zero

Dear reader,
        I wish I can thank each and every one of you personally, yet sadly, time is an illusion that never ceases to stop. If time would ever be shut away in a box of chains, I'd tell each and every one of you that your words are sealed tightly inside my heart. Every comment, every time the reads went up, all inside my heart. Thank you, for it if wasn't for you, I'd never feel confident in myself and in my writing. You've all helped me improve as a writer and I couldn't ask for more. And I hope I've helped you all realize that you are one hell of a beautiful person.

        Furthermore, there has been confusion stemming from the last few chapters published. Oliver has not died. Oliver, who wasn't responding to Quinn's messages, was in the recovery stage of his treatment. Once regular treatment does not work on a patient (chemotherapy and such), the doctors have the option to do surgery. A person usually takes a long time to recover from surgery, as the mother hinted, "he's getting better." The only person who faced death in the story is Quinn. Under the influence of alcohol, medication, and sadness, her vision got blurred and she drove off of the road. Simply put, she had a car accident. If you notice, on chapter xcix, it says: "and as the lights in front // of my eyes, and as my body // screams for the brakes to work // and as i fall down the rabbit // hole, i realize." This is the scene in which she has a car accident; she's driving off the road and then she has a catharsis. A catharsis is an emotional release, finding the true answers a person has been searching for. In the Hero's Journey (A Monomyth of Life), for a person to become a hero, they must have a catharsis. In this case, Quinn is a tragic hero (which is an archetype). 

       The ending of zero. may not be the ending you would have expected. I know that Quinn deserved more than what was given to her. However, I wanted to show that sometimes, life isn't all about happy endings. Sometimes, the hero doesn't always win, and yes, sometimes the main character's death can feel unresolved. We don't get to see this type of ending in many movies, shows, or literary works. I wanted to remove the idea of a "Happy Ever After" where the prince and princess drive off into the sunset. I wanted to show that people can make mistakes — ones that can cost them their lives. These mistakes can be sudden and unexpected. A brink moment in time where you decided to step too soon from the sidewalk and then you find yourself in the hospital. A moment where you are going on about your day but then feel the sniffles at 2 AM because you touched a doorknob. Regardless of how minuscule or extreme the moment is, it happens. As you find yourself accepting these abrupt moments, you start to appreciate the unpredictable notion of what life is. This can be a scary feeling — but through zero., I hope that I can enumerate these unexpected endings and open up the possibility of you creating your own ending. In other words, life is unpredictable so use every fleeting moment to appreciate who you are and how far you've come from.

        And just like how Quinn said, "a thousand angels // a thousand voices // just one story," all of you are part of this story. All of you are waves of water, swimming through an ocean. Together, you will always be beautiful.

Sincerely,
someone who knows you're beautiful.