"Hi, Mom."
"Hello, Lyra. How are you?"
"I'm good, Mom. I've missed you so much."
"Same here, my princess."
"Okay, I guess you both left me out of the picture," her dad said.
"No, Dad," Lyra replied. "Thank you for bringing me back home from that hellish place."
"Alright then," her dad said.
"Lyra, go to your room, freshen up, and meet us at the dining table."
"Aye aye, Captain Mom!" Lyra screamed as she ran upstairs.
You might think I have a sweet family, right? Don't be fooled. There's nothing sweet here...it's just a house full of pretense.
Hi, I'm Lyra. I'm twenty-two, and I live with my dad and my stepmother. And yes, I'm… unfortunate. I'm an aspiring model, but I'm about to give up.
I just came back from a three-month training program in New York. We barely ate. I was left to the bone. I had no choice but to call my dad to take me away before they sent my corpse back to him. And oh, that woman..my stepmother..is completely insane. She doesn't like me, not one bit. Neither do I like her. We fake affection when my dad is around and revert to our true selves when he's gone.
Enough about that. Time to freshen up and devour the food made of pretense. Yuck.
"Hey, Daddy!" Lyra screamed as she rushed downstairs to the dining table.
"My love, tell me why you called me sounding like you were about to die?"
"Daddy, I was about to die. That place was hell...from one exercise to the next, with no food.
I thought that's what aspiring models go through."
Her stepmother chimed in, "It's not."
"Well, I want to become a model, not a starving loser," Lyra said.
"Okay, ladies," her dad said, standing. "I need to take my leave now. See you next weekend."
"Oh no, Daddy! Why are you leaving so early? It's just 7 PM!"
"My princess you know I need to work now to support your modeling career."
"But Dad, you're leaving me with a witch!" Lyra thought.
"That's true, my darling husband. Take care of yourself and be safe out there," her stepmother said, kissing him.
"Bye, Dad," Lyra said. She moved close and hugged him.
"Bye, my princess," he said, kissing her forehead.
As soon as her father left, the mood in the house shifted—back to its usual hostility between Lyra and her stepmother.
"So," her stepmother said coldly, folding her arms, "how may I help you now?"
Lyra scoffed. "You really think you own this house?
You think you can dictate things to my father?"
"And why shouldn't I?" the woman snapped. "He's my husband."
"He's my father!" Lyra shot back.
The argument ignited instantly, voices rising, words sharp and unforgiving—just like always.
"You bitch!" her stepmother spat. "Watch how you speak to me. If you don't, I'll cut off your tongue and serve it to your father as a meal."
Angry and frustrated, Lyra stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She was on her way to meet her best friend Elina.
She felt a little relief as she thought about Elina, knowing that no matter how crazy her stepmother was, she had someone waiting who would always understand her.
"Hey, bitch! Where are you?" Lyra shouted as she stormed into Elina's house.
"I'm right here, asshole!" Elina shouted as she walked down the stairs. "Mannerless bitch. You know you don't have to shout like that. What if my boyfriend was around?"
"Tch." Lyra scoffed. "You mean Jeremy?"
"Yes, Jeremy," Elina said.
"You think I give two fucks about him?"
"Well, you should give ten fucks," Elina snapped.
"Because this is his house, and he can decide to whoop both our asses down the street with my load on my head, bitch."
She burst into laughter, and Lyra joined her.
"So yeah… how have you been?" Lyra asked.
"What are you up to? How's life treating you?"
"Oh darling Lyra," Elina said, shaking her head. "You're the one with the full gist here. Tell me what happened at the modeling camp. I can't wait. Did you meet a new guy?"
"Oh yes!" Lyra squealed. "I met someone new. He's cute, tall, dark, slim… and I'm guessing he's big down there too. But girl...he's gay!"
"Heeew!" Elina laughed. "That kind of heartbreak!"
I know, right… By the way, what's up with your dad? Did you talk to him?" Lyra asked.
"Oh well, I guess he's finally disowned me," Elina said.
"So sad… I had to leave home too. My bitch-ass stepmother is making the house a living hell for me," Lyra complained.
"I know that feeling, yeah 😂. Your dad really needs to chase that woman out of the house," Elina laughed.
They talked and laughed for hours, sharing every detail until late into the night.
"I need to leave now, before she cooks up some lies to my father," Lyra said, standing up.
She was walking down the road alone, the night eerily quiet around her, when the first gunshot rang out.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She froze, unsure which way to run. Then another shot cracked the air, closer this time.
Bullets whizzed past her head, ricocheting off the walls and pavement. The smell of gunpowder filled her nostrils. Panic clawed at her chest as she stumbled, her hands trembling.
Before she could even scream, a searing pain tore through her arm. She gasped, looking down to see blood soaking her sleeve.
The world tilted. The streetlights blurred. Her legs gave out beneath her. And then… darkness swallowed her whole...