The autumn leaves crunched underneath my boots as the moonlight was the only light in the tree filled street. All the windows and lights were off in the houses. Perfect. My bag was heavy but that didn't matter.

A car stopped on the pavement next to me and some kids opened the windows. I knew who they were, the most popular kids in school. Seth, Skylar, Amelia, Jack, Josh. I had remembered their names.

"Hey its that Kai girl!" I stopped in my tracks, ignoring them. "Aww where's your mummy?" They laughed. "You really still think that I need my mum for everything? I'm surprised yours hasn't come back from buying that pack of smokes yet." I replied to them.

Those guys used to be my best friends, they knew all my secrets. When we stopped being friends, they told the whole school my secrets and spread rumors about me. That's probably why I get bullied constantly and I don't have friends.

"Kaaaaiiii!! Why don't you do us a favour and kill yourself already?" That didn't affect me anymore. I know I'm slightly insane that I don't get sad by bullies. They drove off, revving the engine and yelling insults as they turned the corner and disappeared out of my sight.

Why am I used to this? I don't know. I've been dealing with this since I was seven. That was ten years ago. I'm seventeen and still the same... Probably because my parents are dead beats who never come home, busy partying and when they come home their stupidly drunk and yell at me. Basically I'm abused verbally, physically and bullied wherever I go. Sure this doesn't help my depression and the cuts get deeper each day but I've given up. I don't care anymore.

Orange and brown leaves littered from the trees, into the streets. It was calming. One fell into my scarf and I picked it up, looked at the beautiful pattern of greens, reds, browns. It was mesmerising. I kept observing the crunchy leaf in my hand as Welcome to the Black Parade played in my ears, humming along and observing the neighborhood that I was walking down.

If my parents drove past I'd be fucked.

I looked back down at the leaf as it easily gave way and crumpled under the weight of my hand, the pieces crunching and breaking as it turned into a sort of dust in my hand. "You're about as fragile as me." I smiled and held the mess up to my face. "I'll let you be free, something I'll never get." I blew into my hand and it flew out, gracefully flying up and pieces going in different places, dusting the air.

I pulled out a cigarette from the pack in my pocket, and slid the lighter up from my sleeve. I stopped to light it, the amber glow of the fire lighting it and glowing my hand and face. I blew out the flame and put it back in my pocket.

I inhaled the toxic smoke, forgetting about my troubles as I walked. I exhaled the thick smoke, tumbling from my lips as I watched it go up and disappear in the air. "Sorry environment." I whispered as I looked up through the trees into the stars.

As I walked, I reached an old field of grass that faded into a forest, I found myself walking towards it.

I walked through on a path. I remembered this path, running through when I was little, when nothing mattered. When I was happy.

I stopped in my tracks as I reached it.

A small treehouse built into a massive tree, a rope ladder dangling down. I walked towards the rotting wood and climbed up.

I walked into the little wooden door frame and sat down, lighting the little gas lamp with the box of matches we stole.

I took another drag of the cigarette before putting it out on the bottom of my shoe. I was slowly killing myself with it but I didn't care. I was quite fond of death now, I'm not afraid of it.

I took my bag off my back and lay down on the wooden ground, looking up through the holes in the ceiling out through the tree tops into the stars. An owl flew past, that made me smile.

"Hello?" I heard rustling and the familiar sound of the wood on the rope ladder clanking against the wood as a face popped up in the doorway.

"AAH!" I jumped as I saw the face pop up and Skylar crawled in and sat down. She screamed in reply. "So why are you here? I thought it wasn't mutual anymore." Skylar smiled. "Its still mutual. They don't like you but I still do. That's why I stuck up for  you yesterday." I gave a little satisfied grunt. "So we're still best friends?" I asked. "Yup. I wont leave you." I smiled. "We can't let anyone know this at school." Skylar held her hand out. "Deal." I shook it.

"Bully at school friend at home." We both said. Sky spoke up. "By the way, I never said any of that about you, well I didn't mean it. The others forced me to." I smiled. "That's nice to know. For a sec though you hated me." "What's the point of the treehouse if we hate each other? Remember what we said the very first day?" Sky's voice was soothing. I nodded as I remembered the first day in the tree house.

"Our friendship will last as long as this tree house will! If you break that then that's mean. If you don't then you need respect! If your the last one there at the end of our lives then that shows dedication." We both said as we remembered the motto.

"What are you listening to?" I unplugged my ear buds and turned up MCR. Sky nodded. As we listened, we stayed silent. The silence was nice, with the only thing, the sound of Na Na Na and the owls hooting with the rustling of the trees. I thought about the treehouse motto.

"We need to carve that in some place on the tree house." I thought but then realized that I said that out loud. Sky shot up. "I think I have something like a pen to write it!" I shot up and sorted through my backpack as Sky checked her pockets. I found my blade, stained with blood. I could feel Sky looking at the blade.

"Yeah I think you might know the reason." "I'm not surprised. It was my fault." I turned around and looked at Sky. "No it wasn't, you nerd." She smiled. "It was because of my parents. They did this. Actually I got out of hospital last month after a week in there recovering because my parents pushed me over the edge and I slit my wrists." Sky looked at me. "What about the antidepressants?" I threw the empty pill bottle behind me out the window. "They've failed me. I'd rather stay here torturing myself than take those horrid drugs." "Jesus. I feel sorry for you, why don't you stay at my place?" I nodded. "Sounds good." I replied as I turned away and started carving the motto into the wall.

We sat their, looking at the words carved into the old wood. I looked over at Sky. Her emerald eyes locked onto my icy blue ones. I'll Sleep When I Am Dead by Set It Off started playing.

I rolled up my sleeve. "I have to show you something." I muttered to Sky. She perked up and watched as I rolled up my sleeve. My arm was littered with cuts all over the place, covering my skin. I stopped when my sleeve just went past some small words on my arm. Sky tilted her head and read.

"Its the motto." She smiled. "I carved it into my arm with a pencil in Art." "Now you can have it forever." We smiled.

The amber glow of the small lamp dimmed, slowed and let one final bright burst of light before it went out. "We better get some sleep." Sky glared at me. "You're not thinking of sleeping here are you?" "My parents don't care and its like my own home, so yes. Its the only place I can feel safe." I said with no expression. Sky curled her perfect lips up into a smile, sweetening her face.

I gave her an extra jacket to sleep in and she lay down, watching the midnight sky until she fell asleep. "You can keep it." I whispered as I gently brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry that I had to lie, I have to go." I slowly pick up my bag, sling it over my shoulder and slide down the flimsy rope ladder that could give way at any moment.

I run through the woods, back into the field, my hood covering my face in the darkness. I eventually reach the small street from before.

As I'm stuck in a sort of jog I think, my parents are probably getting home soon. My boots crunching on the leaf littered ground as I break into a run. My hood flips off my head in the wind as my breathing quickens.

My thoughts are interrupted by a car horn, I keep running as I hear my parents drunken voices slurring insults and how they're gonna beat my ass when I get home.

I sprint until I reach my house, my parent's car in the drive. I stop on the footpath outside as I stare into the windows of my house. I see my parents seem to be yelling at my younger brother, who's about 13. I see they're silhouettes move. Fuck. They've either seen me or I need to run while my legs are intact.

I slowly crawl towards the garage and sort through my pockets until I find my car keys. I slowly lift up the door until its up fully, I unlock my car and get in, the door slamming behind me as I start the engine. No time for seatbelts. My car was old but it was the best thing ever. I heard the front door open and I immediately reversed out of the drive, looking behind me as I pulled into the streets.

"HEY! WINIFRED MARY ROBERTS! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE! STOP THAT CAR IMMEDIATELY! YOU'RE SO GROUNDED!!" I hear my mum shouting as I see my dad stumbling towards my car in a drunken rage, bottle containing some sort of alcohol in one hand.

"FUCK YOU!" I yell as I speed off down the street.