Chapter Text
“And the winner is - Lena Chance!” The girl was surprised when her name was called, yes she was talented, but art was never a strong point of hers, usually she’d only get an A-, far away from the straight A+ student she wanted to be.. that he wanted her to be.
She scurried onto the stage, allowing the man to put a medal on her, she felt proud, but as she scanned the audience her pride diminished faster than it usually did, he wasn’t there, again… He told her that he would come though…
Tears began pooling in her eyes, she blinked them back however. This was normal. This is normal. She still won, she was still the best artist in this room! She’d talk to her father later…
”Thank you for choosing my piece! It means a lot to me!” She had said this same speech several times before.
Lena tried to leave as quickly as she could, she didn’t want to be asked how she won another competition at her school. She was liked, yes, but people were getting tried of her winning every other competition.
“Dad, you said that you would come. Why weren’t you there?” She asked, moments away from tears. The only reason that she had entered that competition was to impress her father.
”Oh… that was today?” He had no change in attitude, this was normal for him. This had always been normal.
”Yes! I won an award today! And you weren’t there!” She said, maybe he would be impressed if she told him that she won!
”That’s nice Lena, can you go to your room now? I have something to do.” That something was moping around the small apartment that the two shared, regretting having a child at such a young age.
”Why don’t you ever try to spend any time with me??!!!”
”Oh please, go enjoy your youth. When I was your age I had a one year old and enough debt to make a difference to the King of Greenhorne. Do you know how much I would’ve loved to give you away? Maybe I could’ve actually made something of myself…” He calmly said, his distinct lack of reaction was the most disturbing part to Lena. This was how he actually felt.
Lena ran into her room crying, it was a barely renovated basement, it smelled of mold, but she was used to this. She fell down onto her mattress on the floor and cried herself to sleep.
Lena woke up in the middle of the night, she didn’t feel any more rested than how she had felt before her father had said that. She was worth nothing to him, did that mean that she was worth nothing to everyone???
She quickly brushed that thought aside, of corse she wasn’t worth nothing! She was a straight A student! Her teachers would always praise her! So would her classmates! …If she helped them… But that’s what friendship is all about! He just didn’t see her potential… He didn’t know how much he loved her! Maybe if she disappeared he would realise how much he cared! Oh! And while she’s away she can get famous and get loads of gold for him! Lena would be famous! And then her dad would see how amazing she was!
Yes! Lena would make him proud like that! This was gonna be way better than her other attempts! He’ll see that she’s strong, smart, talented, and did she mention smart?!
Lena was fulled on new-found determination! She had a plan with multiple steps! How could this ever go wrong?? First she would take some gold from her father’s safe, then she would stage a break-in, she knew that her dad never locked the doors, the locks had been broken for a while and the landlord never fixed them, it wasn’t that big of a deal, this was the cheapest apartment in New Lumos after all! Then she would make it look like she had tried to defend the house and went missing with the gold! Then she could walk to the harbour and get a boat the wherever was the cheapest! It was a perfect plan!
She first quietly walked - avoiding the creaking floorboards, she knew where they were well, she had grown up here after all! Lena then made her way to her father’s safe, she was good at sneaking around, when her dad was really angry at her, she’d have to sneak around to avoid making him even more angry, she knew that he still loved her though!
Her plan went better than expected, she managed to get everything done! Then she packed a bag full of what she thought that she would need! Maybe some food, clothes - obviously, she would need a new journal, she had one that she hadn’t written in yet in a drawer, so that was good. A sleeping bag. A weapon? She’d only really need one if she was gonna go to Peculia, and that was the last place that you’d see Lena Chance!
She made her way to the docks after walking for an hour or two, Lena was a good walker, but she was still ecstatic when she finally arrived!
“Hello!” She said between breaths, she had to walk the entire way from district four to the district one docks. “Can I get a ride?”
”Kid, umm… how old are you?” The man asked, he was very sceptical.
”Oh! I’m eighteen, I’m moving away!” Lena has always been a very cheerful person, she didn’t like lying much… But this wasn’t a harmful lie!
”Hmm, I’ll believe you, I looked very young when I was around your age, and I’m too tired to check anyways. So where’d ya wanna go?” She had done it! Yes, she felt bad about lying, but it was necessary!
”Umm… what’s the cheapest trip?”
”Let me check… A trip to Greenhorne is the same price as a trip to the Powdered Peaks.”
”I’m interested in a trip to Greenhorne. Thanks by the way.”
”It’s nothing kid. Your ship will leave in a hour, don’t be late, the Captain will not wait for you.”
”Yessir!” Lena excitedly said! She was gonna become famous thanks to her friend here!
The trip was long and it boring, but eventually Lena made it to Greenhorne, the ship stopped near a beautiful mountain range, once Lena was off the ship and away from the others, she began running around the grass, and basking in the shear amount of sun that Greenhorne had to offer! Was it only this pretty in spring? Or was it always this pretty?
It was amazing, Lena had lived in New Lumos her entire life, so seeing miles and miles of grass with no skyscrapers in sight was foreign to her, but it was so nice and relaxing, so serene, and just stunning. The sky was blue and vibrant, unlike the permanently gray skies of New Lumos. At night, Lena might be able to see stars for the first time! This was just amazing! Definitely the best decision that Lena had ever made!
Lena had a small sleeping bag which she had brought with her, at night she’d find somewhere where the stars were easy to see to sleep, she heard someone say on the ship ‘it never rains in Greenhorne’, she thought that they were delusional at first, but it didn’t rain for the many days that she had slept outside, or while she was wandering around. At some point Lena realised that she was lost, but she was lost in a place where she could see the stars!
A few butterflies caught Lena’s eyes, she wandered over with childlike excitement, she had grown up with stories of them, but she had never actually seen one, Greenhorne is so amazing! She thought while walking up to the pink butterflies.
This is just like all of those stories of great adventures that Lena had heard! Something always went wrong in them… the hero always had a nice time while on their adventure!
17/4/2023
Dear diary…
I’m in Greenhorne right now, it’s so beautiful! I wonder if dad would enjoy it just as much? But, the scenery is just so nice! I wish that I could stay here, but I can’t lose sight of my goal! I need to become known! To be someone! I need to be important to people! I want everyone to know how
hurtamazing this adventure makes me! I’m soscaredexcited for the future!I’ll write again tomorrow!