Aria stood in front of the mirror, her piercing green eyes staring back at her. Her raven-black hair cascaded down her pale skin like a waterfall of night. She looked like a porcelain doll, delicate and fragile. But Aria knew she was far from fragile.

She thought back to the days when her smile could light up an entire room, when her laughter was contagious, when her heart was full of hope. But that was before. Before the pain, before the tears, before the silence.

Aria's mind wandered to her childhood, to the memories she had made with her best friend, Rachel. They had been inseparable, sharing every secret, every dream, every fear. But that was before Rachel had moved away, leaving Aria with a void that could never be filled.
...