Chapter 17

                     Chloe walked home alone in the pitch black dark. It was kind of weird, as if she was the only person in the world at that moment. 

Even weirder, she liked it. Through the pain and hurt of everything, it was nice to only think of herself. Chloe got home in 30 minutes, as she hurried to get home before Nathaniel decided to chase her down.

    When she got there, they mayor spared her one glance before waving the butler over to take Chloe to her room.

"More like my prison cell" Chloe thought darkly as the butler locked her in there, all alone for the second-no, third time tonight. Pollen flew out of her bag and sat with her owner in a silence that stretched on and on. Chloe was happy for her adorable kwami's silent support through this all.

"Pollen, your semper fidelis." Chloe teased. Pollen looked puzzled at her words, so Chloe felt the need to explain.

"Always Faithful, or Loyal. It's the U.s Marine Corps motto, and it was the Schuyler family motto back in the American Revolution." Chloe explained. Pollen, now enlightened, smiled and nuzzled her owner.

"If that's true, then Nath is also semper fidelis" Pollen said mindlessly. Chloe's eyebrows raised, the only sign Pollen was going to get of her emotions. Pollen winced, noticing, and said nothing more. 

    Chloe sighed. After everything tonight, she hadn't eaten anything for dinner. Chloe called her butler, and faking a smile, inquired if her father would eat with her tonight. The butler smiled at her.

"Sorry mademoiselle, but your father is busy tonight. Perhaps another day on his schedule?" The butler asked hopefully. Chloe shook her head.

"Thanks anyways" She murmured in disappointment. The butler nodded, and left Chloe to her own devices. The door was left cracked open, and Chloe felt something like temptation come over her.

The overwhelming feeling that she was not enough for the people she loved, and never would be, flooded through her. She had changed herself to be a nicer and better person, but in the end it had made no difference. Nothing had changed for her. The same people still ignored her, and she was shunned and cast off, even from her family.

Chloe snuck out of the bedroom, and too the kitchen. The kitchen looked as it always did, pretty, pristine, and clean. Kind of like Chloe looked on the outside. Chloe marched over there, her anxious kwami following, not knowing what was going on, or how to stop it.

 Chloe reached for the cabinet that held the medication. If she could just reach it, and grab the bottle of pills that she wanted, everyone's suffering would be over.  

Chloe got it, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she opened the lid of the bottle, and grabbed a handful of pills. It was at this moment that Pollen realized what she was about to do.

"Chloe, don't do this!" Pollen cried out. Chloe was startled by her kwami's outburst. 

"Pollen, everyone I love is hurting me, and I'm hurting everyone I love. If I do this, everything will be better for everyone." Chloe said through gritted teeth.

Pollen tried to stop Chloe, but she couldn't get through to her owner fast enough to stop the pills from being swallowed, and Chloe collapsing as a horrified Nathaniel opened the door.