10    Y E A R S    L A T E R

T H E morning sunlight hit my half-closed eyes. My head was hurting, as I didn't sleep the entire night.

I was too excited to attend a school that I spent my entire night thinking and imagining myself having tons of friends and lots of fun.

When I heard that I will be attending school, you could say I was the happiest person alive. My momma never let me go to school after I turned 6.

She would say it's not safe for me.

I didn't like staying at home all the time but I didn't question it. I know why my mom is so protective of me, I really can't blame her either.

I soon stood up, letting out a little yawn on the way. Starching my arms, I headed toward the bathroom.

I quickly did what I was supposed to do and stripped out of my pajamas. I then plopped into the shower and waited for the water to turn warm.

15 minutes later I was all done. It takes me a while to shower. I shampoo every week and put conditioner on after. I liked the scent of my shampoo, it smelled good plus I also liked the purple color of it too.

It was like lavender, roses, and almonds. I soon wrapped a white towel around my body and dried myself.

I don't always use a hairdryer, as it can damage your hair, but today I did just to quicken up my game. I exited the bathroom as the cool bedroom air passed by making me shiver.

I then picked out an outfit for the school day and neatly placed it on top of my bed. It was an olive brown colored hoodie, and a skirt my mom bought me online.

It turned out a bit shorter than she'd like it to be, but she said it was fine. I quickly put my outfit on and brushed my hair out. I had long wavy hair. It reached my lower back.

The hoodie seemed a bit large on me but I can deal with it. The skirt reached a bit above my thighs but not too short short.

I made my hair into a high bun but left a few strands out in the front. I applied some mascara and chapstick after moisturizing my face.

I didn't put any blush on since I naturally have a red tint to my cheeks. Once I was satisfied with my look, I headed out of the room and down the stairs.

I entered the kitchen and saw my mom seated at the breakfast table. She was scrolling through her phone.

"Good morning Momma." I smiled. She then turned towards me and waved. "Mornin' sweetheart."

"Come on, try some of those pancakes I made. I put extra blueberries for your special day!" Momma cheered pointing at the blueberry pancakes she made.

I quietly nodded before taking a seat in front of my mom. I slightly smiled before taking a small bite out of my pancakes.

I loved eating pancakes for breakfast. My mom would make pancakes once in a while. She said it has too much sugar, which I agree with.

I normally would have nuts and dried fruits for breakfast. I hated drinking milk but Momma would force me to drink it anyways.

I quickly ate those delicious pancakes and headed out the door, following Momma to the car.

When I was younger I hated car rides but now I love them. It meant I would get to go outside, which doesn't happen very often.

My Momma was always very protective of me, ever since my papa left us. That is one of the reasons why I was homeschooled all along. It made me sad sometimes. I never got to experience having friends or live a normal teenage life without my mom having to participate in every action I took.

But I don't blame anyone either. It was scary for both me and my mom. Everything happened so fast and so soon that we didn't know what to do. I understand the reason behind my mom's decision.

Mrs. Carter, Momma's friend would always ask Momma to let me go outside sometimes but that didn't change anything.

I miss her taking me to the mall once in a while. I wish I could see her for one last time.

After 15 minutes of driving, we finally reached our destination. We parked our car in front of a huge building I have never seen before.

It was connected to some other smaller buildings. It seemed to be made out of bricks. I couldn't spot any windows but there were huge doors every step of the way.

They all had signs above each door. Most of them have numbers. I barely remember what my elementary school used to look like. I was just in 1st grade when my mom decided to homeschool me.

"Welcome to M.H. Atlas high."