She struggled to restrain her tears, mentally refusing to let herself cry for anything, most of all a broken heart. She had to keep her center, had to keep control, but her balance was so delicate that soon she was sobbing into her pillow, hoping to at least dampen the sound to keep others from hearing her weakness.
She hated being weak, more than anything. She had to be strong to keep her emotions in check, to keep herself isolated from everyone, to keep the apocalypse at bay.
She was so tired of being strong.
Her resolve was breaking; she could feel it, feel the breakdown come surging through her, seeking release. She clamped down hard on her despair with the remnants of her will, clinging to the tail of a dragon.
"Don't go there. Just don't go there." She muttered to herself between clenched teeth, forcing her pain down into an aching ball in her chest. Better to keep the pain within her, silently killing her day by day than have her father get out in a moment of weakness.
Or worse, having everyone find out just how fragile she really was.