*Flashback to two days ago*

I groaned as my alarm clock went off, signaling that it was time to get up. I kicked my sheets off, then slowly rolled out of bed. I giggled as I looked around my room. My best friend, Courtney, was passed out in the floor, clutching a bag of Cheetos Puffs like it was a teddy bear. My other best friend, Allison, was asleep at the foot of my bed, curled up like a kitten. I giggled, then decided to let them sleep in while I made breakfast.

I went to the kitchen, where my CD player sat on the counter. I went through my large collection of CDs, looking for something to listen to. There was a wide variety to choose from; I have a very diverse taste in music. Everything from good (meaningful) pop music, to pop-punk, to post-hardcore, to metal. Everything from Ed Sheeran to Suicide Silence. I finally settled on my Collide With The Sky album, inserting it into the CD player and hitting the "Random Song" button.

I smiled as "One Hundred Sleepless Nights" filled the kitchen, dancing around and singing along with Vic Fuentes as I prepared a breakfast of pancakes for my friends and Gluten-Free waffles for me. That's one thing about me -- I have Celiac's Disease, which is basically a severe allergy to gluten (a compound found in wheat). It kind of sucks, but I'm used to it.

When breakfast was ready I walked back into the bedroom to arouse my friends. I shook Allison's shoulder, frowning when she wouldn't wake up. Trying to wake Courtney produced the same reaction. I grinned wickedly; I knew what would wake them up. I walked over to my laptop, turning it on and going to YouTube. I selected a video of "Diamonds Aren't Forever" by Bring Me The Horizon, turning the laptop volume ALL the way up.

"We will never sleep, 'cause sleep is for the weak. No, we will never rest, 'til we're all f***ing dead."

I giggled as I hit play, turning to watch my friends' reactions. When the music dropped about thirty seconds in, Allison jumped up, an expression of shock and terror on her face. When she realized what was happening, she just looked at me with this 'Oh gawsh, why?' expression. A few moments later, Courtney rolled over with a loud groan, blinking sleepily at me. I stuck my tongue out and made a peace sign at her.

Thank goodness my mother wasn't here. She's been an alcoholic ever since my dad left her four years ago, and is verbally and emotionally abusive. Fortunately, she was on a business trip for the weekend, which isn't unusual. She goes on business trips almost every week. My brother was luckily at a friend's house. He may be twenty three, but he still lives with us. He's worse than my mom -- he physically abuses me. I can only have my friends over like this when both of them are gone. Which, sadly, isn't all that unusual. I spend a lot of time alone.

"Uh, guys." I sat in front of my mirror, picking up my straightener. "I hate to be a killjoy, but we have an appointment at eleven, remember?" They both nodded and slowly got up. The three of us were visiting a tatoo/piercing place today. Of course, I technically wasn't allowed to get body modifications until I turned eighteen, but my birthday was only a month away, and I figured that what my mom didn't know couldn't hurt me.

We all got ready, doing our hair and makeup and feminine stuff. Then we all headed downstairs, piling into Courtney's red VW beetle. I plugged her little transmitter thing into my iPod, so that my music could play over the car radio, then hit shuffle. We spent the drive singing along and headbanging -- first to "Lost in Stereo" by All Time Low, then "The Final Episode" by Asking Alexandria, then "Bulletproof Love" by Pierce the Veil, then "The Depths" by Of Mice & Men, then Sleeping With Sirens's cover of "Iris", before we finally pulled up at the tattoo place.

Inside, I instantly felt at home. The walls were covered in framed drawings of tattoo designs, and the employees looked like my kind of people -- snake bites, gauges, brightly colored hair, and lots of tattoos. There were a few other customers, all of whom looked like people I'd be friends with. We waited for a while, and then went back to see the specialists.

Courtney was just getting snake bites, and Allison was getting her cartilage pierced. I was the one here for a tattoo. I wanted a black butterfly on my right wrist, with the words "Darling, you'll be okay." No chance of my mom seeing it, since I always wore tons of bracelets. It took a while and stung like hell, but I was super happy with the result.

As the tattoo specialist was placing a bandage over my new tattoo, he noticed the huge, purplish-green bruise on my arm. "What happened here?" He asked in a concerned tone.

Honestly? My brother beat the hell out of me. But I simply smiled and said, "Fell down the stairs. I'm kinda a klutz, you know?"

Turns out, Courtney decided to get, like, six cartilage piercings, and Allison went back with her. So, I was on my own for at least ten minutes. I felt that panicky sensation rise in my chest, like it always does when I'm alone in public. I decided to take a walk outside to calm down.

I entered the ally beside the tattoo place, taking a deep breath. I put my headphones in, turning up "Roger Rabbit" by Sleeping With Sirens. I was singing along under my breath, and didn't realize someone was coming up behind me until I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, while a large hand placed a damp cloth over my mouth and noise. I tried to scream, but the sound was muffled by the cloth. I heard a voice murmur softly in my ear, "Shh, it'll be okay."

And then everything went black.