Preface

Green eyes; warm skin. Two descriptors always taken for granted.

Green... the color of money and envy. "Always be on the lookout for the green-eyed monster," they used to say; if only they knew the truth. The truth is green eyes were never something to fear. No, instead they stood for life and growth. Behind them everyone knew was the secret to goodness and contentedness, but since eyes are perilously blind to themselves they would never know of the secret they held.

Warm skin. Most people feel warm as a result of their blood pumping and heart beating. Real warmness extends beyond the expectations of the human body. To truly be warm is to melt down the frozen barriers that life extends to the broken. It's a true warmth. One touch could make the Sun feel like Pluto, casting every fear and doubt out into the unwelcoming cold, safely locked away from the warmth of a true touch.

Green eyes; warm skin. They were memories now; vivid, but past. Closed eyes; cold touch. How fitting that the room be stocked with white: the walls, the sheet, the ceiling, the floor. It was a color of purity and innocence, the kind appropriate to the life and death of an angel.

He looked at the door, white and heavy. They would come for him soon. He lifted her hand to his face, ignoring the number seared into her skin, and breathed her in.

"Be safe," He whispered.

In the distance, screaming and pounding grew closer. They'd come for him. He looked at her one last time. She looked like Sleeping Beauty, so soft and lovely. For a moment he felt the world around him pause, giving him one last glance.

Yet, the doors still broke down and bony fingers grabbed his arms. He struggled, but only half-heartedly. All he wanted was her safety and he's done the best he can.