I’m haunted by the flashes of a life unbeknown. Stalked by the peremptory hold over me, it lurks behind each thought, every fear, all my smiles. It follows me down the path, through my classes, and curls up inside me each night in my bed. Lived and unlived. The experiences transcend upon me stronger than my own, more dangerous. The smell lingers in empty space, forgotten details of a life nearly remembered, all too familiar. A cold white heat, feeding on energy not hers to burn. She leeches onto nostalgia and fantasy, making me sicker and more delirious. She has taken me, and my life is hers. My only respite, and her only gift, is to glance on those trivial elements through a crystal ball, letting me feel my life anew.