Audrey woke up. Aaron was no longer in her room. Audrey tiredly got up and shuffled to the kitchen. No one. She quietly stepped over to Aaron's room. Just as she was about to open the door, a wave of pain swept over her brain. Her single, robotic eye zoomed in on the space where the door was left a crack open. She switched to inferred vision so she could register heat signals. There was warmth radiating from the bed.
She returned her vision to normal and proceeded to open the door, quietly as to not wake Aaron, because Audrey could pick up the fact that his breathing was slow and calm. Then again, Aaron turned off his hearing aids while he slept, but Audrey stepped carefully anyway. As Audrey neared Aaron's bed, his eyes fluttered under their closed lids. Audrey got on her hands and knees, continuing to Aaron's side.
He was still asleep when Audrey stood up and loomed over him. She raised her left hand, the metal one, and her fingers changed into sharp spikes. The talons could easily impale anyone, and Audrey was about to do so when Aaron woke up.
"A-Audrey? What are you doing?" He said sleepily as he rubbed his face. His eyes darted over to the gleaming daggers raised above him, and then back at Audrey. Aaron's eyes widened. He sat up and slowly moved closer to Audrey, careful not to scare her, or he would surely be dead, and started whispering to her.
"Audrey, it's OK, I'm not going to hurt you. It's OK." Aaron reached forward and gently wrapped his arms around Audrey's waist in a hug. Audrey slowly started to relax as Aaron whispered sweet, comforting nothings in her ear. When Audrey was back to normal, her left hand switched back to normal and she started to cry.
"I need to be locked u-up! I-I'm causing to ma-many problems!" Audrey cried. Aaron denied her request to be locked up and just held Audrey in his arms.
Two hours later, Audrey was in her room and Aaron was in the kitchen, waiting for Laura to get back from the facility. Aaron was sketching a picture of Audrey when he heard singing, filled with sorrow and regret. It was coming from Audrey's room. Aaron stood in the hallway, listening to her song;

I'm sitting here, pondering the meaning of life.

Life plays cruel tricks on us, whenever it decides.

Who will I tell? Who will understand? That on my skin, is a story never planned.

I wanna be free! Free to be someone who isn't me!

I wanna soar through the sky, but instead is sit and cry.

Free of all the doubt, pain, and misery!

Who do I tell, this is never what I planned.

There is a girl, you see. Who wants to be free.

Every day she paints a picture of grief.

But this story has a cruel twist, something you might have missed.

The paint is a deep shade of blood red, what's going on in her head?

The paintbrush is a blade. Another stroke is made.

Aaron heard sounds like crying coming from Audrey's room.

And the canvas is pale. The paper her skin.

I wanna be free! Free to be someone who isn't me!

I wanna soar through the sky, instead I sit here and cry.

Free of all the doubt, pain, and misery!

Who do I tell, this is never what I planned.

Aaron realized what was going on and burst into Audrey's room. Audrey was sitting on her bed with a old, dull scalpel in her hand. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, so Aaron saw the cuts starting on her shoulder, continuing down and all over her arm. Audrey's left thigh had also been cut. It seemed almost every inch of skin she had, was bleeding and red. Audrey looked at Aaron, tears streamed down her face. When her eyes were gouged out, somehow her tear ducts were unharmed. Aaron took Audrey in his arms and bandaged her up before she passed out from blood loss. Aaron took away the scalpel and held Audrey close to his chest.
"Why?" Aaron asked.
"You wouldn't understand how I feel. The cuts, are some... relief." Audrey replied. Aaron shook his head.
"I understand completely." Aaron said as he pulled up his sleeves and showed Audrey his scars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, that was a downer. Idk how I know how to write this stuff. I don't cut or self harm in any way. Oh well... sorry for not updating in a while... Read on, Dragon Riders!

~Dani