PROLOGUE
I wake up to the singing birds and a bright stream of light creeping through my bedroom window. It seems unnatural. A white shaft of brightness stretching its pale fingers out to reach mine. I squint my eyes at the sunlight and reach for the curtain scrunched in the corner. Grabbing its soft fabric, I yank it across the glowing streak of light and sling my arm across my eyes.
Why would a beam of light that bright encounter my bedroom window? It is so pure and beautiful. A perfect stripe of pure white light. What is it doing in my bedroom? Light does not belong in my broken up life. This light is perfect. Just white. Not yellow. White. And my life is not perfect. My life does not reflect this structure of beauty.
I shake my head, still foggy with sleep and swing my legs off my bed. I dress quickly, squirming into a blue tank top, black tights and a pink wavy skirt that shows more leg than what the typical person would want to see. I smooth out my cherry red hair and coat my face with makeup. I add extra blush to my cheeks, trying to camouflage my washed out skin that makes me look like a person fighting an everlasting sickness. Last, I put on a silver locket shaped like a heart. A gift from my mom. I stare at it for a long time, tracing my finger along the edges, then head out the door, checking one last time at my window. I can just see the mysterious bright sunlight shining its way into my room in between the gap in my green curtains.
