A Cold Day in December

A Cold Day in December

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This is dedicated to my friend KL. Thanks for proofreading XD

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PROLOGUE

Have you ever encountered someone who is well-educated but unsatisfied? Rich and popular but sad? Talented but depressed? Attractive but rejected? If you've met me, then yes. I was a classic example.

My family and I just moved into a sleepy town in the middle of nowhere. I miss my life already, the twinkling lights of New York. At least I've got fake friends and pointless parties to fill the gaping hole inside me...if only for a moment.

I closed my eyes, wishing for the umpteenth time that the moment I open them I'd find myself anywhere but here, in this God-forsaken town. Wishing never really worked for me.

"Now what?" I wondered aloud.

I slipped out of bed and looked around my room. Too big for a seventeen year old like me. The furniture and appliances I'm sure I'd never use were already in place. All new. What a waste of space and money.

I saw the small box where I stuffed the few things that matter to me on top of the bureau. I retrieved it and dumped the contents on the bed. Pictures, bookmarks, and a couple of journals were the only constant things in my life. I've come to realize that I'm so much better off without the uncertainty of people. Besides, I like the pictures more, they capture perfect moments and remain perfect for a long time.

I noticed a page sticking out of my journal written last year. Puzzled, I pulled it out and unfolded the damn thing. It was a copy of a poem. Funny, I'd totally forgotten about it, it was my favorite poem.

Unconsciously, my eyes started to read the words.

Don't be fooled by me
Don't be fooled by the face I wear.
For I wear a mask, I wear a thousand masks.

Masks that I'm afraid to take off.
And none of them is me.

Pretending is an art that's second nature with me.

I stopped reading. It was too much to bear. My hand automatically wiped my wet cheeks. I took a deep breath to calm my thudding heart, my throat had gotten dry.

Suddenly, I heard someone whisper in my head. Someone I recognized from way back when I was a year younger. The voice sent a familiar tingle all over my body down to my toes.

"Happiness is a matter of choice, even no choice is still a choice," the voice hushed.

I folded the paper again and tucked it inside the journal. It was time to face the facts, I was stuck in a rotten place, in a rotten house, with a rotten family. I dug my hand inside my jacket pocket in search for my medicine.

I could use a pill to get me through the day.

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I'm still unsure of where I want this story to go, but I think I did a pretty good head-start.

By the way, I do not own the poem.

The picture on the right is of the main character :]

Thanks for reading XD

Comment, vote, or fan.