After three months in the Boiling Islands, Luz felt at home. For the first time in her life, she felt accepted and loved. Not like in the human world, where even her own mother considered her a weirdo.
Being the best student at Hexside had a price, and Amity Blight knew it perfectly well. Despite showing to be a stiff and cold person, she was just hiding her insecurities and fears, which were caused by her strict parents and the weight of expectations.
When they first meet, none of them is on the best of terms. Anyway, after experiencing all kinds of adventures together, they start to understand each other, they fall in love and they become girlfriends. Everything seems stable for the moment, but what if it's nothing but an illusion?, the calm before the storm, a mirage in a desert of doubts.
WARNING: this story handles sensitive issues (alimentary disorders, abuse, bullying, anxiety problems...).
> Dana Terrace's characters.
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
[[word count: 50,000-100,000 words]]