• 9:00 PM March 8, 2009
    Renee and Elsa practically skipped through the moonlit city streets. Carnival had come to their mundane city, and the two had spent the whole day at the fairgrounds on a date. The park, normally a lewd and colorless place, had been transformed into a sparkling spring paradise. Now on their way home, the two were feeling happy and refreshed. Elsa’s magenta curls bounced with her every step and her right arm encircled a giant stuffed bear. Renee chewed on a stick of fresh taffy, holding it precariously in her mouth. The small pack on her back was filled with such treats, all freshly made and just waiting to be devoured. The two looked at one another, smiled, and clasped hands. The beads around their necks tinkled as they walked. Their squalid city was painted magical beneath the full moon’s light…
    ****
    10:40 PM February 13, 2014
    Renee sucked nervously on her lip piercing and checked her watch. Ten-forty…there was twenty minutes to go. She tucked a pesky purple strand of poorly cropped hair behind her ear. She checked her setup again, making sure that she had remembered everything. The blanket she had laid on the campus rooftop was fuzzy and laden with cutlery. The picnic basket was filled with food and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Unconsciously, Renee’s hand strayed to the front pocket of her pack. She could feel the jewelry box there, the keystone of her and Elsa’s night.
    Then Elsa was there, and they were talking and grinning with smiles on their faces. Renee looked down at her watch and snuck the box into her hand while Elsa was nibbling on a grape. Four things happened at once. The clock struck eleven, fireworks began to go off in the distance, and Renee whipped open the box and presented it to her girlfriend.
    And…Elsa said yes…
    ***
    1:00 PM October 30, 2014
    Elsa looked herself over in the mirror, a light blush tinting her cheeks. Her dyed magenta locks had been thickly curled into a Lolita style, and then carefully set with several diamond and rhinestone pins. A tattered veil was attached to the pins, and was soon to be thrown over her face. The embroidered bead patterns on her dress reflected specks of light on any object that she was near.
    The wedding march began to play and Elsa, now a twenty-year-old soon-to-be bride, flipped the veil over her face. She met her uncle outside of the door and took his arm. Proudly, with a shy smile on her face, she marched forward to meet a tuxedo clad Renee...
    ***
    8:27 AM May 19, 2016
    Renee and Elsa rushed into their studio late, hands clasped together and coffee on their lips. The two women kissed passionately and sat down to their respective work. Elsa arranged her fabrics and her design sheets on her table, rechecked the measurements and prepared her mannequin. Renee fired up her computer, and checked her email address for the guidelines of her latest graphic design project. Jazz music played over an old music player in the corner...
    ***
    9:00 AM September 10, 2023
    Elsa hugged her son and daughter while Renee double checked their kindergarten supplies. Smiling in joy the two proud parents snapped pictures of their adopted children. Michael squirmed shyly while Jennet grinned. She was missing her two front teeth, and was quiet proud of it. Michael grabbed a hold of his mother’s leg and hid. Sighing, Elsa shook a finger at him playfully and then comforted him. Renee wiped a few tears from her eyes and took Elsa’s hand. Assured that their children were settled, the parents waved goodbye to as they walked out of the school…
    ***
    9:30 PM March 8, 2009
    Renee dropped Elsa off at her apartment at nine twenty-six and began her own trek home, joy still shimmering in her heart. Despite everything, the squalor was still deeply embedded in the city. She knew this, of course, but she could deal with that fact. She was content with the way her life was going.
    Passing a dark alleyway, she didn’t even see it coming. A flash of steel, a hand clasped tightly around her forearm, and a sharp pain against her throat. The taste of blood, bitter and coppery, filled her mouth.
    And as the knife entrenched itself deeper within Renee’s thin neck and the thick crimson blood ceased to flow, she was lost in the days of a life that was never lived.