Lost in the Shadows

Prologue

In high school I spent my free time reading stories about romance, I found it fairly interesting when I realized most had a similar undergoing theme. The girl falling in love with the extremely hot "bad boy", and the girl attempting to save him from his dark past.

After reading my 100th story about the "love conquers all" novels, I swore to myself I would never fall for a boy who treats me so harshly as I tried to make him a better person.

Call me strong-willed or whatever, but growing up in South Georgia, my mom taught me how to think for myself and never take shit from anyone. She told me that when I met my boyfriend he needs to treat me with respect and I have to hold on to my dignity and put him in his place when he's wrong. She told me that her being the independent woman that she is happens to be the reason why my dad left, he just couldn't handle her.

Either way, she taught me that no matter how tough things got, or if I found myself at a crossroads trying to decide who I am and who I want to be, make a decision I know I won't regret. And if I do end up regretting it, just turn around. But always stand your ground.

Those words got me through a lot, I went all through high school with straight A's, because I wanted to be a doctor. In my town, no one ever leaves, everyone ends up inheriting their families farms. So me deciding to leave and become more than this small town was a huge decision, and I worked my ass off for it.

My mother didn't go to college, and my dad didn't even complete high school, so it was up to me to pave my own path. I wanted more than what this small town had to offer. And my life went fairly well. I got into my number one college, and moved to New York to pursue my dreams. It was as if everything was finally falling into place.

Until I met him- The boy from the novels, the one I swore to never fall for.

However, he didn't change, he didn't need to. It was me who was forced to change, but I can't solely blame him for that. It was the world I was brought up into, the side of the world that I had no idea existed in real life, but only in nightmares.

It transformed me, it crushed me, it turned me into someone I didn't recognize in the mirror. But in the end I loved who I came to be, and I have no regrets.

Meeting him was a blessing and the ultimate hell. We're the same, yet completely different. We argue and fight, yet love with passion. He's the anchor to my ship, he makes me stay afloat and without him I would sink into the deep darkness of nothingness.

But this story isn't just about us, it's about what pain we have gone through separately and how we fit each other's missing pieces. This story is about self reflection and the evil that hides in the darkness in our everyday lives. It's about breaking through the hardest times in our lives and doing something meaningful for the world and the people we are surrounded by.

It's about finding that light in a room of darkness, and finding the strength to continue even when you feel defeated.