"Just a broken,raw, aching machine
Oil it up, ignore the fissures, and send it on its way
No, no I don't mean anything
Reality is a rotten form of nothing
Of wasting whatwasn't given me
My expressions are a vacant drain
Pointless and barren, an all consuming need
The griefcakes the sorrow, the soreness strangles both
Veiled in an apathy that distinguishes all I've put on hold
I wear my weariness for all to see
But it doesn't matter 'cuz you never noticed me"

-from the later journals of Elizabeth Parker


Liz climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her torso. She had turned the water on as hot has it would go, but she still got out feeling cold. 'Maybe the water heater is broken.' She ran some gel through her tresses and reached for the blow dryer, but changed her mind and decided to let her hair dry out naturally. It would have a nice kink to it, which Liz thought matched her mood. She was feeling a little better after having that kick of inspiration at the hospital with Alex.

She walked into her bedroom and played her "get ready mix" CD as she tried to figure out what to wear. Deciding against her usual outfit, Liz dug in the very back of her closet. Tonight was severely needed, and she was going to go all out. Liz grabbed some black eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, and clear lip gloss, and added them to the contents of the box she had pulled out. She then threw on a pair of worn jeans, and a white tank top. After checking her appearance in the mirror, she turned off the CD player and grabbed the box as she headed out the window. She had left a note on her desk saying she was going to the all night movie marathon at the theater as a safety precaution in case her parents decided to check in on her. They usually never did, but with her being in the hospital today, she didn't want to take any chances.

As she climbed down the ladder and got into her dad's car, she was oblivious to the fact that she was being followed by an old army jeep and a rusty red Jetta.