Beyond Words

Préface

September 26

On this day of my 12th birthday, Max gave me this writing journal with a golden binding, adorned with engraved peonies on the pale pink cover. He wants fallen trees to connect us to each other. I may be naive, but I'm not stupid. Miles of words will never bridge the distance he has put between us.

Anyway, I'm willing to stain these pages with my pain.

My name is Romane, but everyone calls me Romy – and I hate it. But I've never dared to tell anyone because... it's better to avoid making waves, right? I cause enough tsunamis just by being here...

You might have guessed that I am blonde. WHITE blonde. I am one of the few people in the world cursed with this biological condition called "albinism".

Albinism [al·bi·nism]: Hereditary metabolic disease caused by a defect in the metabolism of melanin and characterized by the total or partial absence of this pigment.

Aside from my abnormal anomaly, I've never had any complaints about life. Well, my little sister Iris stole the spotlight from me, as she became the new "Baby of the Family", though I managed well these last four years.

But a few months ago, everything changed. My parents got divorced. My big brother Max (my best friend) decided to stay with my dad since he was starting his senior year of high school and didn't want to leave his friends. My mom decided to move to another city to "start over," she told us. Without even asking my opinion, she took my little sister Iris and me with her.

I felt – and hoped! – to finally blend into the crowd. But I found my arms full quickly enough – that is, practically ending up alone with my little sister Iris, aged four and far too young to understand everything that was happening. My mom who went back to school and now works all week. And myself, almost 12, and having to juggle boredom, loneliness, my annoying little sister... and the great void left by the distance between Max and me.

I am bored out of my mind... and I don't know what else to write. It's late, I'm going to sleep.