Prologue
I'm thirteen years old. I live in a small town in California.
I've always wanted to leave dusty old California. I was sick of it. I was sick of the dirty air, the snobby people, the people who know everything you've ever done.
I wanted to escape. Escape everything I have ever known.
Not once have I ever stepped out of California.
Not once.
I wanted to change that. I wanted to leave. Desperately. I wanted to fly to Paris. I wanted to stand on the Eiffel Tower and gaze out at the beautiful world that was right in front of me, just aching to be discovered. I wanted to travel to Amsterdam and look at all the beautiful lives that lived there. That were destined to be there. I wanted to live in Holland. I was meant to be there.
I saved up all my money just for a one week vacation to Holland. Money from dog walking, babysitting, the lemonade stand I set up with my little sister. Even searching in between the couch cushions got me a few cents.
I finally have enough.
But what's stopping me, you ask?
My depression.
