* * *
There was only one sensation now: tranquillity. A calm surrender that existed beyond the wild rush of youthful days; a peaceful serenity that pushed everything – the doubts, the pain, the fears – aside. It was the wave lapping on the beach, the water smoothing the cliff face as it wore away the rough edges until they shined.
Madison watched herself in the mirror as her hair fell in thick clumps onto the bathroom floor. She’d sheared the longest locks first; the untidy mess of cuttings had fallen limply and scattered across the tiles. Then she’d started using the razor; conducting the close shave with a precision that her newfound calm had only served to heighten. She kept at it until there was nothing left, running the palm of her hand between strokes across the smooth, bald surfac
