- 8 hours ago
A Coleira Da Verdade Asm
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Short filmTranscript
00:00i was born not because i actually lied but because of this thing around my mom called me a liar
00:05from
00:05the day i was born not because i actually lied but because of this thing around my neck the verity
00:10choker mom was luna of silver moon pack and she believed one thing above all lying was the mark
00:16of a weak wolf we were her daughters future alpha heirs weakness was not an option so when my twin
00:22sister emma and i were born mom clasped these chokers around our throats which had witch magic
00:28to detect lies green light means truth red light means you were lying emma's choker always green
00:34she could shred mom's ceremonial cloak and blame the cat and gem would glow a steady green not me
00:40green light believed me mom i'm hungry and flash red light the choker choked tight i shifted on instinct
00:50a small white wolf pawing desperately at the gem around my neck claws scraping against it unable to
00:56get it off i'm not lying not lying please but mom's eyes had already gone cold instant punishment
01:03mom's punishment wasn't gentle no food locked in my room no contact with anyone in the pack
01:09the truth necklace doesn't lie stella starve now study later i'm doing this for your own good after
01:1610 years of this i started believing it too maybe i really was born wrong new year's eve everything
01:22changed mom was getting ready to take emma to the pack's bonfire celebration and that's when the pain
01:28hit like a knife twisting in my gut i collapsed on the floor my skeletal frame curling into itself
01:34mom please the choker flashed red and choked tight she looked down at me disgusted in her eyes
01:42in your dream stella faking an illness to ruin our night she grabbed emma's hand and headed for the
01:49door i wanted to howl but my wolf was too weak to answer i shifted anyway forced it a small
01:55white
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
02:23a shaking hand please something's really wrong i feel like i'm dying she glanced at my neck the gem
02:29was flashing red over and over she crouched down grabbed my chin stella how long are you gonna keep
02:36this up can't you just be honest and stay here and think about what you've done dad appeared in the
02:42doorway honey should we at least leave her some food food she has a stash of snacks she bought
02:50with stolen money she won't starve lock the door when that gem turns green we'll talk but but what
02:59it's because you spoil her that she turned out this way look at emma her gem has always been green
03:05stella is a liar an alpha heiress who can't tell the truth she needs discipline but my cabinet was
03:12empty emma stole that money emma ate those snacks emma just stood there with her glowing green gem
03:20saying not me and mom believed her i tried to defend myself it wasn't me red light the choker choked
03:28tight i tried to shift nothing happened deep inside my wolf barely stirred mom locked me up for three
03:36days with nothing but water and stale bread mom turned to leave emma peeked through the door made
03:43a face at me bye sis we're gonna see the bonfire her gem glowed a steady green so pretty the
03:51door
03:51locked the house went silent i called my wolf nothing came back not even a whisper just me alone
03:59the pain was unbearable but i kept thinking mom's right the gem doesn't lie it's red so i must be
04:08lying
04:09i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i kept repeating it
04:17like a prayer
04:17eventually i almost believed it the pain dulled or maybe i was just going numb i crawled to my desk
04:26i had to write that was the rule if the gem glowed red i had to pen a thousand word
04:32apology
04:33or mom would never let me out i am a liar write it down and maybe mom would forgive me
04:40maybe she'd even let me out i opened my journal pages and pages of apologies i'd written
04:47over the years sorry i lied i won't do it again but this time i wanted to write the truth
04:54my vision blurred my hand shook as i wrote mom i really love you it really hurts why won't you
05:03believe me please believe me just once the moment i finished the last word the pain vanished just
05:11gone i felt light weightless i looked down i was floating and there slumped over the desk
05:20was my body motionless the gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck oh i'm dead and then
05:29she came out my wolf stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along small skinny barely
05:37holding together she looked up at me and once soft and low in the pack's old stories they say
05:45when a wolf dies young her spirit doesn't cross over alone her wolf walks beside her until they find
05:53the door together i knelt down she pressed her nose into my ghostly palm finally we were together now
06:00but i never learned how to be honest sorry mom i heard laughter mom dad emma coming through the
06:08front door tonight's bonfire was beautiful the best one yet just like our emma perfect in every way
06:18i'd never heard her sound like that when she talked about me i floated toward them my wolf patting
06:23silently at my side moving on instinct i wanted to help them take off their cloaks that's what i always
06:29did mom my arms passed right through her body like wind why is it so cold here is the hearthi
06:37out
06:38i stood there staring at my transparent hands my wolf pressed against my leg and looked up at me with
06:44sad eyes right dead wolves couldn't hug the living shall we go and see stella she hasn't eaten yet
06:51still the good cop i looked at mom hopefully if she found me dead would she be sad would she
06:57regret it
06:59she won't starve she is a werewolf not a human pup this whole fake sick for attention thing is out
07:07of
07:07control i laughed bitterly mom wasn't wrong werewolves heal but i hadn't been able to in a long time last
07:16winter the choker left bruises that stayed for days that hadn't happened before i reached for my wolf
07:21she was still there but the warmth never came she was too hungry just like me mom never noticed
07:30she only ever looked at my neck for one thing the gem and whether it was red or green mom
07:36pushed open
07:37my door didn't even turn on the light just for a second her eyes flashed gold her wolf might have
07:43known
07:43mom didn't listen in the dim glow from the hallway she saw me slumped over my desk
07:49i looked like a skeleton hadn't moved still putting on an act you're 10 years old not five
07:57grow up mom i'm not playing i'm dead look at me touch me i'm freezing she couldn't hear me
08:06she only believed what she wanted to see emma squeezed past her held up her choker with that
08:11smug little grin look my gem is green stella's is still red she's lying even in her sleep that's my
08:19good girl ignore the liar let her stay there maybe she'll learn how to be honest should we at least
08:27put her in bed it's freezing put her in bed look at that red gem still lying come on leave
08:34her we
08:35have to visit grandma tomorrow the door locked again i floated next to my corpse my wolf curled
08:42silently at my feet staring at that single point of red light in the darkness mom if you just stepped
08:48closer if you just touched my hand you'd know i was ice cold but you didn't you believed the choker
08:55not the daughter you carried for nine months
08:59that night a rat crawled out of my empty cabinet i used to scream whenever i saw rats but now
09:05i just
09:05floated by the ceiling watching it scurry across my dead body the rat bit into my toe i didn't feel
09:11anything my wolf charged at it anyway and passed right through landing on the other side she turned
09:18back to look at me confused lost i pulled her close and buried my face in the fur of her
09:24back
09:25it's okay you can't feel it anymore it'll be over soon she let out one low growl then went still
09:32against me finally no more pain for either of us the next morning sunlight streamed through the
09:39window no warmth reached my body in the kitchen i could hear mom making breakfast the smell of roasted
09:46meat crept under my door my favorite but mom always said liars don't deserve meat so i only ever got
09:53steamed vegetables she was clanging the pots extra loud on purpose trying to tempt me out trying to
09:59make me give in and apologize for things i never did in the old days i might have caved i
10:05might have
10:06confessed to anything for one bite of roasted meat but i don't need food anymore stella still hasn't come
10:13out yet dad asked reading the pack notices she is so stubborn she can eat or not i don't care
10:22emma walked to my door and made a big show of sniffing the air then she screamed dramatically
10:29mom stella's room smells like poop did she poop in there i floated by the door watching my sister
10:36with a bitter smile my wolf sat beside me ears flat eyes low the hearth was burning hot
10:43after just one night my body started to rot mom stormed over pounding on the door
10:51stella who does that the toilet is right there did you shit on the floor to spite me i remembered
10:58being
10:58six i had food poisoning couldn't make it to the toilet in time mom didn't help me clean up she
11:06made
11:06me stand outside pointed at me and told the neighbors look at this she's such a mess she can't
11:13even use the toilet herself now she thought i was dirty again leave her let her sit in her own
11:18stink
11:20but dad stood up frowning that smells really bad i should check could it be a dead rat or something
11:27my heart if i still had one leapt dad please open the door i'm right here just turn the handle
11:36and
11:36you'll see i'm not moving i waved my transparent arms frantically my wolf ran straight to my bedroom
11:43door willing dad to open it dad's hand touched the door handle his hand froze someone was pounding at
11:50the front door a pack elder urgent business dad's face went pale he grabbed his cloak the border
11:56there's an emergency he was already out the door i froze so close one second away if that knock had
12:03come one second later i would have been found maybe then i wouldn't have rotted alone that afternoon mom
12:09took emma to the pack market the house was empty except for my corpse when they came back that evening
12:14loaded down with food and gifts from the market the smell had gotten worse mom gagged the second she
12:20walked in stella are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity she didn't even open my
12:26door just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom if you want to stay in there and
12:30make
12:30disgusting stew zoos don't stink up my house she patted her hands together satisfied then went to
12:36prepare dinner i stared at that sealed door my wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once so
12:41that's it i'm worth less than a venison dinner by day three even the cloth strips couldn't contain
12:46the smell mom was arranging fresh wildflowers trying to cover it up but the stench of death is
12:52unmistakable sweet rotten oily she cut a rose stem too hard a thorn pierced her hand she snapped in her
13:00mind i was doing this on purpose not bathing poop on the floor hiding dead rats in my room all
13:06to piss
13:06her off all to defy her authority as luna stella she grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen storm toward
13:13my room i'm done with you you disgusting little brat time you learned what real pain feels like
13:20i floated in front of her waving my arms desperately don't come in mom please please even though she
13:29never loved me i didn't want her to see me like that but she walked right through me ripped the
13:34cloth
13:34strips off jammed the spare key into the lock the door flew open the smell hit her like a wall
13:40she stumbled back retching stella what are you doing she saw me still slumped over the desk
13:47back turned not moving to her this was the ultimate rebellion i'm talking to you she marched over
13:54raised the rolling pin but stopped she wanted to see my face first wanted to see my get up she
14:01grabbed
14:01the back of my shirt grabbed my skin the moment she touched me she froze through the thin fabric her
14:07hand
14:07didn't feel warm flesh she felt cold hard dead meat the kind of cold that seeps into your bones
14:14what but momentum carried her forward she yanked crash my body stiff as a board toppled backward
14:21taking the chair with it and there was my face blue black eyes bulging features twisted in agony
14:27dried foam and blood crusted around my mouth around my blackened neck the verity choker hung lifeless
14:33the gem dark no red no green just silence my journal slid off the desk fell open at mom's feet
14:41the last
14:42page stared up at her mom my stomach really hurts the choker is wrong i'm not lying please don't punish
14:48me mom screamed not a wolf's howl a raw guttural shriek that tore through her throat she stumbled backward
14:57slammed into the bookshelf a clay pot shattered but she didn't seem to feel the pain she just
15:03stared at me eyes wide unblinking no no no no this is not real stella get up stella get up
15:13i'm not mad
15:15anymore stop scaring me her hand reached out trembling to touch my arm the second her skin made contact with
15:24my corpse she recoiled like she'd been burned that cold was too real lisa from next door heard the
15:30screaming and went straight to the pack healer when she saw what was in my room she collapsed in the
15:36gate within the hour heavy boots on the floorboards the pack healer and a handful of pack warriors
15:42crowding the entrance mom sat on the floor a warrior's hand on her shoulder she's speaking it she's always
15:49lying it doesn't lie i'm just teaching her no one responded they all looked at her like she was
15:57a monster the pack healer crouched next to my body he muttered under his breath severe malnutrition
16:04organ failure this puppy has been starved for at least a month he carefully tried to remove the
16:10verity choker but it had fused years of tightening had pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck
16:17damn it he had to use tools to pry it off even dead my soul flinched my wolf lifted her
16:24head and
16:26long raw desperate the kind of howl that should have shaken the walls no one heard it no one flinched
16:34we were already dead a warrior picked up my journal started reading his face went from neutral to
16:42horrified mom's eyes locked on to that book that's her confession she admits she lied look she wrote it
16:49herself
16:52the warrior pushed her back wrapped the journal in cloth and took it we'll report it to the council
16:58that's when dad got home he saw the pack healer and the pack warriors crowding the doorway
17:03saw the body wrap being carried out saw the long cord that sealed away my entire life his legs gave
17:12out he collapsed on the doorstep emma stood nearby sobbing in confusion she pointed at the discolored
17:19verity choker on the table why does stella have a black collar and i have a green one see she
17:26held up
17:27her neck the gem blinked its steady green it was grotesque the council elders arrived before dawn mom
17:35straightened when she saw them even now even with my body three days cold and rotting her luna instincts
17:42kicked in she lifted her chin squared her shoulders it didn't work today they started questioning mom
17:49in the living room mom grabbed the verity choker off the table like it was a lifeline test it that
17:55choker
17:56proved she was lying red gem means lie i never abused her the choker told me i was just educating
18:06her
18:07the council elders looked at her like she'd lost her mind the pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition
18:15months of starvation aphelion multiple old injuries consistent with prolonged that's just
18:22discipline that's teaching her to be honest then she did something insane you don't believe me fine i'll wear it
18:34watch it'll be green the leather pressed against her skin cold sticky that was my blood she took a deep
18:43breath tried to calm herself she needed to prove she was innocent needed to prove her way of raising
18:49an alpha heir was right she held up the gem eyes wild listen i'm rachel i'm stella's mother
18:58this is the truth the absolute truth the gem flashed red mom's confident expression shattered
19:07i said truth i am rachel i never abused her i did it for her own good i love her
19:18and suddenly she
19:20remembered me 10 years old gasping as the choker tightened around my throat biting my lips
19:27so i wouldn't make a sound is this what it felt like why is it red i am telling the
19:34truth turn
19:34green you're broken you're setting me up but the gem kept flashing like it was mocking her you're a liar
19:42you're a liar you're a liar enough this is just a bloodstone i've seen it before it changes color with
19:52body heat fear pain anything that makes your heart race temperature rises it burns red that's all it does
20:01no witch magic never was think about your daughter ruptured appendix organ failure the pain must have been
20:10unbearable she was terrified and what did you see a red gem so you punished her more which made her
20:19more
20:20scared which made her temperature rise which made the stone turn redder you are luna you are supposed
20:30to protect every wolf in this pack you couldn't even protect your own daughter you ignored her cries
20:37for help you starved your daughter to death mom's world collapsed she sat there staring at the flashing
20:45gem on her own net and finally understood for 10 years every red light wasn't because i was lying
20:52it was because i was scared scared of her anger scared of being misunderstood scared of eating food that
21:01made me sick i was in pain pain that made my heart race and cold sweat pour down my face
21:07i was
21:08desperate desperate for a hug for her to hold me the way she held emma every signal from my frightened
21:15heart she had interpreted as proof of my lies no get it off i'm not lying i'm not she tried
21:27to shift
21:28fur rippling across her skin bones cracking but the leather cinched harder around her throat the
21:34moment her neck didn't change she snapped back into human form gasping i can't get it off stella take it
21:43back i'm sorry it's all my fault this little bit of choking and she was already breaking mom i suffered
21:52for
21:5310 years the council elders needed evidence for judgment so they opened my journal in front of my
22:00parents february 14th sunny mom put celery on my plate i'm allergic my throat swells i can't breathe i said
22:09i can't eat it but because i was scared of making her angry my body ran hot the gem flashed
22:16red the choker
22:18tightened mom said i was picky lying made me eat the whole plate that night i threw up blood my
22:26throat
22:26felt like it was on fire i shifted to ease my pain mom saw it and said i'd snuck berry
22:32juice that i was
22:34faking the choker tightened for 10 more minutes mom's hand flew to her mouth she was shaking violently she
22:43remembered that she really did think it was berry juice she didn't even look closely just turned
22:50away to read emma a bedtime story that was blood from a swollen torn throat june 1st pups day emma
23:00shredded mom's ceremonial cloak emma's heart is always calm her gem stays green i tried to explain but i was
23:08scared of being hit my body ran hot red gem choker tightened for 10 minutes it hurt so bad but
23:17i didn't
23:17cry because crying makes your body run hotter and mom thinks that means you're not sorry so i held my
23:24breath pretended it didn't hurt mom said see she doesn't even blink she's definitely faking it dad
23:34couldn't take it anymore this man who had always put the pack before his own family chose duty over
23:39his daughter for 10 years you monster what did you do that was your daughter you treated her like a
23:48straight blood at the corner of her mouth not my fault not my fault it's her it's emma emma's gem
23:56was
23:57always green emma was a good one if it wasn't for that green light making me trust her i wouldn't
24:03have
24:03believed the red light so much this is emma's thoughts that little princess everyone who protected
24:09one of the council elders walked over gently removed the green verity choker from her neck
24:14took out a blade pried the gem loose right there it rolled onto the table still glowing green steady
24:23unchanged the elder picked up the stone a glowstone that is all your younger daughter's choker was
24:31always going to shine green no matter what she said did or lied about it would never change your
24:39so-called verity choker was a fraud that was her truth for 10 years that was the evidence she used
24:47to convict me a common glowstone that put me in hell while emma lived in paradise so i wasn't a
24:54liar
24:54i laughed laughed until i cried turns out ghosts could cry too the elder turned to the last page of
25:02the
25:02journal his voice broke the handwriting was a mess clearly written while dying mom if i die will the
25:10choker stop glowing red or if it turns green will you hug me then i'm not lying i couldn't heal
25:16myself
25:17anymore my stomach hurts so much like knives next life please don't make me wear the choker please i just
25:26want to be a normal pup i want to eat mom's roasted meat mom stared at the broken glowstone on
25:32the table
25:32that truth magic she trusted without question a worthless stone because of that stone she spoiled
25:39emma for 10 years because of that cursed red light she tortured me for 10 years
25:48mom started laughing her voice cracking in every sound worse than crying fake all fake
25:59i killed my most honest pup and i worshipped a liar she'd lost her mind for real this time
26:08my death became the talk of the entire pack lisa the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer
26:14told everyone what she'd seen every wolf knew by morning luna had starved her own daughter to death
26:22monster murderer she doesn't deserve to be luna stones flew at our door the word killer carved into the wall
26:31the council convened within the day the verdict was swift dad lost his alpha title no wolf would
26:38follow him now my grandfather the former alpha read out the judgment himself he didn't look at his son
26:45once dad walked out of the council hall and never looked back he took emma and left the pack that
26:52same
26:52night emma was a bad seed sure but she was still his blood before they left emma tried to take
26:59her green
26:59choker dad stomped on it why the hell would you want that piece of trash emma cried as he dragged
27:06her away
27:07mom got out of the dungeon the healer said she had lost her mind the council locked her in the
27:13home instead the one that still smelled like death her mental state deteriorated fast she refused to
27:19take off the red choker she would tighten it herself whenever the guilt got too heavy
27:24she said choking was the only thing that eased it it was her self-imposed punishment i floated in the
27:30darkness my wolf curled beside me watching her unravel day after day she'd talked to the empty
27:36corner where i used to stand stella i brought you some food no celery today it's all roast just how
27:44you
27:44like it but there was no food there was nothing just her hands cupped around air she'd pretend to
27:51set a plate down her hands shook the gem flashed red she was anxious guilty falling apart she smiled
27:59but her eyes were empty the gem is red mom is lying liars don't deserve food she pulled the choker
28:07tight
28:08with her own hands let it choke her her body convulsed against the cold floor it hurts so much is
28:15this
28:15how stella felt i'm sorry mom started reenacting my diary entries i couldn't eat celery because of my
28:24allergy so she forced herself to eat spoiled food until she vomited blood then swallowed it back down i was
28:32locked in isolation so she locked herself in my old room lights off and bowed to my portrait until her
28:39forehead bled over and over blood on the floor late at night she'd see the red glow of the bloodstone
28:48reflected on the wall to her it looked like my bloody eyes were watching she kept punishing herself the
28:55wounds healed slower and slower her wolf exhausted by months of self-torture slowly fell into
29:02a deep sleep mom didn't care she scrawled on the back of my journal i'm sorry i was wrong red
29:10means
29:10pain red means love please come back and say it hurts hurts one more time i'll save you i promise
29:18too bad i'm dead dead wolves can't cry for help eventually the new alpha intervened mom's self-harm had
29:25gone too far she'd nearly choked herself to death with her own hands he ordered her to move to a
29:31small
29:31hut at the far edge of the village locked from the outside someone posted to watch her day and night
29:38she was the strangest woman they'd ever seen nobody knew where she'd found it a frayed red cord tied
29:45around her own neck her homemade choker if anyone tried to remove it she'd snap at them teeth bared
29:52snarling wild-eyed don't touch me stella's watching she'll be angry if you take it every time the guard
30:01called her name and brought her food mom would grab the red cord and pull it tight against her own
30:07throat
30:08convulsing screaming red light red light don't punish punish me i'll eat i'll eat even if the food was
30:18scalding hot she'd gulp it down burning her throat wouldn't spit it out she was reenacting my final
30:24moments living my hell on repeat years later emma grew up without guidance and with a trail of shame
30:32behind her she drifted from pack to pack stealing to survive no one would take her in when she ran
30:39out of
30:39options she remembered mom was still alive she slipped back into the silverman pack under the
30:46cover of night not for love for money hey crazy lady dad's dead give me whatever you've been hiding
30:54emma stood there face hard eyes full of contempt she looked at mom's hollow broken form and spat on the
31:02floor it's disgusting give me what i want or i'll send you to meet your daughter for a moment mom's
31:11cloudy eyes cleared she looked at emma and suddenly remembered that choker that always green glowstone
31:19that decade of deception it's you you lie you're the green light that wasn't there
31:25you killed stella give her back to me give her back to me the last shred of maternal love twisted
31:34into something feral mom lunged grabbed emma by the throat should have died not her you
31:44emma thrashed but couldn't break free from a mad woman's grip the guards rushed in pulled her off
31:51emma stumbled out of the hut terrified they're all insane she bolted into the forest she didn't get
31:58far rogues the kind that haunted the borderlands preying on anyone foolish enough to run through the
32:05trees alone at night emma never saw them coming by the time she did it was too late she survived
32:12barely both legs shattered beyond repair she'd never walk again meanwhile mom was strapped to her
32:19caught staring at the ceiling tears streaming in her dreams she finally saw me i was 10 again no choker
32:28white dress smiling mom she reached for me crying with joy stella but the moment her hands touched me
32:37i burst into ash no she woke up screaming if she'd been wearing that choker it would have been blood
32:45red
32:45eternal torment i stood in the void watching it all mom strapped to her bed emma in a wheelchair
32:53begging on the market dad drunk and dead in some gutter i felt nothing no satisfaction just a flat dead
33:02calm my wolf padded over quietly she didn't howl didn't nudge just pressed her head against my hand and
33:09held it there in the distance a door of light appeared soft steady waiting i looked at my wolf
33:17she looked at me yeah time to leave this life was too bitter nothing worth holding on to
33:24i floated to mom's hut one final time she looked ancient hair completely white frail as paper she
33:30sent something her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air right where i stood stella is that you
33:36her
33:36trembling hand reached into the emptiness mom destroyed the choker i don't believe in it anymore
33:42come back please i'll cook for you no salary i'll buy you new dresses not emma tears rolled down her
33:49face i looked at the red marks on her neck from the frayed cord i i reached out my cold
33:55ghostly finger
33:56touched her forehead this was my final mercy sleep mom in sleep there's no pain her eyes fluttered shut
34:03she slumped into a deep dreamless rest a breeze blew through the hut the old journal on her cot flipped
34:09open the last page my dying words stared up at the ceiling but below it in shaky handwriting were new
34:16lines written by mom during a lucid moment next life let me wear the choker let me be the liar
34:22punish
34:23me however you want just don't leave me i stared at those words felt nothing too late repentance means
34:29nothing to the dead mom i don't hate you anymore but i don't love you either let's not meet again
34:36i turned away my wolf was waiting in the distance the door of light still glowed soft steady patient
34:42i looked at my neck the phantom verity choker still there even in spirit form the nightmare that had
34:49changed me for a lifetime i grabbed it it shattered into nothing i felt weightless free no red light no
34:56hunger no lies just freedom my wolf pressed against my side together we walked toward the light i didn't
35:03look back morning came a guard pushed open the door rachel time to eat no response she walked closer
35:09mom's hand clutched the torn journal a single tear crystallized at the corner of her eye she crouched
35:15beside her held two fingers beneath her nose nothing she was gone passing through the door wasn't
35:21violent no spinning no chaos just warmth like sinking into a spring stream i looked to my side
35:28my wolf was gone i didn't panic i pressed my hand to my chest and there she was steady warm
35:34then i heard
35:35her voice not a whimper not a whine clear and bright and full of life like the first time we
35:41met run i
35:42shifted four paws hit the ground and i ran through forests that smelled of pine and rain through cold
35:48shallow streams that splashed silver around my legs through meadows i had never seen but somehow knew
35:54my white fur caught the light my paws were sure my lungs were full my body was strong no choker
36:01around
36:02my throat no red light no hunger the lingering ache in my soul the phantom pain of 10 years started
36:09to
36:09fade with every step i ran toward brightness behind me old life dissolved like a worn photograph left out in
36:16the rain mom's final tear the red glow of the choker blood on the journal pages gone i didn't look
36:23back
36:24that 10-year nightmare was finally truly over when i opened my eyes again i was tiny wrapped in soft
36:32blankets someone was humming a woman's voice gentle off-key but full of love her fingers brushed my cheek
36:42the scent of wildflowers not the cold clinical distance of my old mother not the silence of
36:49someone who only touched me to punish i blinked up at her she had kind eyes a soft smile she
36:56cradled me
36:57like i was made of glass grace is awake honey come quick our daughter just opened her eyes a man
37:04appeared
37:04tall a little awkward but his face lit up when he saw me he touched my tiny hand with one
37:11finger
37:11his voice was deep warm hey grace i'm your dad grace not stella no weight no chains no red light
37:24just
37:24grace a name that meant something light something cherished this house was small but warm full of light
37:32cartoon painting on the walls flowers by the window sunlight pouring through the windows warm on the
37:39floor i realized fast this family was nothing like the last one they never forced me to do anything
37:46there were no chokers no red lights no punishments for things i hadn't done i grew learned to crawl
37:54to talk and when i was three mom made a stew with celery the green stalks in the bowl triggered
38:01me
38:01i flashed back to choking throat swelling vomiting blood i stumbled backwards shaking tears came without
38:09permission mom immediately put down her spoon crouched pulled me into a hug grace what's wrong you don't
38:17like celery i couldn't speak just shook my head sobbing dad knelt too rubbed my back hey it's okay
38:26you don't have to eat it can you tell us why their eyes were patient gentle finally i choked out
38:32it hurts
38:34my throat makes me bleed they didn't say the verity choker doesn't lie they didn't accuse me of faking
38:42they took me to the pack healer immediately turns out i really do have a celery allergy after that
38:49celery never appeared in the house again mom added it to her market list grace's allergies celery she
38:56checked every time she shopped i lay in her arms that night smelling wild flowers and realized this
39:03is what it feels like to be believed love isn't measured by a stone it's listening even when the story
39:10sounds impossible when i was four dad took me to the pack healer for my first health check there was
39:16a
39:16blood draw i saw the needle and lost it flashes of the choker tightening around my throat flashes of
39:23starvation i screamed clung to dad's leg the healer side i couldn't stop shaking don't punish me i'm not
39:32lying dad immediately scooped me up sorry she's not ready we'll come back another time on the walk home
39:38dad didn't scold me for being weak he just asked gently grace did someone hurt you before i buried my
39:47face in his shoulder tears soaking his shirt mom joker red light i couldn't explain it clearly but he
39:55listened nodded it's okay dad's here now no one's ever hurting you again from then on they took me to
40:04the
40:05pack healer regularly not for blood draws just to talk she has been hurt be patient with her my parents
40:12never complained never made me feel like a burden they bought me a colorful necklace but never forced
40:18me to wear it this is just a pretty thing grace wear it if you want take it off if
40:23you don't we'll
40:24love you either way slowly i started to heal i could say i don't like this without fear i could
40:31say
40:31i'm scared i could say i want that i didn't have to worry about my heart racing being proof of
40:38a lie
40:38i started sharing my stories with them i cried when i didn't get a toy i laughed when i got
40:45praise
40:45i was finally just a pup a normal loved pup
40:52when i turned seven i started at the pack school there was a girl in my class
40:57annie sullivan she looked exactly like emma same eyes but her hair was shorter and she was timid
41:06scared the first time i saw her my heart clenched flashbacks emma's smug grin the green light mocking
41:14me i stepped back instinctively annie noticed she looked down voice barely a whisper i'm annie
41:24do you want to be friends her tone was so careful so desperate to please just like i used to
41:30be i
41:31glanced at her neck she wore a simple choker with green gem my stomach turned later i found out annie's
41:39mom was strict too this family demanded honesty locked her in her room without food when she made mistakes
41:45one day annie accidentally knocked over the teacher's ink pot she was trembling too scared to admit it i
41:53saw her face red rimmed eyes barely holding back tears i remembered myself at that desk writing i am a
42:00liar over and over i walked over took her hand annie it's okay accidents happen let's tell the teacher
42:11together she won't be mad annie looked at me shocked but mom says liars are bad wolves being honest isn't
42:19about never making mistakes it's about owning up when you do and even if you tell the truth you
42:24shouldn't be punished for it if the teacher gets angry i'll stand with you if your mom gets angry
42:30come to my house my parents will help i gave her the courage i never had she confessed the teacher
42:36forgave her told her to be more careful next time from that day on we have been best friends i
42:43brought
42:43annie home to meet my parents she saw how warm they were how they didn't yell didn't punish little things
42:49i told her you don't have to make everyone happy you're allowed to feel things say things one day annie's
42:59mom came to pick her up from school she saw us together and her face twisted she grabbed annie's hand
43:06did you mess up again is grace covering for you annie immediately looked down silent i stepped in
43:13front of her looked at the mom in the eye ma'am annie didn't do anything wrong she's a good
43:19pup
43:19you shouldn't always assume the worst she's scared of you the mom froze looked at me then at annie's
43:29tear-filled eyes her expression softened that night she called my mom thanked her said i'd opened her
43:36eyes over time annie's mom got gentler what you want to do started listening instead of yelling
43:42and annie she blossomed confident happy i watched her laugh freely one day and felt this warmth in my chest
43:50i didn't get saved in my last life i suffered alone in the dark but this time i could save
43:57someone
43:57else i could stop another stella from happening maybe that's the gift my past life gave me the
44:03ability to see pain and to heal it when i was 10 my parents took me to visit grandma there
44:09was an old
44:10oak tree in her yard its branches spread wide casting shade over the whole garden i sat beneath
44:15it watching sunlight filter through the leaves my wolf dozed inside me warm and content then i saw her
44:22an old woman white hair hunched over a walking stick wearing a faded blue dress the second i saw
44:28her face i froze she looked exactly like rachel my old mother grandma noticed me too walked over
44:36slowly her eyes were hazy but there was something familiar in them something heavy what's your name
44:42child grace she repeated it softly grace that's a beautiful name she reached out like she wanted to
44:48touch my hair then hesitated pulled back like she was afraid of disturbing something sacred my mom came
44:54over studied her mom this is our daughter grace so she was my grandma in this life too over the
45:00next
45:00few days grandma watched me constantly her expression was unreadable one morning she brought me a bowl of
45:06roasted meat grace eat up this used to be your favorite i stared at the bowl in my last life
45:12i wrote
45:12in my dying breath i want to eat mom's roasted meat and here was grandma saying those exact words tears
45:19blurred my vision this wasn't some distant wish anymore it was real right in front of me i picked
45:25up a piece bit into it tender sweet perfect grandma smiled a tired guilty smile that night lying in bed
45:34with my wolf curled warm inside my chest i thought about rachel's last words next life let me wear the
45:40choker let me be the liar punish me however you want just don't leave me i thought about her final
45:46tear the torn journal i didn't hate her anymore hating someone is like locking yourself in the past
45:52chewing on pain forever this life's warmth had already washed away the bitterness i just felt sad
45:58sad that she only understood too late real love was never about stones or punishment we stayed for a
46:05month then went back home before i left she held my hand grace live well be happy her voice was
46:11soft
46:12but heavy with meaning i nodded you too grandma i watched her walk away and i felt nothing no anger
46:18no grief the grudges of my past life were like fallen leaves blown away by the wind i wasn't stella
46:24anymore the girl locked in the dark choking on a lie i was grace sterling surrounded by love free
46:31at 13 i graduated from pack school got into the best academy in the region my parents took me to
46:37the lake
46:37for a picnic to celebrate i stood at the edge of the water wind in my hair the scent of
46:42pine and cold
46:43water on my skin i stretched out my arms feeling the freedom for a moment i saw her my ghost
46:50self
46:50floating desperate to hug someone but passing right through grace what are you thinking dad handed me a
46:57drink i smiled just i'm grateful to be alive to be with you both mom pulled me into a hug
47:03silly girl we're
47:05the lucky ones no one said anything we all just shifted at the same time like we'd done it a
47:11hundred
47:11times before we ran together through the trees through the shallow edge of the lake water spraying
47:17silver around our paws eventually i slowed down turned and threw myself at them we tumbled into the
47:24grass together mom nuzzled her head against mine dad licked the top of my head with lazy affection
47:29i pressed into them both and stayed there breathing hard warm all the way through i looked up at the
47:36sky through the canopy of trees i didn't need to prove i wasn't a liar anymore i didn't need to
47:41fear
47:41a red light i could laugh cry speak freely i had parents who loved me a best friend a healthy
47:48body a
47:49bright future this was the life i died wishing for that night i wrote in my journal not the blood
47:56-stained
47:56confessions of my old life this one was full of happiness growth love i wrote today we ran by the
48:04lake mom and dad shifted with me without saying a word we tumbled in the grass like pups i thought
48:09about my past self that little girl locked in a room choking in the dark desperate to be loved she'd
48:16never believed that i could be this happy mom and dad loved me they taught me that honesty isn't
48:21something you punish out of someone it's something you grow with patience and warmth annie is my best
48:28friend now she laughs freely she speaks without flinching grandma is getting older but her eyes are
48:34warm when she looks at me my wolf grows stronger every day with her beside me i feel at ease
48:40i don't
48:41hate anyone anymore i don't cling to the past those painful memories are like paw prints in the mud
48:47i don't want to see them again but they taught me to cherish every step forward i know my old
48:52mom
48:53sister and dad got what they deserved and i finally broke free i found real freedom i don't want to
49:00see
49:00them again i don't want to relive that life i just want to be gray simple happy loved the lake
49:07was
49:07beautiful life was beautiful i closed my journal looked out the window moonlight shimmered on the water
49:13through the trees my wolf stirred softly inside my chest warm steady i smiled this life i finally
49:20became who i wanted to be no red light no starvation no lies just love freedom happiness and those scars
49:28from my past they became part of me proof that i had survived proof that darkness no matter how long
49:34it lasts cannot swallow you whole not if you keep moving toward the light the road ahead is long
49:40but i will walk it with courage with joy towards something even brighter
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