An awakening, followed by an epiphany.

My mind is completely blank. Still stunned from what happened yesterday, I do my best to pick up the pieces and Mighty-Bond them back together. Too bad Mighty-Bond doesn't work on hearts. It takes time--regardless of how long--for a heart to heal.

I barely recognize the face in the mirror looking back at me. She's gleaming, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes, rimmed with red from the tears she couldn't hold back. The creases under her eyes are suddenly more defined, and her nose stands out, the only part of her face unaffected by the trauma. It wrinkles in disgust. Suddenly it dawns on me that the face I see is my own, and I turn away, afraid to look at who I've become.

Violins swell in the back of my mind. My heart's steadfast beat assures me that I'm not dreaming. I can see it all now--the whole world crashing down on me, far from any hope, far away from you. There's no turning back now.

One word of advice: Never listen to crappy, tearjerking, Secondhand Serenade-like songs when you're not in the mood. All it does is pull you down further, making it impossible for you to come to the conclusion that this, too, shall pass.

But why does it feel like it never will?