I bleed when I fall down

'Helplessly praying, the light isn't fadin'

Sunday March 16th, 2031.

'I feel like I haven't seen you in ages.' The taller girl smiles, grabbing the smaller one by her hand and leading her up the stairs and into the pink bedroom. 'I've missed you so much.' She's met with a weak smile. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm okay.' She tells her, not volunteering anything else. 'I've missed you too Belle.' The older girl falls onto the bed, the younger of the too sits on the space beside the other girl. The single bed is becoming seemingly smaller every time she visits, soon there won't be very much room at all. The camp bed has been set up on the floor, the pair can no longer top and tail.

'I know, it's hard not to miss me.' She grins. 'Mum's been worried about you.'

'Everybody is worried about me, mum, dad, the twins, your parents, grandma and grandad.' She pauses, taking a breath. 'My family out in Oz, my teachers. I am constantly asked if I am okay. I miss just being me.'

'At least people care.' She shrugs, it seems great but it's suffocating. There is constantly someone watching, waiting for the fit.

'I feel like I am in a zoo, I constantly watched. Mum won't even let me shower in peace, she sits outside.' The older girl shrugs, she doesn't get it. It occurs to the younger one that she doesn't get it, no one can get it. Not her mum, not her dad and especially not Isabelle.

'Have you said anything?'

'What is the point?' She moans. 'Like seriously, no one lets me do anything. Everyone treats me like I am a china doll, and I'm not Amelia anymore.' She complains, looking out the window at the garden. 'I quit swimming because it was too dangerous, I wasn't allowed to go to Abi's swimming party, because I am a hazard.' She runs her hand through her hair, in that moment she looked much older and not nearly ten. 'I am sick of being asked am I okay? Its like a permanent reminder that I'm not okay, that there is something wrong with me.'

'But surely your mum would understand.' The child crosses her legs, grabbing the pillow in front of her. 'Your mum is only worried about you. Everyone is, we all want you to be okay.' The pity is too much for the young girl, she's had this conversation with nearly everyone in her life. The pity, the sorrow and the looks. It's too much for her little brain to handle.

'Stop.' She cries, standing up. The older girl is slightly shocked at her outburst. 'You don't know anything about it so shut up.' She pulls on her trainers, as her cousin tries to apologise, belting down the stairs two at a time, unsure where she is heading, just knowing she can't be here.

The adult's downstairs are alerted to something happening, when they hear a loud noise running down the stairs, and the front door slamming. They are met with a very confused Isabelle.

'Who was that?' Zoe asks, studying her daughters face, clearly something was wrong.

'Amelia.' She breathes, looking between the adults. 'She ran off.' Joe shoves his shoes on, as Zoe coaxes what happened out of her, promising she isn't in trouble.

'Where did she run off Isabelle?' Her dad asks, looking between the adults in the room, the panic that she is nine, she is in an area she doesn't know that well and she's run off without anything, her jacket and jumper is still hung up on the rack.

'I don't know.' She says, casting her gaze to the floor. 'We were talking, and she got mad and ran off. I tried to stop her, but she was too fast.'

'What were you talking about?' Joe probes.

'Nothing important, I was asking if she's okay.'

'And she just went?' Dianne's Aussie accent coming through, clearly panicked. 'Right I'm going.' She tells them, opening the door before anyone can say anything.