My name is Erza Scarlet. I have crimson red hair and chocolate brown eyes that always sparkled when I see some strawberry cake. I'm eighteen years old and I'm in my final year of college at Magnolia City College. My final year was my third year of college. The first year I studied childcare, passing it with ease. My second year, I studied psychology. I only was just able to pass with the highest grade. This year I was studying counselling and therapy. I was already halfway through the year and it wasn't easy.

You see, since I was born with an invisible illness that no one believes is real. Myalgic encephalomyelitis, many knew the shorter name for it, M.E. Many people very often mistake it for a 'chronic fatigue' illness. If only they knew to shut their mouths. If only they had the common sense to stop spreading lies and bullshit about things they didn't know a thing about. I can very much inform you that they are wrong, very wrong. People who believe that are just idiots. It made my life much harder than normal. 

Yes, there was chronic fatigue problems with myalgic encephalomyelitis but not all of it was based on this. Not every little thing M.E was...was just chronic fatigue. If only they knew that a serious case of M.E can easily end and kill someone, no matter the age, no matter the medication they take...if only they knew about the widespread chronic pain that comes along with it. The pain and suffering that causes us to be put into wheelchairs and bedridden. The same pain that can easily paralyse our bodies at any given time no matter where or what we were doing. 

Sadly no one cared or bothered to find out. If you weren't in a wheelchair or had a walking stick, no one believed you were really ill. It was stupid and pathetic but sadly that was the life we all live in. There isn't much awareness of knowledge about illnesses like myalgic encephalomyelitis. Many people can gain an illness or problem but what we are all good at, is hiding it. Hiding the pain behind a fake smile or laugh. People would always lie and say how they 'understand' but in truth they don't.

No one would ever understand the pain and suffering me and many other people go through unless they were ill themselves. I had met many people who had family members who were very ill with invisible illnesses, they were the ones to claim they 'understand' the most. If only they knew how much they were wrong. They had only a small amount of information of what their family members let them see. It's easy to explain ways, its much like having extreme period cramps but the pain is twenty times worse and there 24/7. 

With there not being much awareness there weren't many things doctors could do to find out more about illnesses much like myalgic encephalomyelitis. Because of this fact, to this very day, my illness was something uncurable. Medication only helped in tiny ways but it would never stay helping. After some time the human body becomes immune to the medication, making it useless, stopping it from working. It was hard growing up but, I was still going. When I was first ill, it held me back. It always held me back. 

It stopped me from being a normal child. It stopped me from doing anything fun or enjoyable. It didn't help my mother was always out of town, sometimes even out of the country for her work. My father died before I was born so most of the time, I was alone. I was always by myself. It was when I hit high school, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. To stand up, to do the things I want to do. Yes, I had limits but I was able to build up, to break down those limits and prove to people that being ill wasn't something that would hold anyone back. 

If you gave them time, if you stood by their side, they can get their lives back. They can go on and fight. Though I only had one person back then. My best friend Mirajane. She saw me when I was ill, she was there by my side when I first had attacks. She was by my hospital bed sneaking me in food from take away places. She was the only one to stand by me since everyone else didn't believe I was really ill. My mother taught me to never show weakness, to always go forward with a smile on your face. 

Because they didn't understand I was bullied, picked on and at times even beaten up. My whole high school life was hell. I would always come home with bruises, black eyes and a bloody nose. My mother lost it. The high school was forced to do something but it only made things worse so my dear mother sent me to self-defence classes. She even taught me some moves she knew. By the last year of high school, I was able to fight back and get them to back off. To this day, Mirajane still came to my side. 

She has changed so much throughout the years but one thing always stays the same with her. She would stand by her friends and family no matter the cost, no matter who stood in her way. I remember everyone would fear her in high school. Thanks to the training my mother put me through I was able to learn how to push my limits. Halfway through high school to this very day, I was part of the Magnolia Swordsmanship club. I found it the sport to be incredibly fun after all. Though my story is about something that I never thought could happen.

My story starts in the town I was born in, the town I lived in.
Magnolia