I ended up in the basement under every blanket we had down there. Michael talked to me until he fell asleep, and I stayed on the phone after listening to his breathing. Sapphire was silent, and of course, I couldn’t sleep. Listening to Michael talk then sleep calmed me enough to not claw my skin off. If he suspected anything was wrong, he didn’t say anything.
Eventually, I hung up the phone, knowing it was creepy to listen to him snore softly. It took me a while longer, but I mustered up the strength to go back upstairs when the sun was coming up. My parents never came home, so I could only assume they stayed somewhere after the reception.
First, I went to the bathroom to assess the damage. At first, I couldn’t look in the mirror. I was afraid of what would be looking back at me. Befor
