C15 FIFTEEN

Daggers in Men's Smiles

ROSE

There's daggers in men's smiles.

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

FIRES BORN IN the pit of hell burned my bones and flesh, melting my corporeal form and leaving only my soul as it slammed back into my body still lying on the cold winter earth in Derek's rose garden.

Air rushed into my lungs, and I choked and sat up