Batty Penderwick lives in the shadows. How can she not? Her sisters are so much more beautiful, more talented, and more…noticeable than shy, quiet Batty. Or so she thinks. Rosalind is beautiful and kind, the perfect daughter and the perfect friend. Skye is brave and smart with what seems like a hundred boys following her around. And Jane, Jane is something else, a dreamer, a writer, with a soul like a fallen star. They are so very different then Batty, so small, so quiet, so alone in a world that isn't made for people like her.
She hears the whispers at school, the ones saying freak, or weirdo. Batty means crazy, they say. It suits her. In her secret heart of hearts, Batty fears that they are right, that she is nothing, at least next to her sisters.
So Batty finds places to be alone, like the immense rock in Quigley Woods where she goes after school almost every day. The lonely sounds of her harmonica grace the silent forest.
After all these years and all this aloneness, only three people have stayed at her side. One is Mercedes, who is far away. Another is Hound, old now, but still faithful. The last is Ben, her little brother who seems to be the only one who thinks she is great.
But this sad, quiet girl can find beauty in anything, in the green of the leaves, the music of the birds, and the warmth of the sun. She sits on her rock and plays. She plays for the great tall trees that shelter her, the shy, gentle deer, the smooth, babbling brook that cools her feet on hot summer days, and the old dog that still follows her everywhere. Batty plays for her home.
A/N: This is my first fic with a plotline so bear with me. I promise it will get cheerier soon. Constructive criticism is welcome, now review!