I gazed out the window of the backseat, my cheek leaning against the cool glass. I watched as endless meadows zoomed by, the last of the setting sun glinting off the edges where the rain had not yet dried. The car gradually slowed to a more normal speed, and I closed my eyes, wishing to be back where I belonged.

The drops of rain on the window slid down until there were very few left. I watched as a meadow turned to a cornfield, and back to a meadow. The sun slipped slowly out of the sky and the moon took over. Everything was dark, lit only by dim silver moonlight. That’s when I saw it.

The old barn was white, and even from a distance I could see the paint was coming off. An ancient rusty tractor was parked in front, and the gravel road leading up to it looked dangerous and old even. I tried not to look at it for too long, but something caught my eye.

It was a girl. It had to be. She was alone, dancing… Her hair was flowing freely, and she was wearing a short dress. The slight breeze tousled her hair, and as she spun around, the skirts of her dress flew up around her knees. I watched intently, unable to tear my eyes away. She spun and spun and suddenly just seemed to fade out. I looked again, eyes squinted against the darkness, but she was gone.

I blinked a few times, before focusing once again on my mother and brother in the front seat. My mother was leaned over the steering wheel, focusing on the road ahead. Her eyes were sad and her face was dreary, looking older than it ever had before. The bruise on her cheek stood out against her pale skin.

Instinctively, my hand flew up to my left temple, the bruise just beginning to fade. I felt tears welling in my eyes, and cursed my father yet again for ruining everything. My life…my mother’s life…everything. I looked out the window again, and back at the barn, slowly disappearing into the distance.

And there she was, twirling around, just barely visible. I wasn’t sure if she was even there at all. Was she?

A/N: I'm kind of thinking of building on this, but I'm not sure if I should. Feedback would be really cool, and I'd like to know if I should write any more.