Prologue   
  She was the sun. Beaming, vibrant, so bright that it puts the other stars in the sky to shame. Even her name, Alina, was brilliant, and all of her features matched. Long hair, so blonde that it glowed in the sunlight. Grassy eyes that reflected the world. Freckles decorated her perfect skin, like snowflakes on a lawn. And her lips held secrets that she would only spill to him.
    He was the moon. A softer glow, much more...

    Pollution in our oceans is an ever-growing issue. Marine ecosystems are being affected by the two main types of pollution which are chemical waste and trash. Marine plants like kelp and seaweed supply us with 70% of the oxygen that is in the atmosphere. If we keep polluting the main source of oxygen for the earth, we will be affected in more ways than most people are aware of. The ocean also transports heat from the equator to the poles,...

"Open it, sweetie," Mom said kindly.
    I stared at the box in front of me. It had cheery snowmen all over it. I giggled at the wrapping paper when I saw one of the snowmen had on a red bow tie and a black top hat with a red ribbon around it.
"Mom! They match!" I said as I pointed to the snowman. Mom smiled and encouraged me to open the box again. I looked up at Dad. He...

Chapter 1

    Have you ever been put in a position, where you know what you should do, but you still have to decide if you shouldn’t do it anyway? I have, and I’m only eight years old. I shouldn’t be dealing with these kinds of big girl decisions yet. But I had to make one anyway last week. It was on Friday but I remember it like it was yesterday. 
    One of my friends in my class was swinging on...

    Change is inevitable. It’s bound to happen at some point. Some people run from change and desperately try to make sure everything remains the same. Others welcome change and wait for the day when things are different, for better or for worse. Regardless, relationships tend to change the most. As we get older, a relationship’s dynamic morphs into a more mature version of what it once was. 
    I have always been close with my siblings. It had been...