Ashes Of What We Loved

Still Water, Silent Rage

A windswept, nearly deserted beach during late autumn. The sun hangs low on the horizon, casting long shadows and golden hues over the quiet sea. The waves lap gently — too gently — mocking the storm building inside her.

Ayla sat by the beach as the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky bleeding hues of gold and crimson. The waves whispered secrets she no longer cared to understand. She was too broken to listen. She had given him everything—her heart, her soul, her body. She didn’t know what else there was to give. And yet, here she was. Empty-handed. Alone. Wondering if love was ever meant to feel like this.

Ayla closed her eyes, and the sound of the waves blurred into the echoes of a time long gone. She was twelve again—new school, new city. Daytona Beach. Her father had just been transferred there for his job with the government, and everything felt unfamiliar. The house smelled different, the neighbors spoke with accents she didn’t recognize, and the sun felt harsher, somehow.

They were a family of four then—Mom, Dad, her younger sister Layla, and herself. She’d never been particularly close with Layla. They shared a room, not secrets. Played side by side, not together. But there was no resentment in that distance—just the quiet understanding that some souls orbit each other, without ever colliding.

She remembered the crisp school uniforms, the lunch trays, the strange sense of always being watched, always being judged. It was hard being the new girl. Harder still trying to belong when your heart was always half in the past, half trying to keep up.

But even then, Ayla carried something bright inside her—something unbroken. Hope, maybe. Or a belief that love—real love—was waiting somewhere in the world, just for her.

She didn't know then that love could look so much like betrayal. That it could hollow you out and leave you questioning the parts of yourself you once gave so freely.

Upcoming Introduction of Main Characters

Introduction

Introduction: Main Characters

Ayla's Father: Name: Michael Carter Age during Ayla’s memory (when she was 12): 43 Profession: Worked in a government civil office.

Ayla's Mother: Name: Evelyn Carter Age during Ayla’s memory: 39 Profession: A former teacher turned stay-at-home mom after her second daughter, Layla, was born.

Ayla's Sister: Name: Layla Carter Age during Ayla’s memory: 9 Profession: Student.

Ayla's Boyfriend: Stephen Matthews Age during Ayla's memory: 13 Profession: Student.

Stephen's Father: Richard Matthews Age during Ayla's memory: 45 Profession: Senior executive at a finance firm

Stephen's Mother: Linda Matthews Age during Ayla's memory: 42 Profession: Former interior designer, now socialite and charity board member.

Stephen's Sister: Emily Matthews Age during Ayla's memory: 7 Profession: Student.

Twelve-year-old Ayla Carter was the kind of girl who found comfort in routines—morning walks to school with her sister, sketching in the margins of her notebooks, and knowing exactly which hallway her locker was in. After three moves in five years, she’d finally started to let her guard down in this city, joining the art club, finding a best friend in Zoe, and actually looking forward to school.

But underneath her quiet resilience was a weariness that only kids who’ve unpacked the same box in four different bedrooms could understand. Every time she began to feel settled, the ground shifted. And tonight, as the family sat down for what seemed like an ordinary dinner, Ayla had no idea that everything was about to change—again.

The News at Dinner

The family sits at the dinner table. Plates clink, the smell of baked pasta fills the air. Ayla pokes at her food, clearly tired. Layla is humming while pouring too much ketchup on her mashed potatoes