CHAPTER ONE: TRAPPED IN SILENCE
(Revised & Complete)
I can hear it—
The soft whispers in the wind telling me I am more than what I was ever meant to be.
Each twilight, when the world falls silent, the faint murmurs grow louder in my head like a tightening vice, insisting that I am not where I should be… not who I should be.
I am Oliviana Miller, the forgotten daughter of the Miller family—though calling my life pathetic would still be an understatement.
For as long as my memory reaches, I have lived beneath the shadow of my elder sister, Hailey.
While she was celebrated for every breath, every blink, every insignificant achievement…
I became the family's disgrace.
To them, I was the outcast.
To the world, I was a failure.
And nothing could change that.
I never complained—not when Hailey slapped me just because she felt like it, not when she dragged me through humiliation to pass time. I smiled instead, because her smile was beautiful—radiant, like a moon-lake gem. Seeing something so dazzling felt like enough for me.
She took whatever belonged to me, and I let her.
The day she finally gave me a nickname, I was thrilled.
"Hey, gobblin, come here. I need a stool—and your body looks perfect for one. It's probably the only thing it's good for."
But one thing was undeniable—
I was different.
At night, I heard voices whispering from somewhere cold and ancient.
And then there were the dreams.
Terrifying dreams of towering, fur-covered beasts.
Dreams of battles long forgotten—blood-soaked ground, scorched valleys, warriors collapsing beneath blackened skies.
I couldn't stop the visions…
Or maybe… I didn't want to.
What secrets are calling out to me?
Why me?
And why does the darkness whisper my name—
as if it already knows me?
Light slowly seeped into the cramped, dust-choked room, illuminating piles of old junk stacked against the walls. At the center, on the bare wooden floor, a small, petite figure lay curled into herself.
Me.
The sunlight stroked my face, and my brows twitched as though the light itself disturbed me.
BANG! BANG!
The door shook violently.
My eyes snapped open.
"Hey, tramp!" a familiar, venom-laced voice shrieked. "You'd better get out here, or I swear I'll skin you alive! Literally!"
Hailey.
Of course.
"If I miss Cole — I mean first class— because of you, I'll kill you!" she barked, quickly correcting her slip.
The door creaked open and I stepped out, wearing plain jeans and a simple shirt. My long black hair—naturally silky, waist-length—was braided to the side. Hailey insisted on it. She said my hair "threatened" her beauty.
Her disgust was instant.
Her perfectly sculpted face twisted as soon as her eyes met mine. With a flip of her paper-blonde hair, she tossed her designer bag at me. I caught it quietly, like always.
She descended the grand mansion staircase with elegant confidence.
I followed behind her… like a master and her obedient shadow.
Downstairs, Mrs. Orphella Miller, my aunt sat at the breakfast table, scrolling lazily through her phone, looking flawless as usual.
"Mom, I'll be bringing some friends home later for my birthday banquet," Hailey announced, already walking toward the front door where her Porsche waited.
Without glancing up, Orphella replied, "Sure, honey. Don't be late for the banquet, okay? Love you."
She blew Hailey an air kiss.
Hailey didn't bother acknowledging it.
Just like always.
High school.
For most teenagers, it was a place to grow, make memories, and survive adolescence.
But in East Senior High, it was a battlefield—one ruled by the rich, the loud, and the beautifully cruel. If you weren't born into money or worshipped by the crowd, you were nothing to them just like an invisible pebble under their designer heels and perfect life.
People like me weren't just ignored—we were mocked, labeled, and trampled over they called us the losers, the tramps.
But I had a special name, one gifted by my beloved big sister.
Goblin.
Ever since Hailey spat that name at me, it stuck like a curse. Anywhere I went, the word followed like a shadow glued to my skin.
"Goblin! Hey, Goblin!"
Hailey's voice sliced through the hallway, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I turned just in time to meet her glare—one filled with boredom, annoyance, and something close to disgust. Behind her stood her entourage, Sasha, Tasha, and Beyanca—three perfectly sculpted, perfectly blonde creatures who trailed behind Hailey like jeweled pets. Their hair was curled and pinned in elegant updos. Their clothes sparkled and their judgmental stares burned.
"Where were you?" Hailey demanded, her tone dripping with irritation.
"I—I'm sorry, I—"
"I don't care, Goblin."
She tossed a heavy stack of gold-colored invitations into my arms, piling them on top of her entourage's bags already weighing me down. "Take these and deliver them to their owners."
With a synchronized sway of expensive perfumes and clicking heels, they strutted down the marble-floored hallway like royalty.
I sighed softly. Seeing them happy… meant everything to me. Even if it crushed me.
I had already delivered half of the invitations, and as I walked down the hall with the rest, my foot slipped. My heart jumped—I was sure I'd end up in the school infirmary again.
But before I hit the floor, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, steadying me and pulling me into a warm, firm embrace.