Kat's Secret - Let Me Breathe

        The clearing was calm, hidden deep within the Wyldewood. Untouched by most fey, only a select few knew of its existence. The sun and moon were fighting, as per usual, and this time, it was the sun that refused to show itself and provide the forest with some much needed light.

        Any birds sleeping in the trees that bordered the edge of the empty meadow fled, wildly squawking in a language known only to them. The sound that had disturbed them wasn't obvious, at first. But when Kathlynn stumbled into the clearing, it was suddenly clear as to why the winged creatures had fled.

        A faery's beauty, whether Seelie or Unseelie, was always obvious at first glance. But the moonlight filtering through the trees above her wasn't the only source of the gleam in her eyes. Her face was unnaturally flushed. The bright, berry-red color of her lips was never this obvious. The young woman looked about her a moment, obviously confused, unsure as to where exactly she was. Her eyes brightened with realization a moment later, and she suddenly fell to her knees, staring in shocked silence at the ground beneath her.

        Her wandering eyes caught sight of a lone white flower the glowed brilliantly in the darkness, and with that reminder, her face crumpled, and the tears she'd been holding back poured down her face all at once. She wrapped her arms around herself, crumbling inward in response to the sheer agony she felt. "Heartbreak" ...she'd never thought it was meant literally. The grass cushioned her body as she collapsed onto her side, curling into a tight ball and sobbing raggedly. The forest came to life around her as her glamour infected the plants nearby, and the tree branches around the edge of the clearing wove themselves together, forming a barrier and preventing the one she'd been fleeing from following her.

---

One week later

Looking around, she swallows past the lump in her throat, fingering the strings of her guitar idly. With a light shake of her head, she shoves away any misgivings she might have, and begins to play.

As the song goes on, she doesn't seem to notice the tears dripping from her lashes. The lump in her throat is agony, but she keeps playing, hoping that someday, somehow, she might actually be able to get over this. 75 years old, and she's already broken up over one stupid guy? Not likely, she tells herself. She plays on, not for him, not for herself, but for her unfulfilled dream. Maybe someday, she says. Maybe soon.