It's the cold that kills you; that is if the impact doesn't shatter your bones first.

"Please pick up," she cries.

A hundred and fifty feet. The farthest you can risk falling into water. Keeper Bridge rests merely a few feet below that barrier.

"It's important, Eden, please."

But it was the middle of October. Hypothermia would set in moments after the surface consumed him.

"I'm kinda busy right now," he whispered to his nightmares.

"Eden Oakes?" The officer asks.

The river seemed to be especially wild today, waves crashing into the bridge's supports like angry sea spirits. But it might also be nausea that was making his head feel slightly unbalanced.

"That's me," he answered the sky.

"There's been an accident."

As he stepped onto the railing, the empty bottle he hadn't remembered finishing tumbled over the edge.

"According to her phone records, you were the last person she contacted, yes?"

"She needed me," Eden slurred, spreading his arms like a bird. The wind caught on his jacket like wings.

"She was gone before we arrived, but she didn't suffer for long."

"Bullshit!" He snarled at the water, stepping closer. "She was always suffering."

"Is there anyone else we should contact for the funeral service? Family members?"

"Just me," he wept. "It's just me."

"I'm so sorry. It will get better. I promise."

He was shaking as he stumbled off the railing, back onto the sidewalk. He could have sworn his tears froze before they even fell.

An hour later, the door slammed behind him as Eden practically crawled into the house. The sound of claws on hardwood led to the appearance of his black Labrador, Doll. Eden pushed her away as she sniffed at his breath, tainted with alcohol and puke. Her tail hit the wall with a loud thump thump thump that sent his head racing.

Eden shoved her again, but as he headed up the steps, he tripped and kicked over the lamp at the foot of the staircase, ruining his attempts at stealth.

"What the fuck ?!" A voice shouted, followed by heavy footsteps down the second-floor stairwell.

Eden swore to himself and picked the lamp up before standing tall and trying to look innocent.

Moments later, his father stomped down the stairs, equipped with bedhead and bloodshot eyes. Eden could list a hundred negative qualities about his father in the span of a few seconds, but unfortunately, he shared quite a bit of them with him. Ironic, considering they technically weren't genetically related. It really made one think about that whole “nature versus nurture” argument that Eden knew about as far as his textbook definition from tenth grade went.

His father stood there on the third step of the stairwell expectantly for what felt like hours. He crossed his arms, and a part of Eden wanted to laugh at the entire scene.

But then a little voice ebbed its way into his mind and started whispering everything his father wanted to say. You're worthless. It said. You're not my son. Get out! Getoutgetoutgetoutget-

Eden shook his head as if he could shake the thoughts away. Instead, they got more persistent. “I'm gonna….” he began, then forgot what exactly he was going to do.

His father just sighed and gave him his signature disappointed look before heading back up the first stairwell and then the next into his office in the attic. Eden went the opposite way as if to put as much distance between him and that voice. He stumbled to the basement door, tiptoeing down the steps to keep from slipping and falling to what could only be an untimely death at the vibrant age of eighteen.

Turning on the light, he took in his barren living space, which he had been spending quite a long time in since he'd graduated. He had a small mattress tucked into the corner and a basket of clothes. The washer and dryer stood adjacent to his bed. The basement smelled earthy, and the stone walls had been painted black years ago.

Having gotten a clear path to his mattress, Eden turned off the light and made a beeline to the corner of the room. He ended up tripping on the bed and face-planting into the blankets. The springs bounced his light-weighted body a few times before he finally settled, but he was already snoring before then.