Dust tumbled into the pan as Auburn swept the pile with an old wood broom. She stared at the heap, the world going quiet, heat turning cold as she clenched the handle. She was doing it again. Her head dropped low, gold hair falling in front of her face. Auburn only stared, body motionless, breath silent, eyes unblinking. 

How stupid could she be? 

“What is wrong with you?” She asked herself as she clenched her eyes, her grip tightening. 

What was wrong with her? 

“Why can’t I stop?” 

Nothing but a disappointment even to herself.

“Why can't I finish anything?”

What did she do?

“I can't keep doing this,” tears began to form, stinging her eyes.

What a waste…

“Why wont I just stop!” She roared as she tossed the pan away, pieces of dust scattering across the room. “What is wrong with me!” She softly screamed as she hit a hand against her head, grabbing her hair roughly. Chibis shuffled from out of view, knocking something over with a clatter. “Everything I fucking do!” A flash of old conversations ripped through her mind. Her hands shook slightly as she rotated them upward, her fingers like claws as she glowered. “Everything I say…” 

‘What a joke,’ a voice whispered in an ear

‘What a disgrace,’ another whispered in her other ear; she looked up, teeth barred, eyes wild.

 ‘I can’t even talk to you,’

“Shut up,” she grabbed her head again

‘It's like talking to a wall,’ a voice lurched from in front of her

‘What a monster,’

‘Can you just shut up?’

‘Stop apologizing already,’ the world began to spin, her head hurting from the tug of her hair. “Please…” she could muster the word as a whisper as the world's colors faded from view, the voices circling her like vultures. 

‘Auburn…’

‘What the fuck is wrong with you,’

‘I guess I’ll go fuck myself then,’

‘Auburn…’ her body shook as she held in the tears that threatened to swallow her whole while she crumbled inward. Holding her mulligan hands close, she fell to the floor in a ball, refusing to open her eyes. ‘Auburn…’ her eyes snapped open, her phone was ringing from the silence that surrounded her. She jolted up, scrambling to grab her device from the ground in front of her. 

Wood from the bright blue enchanted wood of the phone, splintered into her finger. The arch on top of the device left a harsh mark in her fingers as she grabbed it. “Oh, it's Willow!” She stated to herself as she flexed a finger to answer the call. 

“Hey, Willow, is there something wrong?” She asked softly, her voice drifting like a hummingbird. 

“Oh! Haha, no nothing is wrong, no need to worry.” 

‘He’s lying,’

She let out a soft chuckle, “so what's up then?” 

“You are normally at work earlier than everyone else and I’ve never seen you miss a day in your life!” Willow let out an anxious cough.

“I was uh…worried about you. So, I called to check in,”

‘No one cares about you,’

“Oh! Thank you for checking on me, but I am okay…just had some last minute things pop up, I’ll be there soon.”

“Haha, I see! Well, don’t let me keep you, will see ya soon Auburn. Take care!” 

‘He hates you,’

“Yeah…you too,” she let out with a fake smile.