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When Abigail was little, she and her parents would sit outside in their backyard and watch. They would watch anything, whatever that caught their attention. Sometimes it was birds or squirrels, other times it was the clouds, and sometimes even airplanes.

Abigail's favorite was watching clouds, especially with her mother. The three of them would lay down with their backs against the grass, sunglasses on, and heads facing the sky on Saturday mornings. It was almost a ritual considering how often they had done this. They would watch the clouds and try to make out what the clouds resembled. Sometimes it was a bunny, sometimes it was an elephant in a tutu, and sometimes, it was just a snowball. 

She missed that. She missed doing simple things like that. She missed being a child, carefree and wild. She missed being able to wake up knowing that her family would be there the moment she left her room. But, most of all, she missed her parents.

Now, her parents weren't perfect. They fought just like any other couple. They had separated briefly when Abby was 12, only to realize that their bond was much stronger than that and decided to get back together. See, her parents believed in each other, they believed in their family. Their purpose was to show Abigail how to live life but also that life isn't perfect. There are ups and downs. They reminded her that everything is temporary -- including them.

Abigail found herself staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She had just finished taking a long, warm bath and was now staring at herself in her undergarments.

Damaged she thought. Damaged arms. Damaged legs. Damaged stomach.

Damaged.

To any regular person, they would see charcoal eyes with honey golden flecks. But to her, Abigail saw a lifeless soul filled with the kind of darkness you only would in the Styx – one of the rivers of the Underworld in Greek mythology.

She saw eyes filled with a hidden pain no one else could comprehend.

She saw eyes filled with a plea for help, hidden beneath those dark black orbs.

Tearing herself away from the mirror, she put on a pair of black leggings and a long sleeve sweater. Abigail paused and gave her bedroom one last look.

The dark grey walls were covered in pictures and posters from when times were different and much simpler. Her bed sat in the corner away from the windows, covered in white sheets that were crumbled on top of her bed. Some clothes scattered the floor while there was another pile on top of her computer desk. There wasn’t much else to her bedroom other than the dresser and closet.

Abigail slowly trekked down her stairs barefoot, carefully trying not to make a sound. The floorboards creaked every now and then as she made it downstairs. She held her breath each time, waiting for some noise – any noise. Yet nothing alerted her. After a minute of standing like a statue, she began to make her way towards the back door.

The moment her feet hit the walkway, she let out a soft sigh, running her fingers through her drying chestnut brown hair. Her toes dug into the cold sand as she walked towards the pier. One of the perks of living in a semi-run-down beach has was, obviously, the proximity of the beach. It was her backyard.

Her feet, soon, met the cold boardwalk. She made her way to the edge, her toes nearly dangling.

It was well past the middle of the night, nearing three in the morning. The only sounds she could hear was the occasional bird and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore violently. She took a deep breath, inhaling in the salty scent of the water. Abigail stared out into the scene in front of her. It was dark out and she could barely make out the waves further in the water. She couldn’t even see the clouds. She couldn’t make out any shapes.

There was a storm coming later today, maybe in the afternoon. The water crashed against the boardwalk, sprinkling against her clothes and seeping in to kiss her skin. It was pretty chilly for mid-June. A low rumbled erupted from the sky, breaking the calming aura. Abigail didn’t mind the cold, however. She was used to it even.

She stared out in front of her and fell into a trance until she felt a droplet on the top of her head. She didn’t move. She stayed where she was as it began to rain slowly. She ignored the fact that she was drenched. It wouldn’t matter soon anyway.

Abigail’s eyes fell shut as she reminisced every happy memory she could think of. Her parents taking her out for ice cream.  Her parents kissing her goodnight every single night when she was in elementary school, well into middle school. Going to the park with her best friends. The smile on her parents’ faces every time she did something to make them proud.

But it all came crashing down that one specific night that changed her life.

None on noticed the car coming full speed ahead that stormy night until it was too late.

Within seconds, she lost the two people she cared for the most.

But it was okay. She would see them soon – very soon.

Abigail reopened her eyes, blinking occasionally as the water dripped down her forehead and onto her lashes. A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips as she teetered forward, sucking in a deep breath as her body hit the water.