Violet Hedge was on the road to do amazing things with her life when it happened; she had just finished high school and was preparing to attend Duke University in the fall with two of her best friends on a lacrosse scholarship. She planned to focus on a biomedical major and one day have a job in forensic science. But everything changed after the Great Disaster of '03.

Violet released a sigh as she stared up at the Closet of Masks she now kept in her room. She couldn't decide what emotion would sum up her day today. Happiness? Sadness? Anger? Melancholy?

She stood on her tip-toes as she reached for her mask of indifference, figuring it best not to overestimate her day like she usually did. Indifference got her through every situation; happiness did not.

But then she remembered that she had a date later with Kane Parks, her boyfriend of almost one year, and wouldn't be able to change her mask later.

She groaned as she stretched herself yet again to place the mask back on the top shelf. She cursed herself for not putting the indifference mask lower since she used it the most, but right now was not the time to sort her closet. She would have to do it later.

Once she found her lovey-dovey mask, she sighed contentedly as she relaxed, holding the thin plastic tenderly in her hands as though she would break it. She shut the closet, holding the mask tightly to her chest as she turned around to finish getting ready.

If she knew what was behind her, she never would've turned around.

She gasped audibly as she saw Kane standing behind her, dressed in a classy tuxedo and holding a bouquet of red roses in one hand and a heart-shaped box of chocolates in the other. But while she figured he stayed quiet to surprise her, she knew he was the one that was truly surprised by what he found.

As soon as Kane stared into her face, it was his turn to gasp.

Violet's face was a mosaic of irritating red blotches and dry, itchy yellow spots. Kane imagined that if he ran his fingers over her skin, it would feel like the leather of his favorite jacket. Finally, a deep scar ran diagonally across her face, almost like a knife cut her. Her face only seemed to redden more the longer he stared at her.

Kane had never seen anything like it, and he couldn't believe that the girl he loved had to deal with something so excruciatingly painful. It took his mind off of the closet of masks he had witnessed only minutes ago.

"What...what happened to you, love?" he gaped as he set down his gifts on the bed and rushed towards his girlfriend, wrapping his arms lovingly around her as he stared at her injuries.

"N-nothing..." she muttered as she buried her face in his shoulder, refusing to let him see. Tears pricked at her eyes as she realized that she could no longer hide her secret.

Kane had been the most popular boy at Jefferson High while they attended, and there's no way he would want to date a freak like her that sported scars that were unlike anything anyone in their quiet town of Big Sur, California had ever seen before.

"Don't lie to me," he spoke firmly, pulling her face back and forcing her to make eye contact with him. His heart broke as he watched tears silently fall down her injured cheeks; he couldn't stand to see her like this. He wanted nothing more than to wipe her injuries away from her for forever.

"D-do you remember the Great D-disaster of '03...?" she asked, her voice raspy and broken as she tried to form a coherent answer.

"Kind of," Kane answered confusedly, "I only know that it's the event that you healed from so well. No one would say anything else. But I do know that you were a survivor, Violet Hedge. You're the strongest woman I know. But what does that have to do with this?"

Of course, being as popular as he was, Kane knew almost everything there was to know about the Great Disaster. But he wanted to hear the story from his girlfriend from the beginning. She never talked to anyone about it, not even her closest friends, and he needed to know what happened to her that night.

Violet stared awkwardly at her feet as she kicked the ground discontentedly, his kind words burning her deeply.

"I...I didn't heal as well as everyone thought..." Violet mumbled as she refused to look at him.

"I don't understand," Kane breathed, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited impatiently for her to continue.

"The Great Disaster is the name they gave to the burning of the large housing developments on the East Side," Violet explained, still refusing to hold his gaze, "A large fire started, and the wind was so bad that it burned down every house on the block, including mine."

Kane didn't say anything; he only hugged her to him, rubbing her back soothingly to urge her to continue. He could feel her tiny body as she was overcome by small hiccups and sobs that she fought to hold back.

"M-mine was one of the first to go...I-I didn't have the same warning that everyone else h-had," Violet continued with her head bowed down in shame, "I was trapped in my r-room. The only way out was the w-window...That's how I got this cut. It w-wouldn't open, so I b-broke it."

Kane tilted her head up to get a better look at the scar she indicated. When he saw the inflamed cut, he softly placed his lips on the bottom of it, slowly kissing his way up the damaged skin as he tried to communicate his love for her despite the permanent mark.

When he finished, he looked down to see more silent tears cascading down her face. He softly pecked her forehead before snaking his arms around her once again, holding her as though she would disappear at any second.

"Then what happened, baby?" Kane whispered into the silence of the room.

"Once I s-scraped my face, I l-lost my balance and fell," Violet whispered back, afraid to talk any louder, "I l-landed on top of a burning s-shingle...I-it burnt the entirety of m-my face..."

Kane tensed at her words. He couldn't imagine something so painful, especially when it came to his beloved Violet; his own eyes pricked with tears that threatened to spill.

"You poor, poor baby," he soothed as he rubbed her back yet again, "I'm so sorry."

She stayed still in his arms for a few minutes of comforting silence, enjoying his company despite her awkwardness. She thought he might have forgotten about the masks, but alas, he didn't.

"Why do you have those masks...?" Kane asked nervously.

"I..." Violet began, but she couldn't find the words.

After several seconds of silence, Kane pressed again. "Please, baby. I'm not here to judge you. I need to know so I can help you. Please baby; you have to trust me."

Violet took many deep breaths before she could continue, but once her pulse slowed down, she felt that she could do it. "These scars are never going to go away...I needed them to go away to g-go on with life. S-so I wear these masks to hide them. Everyone always p-praised me for healing so well, s-so I thought I was doing a good thing by hiding them."

Kane sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You don't have to hide anything from me."

"H-how could I have known you wouldn't just leave w-when you found out...?" Violet whispered as shame washed over her. She felt awful for not trusting her boyfriend.

"Baby, no matter what happens, I'm always going to be right here for you. There's nothing you could do to lose my love," Kane promised before placing a sweet kiss on her lips, "Besides, you're even more beautiful without those stupid masks."

"E-even with my ugly scars?" she gaped, her mouth hanging wide open and eyes widening to the size of saucers.

Kane chuckled quietly as he closed her mouth with his index finger. "Baby, your scars symbolize your power and strength. There's nothing ugly about them; they're perfect, just like you."

Violet blushed furiously as she hugged him tightly, enjoying his grasp for as long as she could. But as she stood safely in his arms, she realized she needed to question him still.

"Hey baby, how'd you get in here anyway?" she smirked with an accusatory look.

"I know where you hide the spare key, love," Kane smirked down at you.

Violet giggled with a shake of her head, happy knowing now that she could learn to be comfortable in her own skin again now that she had someone to help her along the way.