Mary is a 15-year-old girl, abused by her dad, who seems to always be drunk, and her 3 older brothers. The dad is a sexist pig, who only used her mom, before beating her to death for having a daughter instead of a son. Her siblings were raised by their dad, being taught that women were pathetic, and were only made by God for cooking and cleaning, which was exactly what Mary was forced to do.
Mary sleeps in the attic and is forced to buy all of her stuff; from clothes to basic needs. She's blamed for everything, judged harshly for everything she does at home, and has grown to become a depressed, anxiety ridden teenager. She just wants to escape this hell they call life.
Elliot's partner was his whole world, but after Allan's death, his ghost haunts Elliot's dreams. Everyone tells Elliot to move on, but he isn't sure he can.
*****
It's been a year since the love of Elliot's life, Allan, passed away. Everyone thinks he should have recovered after that much time, but Allan still haunts Elliot every night. He struggles to maintain relationships with his family, and despite a coworkers interest he can't summon up the courage to date. Elliot is living for the past, because to live for the present means he'll have to live with a hole in his heart. But the question Elliot has to face chases him through his monotonous days: is mourning Allan with everything he has truly living?
[[word count: 40,000-50,000 words]]