Prologue: Failures
She wondered why she cared to practice; it always ended in bruises and cuts.
She'll never make it past the ten minutes. She would never win a race. She would never be important.
"You'll never know unless you try!"
And she tried and tried, but failure seemed to only produce more failure. Fail again, fall harder the second time. Rinse and repeat.
It was a cycle that had repeated itself for almost five years and even her mother had grown tired of the failures; her daughter's health was important to her, but even the girl could see that disappointment in her eyes. Now they just practiced once a week…the results would never change. Disappointment and failure were the same.
A long time ago she wouldn't have let the failures stop her. Years ago, she was a different person. Failure was but a word and sure, falling off of the Rhyhorn felt bad but it hadn't discourage her as it would later on in life.
Once upon a time, her mother would say she was improving. Now, all she said was 'You'll do better next time', give her a pat in the shoulder—never a smile, never a peck on the cheek like she used to—and go back inside. The rite-aid kit was always left behind so the girl could fix her bruises and cuts, and the Rhyhorn would gently lick her in an effort to help out but the girl would just smile sadly and walk away.
Once upon a time her mother would say, "Dream big and chase your dreams, kiddo!" But that time was long gone.
Dreaming never made the failure go away.
Her mom had stopped dreaming a long time ago and the girl had stopped ever since the reality of failure was too much to bear.
Once upon a time she wanted to dream big but the world is so small and she is so lost…and it felt so unfair.
She'll never be like her mother. Her mother made her dreams come true; the world had never been too small for her. She took it by storm and became one of the many stars in the center of the universe.
Serena Gabena would always wonder if she had a chance of being like her mother.
She'll wonder why she cared to practice and wondered why her mother still cared to watch her fail.
Serena knew she'll never make it past the ten minutes. That she would never win a race. That she would never be important.
Once upon a time, she wanted to dream big but now she hardly dreamed at all…