Bella was the first of three daughters, but in a house that always felt too busy to notice her, being first meant little. Her parents were wrapped up in work, meetings, and schedules she barely understood. At home, there was barely time to breathe, let alone speak up. So, she built a world of her own, quiet, careful, and almost invisible to everyone else.
The caretaker they brought in was supposed to help, but she was cruel in ways that haunted Bella's childhood. Instructions felt like punishments, small mistakes were blown out of proportion. The warmth of a family always seemed out of reach. Bella learned early that voices could be silenced, tears unnoticed, and feelings tucked away like fragile ornaments in a locked box.
School became her escape. Not a world of laughter and ease, but a place where she could, at least, be herself in small glimpses. She wasn't the loudest, the brightest, or the most popular ... she was the quiet girl who listened, watched, and carried her loneliness always with her, like a shadow she couldn't shake.
Still, Bella longed for connection. She watched others laugh, hug, and argue with ease. She wished to have someone to trust, someone to share a secret with, someone who would see her without judgment. But friendship wasn't simple. Even reaching out felt like stepping into a storm, she didn't know how to face.
The first true spark of friendship came in the form of Yuri, a girl with a gentle smile who seemed to understand what it meant to be unseen. Soon, Yuri's twin, Yuna, joined the circle, and life in tiny, careful steps.... began to change. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't loud, but for the first time, Bella felt like she belonged...even if just a little.
Beyond the quiet halls of school and the shadowed corners of her home, Bella didn't realize that something more she couldn't name was already waiting for her."