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##@£%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%£@##
£&*««~¨¨¨¨         */«««««~~~¨  ¨~~~«««««/*         ¨¨¨¨~««*&£
##@£&%*/~¨         *                      *         ¨~/*%&£@##
&&&&%*/«~¨         * MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF *         ¨~«/*%&&&&
##£&%*/«~¨         *                      *         ¨~«/*%&£##
#@£&%*/«~¨         */«««««~~~¨  ¨~~~«««««/*         ¨~«/*%&£@#
£%*«~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~«*%£
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
£%****/«~¨  I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING ¨~«/****%£
&&%*/~¨¨¨¨  CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND ¨¨¨¨~/*%&&
##£&%*/«~¨  TRUSTED CAR, AND SOMETIMES MY MOTHERS   ¨~«/*%&£##
@£%*/««~¨¨   BARN. WE LIVED JUST OUTSIDE TOWN, A    ¨¨~««/*%£@
&&&*/~¨¨¨¨   GROVE AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD, AND   ¨¨¨¨~/*&&&
£%/««~¨¨¨¨  THE BARN WAS PLACED SO YOU COULD JUST   ¨¨¨¨~««/%£
#@£&%*/«~¨ MAKE OUT THE SURROUNDING FIELDS THROUGH  ¨~«/*%&£@#
#@£&%*/«~¨                THE TREES.                ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@£%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%£@##
#@£&%*/«~¨    MY CAR WAS BLACK AND LOUD, BOTH THE   ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@£&%*/«~   ENGINE AND THE WAY THE PARTS DIDN'T    ~«/*%&£@##
#@£&%*/«~¨     REALLY STICK TOGETHER. I TOOK MY     ¨~«/*%&£@#
@@£&%*/«~¨  CRIMEFRIEND FOR RIDES, IN THE DARK, THE ¨~«/*%&£@@
£%%%/~~~¨¨   ETERNAL DARK THAT SEEMED TO SURROUND   ¨¨~~~/%%%£
&***//««~¨   US. SHE SEEMED TO CAST THIS VEIL OVER  ¨~««//***&
#@£&%*/«~¨  EVERYTHING. HER BLACK SKIRT REACHED TO  ¨~«/*%&£@#
£&%%%*/«~¨   HER KNEES BUT THEN SOMEHOW ALSO BACK   ¨~«/*%%%&£
@£&&%*/«~¨   AROUND, ENVELOPING ALL MY MEMORIES OF  ¨~«/*%&&£@
#@£&%*/«~¨            OUR TIME TOGETHER.            ¨~«/*%&£@#
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
#@£&%*/«~¨  THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE. SOMETIMES   ¨~«/*%&£@#
&*/«¨¨¨¨¨¨  THE BLOOD WAS HER RED LIPSTICK OR HER   ¨¨¨¨¨¨«/*&
#@£&%*/«~¨  CHECKERED SHIRT. SHE WAS ON TELEVISION. ¨~«/*%&£@#
£%*«~¨¨¨¨¨     WE DID CRIME, AND WE MADE WEIRD      ¨¨¨¨¨~«*%£
##@£&%*/«¨  STRUCTURES IN THE BARN, TALL PILLARS OF ¨«/*%&£@##
##£&%*/«~¨  DARK WOOD, LADDERS AND PLATEAUS, FIRES  ¨~«/*%&£##
&%***/«~¨¨  AND FAIRY LIGHTS. WE WOULD SLEEP THERE  ¨¨~«/***%&
££%*«¨¨¨¨¨  AND DRINK THERE AND SHE WOULD GO IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨«*%££
&&%///~¨¨¨                TELEVISION.               ¨¨¨~///%&&
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
@@£&%*/«~¨ AND THEN THE SUN CAME OUT, AND SHE WENT  ¨~«/*%&£@@
#@£&%*/«~¨  AWAY. EVERYTHING CHANGED... I YEARNED,  ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@&%*/«~¨   AND THE WORLD BECAME DULL AROUND ME.   ¨~«/*%&@##
£&%%/~~~~¨                                          ¨~~~~/%%&£
&&%/~¨¨¨¨¨    I STOPPED DOING CRIME, EXCEPT WHEN    ¨¨¨¨¨~/%&&
@&*/~¨¨¨¨¨  NECESSARRY. THINGS SOMEHOW SEEMED LIKE  ¨¨¨¨¨~/*&@
##@£%*/«~¨  THEY WERE ALLRIGHT, MOULDED IN PLACE,   ¨~«/*%£@##
@££&%*/«~¨   AND I LOATHED IT ------ I MISSED HER   ¨~«/*%&££@
&&&&%*/«~¨                 SO MUCH.                 ¨~«/*%&&&&
£%*///~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~///*%£
£&%/~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~/%&£
@@£&%*/«~¨             «««««~~¨ ¨~~«««««            ¨~«/*%&£@@
&%/~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~/%&
##£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£##
#@£&%*/«~¨  I SEARCHED FOR HER, BUT NOBODY HAD ANY  ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@&%*/«~¨    MEMORIES OF HER. NOT SO MUCH OF ME    ¨~«/*%&@##
#@£&%*/«~¨  EITHER, FROM THE TIME WE WERE TOGETHER. ¨~«/*%&£@#
&&*//~¨¨¨¨  MY MOTHER SAID I KEPT TO MYSELF IN THE  ¨¨¨¨~//*&&
£%/~¨¨¨¨¨¨           BARN, OR IN THE CAR.           ¨¨¨¨¨¨~/%£
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@&%*/«~¨     SOMETIMES I COULD STILL SEE HER      ¨~«/*%&@##
@&%***/«~¨    FLASHING BY ON THE TV IN THE BARN.    ¨~«/***%&@
££&%**/«~¨     EVERYTHING WAS BLACK THEN, FOR A     ¨~«/**%&££
#@£&%*/«~¨  MOMENT. I REMEMBERED HER LAUGH AND KNEW ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@&%*/«~¨   WE HAD DONE CRIMES TOGETHER, THAT IT   ¨~«/*%&@##
£&%*«~~¨¨¨             HAD BEEN REAL...             ¨¨¨~~«*%&£
@£%/«~~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~~«/%£@
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@£&%*/«~             «««««~~¨ ¨~~«««««            ~«/*%&£@##
££%//«~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~«//%££
&*/«««¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«««/*&
#@£&%*/«~¨    I DIED BY GETTING SHOT IN THE HEAD    ¨~«/*%&£@#
#@£&%*/«~¨   WHILE RAMMING THE FENCE TO A MILITARY  ¨~«/*%&£@#
##@£%*/«~¨   FACILITY. BY THIS TIME THEY HAD BEEN   ¨~«/*%£@##
#@£&%*/«~¨   CHASING ME FOR DAYS. I LOST CONTROL    ¨~«/*%&£@#
&&%/~¨¨¨¨¨   OVER THE CAR, CRASHED IT INTO A ROCK   ¨¨¨¨¨~/%&&
#@£&%*/«~¨     WALL AND FLEW OUT THE WINDSHIELD.    ¨~«/*%&£@#
&*«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«*&
@£%/~~~~~¨   AND THEN I GOT UP, AND LOOKED AROUND.  ¨~~~~~/%£@
@&&&%*/«~¨   IT WAS DARK, WHERE IT PREVIOUSLY HAD   ¨~«/*%&&&@
@@£&%*/«~¨    BEEN A BRIGHT DAY. AROUND ME WHERE    ¨~«/*%&£@@
&*««~¨¨¨¨¨   DOZENS OF CRASHED CARS, ALL MY CAR,    ¨¨¨¨¨~««*&
#@£&%*/«~¨               SOME ON FIRE.              ¨~«/*%&£@#
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
&%**///«~¨       THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED.        ¨~«///**%&
@@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@@
&*/«¨¨¨¨¨¨   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   ¨¨¨¨¨¨«/*&
&&*«««¨¨¨¨     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     ¨¨¨¨«««*&&
#@£&%*/«~¨ TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING!  ¨~«/*%&£@#
&%%%%*/«~¨               SHE WAS HERE!              ¨~«/*%%%%&
#@£&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&£@#
&&&&%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%&&&&
##@£%*/«~¨                                          ¨~«/*%£@##
&&&*«~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~«*&&&
&****/~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~/****&