Flames Of Destiny // HJP [1]

Prologue

「 ✦ 00 ✦ 」

༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚

(𝖄/𝖓) Chauncey wasn't your typical fourteen-year-old girl. For starters, she didn't dye her hair red or any other colour she fancied; she wore a wig, not out of choice, but necessity. After all, without hair to dye, a wig seemed the only option.

Instead of adorning her fingers with trendy rings or her wrist with stylish bracelets, her hands were decorated with the needles of a drip stand, feeding her medication day in and day out.

While other teens chatted about boys, (Y/n) found herself in conversations with older women—some very elderly—discussing their husbands' affairs, financial struggles leading to abortions, or the recent deaths of friends' relatives at the same hospital.

Rather than shopping for the latest clothes, dresses, and shoes, she made do with a single, ever-present hospital gown.

Instead of going out with a boy to the cinema, perhaps sharing a kiss, she spent her days watching news reports in her private hospital room.

Yet, despite all this, (Y/n) held onto one hope: the dream of school. Though she'd been to school briefly as a child, she yearned for the high school experience she'd seen in movies and TV dramas. She imagined the excitement of butterflies in her stomach, the thrill of a crush, and maybe even the chance to flirt, kiss, and experience all the thrilling moments of high school life.

She dreamed of make-up to look pretty, friends who'd tease her in front of her crush, sleepovers, dates, and all the drama that came with high school. But for now, it was just a dream—one she hoped would come true once she was fully healed.

That is, if she's going to be...

The sterile scent of antiseptic was almost comforting now, a familiar part of (Y/n)'s daily life. She lay in her hospital bed, the thin sheets tucked neatly around her, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor a steady reminder of the fight she had been waging since she was just a child.

At eight years old, she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a cruel twist of fate that had stolen away the innocence of her childhood.

Her room was small but filled with personal touches—a stuffed bear from her first Christmas in the hospital, a collage of get-well cards from classmates who had gradually faded from her life, and stacks of her favourite isekai manhwa, books (including non-fiction, fiction, make-up and hair tutorials, and recipe books she wouldn't try in real life), and comics. There were also knitting and sewing supplies and drawing books, her constant companions during the long, sleepless nights and endless boring days.

The doctors and nurses had become like family to her, their gentle care a stark contrast to the cold, clinical environment. Dr. Reynolds, with his kind eyes and reassuring presence, Nurse Emily, whose laughter could brighten even the darkest days, and Mrs Watson, who was five times her age (her gossip buddy), had become her lifelines in this relentless battle.

Her parents, worn and weary, were always by her side. Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey's faces, lined with worry and exhaustion, lit up with fierce determination whenever they looked at her. Despite their poverty, they had moved mountains to ensure she received the best care possible. Her father worked double shifts, and her mother, once vibrant and full of life, now carried the weight of endless hospital visits and sleepless nights.