Death. A familiar song, one that had hummed quietly through Kalia’s life for as long as she could remember. Its melody sent a shiver down her spine, its lyrics cursed yet strangely soft. It was a song she could never quite ignore, no matter how badly she wanted to. Kalia had spent much of her life acting like she didn’t care what happened to her, always putting herself in harms way and looking for some kind of escape from everything she was. She was terrified of death, but life had become just as frightening. For a while, things got better. She almost believed they might stay that way. But it didn’t last. First, there was Zev. Kalia prayed every day that she would get to see them again... but this wasn’t what she meant. Part of Kalia went with Zev when they died. Part of Kalia was already gone. That part of her vanished as she held Zev's bloody body in her arms, begging them to wake up. Kalia always said she’d rather die with the people she loved than be left alone. And Kalia always seemed to get what she wanted



Though even in the months following Zev's death, Kalia found happiness again.