Chaining Mentality

Chapter III: Burdened by Grace

Marial snaps back to reality, and leaves the classroom. When she arrived home she heard argues in the drawing room, once again Aileen and Daniel was arguing a second time. As she walked by hoping she wouldn't get dragged into the mess, she didn't but there was another mess waiting for her. When she walked to the drawing room she saw her elder brother Jefferson, Jefferson eyed Marial up and down an said, was that arguing I heard? I'm guessing It's none pther than Daniel, and-" before he could finish Marial dashed out the room ignoring Jeff, she can't focus on anything.

Aileen sat alone in her room, the weight of the day pressing her down like rocks put on top of each other, it has always been like this, being the perfect daughter meant there was no room for mistakes, no space to breath. From the moment she could remember, her parents molded her to be the shining star, the one who could do no wrong. The expectations was suffocating, the constant need to be flawless in everything. From academics to appearance, every test and event was a performance the facade she has held up, broke her inside, feeling, never enough, but behind closed doors, cracks formed through the facade she worked so hard to maintain.

Aileen stared at herself in the mirror, her reflection a perfect image of poise and grace, but it felt foreign. She touched her face gently, the same face the world praised, the same one that her family proudly displayed, yet it no longer felt like her own. She had become a puppet to perfection, always dressed, always smiling, always being what others wanted to see. The makeup she wore felt like a mask, and behind it, she felt hollow. Every compliment she received was like a dagger, reminding her of the endless cycle of expectations she could never escape. Even when she succeeded, it wasn't enough—there was always more to prove, always more to achieve. She was drowning in it, but no one could see.

Downstairs, the house was alive with voices, arguments, and distant footsteps. Aileen knew she should be down there, presenting the perfect daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Instead, she walked to her window, looking out at the darkening sky, feeling as though the weight of the world was pressing down on her shoulders. She thought of Marial, of how lonely she must feel, of Daniel's harshness and Jefferson's controlling ways, and of Janessa, trying so hard to follow in her footsteps. The pressure she felt to be flawless was now seeping into Janessa's life, and Aileen knew that her youngest sister was beginning to crack under it. But Aileen had no strength left to help, no energy to save herself, let alone someone else. She pressed her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes, wishing, for just a moment, that she could disappear.

Aileen stared at her reflection in the mirror, noting the tension etched into her features. Her fingers twitched, a faint spark of electricity flickering at her fingertips, a reminder of the powers she kept tightly controlled. It wasn't the powers that frightened her—it was how easily they could slip beyond her grasp when she felt overwhelmed. She couldn't afford to be anything less than perfect, and that constant pressure weighed heavily on her chest, squeezing out the breath that felt so hard to find. Every day felt like a performance, and though she longed for the freedom to express her true self, the fear of failing to meet expectations kept her trapped in an image she felt she had to maintain.

Most days, she felt utterly isolated in her struggles. Unlike her siblings, who each battled their own demons, none of them showed vulnerability in a way that brought them closer. Instead, they all seemed to wear their burdens like armor, hiding the chaos beneath a facade of strength. Aileen envied their ability to carry on, but she also felt the weight of their silence—she couldn't be the one to crack under pressure. The perfection she projected felt suffocating, and inside, she grappled with the fear that if she ever faltered, she would lose everything she had worked so hard to achieve. Alone in her thoughts, Aileen wished she could find a way to connect with her siblings instead of feeling like she had to shoulder the expectations alone.