The only visible light in the apartment came through the slits in the shudders. Sapphire sat with her legs crossed at the far end of the sofa, right next to the window. A small cocktail glass guided her hand, its poisonous red contents devouring her. She noticed nothing but the absence of noise, which is highly peculiar. In her four years of living in the apartment, the streets had never once been silenced.

All she wanted was some noise to reassure her that she was still living, still breathing the infamous polluted air of New York. Her life was falling to shreds, despite all of her ruthless attempts to pick herself back up. Sapphire could not even bother with standing up for it was too much of a pointless bother. Instead she treated herself to her favorite hobby – intoxicating herself.

"One day we're going to find you passed out on the floor, three days dead!" She could hear the ghostly echoes of her sisters' cries, all of which she continuously chose to ignore. She had played with her life and a multitude of drinks before, and so far, none of them had taken her life.

Besides, if she did die, would it really be so bad after all?

The old fashioned phone ring interrupted the depths of her thoughts and she looked up, blankly staring at her cell phone. The caller ID was blocked and she had no intentions of answering the phone in a slurred voice. It was probably just Scarlett calling from one of her studios, checking in on her. Just like she had for the past six months.

Sapphire ignored the ring and continued sipping her drink. It was a darling concoction of merlot and vodka – her stock was running low and she needed to improvise with mixing the two. She never necessarily chose the alcoholic life. In all actuality, it had chosen her.

Her glass was half empty when the phone rang again, another unknown caller ID. If they call again, then I'll answer, Sapphire promised herself, wanting to avoid speaking at all.

A headache began brewing in the temples of her head, prompting her place her hand there. It did not really comfort her, but she felt a bit more alive feeling the touch of her hand against her cool skin. Her head leaned back into the cushion of the sofa and her eyelids slipped. She felt herself beginning to doze off, drifting into a hopefully long sleep.

****

A dark blanket cascaded around her with the apartment morphing into an illusion of nothingness. She blinked a few times, terrified as to where she was. Was this what death was like, or was Sapphire just too drunk to see her surroundings.

"Hello?" she called out for help, but there was no response. She was greeted with the presence of silence, harboring around with its taunting manner. If only it could just shut up and give her a second to breathe.

She tried to walk ahead, find her coffee table, but she stumbled into nothing, tripping over an invisible floor. "Where am I?" she cried, her mind tormented with the ghosts of her memory.

"Sapphire, do not move," a brooding voice called out. Frozen in fear, she stopped, looking around for some way out. She felt very much alone, but the voice had sent chills up her spine. Or perhaps the voice was a mere figment of her imagination?

"Sapphire, I know that you are upset, missing your late husband," he continued on in a lingering voice. The pain of hearing those words out loud conflicted with her brain, like a tiny bullet crashed through her skull.

"Who are you? How do you know about him?" she screamed, prepared to pick a fight.

"Sapphire, I am your friend, and I am here to help you, if you only just let me. Pause momentarily and think about your life, just reflect mentally. Picture the moment when they showed up at your doorstep and revisit the pain you felt. Take yourself back there. Remember all of the lonely nights and empty whiskey bottles that you chucked at the walls. Imagine it all," he taunted her.

"But remember before the doorstep – all of the happy moments with your sisters, Selene and Scarlett. Think back to the beach when you visited California with them. Remember the happiness you felt when you all got into your dream colleges. Remember the warmth that your life used to hold." As he advised her, her headache only grew more and more. Why was he so persistent on bringing her such pain?

"What do you want from me?"

"Throw the alcohol away and remember who you were, who you are. It is not too late to fix your life, and my advice is to do so rather quickly. It is only a matter of time before you are going to need yourself, and all of yourself."

"I don't understand."

"Good, you aren't supposed to just yet."

"And why not?"

"You're too incompetent to understand just yet, but you'll get there. Just clean up your act first. Oh, and answer your phone."

"Are you my conscience?"

"I mind as well be."

****

Her ringtone broke the omniscient silence of her dreams, and her eyes fluttered open to the sound of it. Sapphire blinked a few times, in a daze from her dream.

It was time to take back her life.

She lazily reached for the phone, and with her groggy voice she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, Sapphire." The voice sounded familiar, but she could not figure out who it was.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" she asked again.

"Sapphire, you know me. How could you forget me? I've only been gone six months," the man on the other end responded.

Six months? Chills ran down her spine as she remembered back to six months ago, when they showed up at her door with an American flag and a letter.

The day that she became a widow.

****************************************

Author's Note:

The rest of Sapphire's chapter will be posted tomorrow!

However, first, I want your help!  Comment down below names for Sapphire's late husband.  The best name will receive a chapter dedication!

Or you can tweet it to me!

Lots of love,

Ali xoxo