Amidst the lively atmosphere, a 10-year-old student, Scylla, sat quietly at the back, observing her classmates. She never raised her hand, never laughed too loud, never joined the little groups forming around her. Her eyes stayed on the teacher, her pencil moving in neat lines across her paper.

When the final bell rang, the room erupted with relief. Children rushed out in packs, their laughter bouncing down the hallways. Scylla packed her books slowly, delaying what waited outside.

The walk home always felt longer than it was. Her shoes scuffed against the pavement as she kept her eyes low, clutching her bag tightly. But today, something made her pause.

On the sidewalk, not far ahead, a small kitten wobbled on unsteady paws. Its fur was dirty, matted in patches, and its tail flicked nervously as it searched the ground for scraps. Alone, just wandering, like it had been forgotten by the world.

Scylla stopped and stared. Her chest tightened with a feeling she couldn't name. She wanted to crouch down, call to it, take it home—but she knew better. Her father would never allow it.

The kitten looked at her for a moment, its green eyes wide and cautious, before padding off between the cracks of a fence.

She stood there for a long time, until the street grew too quiet. Then, with heavy steps, she continued on her way.

When she reached her house, the sound of the TV and her mother's voice greeted her.

"Oh, Scarlet. I'm glad you're safe." She was on the couch with the TV blaring, a half-empty can of beer resting in her hand.

Scylla just nodded in response. She went straight to her room, where she changed her clothes, then she went downstairs and washed her face in the bathroom.

While staring at her reflection in the mirror, she wonders what kind of life she has and what kind of family she is living with. She looked around the messy bathroom, with cracked walls and a dirty toilet.

She went back to her room and used her notebook to distract herself from her harsh reality. She opened her notebook, her secret refuge, and began to write.

"Today I saw a kitten. It looked lost, just like me."

She paused, staring at the page. Then, she added:

"I hope it finds a home. Maybe tomorrow I'll see it again."

While she was writing in her notebook, Scylla heard her father's voice downstairs. It seems like he's drunk again, complaining about everything inside their home.

Scylla got up and locked the doors of her room, and turned off the light. She's afraid that her father will see her and scold her again for no reason, so she pretends to be asleep.

For Scylla, this is just an ordinary day. Her mother was not an alcoholic back then, but that changed when problems started flooding their life. Scylla always thought that she was the problem. Even though she was young, she already had a taste of reality.

Scylla usually spends her days locked in her room, afraid of her parents, never having the courage to tell her situation to anyone. She's lucky today that her father did not hit her, he's often angry that Scylla always hides from them and does not do anything useful.

...(A few weeks later)...

It was break time. Scylla finally unwrapped the small piece of bread she had bought earlier from the bakery. She sat alone at the back of the classroom, eating slowly. The peaceful and quiet environment was what she always wanted.

But the peace never lasted long.

A group of boys approached her desk, smirking.

"Hey, it's the lonely girl again," one of them said mockingly.

"Why are you always covered in bruises? Don't tell me you're just bad at sports," another chimed in.

"And you're always so quiet... honestly, you're kinda creepy."

The boys burst into laughter.

Scylla lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening around the bread. She didn't say a word—she never did.

From the other side of the room, some girls overheard and stepped in.

"Enough! Leave her alone," one of them snapped.

The boys grumbled but eventually backed off, still laughing among themselves.

Scylla was thankful. Truly, she was. But when the girls glanced at her, waiting for even a small response, she couldn't bring herself to speak. Her lips wouldn't move. Her voice stayed buried inside.

...(A few hours later)...

The bell rang. School ended. Scylla watched her classmates rush to the gates where parents waited—smiling, waving, reaching out with open arms. Some walked hand in hand, some laughing at something said along the way.

She stood there, watching from behind, knowing she would never experience that kind of warmth.

Her steps eventually carried her away from the school. This time, she didn't go straight home. She took a different route, wandering into unfamiliar streets.

The city felt bigger, filled with shops she hadn't noticed before, and people who didn't know her name. For a moment, she almost felt free.

But freedom cost her time. By the time she reached her doorstep, the sky had already dimmed.

Her father was there.

"Where did you go? Huh? Don't you know what time it is?"

Scylla tried to respond.

"I... I just—"

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Her father shouted.

She flinched, eyes wide, tears forming against her will. The sound of his anger terrified her more than anything.

He stood abruptly, but before he could step closer, her mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a cloth.

"What's going on?" Her mom asked them.

"Your daughter went somewhere else. Look! What time is it? That girl needs to be disciplined."

"I'll talk to her." Her mother grabbed her hand, and they went upstairs.

"Where did you go, Scarlet? You know your father will be mad if you're late." Her mother asked.

Scylla responded even though she couldn't stop crying.

"I-I... I j-just want to g-go around the s-streets..." Scylla tried her best to stop crying and speak clearly, but she couldn't.

Her mother sighed, brushing her hair back. "Don't do that again. Go home as soon as possible after school. Don't go anywhere."

Scylla nodded, wiping her face with trembling hands. She wanted to explain more, that she only wanted to breathe, to escape even for a little while—but she couldn't. The words stayed locked away.

So instead, she cried.

The quiet, emotionless girl who rarely let herself break finally released it all, tears soaking her hands. She had been collecting her reasons to cry for so long, burying them deeper each day.

The front door creaked open at exactly 7:00 a.m., just like every other morning. Scylla stepped out into the autumn air, her oversized navy blue backpack weighing heavily on her small shoulders.

No other children walked this route, they all took the bright yellow school bus that she could see in the distance. It left her wondering what it felt like to ride a bus.

Her footsteps were careful and measured. The walk to her elementary school took exactly seventeen minutes. Scylla knew because she counted the seconds sometimes. Today, she watched a cat sunbathing on a garden wall, its tail swishing lazily as she passed. She wondered if it was as alone as she was, or maybe... it found peace instead of loneliness.

The school playground came into view, already filling with children forming their usual clusters. Scylla skirted the edges of the playground like a shadow, her dark hair falling forward to hide her face.

Room 4B was mostly empty when she arrived, just how she liked it. Her desk was in the back corner, next to the bookshelf. She wasn't assigned there; she'd just started sitting in that spot on the first day, and nobody had contested it. The surface of the desk was clean except for the small drawings she'd made in pencil along its edges.

She pulled out her notebook, already open to a fresh page, and began to draw while the classroom slowly filled with the arrival of students.

Ms. Okada's clap echoed through the classroom, pulling Scylla's attention away from her drawings. 

"Class, I have an exciting announcement!" The teacher's voice carried its usual cheerfulness, but there was an extra spark in it today. 

"We have some very special guests coming to visit us this morning!"

Scylla's classmates immediately burst into whispers and excited questions, their voices mixing like a flock of noisy birds. She remained quiet and focused, thinking about what this announcement could be.

"After your break time, there will be people visiting our school. I want everyone to behave and participate, understood, class?"

"Yes, ma'am." The students nodded, but it left them wondering about what this visitation was all about.

...(A few hours later)...

"Everyone, please line up. We're going to the multipurpose room for a special assembly!" Ms. Okada gestured toward the door, and chairs scraped against the floor as twenty-three excited fourth-graders scrambled to form a line.

Scylla waited until the rush subsided before sliding out of her seat.

The multipurpose room was already buzzing with other classes when they arrived. Scylla found a spot on the floor near the back where the shadows from the stage curtains created comfortable darkness.

A woman in a crisp business suit stepped onto the stage, her smile bright under the fluorescent lights. "Good morning, Honoza Elementary!" Her voice was warm and friendly. "We're here from Sunshine Bread Company, and we have some treats and surprises for all of you today!"

Two more people joined her, carrying baskets filled with lunch boxes. But it was what came next that changed everything for Scylla.

Through the stage door, a large, golden-brown bear mascot waddled out, wearing a chef's hat and a white apron with "Sunshine Bread" written in cheerful letters. The bear had kind eyes, oversized paws, and the gentlest expression.

"Today, we will teach you how important breakfast is in our everyday lives." The woman said with a mic in her hand.

The room erupted in squeals and cheers, but not Scylla. To her, this feeling is strange. She's not used to the feeling of excitement as she watches the mascot walk around the stage. 

The bear began to dance, its movements clumsy and endearing. It pretended to bake bread, throwing invisible flour into the air and kneading imaginary dough while the woman discussed the importance of breakfast.

Children around her laughed and clapped, but Scylla remained still. There was something about the bear's gentle clumsiness, its silent performance, that spoke to her in a way that words rarely did.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Scylla forgot to be lonely. She forgot to be invisible. She just existed at that moment, feeling something that might have been happiness flutter in her chest like a puppy seeing its human come home.

The representatives began moving through the rows of students, their baskets now filled with colorful lunchboxes decorated with the smiling bear mascot. The bear followed behind them, stopping to give high-fives and hugs to the delighted children.

Scylla watched from her spot, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The bear was getting closer, and her heart began to race. She wasn't used to being part of things, to being included in moments of joy that seemed to come so naturally to everyone else.

Then the bear was there, right in front of her, holding out a sunshine-yellow lunchbox with gentle paws. Scylla hesitated for just a moment before standing up, her movements uncertain. Around her, children were wrapping their arms around the mascot's soft middle, their faces pressed against the plush costume. Something about their unguarded happiness gave her courage.

Taking a small step forward, Scylla accepted the lunchbox, and then she stood up and wrapped her arms around the bear. The costume was softer than she'd imagined, like hugging a giant teddy bear, soft and cuddly. A warmth she hadn't felt in a long time spread through her chest. The bear's large paw patted her back gently, and Scylla felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Back on the stage, the woman in the suit spoke again about the importance of breakfast and good behavior. Scylla and the other students were already opening her lunchbox, her stomach reminding her that she'd skipped breakfast again that morning. Inside was a sandwich wrapped in cheerful paper and a small box of apple juice.

The visitors were saying their goodbyes now, waving to the crowd of children. The bear gave one final, clumsy dance, and Scylla found herself waving back, her other hand still holding the half-eaten sandwich.

The woman said one last thing, "You were never alone," before handing the mic to one of the teachers and leaving the stage. It hit Scylla the way the woman was right, she was never alone, there was always someone who watched her, noticed her, and thought of her.

Long after they had gone, after the children had returned to their classrooms and the excitement had faded, Scylla could still feel the softness of the bear's fur against her cheek. She carefully folded the yellow lunchbox and slipped it into her backpack. She thought, maybe, she would try to have breakfast tomorrow morning. Maybe there would be more days like this one, where the world didn't feel quite so cold and distant.

...(7 years later)...

Fortunately for Scylla, she's still studying as an 11th-grade student. Others might not realize, but Scylla is thankful that she can get to stay in school. She hates her home so much that she'll do anything not to be there.

At her school, she often notices that boys are staring at her. It made her feel uneasy and uncomfortable. She thought that they were looking at her bruises, but she realized that her short skirt was showing her thighs. She then quickly adjusted it.

"Damn these perverts, and damn this skirt. I hate this uniform," she said to herself.

Throughout her years as a high school student, she had some friends, but none of them were as interested in her so far.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. As usual, she gathered her things and left the room as soon as possible.

She went straight home, and as soon as she opened her door, she saw her mother drinking again.

"Ma, stop that, you never stopped drinking."

Her mother looked at her palely.

"Scarlet... You know this is how we escape this hell..." Her mother whispered.

Scylla then grabbed the beer from her mother's hand and put it in the trash.

"Ma, you're losing yourself again. You're the one who reminds me to be strong, right? What's happening to you?"

"I couldn't fix myself, dear... But you can still fix yours... Your life... That's why I'm always reminding you."

"But..." Scylla paused for a moment, then she hugged her mother, who was sitting on the couch.

Then her mother said, "Change your clothes now, you're still gonna use that uniform tomorrow."

Scylla nodded. She went to her room and changed her clothes. She then went to the bathroom and washed her face, where she stared at her reflection again.

She said to herself, "Who am I? I don't know who I am."

After fixing herself, she went back to her mother's, but then she saw her coughing more often.

"Ma, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah *coughs* just had a cough, it happens often." *coughs*

"I told you to stop smoking, right? I thought you did."

"I did *coughs* for a while, I just had one stick, that's all.*

"Ma, we don't have any money to buy medicine. What are we going to do?"

"Just- *coughs* give me a glass of water."

Scylla hurriedly went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass, and then she found out that they didn't have any mineral water left.

"We're out of water, ma. Wait for me, I'll buy outside."

Scylla put on her sandals and went outside to buy her mother a bottle of water as soon as she could.

A few minutes later, she came back to her mother and handed her a cold bottle of water.

"I'm sorry, ma. This is all I can give you..."

"Don't worry, dear... This is more than enough. Start preparing for dinner, your father will come home soon."

Scylla nodded. She's still new to this, she's never been so caring with her mother. As she grew up, she started to realize that her mother cared for her, too. She realized that her mother was just another victim like her.

Day by day, she started giving her mother more attention and care, as her lungs started to become worse.

...(A week later)...

Scylla and her mother went to a hospital for a free check-up. As they expected, there's only bad news. The doctor announced that her mother might develop lung cancer if she doesn't stop smoking.

"I'm always reminding her to stop, doc. My father was also smoking and drinking." Scylla told the doctor.

"That's bad. You should convince him to stop if you can. Exposure to smoke caused by him is much more dangerous to you." The doctor replied.

"I know..."

"If you don't need anything else, then you may go home now."

"Thank you, doc." Scylla and her mother head their way out of the hospital, along with the prescription from the doctor.

...(A few minutes later)...

"Since we can't afford to buy medicine, the only thing we could do is to stop you from smoking," Scylla said to her mother while walking home.

"I'll try." *Coughs* "I think it's getting worse." *Coughs again*

"You'll be better soon, ma. Stay strong."

The two finally arrived at their home. They saw her father's shoes, so they expected him to be at home now.

Scylla guided her mother to sit on the couch.

"Stay here, ma. You must be tired from walking that far."

Scylla went to the kitchen to get her mother a glass of water. Then all of a sudden, she smelled something unusual.

She gave the glass to her mother and went upstairs.

Scylla looked at her father's room; the door was open. She took a peek at a slightly open door when she saw something that shocked her.

Her father is sitting on his bed, facing the wall. It seems like he's hiding something. Scylla tried her best to identify what he was doing. Her heart beats quickly, but then it beats even faster when she confirms herself. It looked like he was using illegal drugs.