It only takes a word for someone's world to shatter. It only takes a second for someone's heart to stop.

It only takes a breath for someone's life to vanish.

But it takes too long for anyone to notice the damage.

She smiled as she stirred the teaspoon in her teacup, loving the rich aroma that wafted through the air and into her nose. It made her look forward to sitting back with a book and sipping the beverage slowly, savouring the herbal taste.

But her happiness stemmed from more than just the pleasant tea she was stirring. She giggled slightly, thinking back to the text message her boyfriend of six years had sent her. He had simply said 'I'm going to call you later, we need to talk' and she had been filled with butterflies. That was almost exactly what he'd sent her just before he called her and asked if she would date him six years ago.

She wasn't sure what he was going to ask this time, but she felt that it was something big. Life-changing even.

Will he ask me to move in with him? Or...or maybe he wants to propose? She thought, and blushed at the very idea of him proposing to her. It made the butterflies in her stomach go into a frenzy and she hurried with making her tea, feeling it would calm her nerves. An excited laugh bubbled out of her throat when she heard her phone ringing, and after tossing the spoon into the sink, she grabbed her tea and rushed into the living room.

Snatching her phone up, she quickly pressed accept and held it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kate, it's me."

She smiled, recognized the love of her life's voice the second he breathed into the phone. "Hi baby! How was your day?" she asked, taking a small sip of her tea.

"Yeah it was...fine. Listen, are you sitting down?"

She wanted to squeal at the question. "No, I'm standing. Why?" she asked, playing dumb.

"I think you should sit down...I need to tell you something, and I think you should be sitting."

She wanted to laugh with joy, but she held her silence for a minute, biting her lips. The TV was in front of her, switched off, and in the black screen she could clearly see her reflection.

Do I really look that excited? She wondered, seeing the way her eyes were shining and her cheeks were bright red.

"Okay, I'm sitting," she lied. She knew that if he did propose or ask her to move in, she would start jumping around with joy anyway. It would just save her the trouble of getting up.

"Okay...Well..."

She tried to contain her joy, waiting impatiently for him to speak. Of all the times for him to be shy, now was not one that she appreciated. She felt like she was going to burst with happiness, and already her hands were trembling.

"I want to break up. I...I've found someone else."

It was as if time had frozen. All sounds dissolved into a heavy silence but for the steady beat of her heart, which echoed loudly inside her head. Her smile was frozen solid on her face, the happy shine in her eyes burning too bright before flickering out like a broken bulb. The butterflies in her stomach died and turned into small stones, dropping down to the bottom of her stomach before sliding down further to her very feet. She couldn't see a thing, and she was barely aware of the increasing shivers running through her body and down her spine as slowly, so slowly, the words dragged themselves from her frozen lips.

"...W-what?" she asked, her voice weak and almost non-existent.

There was a sigh from the phone, as if he had hoped he wouldn't have to say anything more.

"I'm breaking up with you, Kate. I'm just not happy anymore...I'm not happy with you."

Suddenly, everything rushed back. Sound filled her head in the form of a loud scream of agony. Colours filled her vision with blood red splatters, and for one moment she thought that she was watching a horror movie on the TV.

Then she realized that her reflection was wailing. Inky black tears were falling from its eyes, trailing down her face and curving around the wide mouth that was letting out the most agonized screeches she'd ever heard. With wide eyes, she saw that her reflections chest was bleeding. The spot directly above her heart had a fiery glowing outline and blood was streaming down from the burning area, soaking into the sweater it wore and dying it a sickening red.

"...B-but I thought that...I thought we were..." she tried to speak, her eyes focused on her reflection as she watched it bleed and scream. Her own hand clutched at her heart, but there was no blood on her person. Only in her reflection.

"I know. But, you just...It's not just you, it's me too. I just wasn't happy, and now I've found someone...I think they can make me happy. And I'm sure you could find someone to make you happy too!"

There was a throbbing sensation in her chest, and she whimpered slightly when her reflection let out the loudest, most agonized scream ever. Its chest had suddenly burst open, blood and flesh falling away from the burning line to reveal its beating heart. The organ was raw and red, slick with blood as it beat erratically. She watched in horror as ink began to pour from the reflections mouth.

"I'm sorry Kate. But this is the end."

"No, wait—"

There was a deafening click on the other end of the phone before the dial tone beeped in her ear.

Her breathing was ragged and shallow, and she finally registered the wetness streaming down her cheeks. Something wet was on her toes, and she looked down to see she had dropped her tea cup, the brew seeping into the carpet and her socks. Another scream sounded and she snapped her head up, watching as her reflection clutched at its heart in a desperate attempt to ease the pain.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a transparent hand appear. It was a hand that she knew all too well. She had held it for so many years, felt it caress her throat and run through her hair. She'd felt it pull her into a hug, run over her back and cup her cheeks just before a kiss.

That ghostly hand was now wrapping its strong fingers around her reflections heart. The screaming image started to choke violently, blood joining the ink that poured from its mouth. It reached a trembling hand in her direction, large eyes staring back at her imploringly and pleading for something.

Suddenly, the ghostly hand squeezed extra hard, and the heart stilled after one last, feeble beat. Her reflection stopped, arm falling to its side. Inky tears ran down its cheeks as she stared at it, and then slowly it toppled forwards.

She half expected it to fall through the glass and out of the TV, but instead it stayed behind the barrier, lying on the carpeted floor and oozing dark blood across the carpet. The blood formed an intricate pattern on the white floor, and once all the liquid lines had connected, she realized it was a depiction of a fallen angel. Broken wings were spread out on either side of it as the corpse of her reflection lay unseeing and unmoving.

She stepped back, falling into a chair and staring wide eyed at what she could see.

She knew what it was. That was the real her. That fallen, broken, slaughtered angel was her. She had been at the pinnacle of happiness, touching the heavens in her bliss. And then her heart had been burst and crushed by the lofty hands of her most precious person.

That corpse in the reflection was the truth.

Her reflection was dead...She was, practically, dead.

She hunched over, pressing her hands to her face as she began to cry. The screams she let loose matched the howls of her reflection in its last moments. And soon, the rest of her would.

...

The next morning, an ambulance was parked outside the large apartment building. The gathered crowds watched in sadness as a beautiful woman was wheeled out on a gurney. Paramedics were shaking their heads sadly before they slowly pulled a black blanket over her pale face. Whispers went through the crowds as tenants of the building whispered amongst themselves, sad and confused. The words that were most repeated were carried on the wind as if the world wanted them to travel to the cause.

"Kate is gone."

I can honestly say I felt the urge to cry during this one. But I needed to write it and get it out of my system, as it's been haunting my mind for a few days now. This was inspired by situations of someone close to me...

Feedback would be appreciated.