cold un-slept blankets. Nathan lifted his head to check if his fingers had lied to him. 'Hales?' he asked himself. Slightly confused, Nathan slid out of bed and checked the bathroom. 'Empty', he told himself. He made his way out of the bedroom slipping into the light blue shirt he has worn the night before. The stairs creaked underneath his feet as he tiptoed downstairs. 'Hales?' he wondered loudly as he entered the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around himself as he found an empty kitchen. The house was eerily quiet…and cold. Turning around, he noticed the backdoor was slightly ajar. As he stepped through it, his breath caught in his chest. His wife's petite figure was huddled on the ground, her chest breathing in and out in a rhythmic sleep. Nathan walked up to her, and crouched down. As he saw her up close, he could see that her body was covered in goose bumps. Holding back tears, he touched her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. Her skin was cold to the touch. 'Hales…Hales baby, wake up', he softly cooed. Haley's body gave a slight shrug as her husband's touch melted her cool skin. Her eyes fluttered open. 'Nathan?' she uttered quietly as her eyes adjusted to the early morning sun. As she awoke, memories of the previous night flooded her mind. 'Nathan, I'm, I'm sorry. I was just…and I…I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep.' She ranted on as she quickly stood up. Nathan looked at his frazzled wife. Something was wrong. She had been solid since her mother died; she had been functioning normally yesterday. 'Hales, are you ok?' Nathan knew the answer to his question, yet, he needed her to confirm his thoughts. 'Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Really, I just couldn't sleep, the bed, it was uh, it was too warm. I didn't think I'd fall asleep outside. I didn't mean for you to wake up alone.' Haley avoided her husband's eyes as she rambled on. 'Do you want coffee? I'll make coffee.' Haley rushed inside, leaving her speechless husband behind.
Her feet couldn't carry her fast enough. Haley rushed past the kitchen and into the closest bathroom. She hurriedly closed the door behind her and gripped the sides of the sink with her hands. Slowly, she lifted her head and met her puffy eyes staring back at her in the mirror. 'Oh god', she thought to herself, 'he wasn't supposed to find me like that. He wasn't supposed to see me defeated. He wasn't supposed to…he wasn't…' Her throat clamped up, her breathing became staggered. An overwhelming feeling of panic grew into her chest and with it a wave of nausea. Haley rushed to the toilet and emptied her stomach's contents. She had kept her struggle hidden from Nathan for weeks, and now she had been discovered. She knew now, that even with forced smiles, she couldn't hide from him anymore. Yet, she was determined to deny him any chances of truly seeing the empty shell she had become.