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Short filmTranscript
00:02my mom called me a liar from the day i was born not because i actually lied but because of
00:07this
00:07thing around my neck the verity choker mom was luna of silver moon pack and she believed one
00:12thing above all lying was the mark of a weak wolf we were her daughters future alpha heirs
00:18weakness was not an option so when my twin sister emma and i were born mom clasped these chokers
00:24around our throats which had witch magic to detect lies green light means truth red light means you
00:30were lying emma's choker always green she could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat
00:36and gem would glow a steady green not me green light believed me mom i'm hungry and flash red
00:46light the choker choked tight i shifted on instinct a small white wolf pawing desperately at the gem
00:54against it unable to get it off i'm not lying not lying please but mom's eyes had already gone
01:01cold instant punishment mom's punishment wasn't gentle no food locked in my room no contact with
01:07anyone in the pack the truth necklace doesn't lie stella starve now study later i'm doing this for
01:14your own good after 10 years of this i started believing it too maybe i really was born wrong
01:20new year's eve everything changed mom was getting ready to take emma to the pack's bonfire celebration
01:26and that's when the pain hit like a knife twisting in my gut i collapsed on the floor my skeletal
01:32frame
01:32curling into itself mom please the choker flashed red and choked tight she looked down at me disgusted in
01:41her eyes in your dream stella faking an illness to ruin our night she grabbed emma's hand and headed for
01:49the door i wanted to howl but my wolf was too weak to answer i shifted anyway forced it a
01:55small white
01:56wolf trembling on the floor ribs heaving maybe in this form the pain would hurt less it didn't i
02:02couldn't even hold the shift i slipped back into myself without meaning to sorry mom i won't lie
02:08anymore but the pain got worse way worse the door handle turned for one second i thought mom's coming
02:15back she came back for me hurry up the bonfire is starting emma's waiting mom i reached out with a
02:23shaking hand please something's really wrong i feel like i'm dying she glanced at my neck the gem was
02:29flashing red over and over she crouched down grabbed my chin stella how long are you gonna keep this up
02:37can't you just be honest and stay here and think about what you've done dad appeared in the doorway
02:44honey should we at least leave her some food food she has a stash of snacks she bought with stolen
02:51money she won't starve lock the door when that gem turns green we'll talk but but what it's because
03:01you spoil her that she turned out this way look at emma her gem has always been green stella is
03:08a liar
03:08an alpha heiress who can't tell the truth she needs discipline but my cabinet was empty emma stole that
03:15money emma ate those snacks emma just stood there with her glowing green gem saying not me and mom
03:23believed her i tried to defend myself it wasn't me red light the choker choked tight i tried to shift
03:31nothing happened deep inside my wolf barely stirred mom locked me up for three days with nothing but
03:38water and stale bread mom turned to leave emma peeked through the door made a face at me bye sis
03:45we're gonna see the bonfire her gem glowed a steady green so pretty the door locked the house went silent
03:54i called my wolf nothing came back not even a whisper just me alone the pain was unbearable but i
04:03kept
04:04thinking mom's right the gem doesn't lie it's red so i must be lying i'm not in pain i'm not
04:13in pain
04:14i kept repeating it like a prayer eventually i almost believed it the pain dulled or maybe i was
04:25just going numb i crawled to my desk i had to write that was the rule if the gem glowed
04:31red i had to pen
04:33a thousand word apology or mom would never let me out i am a liar write it down and maybe
04:41mom would
04:41forgive me maybe she'd even let me out i opened my journal pages and pages of apologies i'd written
04:49over the years sorry i lied i won't do it again but this time i wanted to write the truth
04:56my vision
04:57blurred my hand shook as i wrote mom i really love you it really hurts why won't you believe me
05:06please believe me just once the moment i finished the last word the pain vanished just gone i felt
05:15light weightless i looked down i was floating and there slumped over the desk was my body motionless
05:25the gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck oh i'm dead and then she came out my wolf
05:34stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along small skinny barely holding together
05:41she looked up at me and once soft and low in the pack's old stories they say when a wolf
05:49dies young
05:49her spirit doesn't cross over alone her wolf walks beside her until they find the door together
05:56i knelt down she pressed her nose into my ghostly palm finally we were together now but i never learned
06:04how to be honest sorry mom i heard laughter mom dad emma coming through the front door tonight's bonfire
06:13was beautiful the best one yet just like our emma perfect in every way i'd never heard her sound like
06:21that when she talked about me i floated toward them my wolf patting silently at my side moving on
06:28instinct i wanted to help them take off their cloaks that's what i always did mom my arms passed right
06:35through her body like wind is it so cold here is the hearthi out i stood there staring at my
06:42transparent
06:42hands my wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with sad eyes right dead wolves couldn't hug
06:50the
06:50living shall we go and see stella she hasn't eaten yet still the good cop i looked at mom hopefully
06:56if she found me dead would she be sad would she regret it she won't starve she is a werewolf
07:05not a
07:06human pup this whole fake sick for attention thing is out of control i laughed bitterly mom wasn't wrong
07:13werewolves heal but i hadn't been able to in a long time last winter the choker left bruises
07:20that stayed for days that hadn't happened before i reached for my wolf she was still there but the
07:26warmth never came she was too hungry just like me mom never noticed she only ever looked at my neck
07:35for one thing the gem and whether it was red or green mom pushed open my door didn't even turn
07:42on
07:42the light just for a second her eyes flashed gold her wolf might have known mom didn't listen
07:48in the dim glow from the hallway she saw me slumped over my desk i looked like a skeleton hadn't
07:55moved
07:55still putting on an act you're 10 years old not five grow up mom i'm not playing i'm dead look
08:05at me touch
08:06me i'm freezing she couldn't hear me she only believed what she wanted to see emma squeezed past
08:13her held up her choker with that smug little grin look my gem is green stella's is still red she's
08:20lying
08:21even in her sleep that's my good girl ignore the liar let her stay there maybe she'll learn how to
08:28be
08:28honest should we at least put her in bed it's freezing put her in bed look at that red gem
08:36still
08:36lying come on leave her we have to visit grandma tomorrow the door locked again i floated next to
08:44my corpse my wolf curled silently at my feet staring at that single point of red light in the darkness
08:50mom if you'd just stepped closer if you'd just touched my hand you'd know i was ice cold but you
08:57didn't you believed the choker not the daughter you carried for nine months that night a rat crawled
09:04out of my empty cabinet i used to scream whenever i saw rats but now i just floated by the
09:09ceiling
09:09watching it scurry across my dead body the rat bit into my toe i didn't feel anything my wolf charged
09:17at it anyway and passed right through landing on the other side she turned back to look at me confused
09:24lost i pulled her close and buried my face in the fur of her back it's okay you can't feel
09:31it anymore
09:31it'll be over soon she let out one low growl then went still against me finally no more pain for
09:40either of us the next morning sunlight streamed through the window no warmth reached my body in
09:46the kitchen i could hear mom making breakfast the smell of roasted meat crept under my door
09:52my favorite but mom always said liars don't deserve meat so i only ever got steamed vegetables
09:58she was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose trying to tempt me out trying to make me give in
10:05and apologize for things i never did in the old days i might have caved i might have confessed to
10:11anything for one bite of roasted meat but i don't need food anymore stella still hasn't come out yet
10:17dad asked reading the pack notices she is so stubborn she can eat or not i don't care
10:26emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air then she screamed dramatically
10:33mom stella's room smells like poop did she poop in there i floated by the door watching my sister with
10:41a bitter smile my wolf sat beside me ears flat eyes low the hearth was burning hot after just one
10:49night
10:50my body started to rot mom stormed over pounding on the door stella who does that the toilet is right
10:59there did you shit on the floor to spite me i remembered being six i had food poisoning couldn't
11:06make it to the toilet in time mom didn't help me clean up she made me stand outside pointed at
11:12me
11:12and told the neighbors look at this she's such a mess she can't even use the toilet herself now she
11:19thought i was dirty again leave her let her sit in her own stink but dad stood up frowning that
11:27smells really bad i should check could it be a dead rat or something my heart if i still had
11:34one leapt
11:35dad please open the door i'm right here just turn the handle and you'll see i'm not moving
11:42i waved my transparent arms frantically my wolf ran straight to my bedroom door willing dad to
11:49open it dad's hand touched the door handle his hand froze someone was pounding at the front door
11:55a pack elder urgent business dad's face went pale he grabbed his cloak the border there's an emergency
12:01he was already out the door i froze so close one second away if that knock had come one second
12:09later
12:09i would have been found maybe then i wouldn't have rotted alone that afternoon mom took emma to
12:15the pack market the house was empty except for my corpse when they came back that evening loaded
12:19down with food and gifts from the market the smell had gotten worse mom gagged the second she walked in
12:26stella are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity she didn't even open my door
12:31just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom if you want to stay in there and make
12:35disgusting stew zoos don't stink up my house she patted her hands together satisfied then went to
12:41prepare dinner i stared at that sealed door my wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once
12:46so that's it i'm worth less than a venison dinner by day three even the cloth strips couldn't contain
12:52the smell mom was arranging fresh wildflowers trying to cover it up but the stench of death is
12:57unmistakable sweet rotten oily she cut a rose stem too hard a thorn pierced her hand she snapped
13:04in her mind i was doing this on purpose not bathing poop on the floor hiding dead rats in my
13:11room
13:11all to piss her off all to defy her authority as luna stella she grabbed a rolling pin from the
13:17kitchen stormed toward my room i'm done with you you disgusting little brat time you learned what real
13:24pain feels like i floated in front of her waving my arms desperately don't come in mom
13:31please please even though she never loved me i didn't want her to see me like that but she walked
13:38right through me ripped the cloth strips off jammed the spare key into the lock the door flew open the
13:44smell hit her like a wall she stumbled back retching stella what are you doing she saw me
13:51still slumped over the desk back turned not moving to her this was the ultimate rebellion
13:56i'm talking to you she marched over raised the rolling pin but stopped she wanted to see my face
14:04first wanted to see my get up she grabbed the back of my shirt grabbed my skin the moment she
14:10touched me
14:10she froze through the thin fabric her hand didn't feel warm flesh she felt cold hard dead meat the kind
14:17cold that seeps into your bones what but momentum carried her forward she yanked crash my body stiff
14:25as a board toppled backward taking the chair with it and there was my face blue black eyes bulging
14:31features twisted in agony dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth around my blackened neck
14:37the verity choker hung lifeless the gem dark no red no green just silence my journal slid off the desk
14:45fell open at mom's feet the last page stared up at her mom my stomach really hurts the choker is
14:52wrong
14:52i'm not lying please don't punish me mom screamed not a wolf's howl a raw guttural shriek that tore
15:00through her throat she stumbled backward slammed into the bookshelf a clay pot shattered but she didn't
15:07seem to feel the pain she just stared at me eyes wide unblinking no no no no this is not
15:17real
15:18stella get up stella get up get up i'm not mad anymore stop scaring me her hand reached out trembling
15:26to touch my arm the second her skin made contact with my corpse she recoiled like she'd been burned
15:33that cold was too real lisa from next door heard the screaming and went straight to the pack healer
15:39when she saw what was in my room she collapsed in the gate within the hour heavy boots on the
15:45floorboards the pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding the entrance mom sat on the floor
15:51a warrior's hand on her shoulder she's speaking it she's always lying
15:58it doesn't lie i'm just teaching her no one responded they all looked at her like she was
16:04a monster the pack healer crouched next to my body he muttered under his breath severe malnutrition
16:11organ failure this puppy has been starved for at least a month he carefully tried to remove the verity
16:18choker but it had fused years of tightening had pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck
16:25damn it he had to use tools to pry it off even dead my soul flinched my wolf lifted her
16:31head and
16:34long raw desperate the kind of howl that should have shaken the walls no one heard it no one flinched
16:42we were already dead a warrior picked up my journal started reading his face went from neutral to
16:49horrified mom's eyes locked on to that book that's her confession she admits she lied look she wrote it
16:57herself the warrior pushed her back wrapped the journal in cloth and took it we'll report it to the
17:05council that's when dad got home he saw the pack healer and the pack warriors crowding the doorway
17:11saw the body wrap being carried out saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life his legs gave
17:20out
17:20he collapsed on the doorstep emma stood nearby sobbing in confusion she pointed at the discolored verity
17:28choker on the table why does stella have a black collar and i have a green one see she held
17:34up her neck
17:35the gem blinked its steady green it was grotesque the council elders arrived before dawn mom straightened
17:43when she saw them even now even with my body three days cold and rotting her luna instincts kicked in
17:51she lifted her chin squared her shoulders it didn't work today they started questioning mom in the living
17:57room mom grabbed the verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline test it that choker proved she
18:04was lying red gem means lie i never abused her the choker told me i was just educating her the
18:15council
18:16elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind the pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition months of
18:24starvation aphelion multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged that's just discipline that's teaching
18:32her to be honest then she did something insane you don't believe me fine i'll wear it
18:43watch it'll be green the leather pressed against her skin cold sticky that was my blood she took a deep
18:52breath tried to calm herself she needed to prove she was innocent needed to prove her way of raising an
18:58alpha air was right she held up the gem eyes wild listen i'm rachel i'm stella's mother this is the
19:07truth
19:08the absolute truth the gem flashed red mom's confident expression shattered
19:16i said truth i am rachel i never abused her i did it for her own good
19:25i love her and suddenly she remembered me 10 years old gasping as the choker tightened around
19:34my throat biting my lip so i wouldn't make a sound is this what it felt like why is it
19:41red i am telling
19:43the truth turn green you're broken you're setting me up but the gem kept flashing like it was mocking her
19:50you're a liar you're a liar you're a liar enough this is just a bloodstone i've seen it before it
20:00changes color with body heat fear pain anything that makes your heart race temperature rises it burns
20:09red that's all it does no witch magic never was think about your daughter ruptured appendix organ
20:18failure the pain must have been unbearable she was terrified and what did you see a red gem so you
20:26punished her more which made her more scared which made her temperature rise which made the stone turn
20:36redder you are luna you are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack you couldn't even protect your
20:45your own daughter you ignored her cries for help you starved your daughter to death mom's world collapsed
20:53she sat there staring at the flashing gem on her own net and finally understood for 10 years every red
21:01light wasn't because i was lying it was because i was scared scared of her anger scared of being
21:08misunderstood scared of eating food that made me sick i was in pain pain that made my heart race
21:15and cold sweat pour down my face i was desperate desperate for a hug for her to hold me the
21:22way she
21:23held emma every signal from my frightened heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies
21:30no get it off
21:35i'm not lying i'm not she tried to shift fur rippling across her skin bones cracking but the leather
21:42cinched harder around her throat the moment the neck began to change she snapped back into human form
21:49gasping i can't get it off stella take it back i'm sorry it's all my fault this little bit of
21:59choking
21:59and she was already breaking mom i suffered for 10 years the council elders needed evidence for judgment
22:08so they opened my journal in front of my parents february 14th sunny mom put celery on my plate i'm
22:17allergic my throat swells i can't breathe i said i can't eat it but because i was scared of making
22:23her angry my body ran hot the gem flashed red the choker tightened mom said i was picky lying made
22:34me
22:34eat the whole plate that night i threw up blood my throat felt like it was on fire i shifted
22:40to ease my
22:41pain mom saw it and said i'd snuck berry juice that i was faking the choker tightened for 10 more
22:49minutes mom's hand flew to her mouth she was shaking violently she remembered that she really did think
22:58it was berry juice she didn't even look closely just turned away to read emma a bedtime story that was
23:05blood from a swollen torn throat june 1st pups day emma shredded mom's ceremonial cloak emma's heart is
23:15always calm her gem stays green i tried to explain but i was scared of being hit my body ran
23:22hot red gem
23:25choker tightened for 10 minutes it hurt so bad but i didn't cry because crying makes your body run hotter
23:33and mom thinks that means you're not sorry so i held my breath pretended it didn't hurt mom said see
23:42she doesn't even blink she's definitely faking it dad couldn't take it anymore this man who had always
23:48put the pack before his own family chose duty over his daughter for 10 years you monster what did you
23:56do
23:57that was your daughter you treated her like a stray blood at the corner of her mouth
24:03not my fault not my fault it's her it's emma emma's gem was always green emma was a good one
24:12if it wasn't for that green light making me trust her i wouldn't have believed the red light so much
24:17this is emma's fault that little princess everyone had protected one of the council elders walked over
24:24gently removed the green verity choker from her neck took out a blade pried the gem loose right there
24:32it rolled onto the table still glowing green steady unchanged the elder picked up the stone a glowstone
24:41that is all your younger daughter's choker was always going to shine green no matter what she said did or
24:49lied about it would never change your so-called verity choker was a fraud that was her truth for 10
24:58years that was the evidence she used to convict me a common glowstone that put me in hell while emma
25:05lived in paradise so i wasn't a liar i laughed laughed until i cried turns out ghosts could cry too
25:13the elder
25:14turned to the last page of the journal his voice broke the handwriting was a mess clearly written
25:20while dying mom if i die will the choker stop glowing red or if it turns green will you hug
25:27me
25:27then i'm not lying i couldn't heal myself anymore my stomach hurts so much like knives next life please
25:37don't make me wear the choker please i just want to be a normal pup i want to eat mom's
25:42roasted meat
25:43mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table that truth magic she trusted without question
25:48a worthless stone because of that stone she spoiled emma for 10 years because of that cursed red light
25:56she tortured me for 10 years mom started laughing her voice cracking worse than crying fake all fake
26:13i killed my most honest pup and i worshipped a liar she'd lost her mind for real this time my
26:22death
26:23became the talk of the entire pack lisa the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer told
26:28everyone what she'd seen every wolf knew by morning luna had starved her own daughter to death monster
26:37murderer she doesn't deserve to be luna stones flew at our door the word killer carved into the wall
26:45the council convened within the day the verdict was swift dad lost his alpha title no wolf would
26:53follow him now my grandfather the former alpha read out the judgment himself he didn't look at his
26:59son once dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back he took emma and left the pack
27:06that
27:06same night emma was a bad seed sure but she was still his blood before they left emma tried to
27:13take
27:13her green choker dad stomped on it why the hell would you want that piece of trash emma cried as
27:20he dragged her
27:21away mom got out of the dungeon the healer said she had lost her mind the council locked her in
27:27the
27:27home instead the one that still smelled like death her mental state deteriorated fast she refused to
27:34take off the red choker she would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy she said choking was
27:40the only thing that eased it it was her self-imposed punishment i floated in the darkness my wolf curled
27:47beside me watching her unravel day after day she'd talked to the empty corner where i used to stand
27:53stella i brought you some food no celery today it's all roast just how you like it but there was
28:00no food
28:01there was nothing just her hands cupped around air she'd pretend to set a plate down her hands shook
28:08the gem flashed red she was anxious guilty falling apart she smiled but her eyes were empty
28:16the gem is red mom is lying liars don't deserve food she pulled the choker tight with her own hands
28:24let it choke her her body convulsed against the cold floor it hurts so much is this how stella felt
28:32i'm sorry mom started reenacting my diary entries i couldn't eat celery because of my allergy
28:40so she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood then swallowed it back down i was
28:47locked in isolation so she locked herself in my old room lights off and bowed to my portrait until her
28:54forehead bled over and over blood on the floor late at night she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone
29:03reflected on the wall to her it looked like my bloody eyes were watching she kept punishing herself
29:10the wounds healed slower and slower her wolf exhausted by months of self-torture slowly fell into a deep
29:18sleep mom didn't care she scrawled on the back of my journal i'm sorry i was wrong red means pain
29:26red means love please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time i'll save you i promise too
29:34bad
29:34i'm dead dead wolves can't cry for help eventually the new alpha intervened mom's self-harm had gone too
29:42far she'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands he ordered her to move to a small hut
29:48at the
29:48far edge of the village locked from the outside someone posted to watch her day and night she was
29:54the strangest woman they'd ever seen nobody knew where she'd found it a frayed red cord tied around
30:01her own neck her homemade choker if anyone tried to remove it she'd snap at them teeth bared snarling
30:09wild-eyed don't touch me stella's watching she'll be angry if you take it
30:16every time the guard called her name and brought her food mom would grab the red cord and pull it
30:22tight against her own throat convulsing screaming red light red light don't punish punish me i'll eat
30:31i'll eat even if the food was scalding hot she'd gulp it down burning her throat wouldn't spit it out
30:39she was reenacting my final moments living my hell on repeat years later emma grew up without guidance
30:47and with a trail of shame behind her she drifted from pack to pack stealing to survive no one would
30:54take her in when she ran out of options she remembered mom was still alive she slipped back
31:01into the silverman pack under the cover of night not for love for money hey crazy lady dad's dead
31:09give me whatever you've been hiding emma stood there face hard eyes full of contempt she looked
31:16at mom's hollow broken form and spat on the floor it's disgusting give me what i want or i'll send
31:25you
31:25to meet your daughter for a moment mom's cloudy eyes cleared she looked at emma and suddenly remembered
31:32that choker that always green glowstone that decade of deception it's you you lie you're the green light
31:42that wasn't there you killed stella give her back to me give her back to me the last shred of
31:50maternal
31:50love twisted into something feral mom lunged grabbed emma by the throat should have died not her you
32:02emma thrashed but couldn't break free from a mad woman's grip the guards rushed in pulled her off
32:08emma stumbled out of the hut terrified they're all insane she bolted into the forest she didn't get
32:16far rogues the kind that haunted the borderlands preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the
32:22trees alone at night emma never saw them coming by the time she did it was too late she survived
32:30barely both legs shattered beyond repair she'd never walk again meanwhile mom was strapped to her
32:38caught staring at the ceiling tears streaming in her dreams she finally saw me i was 10 again no choker
32:46white dress smiling mom she reached for me crying with joy stella but the moment her hands touched me
32:55i burst into ash no she woke up screaming if she'd been wearing that choker it would have been blood
33:03red
33:04eternal torment i stood in the void watching it all mom strapped to her bed emma in a wheelchair begging
33:12on the market dad drunk and dead in some gutter i felt nothing no satisfaction just a flat dead calm
33:21my wolf padded over quietly she didn't howl didn't nudge just pressed her head against my hand and held it
33:28out there in the distance a door of light appeared soft steady waiting i looked at my wolf she looked
33:36at me yeah time to leave this life was too bitter nothing worth holding on to i floated to mom's
33:43hut
33:43one final time she looked ancient hair completely white frail as paper she sent something her cloudy
33:50eyes focused on a point in the air right where i stood stella is that you her trembling hand reached
33:56into the emptiness mom destroyed the choker i don't believe in it anymore come back please i'll cook for
34:03you no salary i'll buy you new dresses not emma tears rolled down her face i looked at the red
34:09marks
34:09on her neck from the frayed cord i i reached out my cold ghostly finger touched her forehead this was
34:16my
34:17final mercy sleep mom in sleep there's no pain her eyes fluttered shut she slumped into a deep dreamless
34:24rest a breeze blew through the hut the old journal on her cot flipped open the last page my dying
34:31words
34:31stared up at the ceiling but below it in shaky handwriting were new lines written by mom during
34:37a lucid moment next life let me wear the choker let me be the liar punish me however you want
34:43just don't
34:44leave me i stared at those words felt nothing too late repentance means nothing to the dead
34:50mom i don't hate you anymore but i don't love you either let's not meet again i turned away
34:56my wolf was waiting in the distance the door of light still glowed soft steady patient i looked at
35:03my neck the phantom verity choker still there even in spirit form the nightmare that had changed me for
35:09a lifetime i grabbed it it shattered into nothing i felt weightless free no red light no hunger no lies
35:17just freedom my wolf pressed against my side together we walked toward the light i didn't look
35:22back morning came a guard pushed open the door rachel time to eat no response she walked closer mom's
35:29hand clutched the torn journal a single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye she crouched
35:35beside her held two fingers beneath her nose nothing she was gone
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