"From every wound, there is a scar. And every scar tells a story. A story that says "I survived"."

I stared out of the hospital window, a nostalgic feeling stirring in my gut as I looked out at Arizona. The sun beamed down on me, heating up my skin with its warm rays, but I didn't feel warm on the inside; I felt nothing. I was void. A bottomless pit of nothingness that drove me crazy because all I wanted to do was feel something.

I thought I would have felt something once I reunited with my family, but nothing happened. I still felt nothing. My younger sister Bella - who is now around the same age as I am - is not in Arizona anymore. Apparently, she is in Washington with our father. Our mother, well - she's remarried to a man named Phil who I've never met before. I came back to be with my family, only to find them in pieces.

As the door to my hospital room opened, I quickly snatched up my shirt that sat on a chair nearby and hastily put it back on. I turned around to find my mother, Renee, with a hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. "What happened to you, baby?"

I stayed silent. I could say, "I don't want to talk about it", "it's too much" or even, "I don't know," but I couldn't. I couldn't say anything. My mind was blank along with my face as I stared at my mother's forehead. I couldn't even look her in the eyes because once I do, I would see the sympathy, the sadness, the guilt, and the pain. The pain is what makes this whole thing worse than it actually was. My family finally stopped mourning me and here I am, standing in front of my mother who has no idea what to even do with me.

"Mom," I spoke gruffly, my voice cracking. I hadn't spoken in days. The last time I spoke to anyone, it was Laurel, Oliver, and Felicity. I had to talk to them about coming home. They all told me to just rip it off like a bandaid, but ripping off a bandaid hurts, it doesn't matter what way you pull it off. It will still pull and tug insistently at the hair around the wound - sometimes even reopening it - making all the feelings rapidly gush out all over again, which results in another bandaid. You keep doing that over and over again, but the wound will still be there. Maybe not physically, but mentally.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet, Sara." I flinched as she reached to touch my face. I didn't intend for myself to flinch; I never want to around my family, it happens subconsciously. Even if I did trust my mother, I don't know her like I used to; she feels like a stranger. It's been seven years. Seven long years since I've seen her.

She could've changed - hell, I have changed. I have changed more than anyone I have ever met - except maybe Oliver. For years, I have been beaten, abused, thrown around like a rag doll, and trained without mercy to be strong. I'm broken. It has been a never ending cycle these past few years and I wanted it to end. Somewhere, deep down in my cold and void heart, I knew my battle was not done yet. I still had a fight to finish.

"I'm so, so sorry, baby. I'm sorry." My mother ran out of the room sobbing, making me wrap my arms around my body as I began to feel extremely nervous and self conscious.

I sighed and turned around back to stare out of the window again. My forehead pressed against the glass as I closed my eyes tightly. I disliked the silence that surrounded me. Silence meant thinking, and for me, thinking is not a good thing. Bad things happen when I think too hard.

"Your mother wasn't wrong." I turned around to face my father who had wide eyes. "She said you looked... younger."

My arms fell limply to my side and my mouth fell open a smidge as I gazed at my aging father.

He looked so much older than the last time I saw him. Under his chocolate brown eyes were large designer bags in the shade of dark purple. His eyes always use to bring me comfort, but right now, I could barely look him in the eyes without being hit harshly in the stomach with extreme guilt. It was my fault that I had pushed this pain onto my family. It was my fault that the first time in forever, I wanted to be selfish. It was my fault that I didn't come to them when I should have. I should have boarded safely in Starling City, but I didn't. Everything is my fault, like always.

"I'm sorry, daddy." I chocked on a sob, gazing up at the man I called my father with what I would expect to be cerulean eyes filled with unshed tears.

Standing there, in front of him and seeing the guilt, the sadness, and the pain so strongly reflected in his eyes, I couldn't hold back the memories that made my heart ache. He was my superhero; the person who I would look up to, who I would desperately go to for help. He was my father and it made me upset that I had hurt him the way I did.

"I'm so sorry." My father pulled me into his arms, one hand cradling my head that was huddled into his chest. My hands were in the shape of fists as I clenched his now tear stained shirt in my hands. My whole body was shaking. I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie, it's okay." He held onto me tightly as if I would just vanish into thin air. I, myself, felt like I was vanishing. The girl I used to be was vanishing quickly.

Hatred filled me, but I knew I couldn't go back to who I used to be, not now, not ever. I know what it's like to be out in the real world now. The real world holds monsters greater than those that hide under your bed or in your closet. These monsters knock you down, build you up and knock you back down again, barely giving you enough time to breathe or to recover. That was exactly how I felt all the time. I was a house, standing mighty tall in the rays of sunshine, but now I'm just a pile of rubble.

"You're here now. Everything's going to be okay," my father soothed, combing his fingers through my hair slowly.

"No, it's not." I shook my head, burying my face further into his soft shirt. The feeling of warmth and the familiarity of home slammed straight into me, making my chest tighten. This right here, was all I had ever wanted for years. Ever since the Queen's boat sunk and I became stranded, all I wanted was to be back safely in my father's arms and smell his familiar peppermint cologne.

"It will never be okay." I opened my eyes and stared to the side. The tears had finally stopped and were now stains on my flushed freckled cheeks.

"Can I just stay in your arms for now?" I tilted my head back slightly to stare into his teary brown eyes.

My father nodded his head, tightening his arms around me. I sucked in a huge breath and leaned my right cheek on his chest where his heart laid underneath. I could practically hear the pieces slowly reuniting and mending together.

"Sara?" I broke away from my father upon hearing a sweet and shy, shocked voice. It sounded familiar and that is why I turned to face the person who spoke the name I have barely heard in years.

Once I saw the person who stood there, I knew right away who it was. The long, soft looking dark brown hair that used to be in pigtails when I last saw her was now dull. The brown eyes that used to look like whisky were also now dull. The small body that used to wear tutu's and liked the color pink was now wearing dark colors like brown, black, and grey.

I took an unbelieving step backwards before I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around my sister. My baby sister. The girl who used to look up to me like I was a celebrity; her idol.

"Oh my god," Bella spoke as if she was finally positive that I was real. My lip twitched.

"You're- you're real," she stuttered out and I felt my shoulder become damp with her tears.

"Izzy," I gasped out, tears beginning to fall.

"I missed you so much." My hold on her tightened so much that I was sure I was suffocating her, but it seemed Isabella had no care in the world at the moment as she also tightened her hold on me.

"I missed you too." My heart broke as I listened to her speak. "You're my big sister and you disappeared. You said that you- you would never leave me but you did. You left me and you were gone for so long. You promised me and you broke that promise. You broke me."

She sobbed into my shoulder, her knees collapsing under her, but after years of training, I caught her and we both went falling to the ground in a bundle.

"I loved you and you broke me," she cried into my chest. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I held her in my arms, glancing back at our dad.

"I love you too, sis," I told her, smiling softly at her. "I love you too."

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So, you guys now have a small idea on who Sara Swan is. To those who have watched Arrow and know who Sara Lance is and how she is on there, then you know how i'm gonna portray my character. Also, there will be flashbacks on her life on the island, on Ivo's ship, with the assassins, etc.

I hope ya'll will enjoy this book as much as I will enjoy writing it❤️❤️