Have you ever felt completely alone even when you were surrounded by people who loved you? That was me. A fifteen-year-old girl cloaked in such darkness that even when people were holding a candle to my face, I could not seem to find a way out. This is my story; it is not for everyone, but it is how I came to be me today.

High school is supposed to be the 'best years of your life'. I wouldn't describe it that way for me. In fact, I would say that it was the opposite. You will never hear the words 'I want to go back to high school' cross my lips. I know it sounds silly, but it was pretty bad. Be careful of the people you date—they can lead to a lot of havoc, but let's not talk about him. Let's talk about how this led to today.

It was a dark time. I went from a smiling and happy kid with great parents and loving siblings to feeling like a blank canvas, void of emotion and happiness. I couldn't shake the cloud that hung over my head. Where did my love for life go? Where did my happiness run off to? It felt like that one person grabbed the light from within my body and ran away with it.

Then I picked up my pencil. I loved to write as a kid. It brought me into a new world, a world that I could create, I could control. A world where no one could hurt me or anyone else. I picked up that pencil, opened my notebook, and the words started pouring out. It was beautiful, magical even. As I continued to spin those words into a story, the light flickered, and I felt feelings I hadn't felt in a while bubbling back up.

Who knew that a pencil spreading graphite across a paper could bring back a person I thought was long gone.