"before she faded"

She whispers the truth

that she at one point wished

she could scream,

she taints the water

and moves the islands

but cranberry lipstick

and soft smiles

won’t hide her forever-

promises of loyalty

never seem to make her

trust

because she has never really been

the one that runs free

and she knows that no matter how many letters she writes

or faces she memorizes,

normality is subjective

and she wants herself back,

she wants the woman,

the girl who tried to kill her

and the girl who buried her in warmth and acceptance,

the girl who forced her into danger

but who escaped immediately

and she misses what she used to be

before she faded.