Buffy shook her head, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She wanted to hide so badly, to run away from that moment until it didn't hurt anymore. She'd always been sure of herself and what she was meant to do, but the further along the path she traveled, the more alone and cold she felt. She felt like everything she had and held dear was being ripped away from her in some way.
"I feel like I'm losing myself. Ever since that day," she said, her voice was shaking and small. "Everything just gets stripped away, and one day there's not gonna be anything left. Everything and everyone that matters is gonna just... just disappear or leave or change. And it's just gonna be me. I can't do that. I can't be whatever I'm supposed to be if that's how it's gonna be. I just... I wish Mom was here. She'd know what to say."