Melting Hearts

Julia is a young girl who grew up in a small town called Everdale. Soon after her mother was banished from the town and her father passed away due to an unworldly illness, Julia came to live with her grandmother. She was only around 8 years old when her biological parents left, so she doesn't remember too much about them. Julia was known as the sweetest, most gentle girl in all of the land. She was loved by everyone and everything, including plants and animals. Everyone always talked about the way her eyes would light up like a full moon on a clear night, or how her delicate scent would make all of the boys swoon. She just had this certain 'pazazz' which made a lot of other girls her age envious towards her, but she didn't let that affect the way she continued to live carelessly, while still possessing her delicateness. But most people didn't know about Julia's secret because she lived in a town full of simple people. Her grandmother always warned her of the danger that would follow after her if people found out about her secret. This petrified Julia so much that she made a promise to herself that she would never tell another soul about her true self because she was too afraid of what would come of it. A few years have passed and Julia is now heading into the hectic spiral of middle school. She is extremely thrilled to have the chance of being on the cheerleading squad, or the competitive dance team! It's the night before the first day of 6th grade, and the only thing Julia can think about is how she will keep her secret safe, hiding it away from anyone who comes in contact with her. She never had many friends because of the overwhelming fear that she would slip up and her true self would be revealed. This night was one of many restless nights that she would soon endure throughout this new journey in her life. "You got this Jules", a phrase she says to herself probably more often than needed, but this time it was different. This time it felt different. Unlike all the other times she said this cheesy phrase, this time she didn't really believe it. It was the first time she had ever been nervous about anything. The thoughts started flooding through her head. "What if they know?" "What if they don't like me?" "What if they...." she stopped herself. Her bedroom door is swung open, revealing her older brother. "Hey, you should get up for school now to make sure you can get there on time. Good luck on your first day! Don't stress about it, you'll be fine" he said. Her door closed quietly and her brother left. One last thought popped into her head, "What if...I'll be fine?" Then, she pulled herself out of bed to get ready for the day. During the first day of school, Julia made a few friends who had invited her to a pool party after school that day as a way to kickoff the new school year. She agreed to go, but she wasn't fully sure if she actually wanted to go, or if she was just trying to be polite. After school she went home and told her brother about her day and finished off by bringing up that she had been invited to the pool party. Her brother told her she should go, that it would give her the chance to get used to being around people and maybe she would make some friends. Julia pondered on the thought of having real friends, and forced herself to go to the party. On her way to the party, she finds out that her cousin, Piper, is going to be there, so she calls Piper and they agree to stay together because neither of them really knew anyone else there. Julia felt better about going, she felt secure knowing that at least someone she knew would be there. When she arrives, Piper is already standing outside waiting for her. When Julia sees her, she endures an abundance of relief and is finally relaxed. "I can deal with anything that comes my way", Julia thinks to herself. But little does she know what's on the other side of the wall. The wall that's protecting her from so many feelings that she doesn't even know exists yet. Julia proceeds to follow Piper through the bathroom, to get on the inside of the gated pool, but as soon as she crosses the line and her eyes get used to the warm, bright sun that's beating down on them....she stops dead in her tracks when she realizes who she sees staring back at her......