Caught Up, In Neverland [JM]

[Chapter 1- Lonely]

[Chapter 1- Lonely]

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"Honey, aren't you going to eat?" The mother of two asks the oldest. The eldest daughter shrugs her shoulders, moving around the leftovers of last night's dinner on her untouched plate.

"Aren't you hungry?" The mother continues to prod and the daughter shakes her head slowly in response, her hair falling in front of her eyes slowly as her eyes watch the food in front of her emptily. Nothing appetizers her anymore. She feels empty, and lonely.

There's nothing wrong, either. She knows that everything around her is practically perfect, but she can't help but feel so useless- so helpless.

Her mother is nice and her dad is sometimes stern or busy, but still manages to play with the two daughters whenever he can. Her younger sister is annoying sometimes, but still super sweet and cute with her missing teeth and happy grins.

"What's wrong?" She hears her mother ask and her eyes slowly move upwards to meet her mom's.

"I'm just not hungry..." The daughter mutters and the mother sighs. "You've been saying that for so long and it's beginning to get old with me. You need to eat to grow up healthy and strong."

That's the problem, though.

She doesn't want to grow up. The thought of her growing older scares her- even depresses her. She had just turned seventeen and the feeling of growing older sprouts fear within her gut; most likely causing the loss of appetite.

"Talk to me like how you used to, Jihyun", the mother pleads to her daughter, but no response is heard.

"Stop acting childish", her father sternly yet gently says as he watches her through his glasses.

"I'm not hungry."

"You still have to eat-"

"To grow up big and strong? No thanks", Jihyun interrupts her mother almost bitterly. A large clank is heard from her father and she jumps in her seat because of the loud noise.

"Jihyun, don't be rude", her father demands and she shakes her head with a purse of her lips, placing the fork gently on the plate and pushing it away from her. She moves her eyes towards her hands that are now placed on her lap as a sigh escapes her mother.

"Jihyun, please stop being difficult-"

"It's just food! Why are you being like this-"

"Because you haven't been yourself", her mother says loudly and this shuts up the eldest daughter for a couple of seconds.

"I've always been myself. You both are just too busy to acknowledge me or notice me", Jihyun says with a frown as she looks up from her hands. The mother is about to talk to her daughter for comfort, but the father of the house buts in instead.

"Jihyun! It's time for you to grow up!" Her father yells as he stands up from the table. "You're seventeen!! Almost an adult! Learn to act like one instead of being so childish."

Her father has never yelled at her before. In fact, he's always been kind or calm- never raising his voice towards her. His harsh words cause Jihyun's eyes to tear up and she quickly gets up from the table, running away from her parents and her little seven year old sister who was sitting quietly at the table.

Run. Run away.

She runs up the stairs, wiping away tears that seem to never stop flowing down her cheeks. She speedily walks down the hallway with multiple footsteps following behind her, calling out for her to stop. She shakes her head as a shaky sob escapes her, opening her bedroom door and slamming it shut behind her.

It may not seem that much of a big deal for her to be crying, but to her it, in fact, is a big deal.

She knows she has changed and she knows that she hasn't been opening up to her mother anymore. But she can't help it; she doesn't feel the need to do so anymore.

She doesn't feel the need to do anything anymore.

She's beginning to give up on school, her family, and even her life. It's not like she's being over dramatic, it's just that she has this overpowering sense of loneliness. Even though she has her family, she somehow still feels alone. She needs something to help pull her out of this feeling. She'll practically do anything to swim above the dark waters to avoid herself from drowning in this somehow thick liquid known as her life.

"Jihyun, when you're ready to talk to us, please come out", she hears her mother say from outside the door, but it's as if her words haven't reached the depressed daughter's ears.

She slowly walks towards her bed, the full moon shining a faded white glow onto her sheets. She sits softly onto her mattress, turning her body so that her back rests on the headboard with eyes that watch the stars above. She pulls her knees close and gazes outside of her window, watching the moon glow it's way into the dark night.

She wishes she could somehow escape this all. Escape this dark feeling that seems to never stop growing inside of her chest. She's noticed that the older she gets, the worse she begins to feel.

"What could I have done so wrong to be like this?" She mutters to herself as a tear escapes her puffy eyes. She raises her hand and places it against the window, wanting to reach for the stars or the bright moon that she's grown to love.

Every night she would sit on her bed and watch the stars or the moon. She always felt like the moon and the stars were shining for her and only her. Though she knows that this isn't true, she still liked to feel that her purpose in life was for the stars and the moon to shine for her.

Sometimes, she likes to think that the shadows on the moon or each and every single star are other people watching her. Secretly waiting for her to fly up there somehow and welcome her into their arms with a warm embrace.

But she knows they aren't and it somehow saddens her even more.

Sometimes her eyes play tricks on her and she'll see a shadow fly by, but she knows that it's just her imagination. Shadows can't possibly fly around in the glow of the moon. It's just not logically possible.

Before she even realizes it, her once fogged eyesight is now cleared due to her no longer leaking eyes. She breathes in a deep sigh as she watches another twinkle in the stars with a falling one sliding down the horizon.

Time to make a wish, Jihyun.

She closes her eyes and entwines her fingers together, clasping her hands tightly over her heart.

"Please, please free me from this burden. I can't bare this lonely feeling. Someone... Save me", Jihyun mutters and her eyes flutter open as she watches the night sky twinkle in response. She removes her hands from her chest and lies down, her face still turned towards the window in front.

"I want to fly away... Far, far away."

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Thank you for reading!

Sorry if this chapter was short. I try not to write such short chapters :P

Anyway, Have a wonderful day and take care! Stay tuned-

~Your Author~