"Liane… hurry up, you're going to be late!" My mom shouted from her car.
I picked up my bag and hurried to the door. The ringing sound from the silhouette caught my hearing. Going downstairs, I tied my shoelaces and went outside, locking the door behind me.
My mom opened her car door with the push of a button and I entered. She drove all the way across town to my school, Shinen High School. My mom wasn't a very social person. She talked when she needed to and was quiet most of the time.
We finally reached the school and hordes of students were already rushing to class. I came down from the car and waved my mom goodbye as she headed to her work. She was an artist.
Entering the school corridors, my friend, Jamie, spotted me and came to give me a hug. "You won't believe what you missed, girl." She jumped in excitement.
"What?"
"Arnold Sockerton finally asked me out!"
The excitement from her face could not be hidden, but none of it ever mattered to me, boys, getting good grades, school, life as a whole.
School dragged on like it always did, a blur of meaningless lessons and empty conversations. I sat through each class like a ghost, present but not really there. Math equations, historical dates, scientific formulas, they all felt like noise, information that would fade the moment I left the classroom.
What was the point? Everyone around me seemed so invested in it all, so eager to participate, to care. Jamie would stress over her grades, other students would gossip about who liked who, and teachers would drone on about our futures. But to me, it was all just a performance I was forced to attend.
I watched the clock more than the board, counting down the minutes until I could leave. The hallways between classes were the worst, crowded with students full of life and purpose I couldn't understand. They had dreams, ambitions, reasons to wake up every morning. I had nothing but the weight of another day to get through.
Lunch was bearable only because Jamie's chatter filled the silence. She talked about Arnold, about weekend plans, about college applications. I nodded along, smiled when I was supposed to, but inside I felt hollow. It wasn't that I didn't care about Jamie, she was the only real friend I had, but her world felt so distant from mine, like we were living in different realities.
When the final bell rang, relief washed over me. Another day survived.
Jamie walked home with me, still gushing about Arnold and their upcoming date. I listened, occasionally humming in response, but my mind was already elsewhere, in the sanctuary waiting for me in my room.
We said our goodbyes at my front door, and I rushed inside. I didn't bother with a snack or turning on the TV. I went straight upstairs, closed my bedroom door, and finally exhaled.
There was only one thing keeping me sane: writing novels.
I was a little girl when I first came across one of the books in my father's library. It was titled Lord of the Mysteries. The moment I opened it, I was transported to another world, one filled with magic, intrigue, and characters who felt more real than the people around me. After finishing that beautiful novel, I became a lover of stories. I devoured more books like The Beauty life at infinity and The Storm Walkers, losing myself in their pages.
Now, writing my own novel was what kept me glued to life. It was the only thing that made me feel alive, the only thing that mattered.
I dropped my bag on the floor and sat down at my desk, picking up my pen. My fingers trembled slightly with anticipation as I opened my notebook.
I began to write:
One day, on a cold night, darkness shimmered across the sea as a boat set sail.
A child was born to the world. Thunder struck the skies and the rivers roared.
"Honey, it's a girl," Mormoth Evergreen muttered softly.
Her husband, James Evergreen, smiled as he placed his hands on his daughter's tiny fingers.
"She looks so beautiful."
"Yes, she does," James's father, Cruff, who was the captain of the boat, said in a soft tone. "Better take care of that one, eh?"
"Hahaha, I will, Father."
"Honey, what are we going to name her?" Mormoth asked as she swayed her baby left and right, even though she wasn't crying.
"Hmm... let's see. Nieves... Evergreen Nieves."
...
Three years passed. On the island of Grimoire, Nieves was able to walk and speak now. She scurried off to her father's room, took out his bow and arrows, and ran outside.
She prepared a target and walked ten feet back. Then she began to shoot. She admired her father and always copied his style of shooting the bow, although the bow was a little too big for her but still she always made the target.
Moments later, her dad pulled up at the shore. His gaze met his daughter's as she quickly ran over to him.
"Father, did you get me any sweets?" the little girl asked in excitement.
James bent down and said, "No dear, I didn't get you any sweets..."
A sudden gloomy expression fell over Nieves's face.
"But I got you..." James stretched his hands into the boat and brought out something carefully boxed.
"...your very own bow and arrow."
Nieves jumped in excitement, tears streaming down from her eyes. "Yay! Thank you, Father! I will always treasure it!"
"You'd better." James lifted her up. "Come on, my little arrow. Let's show that target how straight you can fly—
Before I knew it, I was asleep, my pen halfway across the page.
The soft creak of my bedroom door opening barely registered in my dreams. My mom stepped inside and paused when she saw me slumped over my desk, notebook still open beneath my arm.
"This girl fell asleep writing again," she whispered to herself, shaking her head with a small smile.
She walked over quietly and gently lifted me from the chair. I stirred slightly but didn't wake as she guided me to my bed. She laid me down carefully and pulled the bedsheet over me, tucking it around my shoulders.
For a moment, she stood there, looking down at me. Then she turned and walked to the door, flicking off the lights. The room fell into darkness as she stepped outside and closed the door softly behind her.