The Lullaby

I hear a lullaby of screams.

I've done something wrong. I can feel it, deep in my chest. It blossoms, the petals turning a bright crimson as it settles on the surface. My brand of shame. A scarlet letter of my disgrace.

Soon enough, my name pops up. It's intertwined with the shrieking, off-key melody of a woman. A man bellows a harmony. My ears ring as they combine their song.

Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn.

Ah, the dissonance. Too bad the chord won't resolve.

Their words leak through the thin, filmy barrier that I have created. The lyrics have ceased to shock me; it isn't the first time I have heard these notes. They're far too familiar now to bother me.

This is the point when I close my eyes.