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open quotation marks closed quotation marks The Butterfly Effect

Do you like mysteries? Do you like existential dread? Do you like soda fountains and floats? Well, boy, do I have the story for you!

The Butterfly Effect is the fourth of my five main stories and my second most developed. It's a psychological horror story about a teenage girl who is desperate to find answers after finding a mysterious journal, but doesn't recieve any help from the plot. Main focuses include: domino effects, family and friends (and them falling apart), the supernatural versus reality, and questioning one's purpose! Tropes include: found family, toxic relationships, parents who should've divorced, and enemies. Enemies to something? Enemies from something? I'm not telling!

To give a more in-depth peek, TBE centres on Edith Burnes. In 1958, the Burnes family suffer a personal tragedy. Just before the new school year, they move from California to western Washington state. The town they move to is small and isolated. Everyone already knows each other, and it's hard for Edith to squeeze in. Immediately, she makes herself enemies. Her only true friend is her eight-year-old brother, Tomas.

After advice, she takes up journaling. However, when a journal unexpectedly and impossibly shows up, she is thrown into a conspiracy far greater than herself. Without anyone to rely on, she carries the burden of chasing truth on her own.

open quotation marks closed quotation marks Characters

Edith Burnes

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Edith is the first-person protagonist of TBE. She is a fifteen-year-old girl in her sophmore year. She is the daughter of Dennis and Martha Burnes and the older brother to Tomas Burnes.

Edith is highly observant. She struggles to understand what some of what she observes means, but she is well aware of small changes in other people and her environment. However, her social life suffers. Her tone comes across as deadpan but extremely serious. Likewise, her peers think she overreacts to most situations. Combined with her general awkwardness, she is usually avoided.

In conjunction, her memory fails her often. Only those closest to her--like her best friend and younger brother, Tomas--are likely to have details remembered. First names are a nightmare to remember, let alone birthdays, likes, dislikes, or even surnames. Notebooks and diaries don't appeal to her. The idea of having to write everything down and remember to write it down sounds exhausting.

Due to this, exams are stressful. On the other hand, assignments are a breeze. She enjoys fact-based subjects like maths, science, and home economics. She has trouble with figurative/speculative subjects. English is her least favourite subject because of the wonky rules and narrative assessments.

Trivia:

Edith is the first-person protagonist of TBE. She is a fifteen-year-old girl about to start her sophmore year of high school when she's thrown from California into Washington state. Already, she was socially awkward and overly serious. By moving states, she finds herself completely isolated (physically and metaphorically). Her peers avoid her on account of her unsociable demeanour. By her first week, she has made enemies. Her only friend is her younger brother, Tomas.

Most of her time is spent indoors or exploring the woods directly behind her house. Despite her poor memory, she loves to research. Red foxes are her favourite animal and she reads everything she can about them. Her grades are good on account of her dedication. However, she does poorly in physical and figurative subjects. Creative writing is her least favourite subject.

During especially stormy days, she visits the soda fountain at her local drug store. It is much easier to enjoy the drinks when she is not surrounded by peers. Her first meeting with

Edith is the protagonist of TBE. She's a fifteen-year-old about to enter her sophmore year of high school when she's thrown from California into Washington state. Social awkward but observant, she is acutely aware of her awful social standing. Her only true friend is her younger brother, Tomas, whom she spends most of her time with. When she's not, she's wandering through the woods directly behind her house.

She is very serious. Due to her unstable home life, she has learned to build a safety shell around herself. Her peers say she overreacts to the smallest of inconviniences. Despite her poor memory, truth is her greatest value. Highly curious, she loves to learn and has a genuine interest in school. Her grades are good and she's on track to quietly graduate and leave her isolating (physically and metaphorically) home.

Eventually, the weight of her lonely life becomes crushing. After a doctor's appointment, she is instructed to keep a journal of her thoughts. In doing so, she amasses a vast collection of copy-cat covered books.