solitude → sam kerr

two → discovery

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

the classroom hummed with the energy of impending freedom as the clock ticked closer to the end of the class. restless students watched the second hand, eager to be released from the confines of the classroom. the air buzzed with anticipation and anxiety as exam marks were handed back, eliciting a mixture of excitement and groans from the class.

in the back corner, evelyn sat, her head resting on the wall, a testament to the exhaustion that clung to her. sleep was a luxury she rarely enjoyed, stolen away by the demands of studying, training, and haunting dreams that lingered in the shadows of her subconscious.

the moon hung heavy in the night sky, casting  a glow. evelyn laid in her bedroom, the shadows dancing on the walls like silent storytellers. the silence of the night held an eerie stillness, a stark contrast to the chaos that often unfolded within the confines of her home.

as she closed her eyes, the gentle rhythm of her breath became the prelude to a journey she reluctantly embarked on every night—a journey into the realm of her dreams, or rather, nightmares.

the scenes replayed in her mind, a haunting montage of memories and fears. in the dreams, her parents' voices echoed in a noise of angry exchanges, a conflict that resonated through the corridors of her subconscious. objects hurled across rooms, shattering into elements that mirrored the fragments of her peace.

in the dreams, the familiar faces of her mother and step-father contorted into masks of anger and disappointment. their words were sharp arrows, piercing through the fragile shield of her dreams. each syllable carried the weight of expectations and judgments, a relentless barrage that left her defenceless.

"never good enough," her mother's voice echoed through the dream, a bitter refrain that had become the theme of her nightmares.

the dream replayed fragments of her childhood, moments when love should have been abundant but instead dissolved into a toxic blend of shattered expectations and unspoken disappointments. the dissonance of the dream became a mirror reflecting the dissonance of her reality.

suddenly, amidst the chaos, a whisper emerged, a voice softer than the air around her. "evelyn, you should've been a better daughter."

"no, i tried, i really did," she pleaded, her voice barely audible against the fading of voices.

"you're just like them. a disappointment."

sometimes, the dreams ventured into the realm of the surreal. evelyn found herself trapped in a never-ending maze, the walls closing in as she struggled to escape the suffocating grip of her familial nightmares. the air thickened with tension, and her attempts to run became sluggish, as if shackled by invisible chains.

awakening from these dreams left evelyn in a cold sweat, her heart pounding against the bars of her ribcage. the transition from the nightmarish dreamscape to the reality of her quiet bedroom was disorienting, the remnants of fear lingering like a ghostly presence.

yet, as the moon dipped below the horizon and the first rays of dawn began to kiss the sky, evelyn clung to the hope that the daylight would bring a reprieve. in the light of day, she could mask the vulnerability that the night exposed, and the dreams would retreat to the recesses of her mind, waiting for the next nightfall to weave their unsettling tales once more.

as the teacher distributed the exam papers, a mix of relief and tension filled the room. evelyn, though exhausted, was not overly concerned about her results. she reached for her paper when it landed on her desk, revealing a 92%. a soft smile curved her lips, a small triumph during the daily struggle. quickly scanning the paper, she tucked it into her bag as murmurs of scores and disappointments spread across the room.