Claire POV

Their voices in the next room sent another wave of sobs throughout my body. I'm surprised I didn't just fall apart. Unravel like a wool doll.

Pain

The searing pain across my wrist instantly brought a sense of relief to my sobbing. My mind went blank for just a few seconds.

Emptiness

And just like that, my relief was gone and I was back in the real world. A world so full of pain and betrayal, I don't even know why I bother anymore.

I look around my room and everything is in pristine condition. Almost sterile. Except for the pool of blood on the floor. I sigh inwardly and start cleaning up the mess.

Stupid Stupid Claire I think to myself. I need to be more careful about this. Michael will be able to smell this if I'm not careful. And that's the last thing I need to deal with right now.

I hear a high pitched giggle coming from his room and I try and swallow the lump that rose in my throat. This is how every day is. The same routine every day. I get home from university, cry for a bit, and then they are together. He long gave up trying to apologize anymore. Eve and Michael gave up on trying to get me to talk to them.

I finished cleaning up the mess I had made. This was also part of my daily routine. I really can't remember how this all started. It's just something I felt like I had to do. To keep myself sane. Now it's turned into an addiction. I can't stop it anymore. It's a part of me.

I could hear the door downstairs being open and the clatter of Eve's shoes. I sighed and decided it was time to start dinner. I hate cooking for everyone. Especially him. And I know she's here tonight as well. That just makes in ten times worse.

"Hellllooooo anyone alive in here?" Eve yelled in a sarcastic voice.

I didn't want to answer her. I didn't want to answer anyone. I just wanted everything to stop. Losing Shane was the worst thing that ever happened to me and no matter how hard I try to stay strong, I just can't anymore.

There's a bottle of pills in my school bag. Prescription pain killers from my last trip to the hospital. I think that this counts as stopping pain, I thought to myself ironically.

I walked towards the end of the room where my bag was, and I heard the door open again. Michael is home. If I do this, I have to do it now.

"Claire bear, where's dinner. I'm starving" yelled Eve from downstairs.

Shit, I need to do this now. But I can't have anyone reviving me. I don't need to deal with being sent to a psychiatric ward. In Morganville, that was just asking for trouble.

I opened my door slightly and yelled down to Eve and Michael "I'm not feeling well. Order out".

I slammed the door shut then and locked it. I slowly made my way over to where the pills were. They were my enemy, but also my salvation. They would take away the one thing I had fought so hard to keep, my life. But I couldn't bring myself to care anymore. I couldn't deal with the pain.

I dumped the pills out in my hand, and then swallowed them before I could begin to question my actions. I instantly felt the drowsiness that everyone mentions. It's quite interesting how I can feel so at peace even though I know I'm about to die. I've accepted the inevitable. It would have happened eventually, living in this town.

It became too much for me to keep my eyes open, and I drifted off into an endless slumber.

Michael POV

I don't even want to go home anymore. I hate living in that house now and days. Eve and I are the only 2 keeping it together.

Claire is an absolute mess, and that's completely understandable. I've been trying to get Eve to spend more time with her. I don't like the idea of her being alone right now. But Eve is busy with her boyfriend. I've been too busy with Amelie to actually sit down and have a conversation with her. She's putting on a strong front, but I know she's suffering. I saw her the night she found out.

Shane is a whole other story. He is ridiculous. And the fact that he dares to bring that girl into the house after what they did to Claire. Disgusting. I'm going to sit down and talk to them tonight I decided. Tell Shane that he isn't allowed to have her in the house out of respect for the other people in the house.

I unlocked the door and could hear Eve yelling at Claire about dinner. And her faint response telling us to eat out.

"She doesn't sound good Michael. We need to talk to her. And by we, I mean you. You go talk to her. I'll get rid of the skank in Shane's room" Eve said.

"I agree. I think we all just need to sit down and decide where to go from here. We can't keep living like this" I said.

"So I'll go do some yelling, and you go and try and convince her to come down here" Eve said. And just like that, she was running up the stairs and banging on Shane's door.

I sighed inwardly and grabbed a Coke for Claire before I went upstairs. Even before I approached the door, I could tell something was wrong. It was too quiet. I couldn't hear movement. Not even movement from breathing. That was when I brock open her door. I didn't care that I was invading her privacy at that point. I just knew I couldn't lose her. I glanced over the room quickly and saw her frail looking body sprawled out on the bed.

Not breathing.