- 3 hours ago
The Red Collar Of Lies
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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
00:52around my neck claws scraping against it unable to get it off i'm not lying not lying please but mom's
01:00eyes had already gone cold instant punishment mom's punishment wasn't gentle no food locked in my room
01:06no contact with anyone in the pack the truth necklace doesn't lie stella starve now study later
01:13i'm doing this for your own good after 10 years of this i started believing it too maybe i really
01:19was
01:19born wrong new year's eve everything changed mom was getting ready to take emma to the pack's bonfire
01:25celebration and that's when the pain hit like a knife twisting in my gut i collapsed on the floor
01:31my skeletal frame curling into itself mom please the choker flashed red and choked tight she looked down
01:40at me disgusted in her eyes in your dream stella faking an illness to ruin our night she grabbed emma's
01:48hand and headed for the door i wanted to howl but my wolf was too weak to answer i shifted
01:53anyway forced
01:55it a small white wolf trembling on the floor ribs heaving maybe in this form the pain would hurt less
02:01it didn't i couldn't even hold the shit i slipped back into myself without meaning to sorry mom i won't
02:08lie anymore but the pain got worse way worse the door handle turned for one second i thought mom's
02:15coming back she came back for me hurry up the bonfire is starting emma's waiting mom i reached out with
02:23a
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
02:36can'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
02:51she won't starve lock the door when that gem turns green we'll talk but but what it's because you spoil
03:01her that she turned out this way look at emma her gem has always been green stella is a liar
03:08an alpha
03:09heiress who can't tell the truth she needs discipline but my cabinet was empty emma stole that money emma ate
03:17those snacks emma just stood there with her glowing green gem saying not me and mom believed her i tried
03:25to defend myself
03:25it wasn't me red light the choker choked tight i tried to shift nothing happened deep inside my wolf barely
03:35stirred
03:35mom locked me up for three days with nothing but water and stale bread
03:40mom turned to leave emma peeked through the door made a face at me
03:44bye sis we're gonna see the bonfire
03:47her gem glowed a steady green so pretty
03:51the door locked the house went silent
03:54i called my wolf nothing came back not even a whisper
03:58just me alone the pain was unbearable but i kept thinking mom's right the gem doesn't lie
04:07it's red so i must be lying i'm not in pain i'm not in pain i'm not in pain
04:16i kept repeating it like a prayer eventually i almost believed it
04:21the pain dulled or maybe i was just going numb
04:25i crawled to my desk i 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
04:39write it down and 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
04:51i won't do it again
04:53but this time i wanted to write the truth
04:56my vision blurred
04:57my hand shook as i wrote
05:00mom
05:00i really love you
05:02it really hurts
05:04why won't you believe me
05:06please believe me
05:08just once
05:09the moment i finished the last word
05:11the pain vanished
05:13just
05:13gone
05:14i felt light
05:16weightless
05:17i looked down
05:18i was floating
05:19and there
05:21slumped over the desk
05:22was my body
05:24motionless
05:25the gem still flashing red around a dead girl's neck
05:28oh
05:29i'm dead
05:30and then
05:31she came out
05:32my wolf
05:34stepping out of my body like she'd been waiting all along
05:37small
05:38skinny
05:39barely holding together
05:41she looked up at me and
05:43once
05:44soft and low
05:45in the pack's old stories
05:47they say when a wolf dies young
05:49her spirit doesn't cross over alone
05:51her wolf walks beside her
05:54until they find the door together
05:56i knelt down
05:57she pressed her nose
05:59into my ghostly palm
06:00finally
06:01we were together now
06:02but
06:03i never learned how to be honest
06:05sorry mom
06:06i heard laughter
06:08mom
06:08dad
06:09emma
06:09coming through the front door
06:12tonight's bonfire was beautiful
06:13the 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
06:28i wanted to help them take off their cloaks
06:31that's what i always did
06:32mom
06:33my arms passed right through her body
06:35like wind
06:37why is it so cold here
06:38is the hearthi out
06:40i stood there
06:41staring at my transparent hands
06:43my wolf pressed against my leg
06:45and 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
06:58would she be sad
06:59would she regret it
07:02she won't starve
07:03she is a werewolf
07:05not a human pup
07:06this whole fake sick for attention thing
07:09is out of control
07:10i laughed bitterly
07:12mom wasn't wrong
07:14werewolves heal
07:15but
07:15i hadn't been able to in a long time
07:18last winter
07:18the choker left bruises that stayed for days
07:21that hadn't happened before
07:23i reached for my wolf
07:24she was still there
07:25but the warmth never came
07:27she was too hungry
07:29just 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
07:40didn't even turn on the light
07:42just for a second
07:44her eyes flashed gold
07:45her wolf might have known
07:46mom 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
07:55still putting on an act
07:58you're ten years old
08:00not five
08:01grow up
08:01mom i'm not playing
08:03i'm dead
08:04look at me
08:06touch me
08:06i'm freezing
08:07she couldn't hear me
08:09she only believed what she wanted to see
08:12emma squeezed past her
08:13held up her choker
08:14with that smug little grin
08:16look
08:17my gem is green
08:18stella's is still red
08:20she's lying
08:21even in her sleep
08:22that's my good girl
08:23ignore the liar
08:25let her stay there
08:26maybe she'll learn how to be honest
08:29should we at least put her in bed
08:31it's freezing
08:33put her in bed
08:34look at that red gem
08:36still lying
08:37come on
08:38leave 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
08:56but you didn't
08:57you believed the choker
08:59not the daughter you carried for nine months
09:01that night
09:03a 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
09:09watching 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
09:17and passed right through
09:19landing on the other side
09:21she turned back to look at me
09:23confused
09:24lost
09:25i pulled her close
09:26and buried my face in the fur of her back
09:28it's okay
09:29you 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
10:15stella still hasn't come out yet
10:17dad asked
10:18reading the pack notices
10:19she 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
10:33stella'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
10:41my wolf sat beside me
10:43ears flat
10:44eyes 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
10:54stella
10:55who does that
10:57the 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
11:09she 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
11:18now she thought i was dirty again
11:20leave her
11:21let her sit in her own stink
11:24but dad stood up frowning
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
11:35please
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
12:02he was already out the door
12:04i froze
12:04so close
12:05one 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
12:12that 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
12:26are you trying to turn this place into a den of inequity
12:29she didn't even open my door
12:31just grabbed cloth strips and sealed the gap at the bottom
12:34if you want to stay in there and make disgusting stew zoos don't stink up my house
12:38she patted her hands together satisfied
12:40then went to prepare dinner
12:42i stared at that sealed door
12:44my wolf pressed her nose against it and whimpered once
12:46so that's it
12:47i'm worth less than a venison dinner
12:49by day three even the cloth strips couldn't contain the smell
12:52mom was arranging fresh wildflowers trying to cover it up
12:55but the stench of death is unmistakable
12:58sweet
12:59rotten
13:00oily
13:00she cut a rose stem too hard
13:02a thorn pierced her hand
13:04she snapped
13:04in 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 as luna
13:14stella
13:15she grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen
13:18stormed toward my room
13:19i'm done with you
13:21you disgusting little brat
13:23time you learned what real pain feels like
13:25i floated in front of her
13:27waving my arms desperately
13:28don't come in mom
13:31please
13:31please
13:33please
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
13:42the door flew open
13:44the smell hit her like a wall
13:45she stumbled back
13:46retching
13:47stella
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
14:05get up
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 that seeps into your bones
14:19what
14:20but momentum carried her forward
14:22she yanked
14:23crash
14:23my body
14:24stiff 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 crusted around my mouth
14:35around 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
14:49my stomach really hurts
14:51the choker is wrong
14:52i'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
15:04a clay pot shattered
15:06but she didn't seem to feel the pain
15:08she just
15:09stared at me
15:11eyes wide
15:12unblinking
15:13no
15:14no no no
15:16this is not real
15:18stella get up
15:18stella get up
15:19stella please get up
15:20i'm not mad anymore
15:21stop scaring me
15:24her hand reached out
15:26trembling to touch my arm
15:28the second her skin made contact with my corpse
15:31she recoiled like she'd been burned
15:33that cold was too real
15:35lisa from next door heard the screaming
15:37and went straight to the pack healer
15:39when she saw what was in my room
15:41she collapsed in the gate
15:43within the hour
15:44heavy boots on the floorboards
15:46the pack healer and a handful of pack warriors crowding 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
15:59i'm just teaching her
16:01no one responded
16:02they all looked at her like she was a monster
16:05the pack healer crouched next to my body
16:08he muttered under his breath
16:10severe malnutrition
16:11organ failure
16:13this puppy has been starved for at least a month
16:15he carefully tried to remove the verity choker
16:18but it had fused
16:20years of tightening had pressed the leather deep into the skin of my neck
16:24damn it
16:25he had to use tools to pry it off
16:27even dead
16:28my soul flinched
16:30my wolf lifted her head and
16:33long
16:34raw
16:35desperate
16:36the kind of howl that should have shaken the walls
16:39no one heard it
16:40no one flinched
16:42we were already dead
16:43a warrior picked up my journal
16:45started reading
16:46his face went from neutral
16:48to horrified
16:49mom's eyes locked onto 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
17:02and took it
17:03we'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 verity choker
17:28on the table
17:29why does stella have a black collar
17:31and i have a green one
17:33see
17:33she held up her neck
17:35the gem blinked its steady green
17:37it was grotesque
17:39the council elders arrived before dawn
17:42mom straightened when she saw them
17:44even now
17:45even with my body
17:46three days cold and rotting
17:48her luna instincts kicked in
17:50she lifted her chin
17:52squared her shoulders
17:53it didn't work today
17:55they started questioning mom
17:57in the living room
17:58mom grabbed the verity choker
17:59off the table
18:00like it was a lifeline
18:02test it
18:03that choker proved she was lying
18:05red gem means lie
18:08i never abused her
18:10the choker told me
18:12i was just educating her
18:15the council elders looked at her
18:17like she'd lost her mind
18:18the pup shows signs of extreme malnutrition
18:22months of starvation
18:24aphelion
18:26multiple old injuries
18:28consistent with prolonged
18:29that's dis-discipline
18:31that's teaching her to be honest
18:33then
18:34she did something insane
18:36you don't believe me
18:37fine
18:39i'll wear it
18:42watch
18:43it'll be green
18:45the leather pressed against 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 she was innocent
18:56needed to prove her way of raising an 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
19:11mom's confident expression shattered
19:16i said truth
19:18i am rachel
19:19i never abused her
19:21i did it for her own good
19:25i love her
19:27and suddenly
19:28she remembered
19:29me
19:30ten years old
19:32gasping as the choker tightened 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
19:41i am telling the truth
19:43turn green
19:44you're broken
19:45you're setting me up
19:46but 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
19:55this 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
20:07it 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
20:21unbearable
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
20:35turn redder
20:37you are luna
20:39you are supposed to protect
20:41every 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 10 years
20:59every red light wasn't because i was lying
21:02it 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
21:29no get it off
21:35i'm not lying
21:36i'm not
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 10 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
22:21but 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 10 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
23:07torn 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 10 minutes
23:26it 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 10 years
23:53you monster
23:55what did you do
23:57that was your daughter
23:59you treated her like a stray
24:01blood at the corner of her mouth
24:03not my fault
24:04not 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
24:13making 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
24:32it rolled onto the table
24:33still glowing green
24:35steady
24:36unchanged
24:37the elder picked up the stone
24:39a glowstone
24:40that 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 10 years
24:58that 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
25:13the 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
25:34next 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
25:51she spoiled emma for 10 years
25:54because of that cursed red light
25:56she tortured me for 10 years
26:02mom started laughing
26:03her voice cracking in 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
26:25the neighbor who had sent for the pack healer
26:27told everyone what she'd seen
26:29every wolf knew by morning
26:31luna had starved her own daughter to death
26:35monster
26:36murderer
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
26:54the 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
27:03he took emma
27:05and left the pack
27:06that same night
27:07emma was a bad seed sure
27:09but she was still his blood
27:11before they left
27:12emma 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
27:27the 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
27:59but there was no food
28:01there was nothing
28:02just her hands
28:03cupped 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 but 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
28:27it 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
28:48so she locked herself in my old room
28:51lights off
28:52and bowed to my portrait
28:54until 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
29:03reflected 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
29:14exhausted by months of self-torture
29:16slowly fell into a deep sleep
29:18mom 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
29:33too 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 if you take it
30:16every time the guard called her name
30:19and brought her food
30:20mom would grab the red cord
30:22and 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
30:36burning 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
30:47and 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
31:23or 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
31:37it's you
31:39you lie
31:40you're the green light
31:42that wasn't there
31:43you killed stella
31:44give her back to me
31:46give 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
32:17the kind that haunted the borderlands
32:20preying on anyone foolish enough
32:22to run through the trees alone 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
32:44no 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
33:05torment
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
33:14in some gutter
33:15i felt nothing
33:16no satisfaction
33:18just a flat
33:19dead
33:20calm
33:21my wolf
33:22padded over quietly
33:23she didn't howl
33:24didn't nudge
33:25just pressed her head against my hand and held it there
33:28in the distance
33:29a door of light appeared
33:31soft
33:32steady
33:33waiting
33:33i 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 on to
33:42i floated to mom's hut one final time
33:44she looked ancient
33:46hair completely white
33:47frail as paper
33:48she sensed something
33:49her cloudy eyes focused on a point in the air
33:52right where i stood
33:53stella
33:54is that you
33:55her trembling hand reached into the emptiness
33:57mom destroyed the choker
33:59i don't believe in it anymore
34:00come 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 on her neck from the frayed cord
34:11i
34:11i reached out
34:12my cold ghostly finger touched her forehead
34:15this was my final mercy
34:17sleep mom
34:18in sleep
34:19there's no pain
34:20her eyes fluttered shut
34:22she slumped into a deep dreamless rest
34:24a breeze blew through the hut
34:26the old journal on her cot flipped open
34:28the last page
34:30my dying words
34:31stared up at the ceiling
34:32but below it
34:33in shaky handwriting
34:35were new lines
34:36written by mom during 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
34:44i stared at those words
34:46felt nothing
34:47too late
34:48repentance means nothing to the dead
34:50mom
34:51i don't hate you anymore
34:52but i don't love you either
34:54let's not meet again
34:55i turned away
34:56my wolf was waiting
34:57in 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 for a lifetime
35:10i grabbed it
35:11it shattered into nothing
35:12i felt weightless
35:13free
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
35:25rachel
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
35:37she was gone
35:38she was gone
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