- 2 days ago
The Red Collar Of Lies
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Short filmTranscript
00:27¡Suscríbete al canal!
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04:27I had to write, that was the rule
04:30If the gem glowed red, I had to pen a thousand word apology
04:34Or mom would never let me out
04:37I am a liar, write it down
04:40And maybe mom would forgive me
04:42Maybe she'd even let me out
04:44I opened my journal, pages and pages of apologies I'd written over the years
04:50Sorry I lied, I won't do it again
04:53But this time, I wanted to write the truth
04:56My vision blurred, my hand shook as I wrote
05:00Mom, I really love you
05:02It really hurts, why won't you believe me?
05:06Please believe me, just once
05:09The moment I finished the last word, the pain vanished
05:13Just, gone
05:14I felt light, weightless
05:17I looked down, I was floating
05:20And there, slumped over the desk, was my body
05:24Motionless
05:25The gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck
05:28Oh, I'm dead
05:30And then, she came out
05:32My wolf, stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along
05:37Small, skinny, barely holding together
05:41She looked up at me and, once, soft and low
05:45In the pack's old stories, they say when a wolf dies young, her spirit doesn't cross over alone
05:52Her wolf walks beside her, until they find the door together
05:56I knelt down
05:57She pressed her nose into my ghostly palm
06:00Finally
06:01We were together now, but I never learned how to be honest
06:05Sorry, Mom
06:06I heard laughter
06:08Mom, Dad, Emma
06:09Coming through the front door
06:12Tonight's bonfire was beautiful
06:14The best one yet
06:16Just like our Emma
06:18Perfect in every way
06:20I'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me
06:23I floated toward them
06:24My wolf patting silently at my side
06:27Moving on instinct, I wanted to help them take off their cloaks
06:31That's what I always did
06:32Mom!
06:34My arms passed right through her body
06:35Like wind
06:37Why is it so cold here?
06:39Is the hearthi out?
06:40I stood there, staring at my transparent hands
06:43My wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with sad eyes
06:47Right
06:48Dead wolves couldn't hug the living
06:50Shall we go and see Stella?
06:52She hasn't eaten yet
06:53Still the good cop
06:55I looked at Mom, hopefully
06:56If she found me dead, would she be sad?
07:00Would she regret it?
07:02She won't starve
07:04She is a werewolf, not a human pup
07:06This whole fake sick for attention thing is out of control
07:11I laughed bitterly
07:12Mom wasn't wrong
07:14Werewolves heal
07:15But I hadn't been able to in a long time
07:18Last winter, the choker left bruises that stayed for days
07:21That hadn't happened before
07:23I reached for my wolf
07:24She was still there, but the warmth never came
07:27She was too hungry, just like me
07:31Mom never noticed
07:33She only ever looked at my neck for one thing
07:36The gem
07:37And whether it was red or green
07:39Mom pushed open my door
07:41Didn't even turn on the light
07:42Just for a second, her eyes flashed gold
07:45Her wolf might have known
07:47Mom didn't listen
07:48In the dim glow from the hallway
07:50She saw me slumped over my desk
07:52I looked like a skeleton
07:54Hadn't moved
07:56Still putting on an act?
07:58You're ten years old, not five
08:01Grow up
08:02Mom, I'm not playing!
08:04I'm dead!
08:05Look at me!
08:06Touch me!
08:07I'm freezing!
08:08She couldn't hear me
08:09She only believed what she wanted to see
08:12Emma squeezed past her
08:13Held up her choker with that smug little grin
08:16Look, my gem is green
08:18Stella's is still red
08:20She's lying, even in her sleep
08:22That's my good girl
08:24Ignore the liar
08:25Let her stay there
08:26Maybe she'll learn how to be honest
08:30Should we at least put her in bed?
08:31It's freezing
08:33Put her in bed?
08:34Look at that red gem, still lying
08:37Come on, leave her
08:38We have to visit grandma tomorrow
08:41The door locked again
08:43I floated next to my corpse
08:45My wolf curled silently at my feet
08:47Staring at that single point of red light in the darkness
08:50Mom, if you'd just stepped closer
08:53If you'd just touched my hand
08:55You'd know I was ice cold
08:57But you didn't
08:58You believed the choker
08:59Not the daughter you carried for nine months
09:02That night, a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet
09:05I used to scream whenever I saw rats
09:07But now, I just floated by the ceiling
09:10Watching it scurry across my dead body
09:12The rat bit into my toe
09:14I didn't feel anything
09:15My wolf charged at it anyway
09:18And passed right through, landing on the other side
09:21She turned back to look at me
09:24Confused, lost
09:25I pulled her close and buried my face in the fur of her back
09:28It's okay
09:30You can't feel it anymore
09:31It'll be over soon
09:33She let out one low growl
09:35Then went still against me
09:37Finally
09:38No more pain
09:39For either of us
09:41The next morning
09:42Sunlight streamed through the window
09:44No warmth reached my body
09:46In the kitchen
09:47I could hear mom making breakfast
09:49The smell of roasted meat crept under my door
09:52My favorite
09:53But mom always said liars don't deserve meat
09:56So I only ever got steamed vegetables
09:58She was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose
10:01Trying to tempt me out
10:03Trying to make me give in
10:05And apologize for things I never did
10:07In the old days
10:08I might have caved
10:09I might have confessed to anything
10:11For one bite of roasted meat
10:13But I don't need food anymore
10:16Stella still hasn't come out yet?
10:17Dad asked, reading the pack notices
10:20She is so stubborn
10:21She can eat or not
10:23I don't care
10:26Emma walked to my door
10:27And made a big show
10:29Of sniffing the air
10:30Then she screamed dramatically
10:33Mom!
10:34Stella's room smells like poop
10:36Did she poop in there?
10:38I floated by the door
10:39Watching my sister with a bitter smile
10:42My wolf sat beside me
10:43Ears flat
10:45Eyes low
10:46The hearth was burning hot
10:48After just one night
10:50My body started to rot
10:52Mom stormed over
10:53Pounding on the door
10:55Stella!
10:56Who does that?
10:58The toilet is right there!
10:59Did you shit on the floor to spite me?
11:01I remembered being six
11:03I had food poisoning
11:05Couldn't make it to the toilet in time
11:07Mom didn't help me clean up
11:10She made me stand outside
11:11Pointed at me
11:12And told the neighbors
11:13Look at this
11:15She's such a mess
11:16She can't even use the toilet herself
11:19Now she thought I was dirty again
11:20Leave her
11:21Let her sit in her own stink
11:24But dad stood up
11:25Frowning
11:26That smells really bad
11:28I should check
11:29Could it be a dead rat or something?
11:32My heart
11:33If I still had one
11:34Leapt
11:35Dad!
11:36Please!
11:36Open the door!
11:38I'm right here!
11:39Just turn the handle
11:40And you'll see I'm not moving!
11:42I waved my transparent arms frantically
11:45My wolf ran straight to my bedroom door
11:48Willing dad to open it
11:50Dad's hand touched the door handle
11:52His hand froze
11:53Someone was pounding at the front door
11:55A pack elder
11:56Urgent business
11:57Dad's face went pale
11:58He grabbed his cloak
11:59The border
12:00There's an emergency
12:01He was already out the door
12:04I froze
12:05So close
12:06One second away
12:07If that knock had come one second later
12:09I would have been found
12:10Maybe then
12:11I wouldn't have rotted alone
12:13That afternoon
12:14Mom took Emma to the pack market
12:15The house was empty
12:16Except for my corpse
12:17When they came back that evening
12:19Loaded down with food and gifts from the market
12:21The smell had gotten worse
12:22Mom
12:24Gagged the second she walked in
12:26Stella?
12:27Are you trying to turn this place
12:28Into a den of inequity?
12:29She didn't even open my door
12:31Just grabbed cloth strips
12:32And sealed the gap at the bottom
12:34If you want to stay in there
12:35And make disgusting stew zoos
12:37Don't stink up my house
12:38She patted her hands together
12:40Satisfied
12:40Then went to prepare dinner
12:42I stared at that sealed door
12:44My wolf pressed her nose against it
12:45And whimpered once
12:46So that's it
12:47I'm worth less than a venison dinner
12:49By day three
12:50Even the cloth strips
12:51Couldn't contain the smell
12:52Mom was arranging fresh wildflowers
12:55Trying to cover it up
12:56But the stench of death
12:57Is unmistakable
12:58Sweet
12:59Rotten
13:00Oily
13:00She cut a rose stem too hard
13:02A thorn pierced her hand
13:04She snapped
13:05In her mind
13:06I was doing this on purpose
13:07Not bathing
13:08Poop on the floor
13:09Hiding dead rats in my room
13:11All to piss her off
13:12All to defy her authority
13:14As Luna
13:14Stella
13:16She grabbed a rolling pin
13:17From the kitchen
13:18Stormed toward my room
13:19I'm done with you
13:21You disgusting little brat
13:23Time you learned
13:24What real pain feels like
13:25I floated in front of her
13:27Waving my arms desperately
13:29Don't come in mom
13:31Please
13:32Please
13:33Even though she never loved me
13:35I didn't want her to see me like that
13:37But she walked right through me
13:39Ripped the cloth strips off
13:41Jammed the spare key into the lock
13:43The door flew open
13:44The smell hit her like a wall
13:46She stumbled back
13:47Wretching
13:48Stella
13:48What are you doing?
13:50She saw me
13:51Still slumped over the desk
13:52Back turned
13:53Not moving
13:54To her
13:54This was the ultimate rebellion
13:56I'm talking to you!
13:58She marched over
13:59Raised the rolling pin
14:01But stopped
14:02She wanted to see my face first
14:04Wanted to see my
14:06She grabbed the back of my shirt
14:08Grabbed my skin
14:09The moment she touched me
14:10She froze
14:11Through the thin fabric
14:12Her hand didn't feel warm flesh
14:14She felt cold
14:15Hard
14:16Dead meat
14:17The kind of cold
14:18That seeps into your bones
14:19But momentum carried her forward
14:22She yanked
14:23Crash
14:24My body
14:25Stiff as a board
14:26Toppled backward
14:27Taking the chair with it
14:28And there was my face
14:29Blue black
14:30Eyes bulging
14:31Features twisted in agony
14:33Dried foam and blood
14:34Crusted around my mouth
14:36Around my blackened neck
14:37The Verity choker hung lifeless
14:39The gem dark
14:40No red
14:41No green
14:42Just silence
14:43My journal slid off the desk
14:45Fell open at mom's feet
14:47The last page stared up at her
14:49Mom
14:50My stomach really hurts
14:51The choker is wrong
14:53I'm not lying
14:54Please don't punish me
14:55Mom screamed
14:56Not a wolf's howl
14:57A raw
14:58Guttural shriek
15:00That tore through her throat
15:01She stumbled backward
15:03Slammed into the bookshelf
15:05A clay pot shattered
15:06But she didn't seem to feel the pain
15:08She just
15:10Stared at me
15:11Eyes wide
15:12Unblinking
15:13No
15:14No no no
15:16This is not real
15:18Stella get up
15:19Stella get up
15:19I'm not mad anymore
15:21Stop scaring me
15:24Her hand reached out
15:26Trembling
15:27To touch my arm
15:28The second her skin
15:29Made contact with my corpse
15:31She recoiled
15:32Like she'd been burned
15:33That cold was too real
15:35Lisa from next door
15:37Heard the screaming
15:37And went straight
15:38To the pack healer
15:39When she saw
15:40What was in my room
15:41She collapsed in the gate
15:43Within the hour
15:44Heavy boots
15:45On the floorboards
15:46The pack healer
15:47And a handful of pack warriors
15:49Crowding the entrance
15:50Mom sat on the floor
15:51A warrior's hand on her shoulder
15:53She's speaking it
15:55She's always lying
15:58It doesn't lie
16:00I'm just teaching her
16:01No one responded
16:02They all looked at her
16:04Like she was a monster
16:05The pack healer
16:06Crouched next to my body
16:08He muttered under his breath
16:10Severe malnutrition
16:11Organ failure
16:13This puppy has been starved
16:15For at least a month
16:15He carefully tried
16:17To remove the verity choker
16:18But it had fused
16:20Years of tightening
16:21Had pressed the leather
16:22Deep into the skin
16:23Of my neck
16:24Damn it
16:25He had to use tools
16:26To pry it off
16:27Even dead
16:29My soul flinched
16:30My wolf lifted her head
16:32And
16:33Long
16:34Raw
16:36Desperate
16:36The kind of howl
16:38That should have shaken
16:39The walls
16:39No one heard it
16:41No one flinched
16:42We were already dead
16:43A warrior picked up
16:45My journal
16:45Started reading
16:46His face went from neutral
16:48To horrified
16:50Mom's eyes locked on
16:51To that book
16:52That's her confession
16:53She admits she lied
16:55Look
16:56She wrote it herself
16:59The warrior pushed her back
17:01Wrapped the journal in cloth
17:03And took it
17:04We'll report it to the council
17:05That's when dad got home
17:07He saw the pack healer
17:09And the pack warriors
17:10Crowding the doorway
17:11Saw the body wrap
17:13Being carried out
17:14Saw the long cord
17:15That sealed away
17:17My entire life
17:18His legs gave out
17:20He collapsed on the doorstep
17:22Emma stood nearby
17:23Sobbing in confusion
17:25She pointed at the discolored
17:27Verity choker on the table
17:29Why does Stella have a black collar?
17:31And I have a green one
17:33See?
17:34She held up her neck
17:35The gem blinked
17:36Its steady green
17:37It was grotesque
17:39The council elders
17:41Arrive before dawn
17:42Mom straightened
17:43When she saw them
17:44Even now
17:45Even with my body
17:46Three days cold
17:47And rotting
17:48Her luna instincts
17:50Kicked in
17:50She lifted her chin
17:52Squared her shoulders
17:53It didn't work today
17:55They started questioning
17:57Mom in the living room
17:58Mom grabbed the
17:59Verity choker
18:00Off the table
18:00Like it was a lifeline
18:02Test it
18:03That choker
18:04Proved she was lying
18:05Red gem
18:07Means lie
18:08I never abused her
18:10The choker told me
18:12I was just educating her
18:15The council elders
18:16Looked at her
18:17Like she'd lost her mind
18:19The pup shows signs
18:21Of extreme malnutrition
18:22Months of starvation
18:24Aphelion
18:26Multiple old injuries
18:28Consistent with prolonged
18:29That's dis
18:30Discipline
18:31That's teaching her
18:32To be honest
18:33Then
18:34She did something
18:35Insane
18:36You don't believe me?
18:38Fine
18:39I'll wear it
18:42Watch
18:43It'll be green
18:45The leather pressed
18:46Against her skin
18:47Cold
18:48Sticky
18:49That was my blood
18:50She took a deep breath
18:52Tried to calm herself
18:53She needed to prove
18:55She was innocent
18:56Needed to prove
18:57Her way of raising
18:58An alpha heir was right
19:00She held up the gem
19:01Eyes wild
19:02Listen
19:03I'm Rachel
19:04I'm Stella's mother
19:06This is the truth
19:08The absolute truth
19:10The gem flashed red
19:12Mom's confident expression shattered
19:16I said truth
19:18I am Rachel
19:19I never abused her
19:22I did it for her own good
19:25I love her
19:27And suddenly
19:28She remembered
19:30Me
19:30Ten years old
19:32Gasping as the choker
19:34Tightened around my throat
19:35Biting my lip
19:36So I wouldn't make a sound
19:38Is this what it felt like?
19:40Why is it red?
19:42I am telling the truth
19:43Turn green
19:44You're broken
19:45You're setting me up
19:47But the gem kept flashing
19:48Like it was mocking her
19:50You're a liar
19:51You're a liar
19:53You're a liar
19:54Enough
19:56This is just a bloodstone
19:58I've seen it before
20:00It changes color with body heat
20:02Fear
20:03Pain
20:04Anything that makes your heart race
20:06Temperature rises
20:08It burns red
20:09That's all it does
20:11No witch magic
20:13Never was
20:14Think about your daughter
20:16Ruptured appendix
20:17Organ failure
20:19The pain must have been unbearable
20:21She was terrified
20:22And what did you see?
20:24A red gem
20:26So you punished her more
20:28Which made her more scared
20:30Which made her temperature rise
20:33Which made the stone turn redder
20:38You are Luna
20:39You are supposed to protect every wolf in this pack
20:43You couldn't even protect your own daughter
20:46You ignored her cries for help
20:48You starved your daughter to death
20:51Mom's world collapsed
20:53She sat there
20:54Staring at the flashing gem on her own net
20:57And finally understood
20:58For ten years
21:00Every red light wasn't because I was lying
21:03It was because I was scared
21:05Scared of her anger
21:07Scared of being misunderstood
21:09Scared of eating food that made me sick
21:12I was in pain
21:13Pain that made my heart race
21:15And cold sweat pour down my face
21:18I was desperate
21:19Desperate for a hug
21:21For her to hold me the way she held Emma
21:24Every signal from my frightened heart
21:26She had interpreted as proof of my lies
21:37She tried to shift
21:38Fur rippling across her skin
21:40Bones cracking
21:41But the leather cinched harder around her throat
21:44The moment her neck began to change
21:46She snapped back into human form
21:49Gasping
21:51I can't get it off
21:52Stella take it back
21:54I'm sorry
21:55It's all my fault
21:57This little bit of choking
21:59And she was already breaking
22:01Mom
22:02I suffered for ten years
22:05The council elders needed evidence for judgment
22:08So they opened my journal
22:10In front of my parents
22:12February 14th
22:14Sunny
22:14Mom put celery on my plate
22:16I'm allergic
22:17My throat swells
22:19I can't breathe
22:20I said I can't eat it
22:22But because I was scared of making her angry
22:24My body ran hot
22:26The gem flashed red
22:28The choker tightened
22:30Mom said I was picky
22:32Lying
22:33Made me eat the whole plate
22:35That night
22:36I threw up blood
22:37My throat felt like it was on fire
22:39I shifted
22:40To ease my pain
22:42Mom saw it
22:43And said I'd snuck berry juice
22:45That I was faking
22:46The choker tightened
22:48For ten more minutes
22:50Mom's hand flew to her mouth
22:52She was shaking violently
22:54She remembered that
22:56She really did think it was berry juice
22:59She didn't even look closely
23:01Just turned away to read Emma a bedtime story
23:04That was blood
23:06From a swollen, torn throat
23:08June 1st
23:10Pup's day
23:11Emma shredded Mom's ceremonial cloak
23:13Emma's heart is always calm
23:16Her gem stays green
23:17I tried to explain
23:19But I was scared of being hit
23:21My body ran hot
23:23Red gem
23:24Choker tightened for ten minutes
23:27It hurt so bad
23:28But I didn't cry
23:30Because crying makes your body run hotter
23:33And mom thinks that means you're not sorry
23:35So I held my breath
23:37Pretended it didn't hurt
23:39Mom said
23:40See?
23:41She doesn't even blink
23:43She's definitely faking it
23:45Dad couldn't take it anymore
23:47This man
23:48Who had always put the pack before his own family
23:50Chose duty over his daughter
23:52For ten years
23:53You monster!
23:56What did you do?
23:57That was your daughter!
23:59You treated her like a stray!
24:02Blood at the corner of her mouth
24:03Not my fault
24:05Not my fault
24:06It's her
24:07It's Emma
24:08Emma's gem was always green
24:10Emma was a good one
24:12If it wasn't for that green light making me trust her
24:15I wouldn't have believed the red light so much
24:17This is Emma's fault
24:19That little princess everyone had protected
24:22One of the council elders walked over
24:24Gently removed the green Verity Choker from her neck
24:27Took out a blade
24:29Pried the gem loose right there
24:31It rolled onto the table
24:33Still glowing green
24:35Steady
24:36Unchanged
24:37The elder picked up the stone
24:39A glowstone?
24:41That is all
24:42Your younger daughter's choker
24:44Was always going to shine green
24:46No matter what she said
24:48Did
24:49Or lied about
24:50It would never change
24:52Your so called Verity Choker
24:55Was a fraud
24:56That was her truth for ten years
24:59That was the evidence she used to convict me
25:01A common glowstone
25:03That put me in hell
25:04While Emma lived in paradise
25:06So I wasn't a liar
25:08I laughed
25:10Laughed until I cried
25:11Turns out ghosts could cry too
25:14The elder turned to the last page of the journal
25:16His voice broke
25:17The handwriting was a mess
25:19Clearly written while dying
25:21Mom
25:21If I die
25:23Will the choker stop glowing red?
25:25Or if it turns green
25:26Will you hug me then?
25:28I'm not lying
25:29I couldn't heal myself anymore
25:31My stomach hurts so much
25:33Like knives
25:35Next life
25:36Please don't make me wear the choker
25:38Please
25:39I just want to be a normal pup
25:41I want to eat mom's roasted meat
25:43Mom stared at the broken glowstone on the table
25:46That truth magic she trusted without question
25:48A worthless stone
25:50Because of that stone
25:52She spoiled Emma for ten years
25:54Because of that cursed red light
25:56She tortured me for ten years
26:02Mom started laughing
26:04Her voice cracking at every sound
26:06Worse than crying
26:08Fake
26:09All fake
26:13I killed my most honest pup
26:16And I worshipped a liar
26:18She'd lost her mind
26:20For real this time
26:22My death became the talk of the entire pack
26:25Lisa, the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer
26:27Told everyone what she'd seen
26:29Every wolf knew by morning
26:32Luna had starved her own daughter to death
26:35Monster
26:37Murderer
26:38She doesn't deserve to be Luna
26:40Stones flew at our door
26:42The word killer carved into the wall
26:45The council convened within the day
26:47The verdict was swift
26:49Dad lost his alpha title
26:51No wolf would follow him now
26:53My grandfather, the former alpha
26:56Read out the judgment himself
26:58He didn't look at his son once
27:00Dad walked out of the council hall
27:02And never looked back
27:04He took Emma and left the pack that same night
27:07Emma was a bad seed, sure
27:09But she was still his blood
27:11Before they left, Emma tried to take her green choker
27:14Dad stomped on it
27:16Why the hell would you want that piece of trash?
27:19Emma cried as he dragged her away
27:21Mom got out of the dungeon
27:23The healer said she had lost her mind
27:25The council locked her in the home instead
27:28The one that still smelled like death
27:30Her mental state deteriorated fast
27:32She refused to take off the red choker
27:35She would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy
27:38She said choking was the only thing that eased it
27:41It was her self-imposed punishment
27:44I floated in the darkness
27:45My wolf curled beside me
27:47Watching her unravel day after day
27:50She'd talk to the empty corner where I used to stand
27:53Stella, I brought you some food
27:54No celery today
27:56It's all roast
27:57Just how you like it
28:00But there was no food
28:01There was nothing
28:02Just her hands, cupped around air
28:05She'd pretend to set a plate down
28:07Her hands shook
28:08The gem flashed red
28:10She was anxious
28:11Guilty
28:12Falling apart
28:13She smiled
28:14But her eyes were empty
28:16The gem is red
28:17Mom is lying
28:20Liars don't deserve food
28:21She pulled the choker tight with her own hands
28:24Let it choke her
28:25Her body convulsed against the cold floor
28:28It hurts so much
28:30Is this how Stella felt?
28:32I'm sorry
28:33Mom started reenacting my diary entries
28:36I couldn't eat celery because of my allergy
28:40So she forced herself to eat spoiled food
28:43Until she vomited blood
28:44Then swallowed it back down
28:46I was locked in isolation
28:49So she locked herself in my old room
28:51Lights off
28:53And bowed to my portrait until her forehead bled
28:55Over and over
28:58Blood on the floor
28:59Late at night
29:01She'd see the red glow of the bloodstone reflected on the wall
29:04To her, it looked like my bloody eyes were watching
29:08She kept punishing herself
29:10The wounds healed slower and slower
29:12Her wolf, exhausted by months of self-torture
29:16Slowly fell into a deep sleep
29:19Mom didn't care
29:20She scrawled on the back of my journal
29:22I'm sorry
29:23I was wrong
29:25Red means pain
29:26Red means love
29:27Please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time
29:31I'll save you
29:33I promise
29:34Too bad I'm dead
29:34Dead wolves can't cry for help
29:37Eventually, the new alpha intervened
29:40Mom's self-harm had gone too far
29:42She'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands
29:45He ordered her to move to a small hut at the far edge of the village
29:49Locked from the outside
29:51Someone posted to watch her day and night
29:54She was the strangest woman they'd ever seen
29:56Nobody knew where she'd found it
29:59A frayed red cord
30:00Tied around her own neck
30:02Her homemade choker
30:04If anyone tried to remove it
30:06She'd snap at them
30:07Teeth bared
30:08Snarling
30:09Wild-eyed
30:10Don't touch me
30:13Stella's watching
30:14She'll be angry
30:17Every time the guard called her name and brought her food
30:20Mom would grab the red cord and pull it tight against her own throat
30:24Convulsing
30:25Screaming
30:26Red light
30:27Red light
30:28Don't punish
30:29Punish me
30:30I'll eat
30:31I'll eat
30:33Even if the food was scalding hot
30:35She'd gulp it down
30:37Burning her throat
30:38Wouldn't spit it out
30:39She was reenacting my final moments
30:42Living my hell on repeat
30:44Years later Emma grew up
30:46Without guidance and with a trail of shame behind her
30:49She drifted from pack to pack
30:51Stealing to survive
30:53No one would take her in
30:54When she ran out of options
30:56She remembered
30:57Mom was still alive
30:59She slipped back into the silverman pack
31:02Under the cover of night
31:03Not for love
31:04For money
31:06Hey crazy lady
31:08Dad's dead
31:09Give me whatever you've been hiding
31:11Emma stood there
31:12Face hard
31:13Eyes full of contempt
31:15She looked at mom's hollow
31:17Broken form
31:18And spat on the floor
31:20It's disgusting
31:21Give me what I want
31:24Or I'll send you to meet your daughter
31:26For a moment
31:27Mom's cloudy eyes cleared
31:29She looked at Emma
31:30And suddenly remembered
31:32That choker
31:33That always green glowstone
31:35That decade of deception
31:38It's you
31:39You lie
31:40You're the green light that wasn't there
31:43You killed Stella
31:44Give her back to me
31:47Give her back to me
31:48The last shred of maternal love
31:51Twisted into something feral
31:52Mom lunged
31:54Grabbed Emma by the throat
31:56Should have died
31:57Not her
31:59You
32:02Emma thrashed
32:03But couldn't break free
32:04From a mad woman's grip
32:05The guards rushed in
32:07Pulled her off
32:08Emma stumbled out of the hut
32:10Terrified
32:11They're all insane
32:13She bolted into the forest
32:15She didn't get far
32:16Rogues
32:18The kind that haunted the borderlands
32:20Preying on anyone foolish enough
32:22To run through the trees
32:23Alone at night
32:24Emma never saw them coming
32:26By the time she did
32:28It was too late
32:29She survived
32:30Barely
32:31Both legs shattered beyond repair
32:33She'd never walk again
32:35Meanwhile
32:36Mom was strapped to her cot
32:38Staring at the ceiling
32:39Tears streaming
32:41In her dreams
32:42She finally saw me
32:43I was ten again
32:45No choker
32:46White dress
32:47Smiling
32:48Mom
32:49She reached for me
32:50Crying with joy
32:52Stella
32:53But the moment her hands touched me
32:55I burst into ash
32:57No
32:58She woke up screaming
33:00If she'd been wearing that choker
33:02It would have been blood red
33:04Eternal torment
33:06I stood in the void
33:07Watching it all
33:08Mom strapped to her bed
33:10Emma in a wheelchair
33:11Begging on the market
33:12Dad
33:13Drunk and dead in some gutter
33:15I felt nothing
33:16No satisfaction
33:18Just a flat
33:19Dead
33:20Calm
33:21My wolf padded over quietly
33:23She didn't howl
33:24Didn't nudge
33:25Just pressed her head against my hand
33:28And held it there
33:28In the distance
33:30A door of light appeared
33:31Soft
33:32Steady
33:33Waiting
33:34I looked at my wolf
33:35She looked at me
33:36Yeah
33:37Time to leave
33:38This life was too bitter
33:40Nothing worth holding onto
33:42I floated to mom's hut
33:44One final time
33:45She looked ancient
33:46Hair completely white
33:47Frail as paper
33:48She sensed something
33:49Her cloudy eyes focused
33:51On a point in the air
33:52Right where I stood
33:53Stella
33:54Is that you?
33:55Her trembling hand
33:56Reached into the emptiness
33:57Mom destroyed the choker
33:59I don't believe in it anymore
34:01Come back
34:01Please
34:02I'll cook for you
34:03No salary
34:04I'll buy you new dresses
34:05Not Emma
34:06Tears rolled down her face
34:08I looked at the red marks
34:09On her neck
34:10From the frayed cord
34:11I
34:11I reached out
34:13My cold
34:14Ghostly finger
34:15Touched her forehead
34:16This
34:16Was my final mercy
34:17Sleep mom
34:18In sleep
34:19There's no pain
34:20Her eyes fluttered shut
34:22She slumped into
34:23A deep
34:23Dreamless rest
34:25A breeze blew through the hut
34:26The old journal on her cot
34:28Flipped open
34:29The last page
34:30My dying words
34:31Stared up at the ceiling
34:32But below it
34:34In shaky handwriting
34:35Were new lines
34:36Written by mom
34:37During a lucid moment
34:38Next life
34:39Let me wear the choker
34:40Let me be the liar
34:41Punish me however you want
34:43Just don't leave me
34:45I stared at those words
34:46Felt nothing
34:47Too late
34:48Repentance means nothing
34:49To the dead
34:50Mom
34:51I don't hate you anymore
34:53But I don't love you either
34:54Let's not meet again
34:56I turned away
34:56My wolf was waiting
34:58In the distance
34:58The door of light still glowed
35:00Soft
35:01Steady
35:01Patient
35:02I looked at my neck
35:03The phantom Verity choker
35:05Still there
35:06Even in spirit form
35:07The nightmare that had changed me
35:09For a lifetime
35:10I grabbed it
35:11It shattered into nothing
35:12I felt weightless
35:14Free
35:14No red light
35:15No hunger
35:16No lies
35:17Just freedom
35:18My wolf pressed against my side
35:20Together
35:20We walked toward the light
35:22I didn't look back
35:23Morning came
35:24A guard pushed open the door
35:26Rachel
35:26Time to eat
35:27No response
35:28She walked closer
35:29Mom's hand clutched the torn journal
35:31A single tear
35:32Crystallized at the corner of her eye
35:34She crouched beside her
35:35Held two fingers beneath her nose
35:37Nothing
35:38She was gone
35:38She was gone
35:39She was gone
35:39She was gone
35:39She was gone
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