Have you ever felt a pain that consumed your entire being? A pain that latched onto your heart and felt as if it shattered it into a million pieces? A pain that you try to shove down deep, but in the end, you weep until your eyes run dry and there should be nothing left inside of you? And yet, you somehow come out unscathed. You’re still alive to see another day, to sleep, to eat and to live.

My entire world came crashing down around me when I heard about my parents’ brutal car accident. It’s been three months, and I’ve been living a walking nightmare ever since. Day after day, week after week, wondering what I did to deserve such a harsh punishment. I’ve learned that showing how much pain I’m in is useless. Everyone else moves on, leaving me behind in the darkness.

It’s been three months, and two days since the accident, and I’m standing on the stairs staring up at the castle-like building in front of me. Windamere Academy. My uncle was the only relative that could take me in after my parents died. He’s the headmaster here, making it the perfect place for him to keep an eye on me. It feels more like a jail, than a prep school.

“Evanora!” a familiar voice called from the castle front door, “Evanora!”