I watch the other students push and shove her as she stumbles out of the bus, her dark, messy hair blowing fiercely in the breeze. No one else seems to notice the bruises and scars that are patched on her pale white skin. I often wonder where they come from, but I’m too scared to ask, I think everyone is.

It’s like there is a mysterious shadow of gloom, hovering over her, every second of the day, every second that people pass her by either completely ignoring her of staring in disbelief. Some people think she’s depressed or a goth but I think she’s just a girl with no sense of belonging.

She’s only been at our school for five weeks and I’ve only heard her talk a few times. At first I thought it was just because she was new but now I’ve realised it’s not that. If I ever walk past her or see her on the bus I smile at her, to be nice, she gives me a small, shy smile back but that’s all. 

One day I sat next to her on the bus, she usually sits alone, and she looked at me strangely, kind of grateful but mainly confused. “Hi” I said. “Hello.” She replied quietly, looking down. I glanced at sheet of paper she was holding. “What’s that?” I asked her, pointing to the paper. “This? Oh it’s just a story I wrote.” She said. “Can I look?” I asked her. “Sure.” She said, handing it to me. I looked at the cover, ‘Skyland’ It said. I started reading; it was about a land in the sky above the clouds. “This is good,” I told her, “really good.” “Do you really think so?” she asked me, her soft brown eyes lighting up slightly. “Yeah!” I replied, enthusiastically. “Thanks, I’m writing as a series.”  She said as the bus pulled up to school.

From then on I sat next to her on the bus everyday as she read me her newest ‘Skyland’ story. She’s not so lonely now and I’m happy.

My marked work- sophie