A scalding word burns hot on my tongue, sputters against my lips, hopelessness stomping me like a world lumped on my chest. There’s an ache in my heart that’s leaking . . . Leaking . . . I think I’m leaking with it, reaching for something I can’t grasp. Fingers outstretched. Desperate to tangle with— Something important. Something . . . Mine. But I drain . . . Drain . . . Gently drain away . . . Yanked away too fast. Too slow. Cold Empty—
