"Dad! I'm home!" Ria yelled down as she ran up the stairs. She ran across the hall and down shut the door as swiftly as possible. "What a regular day at the Myers household; drunk father, busy daughter," she muttered to herself sarcastically.

Ria found herself chuckling. She loved her father when she was younger; they would do everything together. Ever since her mother's mental illness was diagnosed, her dad started to drink heavily. About five months later, Ria found her family in the middle of a divorce. Between going to the lawyer and the hospital, Ria found her family as the edge of extinction. Soon, she would be split up from, most likely, both of her issuing parents. As result, Ria already used her heaping piles of school work as a coping mechanism. She would get outstanding marks to lead to an amazing future. When Ria sat down in her desk chair, the weight of the issues in her life felt heavier as she leaned back. She missed the good family she used to have. Ria remembered the hospitable feeling her mom would create when she came home from school; there would be snacks, homework assistance, and huge smiles.

Ria shared a smile at the memory. Now, she was the odd one. Somehow, the whole school had gotten ear of Ria's situation. Ria became alive in rumors spread about why she was wearing a frown that day. Sne who was never noticed as herself, but as the person with the parents that now fought 24/7. Sighing, she sunk into the math textbook.

Ria found a comfort in the numbers. They had reason. In math, there was always an explanation behind the outcome. Understanding the reason and answer would lead to an A. Unlike math, her mother's illness didn't have a simplification. The heart. The lungs. The brain. The blood. The body. The soul. The woman. All failing in moments. Did her mother have a motive as to why she had a disability? None that the doctors could provide could satisfy Ria. No one could explain, only the crippled body.

Lost in thought, her eyes searched the bedroom and landed at back on her desk. Suddenly, Ria ran her feet across the ground as she rolled the chair in a dizzying circle. Somehow, in the midsts of everything, she always seemed to be able to find a joy in everything. Not long after, Ria found herself fallen on the ground. Below her stretched a cream colored rug. There were a lot of memories that Ria created the rug; rainy days with her mother and her makeup supply, paintings, tears, books, secrets, smiles, Ria's first sleepover, karaoke, stories, and happy memories. Ria had some of her best memories created on the bedroom rug.

Out of nowhere, Ria remembered her mother sitting with her and her nimble fingers coursing through Ria's long, dark hair. Her fingers followed the familiar feeling and twisted the locks into a french braid. As Ria finished by tying the hair together, she looked up for a moment. The beauty her mother created, even after being hospitalized. For a moment, Ria felt pity for her mom, but she knew what to do to fix the feeling. Ria placed herself back at her desk, with the intent to finish her math. In the corner of her eye, a book was seen on the ground. Of the collection of books shelved next to her desk, Ria didn't recognize the deep red cover with a golden lion image. The book was glowing strong, golden lights radiated with a pulse, as if it were alive. The mysterious book was intriguingly beautiful.

"How?"

Ria cautiously walked over to the book and picked it off the ground. The large, scarlet hardcover book was a bit heavy; it looked worn but filled with life. Ria laid the book on the ground and sat around it. The book opened forcefully with some sort of magic, and Ria shocked with blinding rays of the golden light. Before she knew it, the world went dark.