Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.

"Dammit, look at me!" A gruff voice cuts through the still night air, scattering birds from the surrounding trees.

A feminine cry escapes over those trees. "No! And you can't make me!"

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.

He grabs at her wrist blindly in the darkness. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" He jerks her upward. "Get up! Get up you filthy whore or I'll – " He raises his other hand, as if to strike her.

So make the best of this test, and don't ask why.

She does as she is told, but defiantly. She stands in front of him, her mouth set in a straight line, tear tracks carved into her crimson cheeks. Her blue eyes are wet with tears, her red hair in disarray. "Let go of me." She demands. A surge of pride and bravery flows through her veins.

It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.

Suddenly very unsure of himself, he nearly obeys. Lightning flashes behind her head. She jerks her arm away in his moment of instability.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right.

He grabs at her arm again, but she moves out of reach. He falls, hitting his head on a tree root. She glares down at his unmoving body, a line of blood trickling from his temple. Thunder booms behind her, and again, lightning flashes in the skies above.

I hope you had the time of your life.

A light rain begins to fall.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind.

She turns from him, hugging herself. She glances up, sees the lights of the house in the distance. She runs. The rain begins to come down in fatter droplets.

Hang it on a shelf of good health and good time.

Her breathing erratic, she reaches the house. Her arms still tightly wrapped around her shoulders, she glances frantically between the trees and the house. The rain miraculously begins to let up. The moon appears overhead and lights her way. She slows her pace, and heads for the road.

Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial.

The cuts and bruises on her arms will last for at least another week.

For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.

But she's free now. She's finally free.

I hope you had the time of your life.