Prologue

A girl trapped in solitude gazes out her window, reflecting on her distance from family and a fleeting connection with a boy. She begins to escape reality by filling her mind with fantasy.

There was a land full of houses that sat upon a hill. This city was called Star Mound, and it held stories---stories of curses, forgotten fables, and hidden truths. But no one could say for sure if any of it was real.

The house where she stayed stood at the edge of that hill, surrounded by trees that cast long shadows over its walls. It wasn’t her house. She didn’t know who it really belonged to, but she had been there for as long as she could remember, and yet it still felt foreign. The rooms echoed with silence, filled with objects that didn’t belong to her or anyone she knew. She couldn’t recall her family, only vague memories like whispers in the back of her mind, too faint to grasp.

She sat by the window, her small hand pressed against the cool glass. Beyond the house, the hill was draped in green, speckled with purple, pink, and blue flowers that reminded her of a sky full of stars. At night, she would sit there for hours, watching the sky darken, the stars coming to life one by one. It was the only time she felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she would find something beyond this emptiness.

But the more she stared out into the world, the more she felt that it wasn’t real. The landscape, the house "it all seemed like a mirage, something that could disappear the moment she looked away.

There was a man, though. A man she only saw in her dreams. His face was always blurry, just out of reach, but he was there. She remembered his presence more than anything "the way he made her feel less alone, less empty. Every night, she’d wait for him, longing for him to return. And every night, he did. But by morning, he was always gone, leaving her with nothing but the faintest memory of his touch and the sound of his voice, though she could never recall the words he spoke.

She pressed her hand to her cheek, her reflection staring back at her through the glass. The girl in the window felt like a stranger, just as much a part of the foreign house as the furniture she didn’t recognize. She didn’t belong here. She didn’t know where she belonged.

Sometimes, she would see him as the boy from her dreams. Not in reality, but in fleeting glimpses in her mind. She didn’t know his name, but she felt she should. He was the only thing that made sense in a world that didn’t. The only thing that gave her hope, even if she didn’t understand why.

One night, after the house had settled into its usual quiet, she sat on the windowsill again, watching as the stars began to fill the sky. The night was cool, and a faint breeze drifted in through the cracked window. She closed her eyes, waiting for the dream to come, for him to appear once more.

But tonight was different. Tonight, there was something in the air "something she couldn’t place. As she rested her head against the window frame, her thoughts drifted back to the boy. Would he come again? Would he stay longer this time?

As she began to doze off, she imagined him there, as he always was. His jacket would be draped over her shoulders, a silent gesture of comfort. He wouldn’t speak, and she wouldn’t need him to. His presence was enough. She could feel his warmth as the cool night air pressed in, and she found herself whispering, “Thank you,” even though he wasn’t really there.

When she finally drifted into sleep, the dream came "soft, hazy, just like the night sky. He was there, just as she knew he would be. But something was different. This time, as he smiled down at her, his eyes seemed sad, as though he knew something she didn’t.

And in the morning, when she awoke to the faint light of dawn, he was gone, just like always. But the sadness lingered, and for the first time, she wondered if he would come back at all.

Author's Note

Please focus on the atmosphere and the balance between fantasy and reality in this prologue. I’m still refining the emotional tone and flow, so feel free to share thoughts on how the descriptions land or any suggestions for improvement. Minor grammar issues can be ignored for now.