Chapter 16

Okay.

There is a place, far from here, where true happiness is found. It is a world where no one longs for anything more then what they already have. There is no gluttony, causing our minds to hunger and devour the many delicacies of the world. There is no greed, forcing us to fill our pockets with material goods that only end up weighing down our souls even more. There is no sloth, dragging us through the bitter laziness that plaques so many. There is no wrath burning in the back of our souls, lashing out at those we presume that we love. In this place, we feel no envy towards those who we assume are better off then ourselves and never do we feel a pride that causes us to hold ourselves superior to those that we pretend to think are not as good as we are. Most of all, there is no lust consuming our souls, turning us into creatures that we humans have so long been mortified by.

This is a world where we are not forced to find something else to make us feel the happiness that is already in ourselves. We no longer crave the acceptance of others or hunger for the love of another human being. We will not crave the material goods like clothes or money to hold us up. We will not have to inject our bodies with hot smoke or pull dissipated pills into our lungs to feel an instant relief from the terror around us. It is a place where your body doesn't hurt anymore and your heart can finally settle after those many, many years you have spent ripping your mind apart, trying to find happiness.

One day, you will close your eyes and in the darkness that will surround you, this place will appear to you. Maybe it is a world where you no longer have to worry if the bills are paid or if your loved one will ever return to you. There is no heart break or let-downs, tearing apart your soul, piece by piece. Your body will settle into the world around you and you will slip away to this place and forget you were ever hurt. In this place, there is a dark haired girl, a blond rebel, and a nerdy boy sitting at a table, talking and joking about some internet show they would put on someday. It is a moment in their lives that will fade from memory and eventually disappear but for now, it is a beautiful place where they didn't have to work for the smiles plastered across their faces and they didn't have to sell their souls for a little bit of laughter they shared together.

That is where Carly is now. As she slipped away late at night, her brothers head against her chest as he cried, her father on his way home, she went to this place. Her best friends stood beside her as she fell deeper and deeper into the sleep she would never again wake from. She is in a place where she will never have to hurt again and her body never weakens from abuse. She has her big brother there, holding her hand and her two best friends' right by her side, making sure everything will be okay. She slipped away to a place where she finally has the sweet comfort that everything will be okay.