(Thank you @Oceane_Breeze for the outstanding cover!)
Laelynn is losing hope. Her entire world is crashing down - everything getting worse by the day. The bullying. Her mom's mental condition. The pain and heartbreak. But when her fate intertwines...
Everything was a blur. It was as if she were a robot, responding to every command blindly. She listened to her mom when she was told to eat something. She listened when she was told to go to bed.
But she couldn't sleep.
Laelynn had cried so much her eyes had been dried of all tears. So now... she just lay there, trying to fight the nightmares haunting her even when she wasn't sleeping.
She just wanted to be... free.
Free from the monster that was controlling her now.
She knew what to do.
She walked over to the wall where drawings and paintings were hanging along the wall. She grabbed a book out of the little cubby in the corner.
She clicked on the lamp and followed the words, calming herself by reading. It helped her a little bit, filling her with a bit of energy. But, for the first time, it didn't help her completely.
After about half an hour of reading, she finally gave up, slamming the book shut and clicking off the lamp. A puff of air escaped her mouth in an exasperated sigh as she tore a hand through her hair.
Begrudgingly, she got out of bed, walking along the squeaky floorboards and crossing the hallway to her mom's room. She peeked through the door, checking to see if her mom was awake or not.
"Mom?" she whispered. Her mom sat up in the bed.
"Laelynn? Are you alright?" she asked, her brows knitted in concern.
"I don't know," Laelynn responded as she slipped into the room, crawling onto the bed. Her mom immediately draped her arm across Laelynn, hugging her closer. She trailed her fingers through her daughter's long hair, and Laelynn sighed, hugging her mom back.
"Are you feeling a bit better?" her mom mumbled. Laelynn shrugged, pulling away.
"I'm sorry for the way I was acting earlier today," Laelynn muttered, feeling guilty at how much worry she must have caused her mom by just collapsing in a heap as soon as she entered the door.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Laelynn. Although... I don't believe that they would do such a thing," her mom replied. Laelynn had explained to her what had happened through her crying fits, choking out a vague explanation.
"Neither did I. But they did," Laelynn said, hate curling around the words.
"I wouldn't give up on them just yet, Lae," her mom told her. "They might surprise you."
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Two days flew by. Laelynn started feeling a little bit better, but she still didn't go to school. Kayden and Elena never stopped by, either. Not that she had expected them to. Or wanted to see them again.
But her own worries were shoved to the back of her mind when she noticed her mom's mood was shifting again. And she realized - she'd completely forgotten to ask her if she'd been taking her medication for the last three days.
