Chapter 1

It was a cold summer day. Even in the hottest season of the month, the odds were against everyone. Emily sat down at a bench. Her golden hair was styled into a high elegant bun. She was wearing a leather sweater, a white t-shirt that had the word "love" printed in bold colors. She wore jeans that were covered by her long black boots.

She took out her phone and stared at it. No messages. Emily frowned at this. She was waiting for a message from her father. Her father, James, has been in Europe for the last 3 months but he promised her that he'll be there for her birthday. As much as Emily loved her father, deep down she didn't want him to come. Ever since her parents's divorce 7 years ago, all Emily got for her birthday was a few presents and her parent's screaming in the background. As fun as that sounded, Emily didn't want her father here. If she kept him a good few thousand miles from her mother, Emily might pass her birthday without the annual screaming contest.

The blonde teenager looked out into the horizon. A small smile crept onto her face. She cherished the moment the sunset was vibrant and she could feel the last sun rays of the day hitting her face. She loved seeing the formerly white clouds turn orange or pink. And she loved being alone to experience it all. But sadly, those moments of happiness were crushed when anther memory of her parents screaming at each other passed through her head. Emily's hands covered her face.

Her parents always thought she could handle everything. They think that she's strong enough. But as much as Emily hated to admit it, she wasn't. Emily couldn't handle the changes that were passing through her life right now. Her mother was going to marry her boyfriend. Her father started dating again for the first time in 7 years. Her brother was moving out of the house and going to college. Everything she thought she knew, was gone...

Sometimes she felt like saying what was on her mind. She wanted everyone to know that she wasn't as strong as they thought. She wanted them to feel everything she was feeling. She wanted all of them to realise that they were breaking the family that she used to have. She wanted her father back. She wanted to her brother to stay and she wanted her family back. Her real family back. Sometimes she felt like screaming: "Can you listen to me for once?!" or "Stop being so stupid and get back together!" But no one will listen to her.

Emily stood up from the bench and looked at the sunset one more time before returning to her house.

"Where's a time machine when you need one?"