In this world there is no pain, no disappointment. No one can hurt her here.

In this world she's in control. People look up to HER. They LOVE her. They admire her beauty and style and uniqueness. In this world she can be as silly as she wants.

She can break all the rules and STILL be looked up to as Role Model.

In this world there is no pain, no disappointment. No one can hurt her here. She is a child as well as an adult. She is a hero. An angel. A warrior.

Anything she dreams off, she can make a reality.

She goes to this place often. It's her safe haven. She has seen too much pain. Experienced too much of it for her young age.

This is her coping mechanism.

In this world there is no pain, no disappointment. No one can hurt her here.

Her dream is shattered as her mother's yells bounce across the hallways. Already, she folds into herself. Her defense high.

She has survived this before. And she will survive it again.

She blinks her eyes against the darkness, takes a deep breath, an involuntary shudder and heads off to face today.

She can always come back to her world. Her safe haven.

In that world there is no pain, no disappointment. No one can hurt her there.