You think you get free when you grow up, when you get out of the house. Mostly, you do. Eventually, you stop only ever letting yourself half-sleep, because you`re bracing for footsteps and angry hands. You stop looking for hiding places to keep safe your most precious things, to make harder for someone to take them from you on a whim. You choose your clothing based on style, rather than on how well it hides bruises. You grow your hair out, and almost forget the metallic snick of scissors.
The muscles relax in your shoulders. You remember how to take a deep breath, how to unclench your hand, how to share a secret. Until.
There is always an until.
When it happens, everything goes back to the way it was, and you embrace your two best friends, loneliness and fear.