Chapter 6

*Winter*

The night fell over the town like a dark cloak, hiding the warm glow of the streetlights and wrapping the world in a quiet, calm silence. I lay cocooned under my blankets, thinking about how I always felt out of place with how simple everything seemed. My mind was restless as I stared at the ceiling, tracing the random patterns in the plaster with my eyes and feeling the weight of unformed thoughts crowding my brain.

I couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy that had taken root deep within me, like an unwelcome houseguest. There I was, a teenager with dreams as vast as the ocean but a heart as tangled as a fishing net. I often wondered whether I was meant to drift aimlessly, pushed and pulled by life's currents, like a lost buoy bobbing in chaotic waves.

With a heavy sigh, I turned onto my side and pulled my pillow closer. Sleep arrived hesitantly, as if waiting for an invitation I wasn't sure I wanted to give. But once it did, it pulled me into its depths, plunging me into a dreamscape that eerily mirrored my waking life.

It was dark. A void swallowed me whole, and a coldness pressed against my skin. I floated aimlessly in the kind of nothingness that seeps into your bones—a place devoid of warmth, light, or sound, except for whispers. Oh, those whispers! Like shadows slithering through the air, they echoed maddening truths. "You're not loved," one hissed. "You'll never find your path," taunted another. "What is it all for, really?" chimed in yet another ghostly voice. They danced around me, wrapping tighter than an embrace, but far more sinister.

Adrenaline surged through my veins as panic took over. I fought to swim, to struggle against their relentless tendrils that clung to me like a villain's grip. My heart pounding, I opened my mouth to scream, to shout for help, but it was like the air was working against me. No sound came out; the silence was deafening and only heightened my fear. My throat burned from the effort, but all I managed was a strangled gasp, quickly swallowed by the emptiness.

Drowning in darkness, I felt myself begin to falter, wondering how long I could hold on before succumbing completely. But just when I thought despair would consume me entirely, a new voice cut through the chilling symphony of inadequacy. It was sweet, gentle, and oddly familiar—a soothing balm for my frayed nerves. "You're not alone," it cooed, wrapping around me like a warm scarf.

I strained to find the source, the glimmer of hope breaking through the overwhelming darkness. Just beyond the chaotic tendrils, I glimpsed a hazy figure. She was blurry at first, like an old photograph tucked deep in a dusty album, but as I focused, the outlines became clearer. The girl looked like me—only her hair was a radiant blond, shining like golden sunlight. Her skin was bronzed, glowing brightly as if she had spent every summer day chasing the sun.

"Don't give up," she urged, her smile wide and reassuring. She tilted her head, signaling for me to follow her, and I felt a strange pull, a tether that urged me to fight against the darkness. My heart swelled with desperation and resolve; I didn't want to be trapped here any longer.