As if you were on fire from within

She was quiet and still the unsettling way a candle flame is quiet and still — silent and nearly motionless when directly observed, only the occasional crackle or flicker to betray the constant motion and sound of the chemical reaction taking place. She was reticent when engaged, silent where others would speak, and moved in a deliberate way, drawn into herself. And yet, she was never anything but present. Her wide, dark eyes gave her away in the silence, reflecting the danger and intensity of the fire. She burned.

But the thing about flames is: they go out.