It's hot out, but the blood in her veins is cold. The full moon cannot cast a light on her heart. The stars can light an aura of silver around her, but they cannot remove the darkness from inside her. Energy is pulsating through the air. A thundering train vibrates her stable ground as she stares at the calm water under the bridge. It's nothing abnormal for her. This staring. She can't shake the restlessness. The want, no need, to take off. To fly away and never come back. To sever each little string that holds her to this life and soar above it. Catch on the winds and be free. She'll be carried somewhere else. Somewhere far away where she can forget it all and start anew. It's possible, but she can't be sure how probable. At least not at the moment, but that could change in an instant. One certain word, one specific action from them could change her mind. That's all it would take to drive her to cut each tie and leave. She's tempted, but she can't. Not yet. She hopes they'll make her want to stay. She needs them to keep her grounded, but how can they? How can someone do for her what she cannot do. Perhaps she isn't meant to stay grounded. She's a spirit that longs for adventure and excitement. A soul that wants to be free. Free of people, free of rules, free of everything. So much contradiction goes on in her mind now. She doesn't understand it. She used to be so sure. Now, not so much. So, she puts a halt on the thoughts, questions, ideas, and memories. Her lungs expand and contracts as she fills them with the hot, night air. She spreads her arms wide. No thoughts, just go she tells herself. "It's time." she whispers aloud. And she jumps off the railroad bridge, diving straight towards the water beneath her. It has to be frigid this time of year. But just before she plunges in, her head looks up, her body straightens out, and she soars. Her wings are spread. Black, feathered wings that are torn in several spots. But she doesn't care. They're spread wide. They aren't beautiful like the others', but they are hers. The result of wars she fought. Pointless wars with no meaning she could grasp. The winds tugs at her playfully. She smiles. Gives in to the longing and she leaves. They were her only reason for staying this long, but in the end it wasn't enough. They changed. She changed. Maybe they couldn't handle it, she thought to herself. Or maybe it is her fault.