The Starlight Defenders: United and Undefeated

I woke up on a bus bench, head throbbing. A little side-note: I am absolutely terrified of public transportation.

I saw the golden light before I saw anything else. The sun was setting in the distance, and the light made it look like there was a halo around my head. It caught my attention before I noticed there were two other people sitting next to me. One man with an extravagant mustache and another, who looked like he had just crawled out of a sewer, both looking at me curiously. Noticing me awake, they got up and left without a word. That's when I realized that despite the headache and the fact that my clothes were rumpled and covered in mud, I wasn't hurt anywhere.

It's at this point that you'll say 'that's how you know you're dreaming.' Well, yes, but it doesn't matter because the dream didn't end there. I started walking home, but then remembered I live in New York City, which is not a fun place to walk through at night even if you are not terrified of getting kidnapped by some psycho who wants to cut off your ear for his collection or whatever that urban legend was about. So I hailed a cab and went home. When I entered my apartment, everything seemed normal except for one thing: every single light in my apartment was on and it looked incredibly clean.

"Mom?" I called out anxiously as I walked into my room only to find all of my clothes folded neatly on top of my dresser instead of thrown all over the floor where they belong. Everything was exactly where I left it; even my laptop was closed instead of cracked open on my bed with wires spilling out everywhere while various videos played on loop or whatever weird thing I do to pass the time when mom isn't around to cook every meal for me (I'm lazy af).

"Oh good! You're finally home!" My mom suddenly popped out from behind the door holding a tray filled with all kinds of delicious homemade food that she never cooks for me because she says she can't cook. "I've been waiting for you to get home since forever! Did you have a nice day?" She smiled brightly at me as she put the tray down on my desk and sat down on my bed, patting her lap invitingly.

I stared blankly at her and said nothing as I cautiously approached her bed, perched myself awkwardly on her lap, and accepted the plate of meatloaf she offered me without hesitation. This couldn't be real; this is what happens when you go through puberty and start thinking about boys... "Um... thanks mom," I said nervously as we ate together in comfortable silence listening to some happy music playing softly in the background while enjoying each other's company. "So... what happened today?"

"Oh! Lots of things! Your dad finished work early so he stayed home with me today so we could spend more time together." My mom turned around and smiled at me brightly again as she laid back against the headboard with me resting between us while we ate together happily like we used to when dad still lived here before he died from cancer last year.

"No!" I shouted in horror as loud sirens blared throughout my apartment waking me up from my dream once again. Forcing myself not to scream again in terror, I took a deep breath trying to calm myself down after having such a vivid dream about the past that always made me feel more depressed than anything else when those memories came flooding back all at once.

Just another normal day in the life of Chelsea Hayward whose mother has been suffering from severe depression ever since her husband's death eight years ago leaving Chelsea alone with her while they try desperately to live their lives normally. In the midst of managing schoolwork and helping her mother at work after Dad died unexpectedly from cancer two years ago, Chelsea finds herself adjusting to a new normal – staying strong and moving forward one day at a time. Whether it's dealing with her own emotional struggles or assisting neighbors who lost their homes during Hurricane Sandy, Chelsea is doing her best to hold onto hope in a world that continues to challenge her resilience. With every passing day, she keeps striving for the strength to live life on her terms, no matter what obstacles come her way.