Embrace The Darkness

Eleena's life sucks. Like, majorly sucks. She's stuck in this little town where nothing ever happens, working at a café that's about as exciting as watching grass grow. "What is the point of my life? Why am I stuck in this damn awful world?" she asks the universe one night. The universe, being its usual cryptic self, doesn't answer. Typical. While everyone else is out there living their best lives, posting #blessed on Instagram, Eleena's more comfortable in the shadows. It's not that she's a vampire or anything. It's just that the darkness feels safer, more familiar. Less likely to disappoint her, you know? But then, because the universe has a weird sense of humor, something actually happens. Or rather, someone happens. Behind the café, in this creepy, snow-covered alley, Eleena's taking out the trash. Romantic, right? And there, she finds a young man. He's not exactly Prince Charming - more like Prince Been-Through-The-Wars. But when their eyes meet, it's like looking into a depressing, slightly cracked mirror. "Maybe we're both not so different after all," she whispers, and a tear rolls down her cheek, which is totally cliché, but whatever, sometimes life is cliché. Now, this isn't your typical boy-meets-girl story. It's not even your typical person-meets-person-in-a-dark-alley story (which, let's be honest, usually ends badly in most books). No, this is a story about two people who've been stumbling around in the dark, literally and metaphorically, suddenly realizing they don't have to stumble alone anymore. Is it going to magically fix all their problems? Probably not. Life's not a Disney movie. Welcome to a story that's part existential crisis, part unexpected connection, and a whole lot of awkward fumbling toward something that might just be hope. Or at least, slightly-less-despair. Baby steps, right? ***UPDATES REGULARLY***