"Great. Another boring day," sighed Leni as she walked up the steps to her school. Her name was actually Lenitra Thomson, but she preferred the name Leni.
"Hurry up, Leni! We're gonna be late!" yelled Natalie. Leni had lived with Nat and her family for about four months since Leni had come to New York City.
"Fine. Race ya!" Leni said as she and Nat sprinted up the steps of P.S. 119. Both Leni and Nat were freshmen at their school.
The building was in the historic district of the city, or as Leni called it, "the fossilized city." Almost everything in the area was old, even the oak trees.
As they entered the school building, Leni noticed Nat's other friend Karina Mathers. Karina was a tall junior girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. In Leni's opinion, she was sickeningly popular, especially with the boys since she was also head cheerleader. She was wearing a tight top, short skirt, and high-heeled shoes like she always did. The only difference was that today, Karina was carrying a plastic, see-through purse, which she had never been seen doing before. To Leni, Karina was just another rich, snobby slut.
"Hey Natalie!" yelled Karina, waving to Nat. Leni glared at her. "Oh, Lenitra, I thought you were going to fix your hair. Either it didn't work or it made your hair uglier."
Leni could feel her anger start to rise, like a fire just lit. Karina had always found Leni's hair a great thing to poke fun at. Leni almost didn't blame her; it was unusual, but she liked it. Her hair was platinum blond from the top of her head to her ears. There, it turned to a golden blond, which went to her shoulders. From her shoulders down, Leni's hair was a flaming red.
Her hair wasn't the only unusual thing about Leni's appearance. Her eyes were a bluish-green, the same color as the ocean. Most of the time her eyes would be that bluish-green, but occasionally, they would turn green. They would turn dark green if something upset her greatly.
"Come on, Natalie. Let's not hang around her," Karina said with a wicked grin as she looked straight at Leni and put her purse back up on her shoulder. Leni's eyes drifted to Karina's purse, which contained a silver box or something that reflected the light easily.
Karina grabbed Nat's arm and pulled her away, leaving Leni alone.
As soon as she had thought they walked out of earshot, Karina whispered to Nat, "Why do you let that freak live with you?" Unfortunately her, Leni overheard Karina's comment.
If any normal child had heard someone make that comment to them, they would have cried or else would have felt terrible. Leni didn't do either. She knew Karina was right, more than the junior even knew she was. Leni looked once at Nat and Karina's backs, then turned and started walked to her first class.
As Leni neared the classroom, she began to smile. Her first class of the day was Art and she loved the class. Not only because she could draw well, but also her only true friend was in the class with her: Don Jacobs. He, like Karina, was a junior, but he was nothing like her. Don was nice to Leni and funny, too. He had blond hair and slate-gray eyes.
"Hey Leni!" said Don cheerfully as Leni walked in the door. She smiled and walked to their corner in the back of the room. "What's up, firebug?"
She smiled again as he called her by the nickname he came up with for her. Don knew what happened to her family, same with some of the teachers and Nat's family. But he knew something else about her that no one else did, except for Leni herself.
"Not much. Karina Mathers ticked me off again," Leni said as she sat down by the window.
"Hey, calm down about it. Don't want to scorch something, do you?"
"Not really, Smokey."
"The bear?" Leni laughed.
"No. What are we doing today?" Leni asked.
"Don't know, don't care as long as we aren't doing mosaics. I hated doing those!"
"Hmm, I hope we're doing either origami or kirigami. I love Japanese stuff."
"True. Wait, what was kirigami?" Don asked confused.
"The Japanese art of folding and cutting paper," Leni explained.
"Oh. Yeah."
They continued talking, until the art teacher, Mr. Daryu, came into the classroom.
Halfway through their lesson on Da Vinci's sketches, the PA system came on in the room.
"Mr. Daryu, could you send Lenitra Thomson to the main office, please?
"Certainly," said Mr. Daryu as the intercom was turned off. "Well, Leni, you heard them. You better get down there."
Leni nodded as she stood up and exited the room. What did I do? She thought as she walked down the hallway to the principal's office.
"What?!" yelled Leni, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Ms. Thomson, calm down. Now, tell me, is this your lighter?" repeated Mr.Canaldy, a little more calmly this time. He was a balding man of fifty-three. What hair remained was white. He pushed his glasses back up as he waited for Leni to continue.
Leni looked down at the item in question. It was a small, silver Zippo lighter with a phoenix etched onto the surface. She knew it was hers, but was afraid to admit it. Finally, she decided to go ahead; it couldn't get worse than it already had, could it? "Yes, sir, it is. But..."
"Did you bring it to school?"
"No, sir. I don't know how it got here. I thought I had left it at home."
"Hmm, I see. Well, do you know Ms. Karina Mathers?"
"What's she got to do with this?"
"It was her purse that was burnt."
"Where was it?"
"Her purse was found in the bathroom between the junior gym time and the freshmen gym time."
Leni sat back in her chair, hardly believing that this was happening to her. And especially since it involved Karina, too.
"Ms. Thomson, until this matter is cleared up, I'm afraid that you will have to be assigned after-school detention."
"What about my lighter?" Leni looked down at it. The etched phoenix almost seemed to Leni like it was crying, the way Leni wanted to, but didn't.
"You may get it from me after detention today. Just as long as you come by before four-thirty and make sure that it stays home after this. Deal?"
"Yes." Leni nodded.
"See you this afternoon then, Ms. Thomson," Mr. Canaldy said as Leni left his office.
"Hurry up, Leni! We're gonna be late!" yelled Natalie. Leni had lived with Nat and her family for about four months since Leni had come to New York City.
"Fine. Race ya!" Leni said as she and Nat sprinted up the steps of P.S. 119. Both Leni and Nat were freshmen at their school.
The building was in the historic district of the city, or as Leni called it, "the fossilized city." Almost everything in the area was old, even the oak trees.
As they entered the school building, Leni noticed Nat's other friend Karina Mathers. Karina was a tall junior girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. In Leni's opinion, she was sickeningly popular, especially with the boys since she was also head cheerleader. She was wearing a tight top, short skirt, and high-heeled shoes like she always did. The only difference was that today, Karina was carrying a plastic, see-through purse, which she had never been seen doing before. To Leni, Karina was just another rich, snobby slut.
"Hey Natalie!" yelled Karina, waving to Nat. Leni glared at her. "Oh, Lenitra, I thought you were going to fix your hair. Either it didn't work or it made your hair uglier."
Leni could feel her anger start to rise, like a fire just lit. Karina had always found Leni's hair a great thing to poke fun at. Leni almost didn't blame her; it was unusual, but she liked it. Her hair was platinum blond from the top of her head to her ears. There, it turned to a golden blond, which went to her shoulders. From her shoulders down, Leni's hair was a flaming red.
Her hair wasn't the only unusual thing about Leni's appearance. Her eyes were a bluish-green, the same color as the ocean. Most of the time her eyes would be that bluish-green, but occasionally, they would turn green. They would turn dark green if something upset her greatly.
"Come on, Natalie. Let's not hang around her," Karina said with a wicked grin as she looked straight at Leni and put her purse back up on her shoulder. Leni's eyes drifted to Karina's purse, which contained a silver box or something that reflected the light easily.
Karina grabbed Nat's arm and pulled her away, leaving Leni alone.
As soon as she had thought they walked out of earshot, Karina whispered to Nat, "Why do you let that freak live with you?" Unfortunately her, Leni overheard Karina's comment.
If any normal child had heard someone make that comment to them, they would have cried or else would have felt terrible. Leni didn't do either. She knew Karina was right, more than the junior even knew she was. Leni looked once at Nat and Karina's backs, then turned and started walked to her first class.
As Leni neared the classroom, she began to smile. Her first class of the day was Art and she loved the class. Not only because she could draw well, but also her only true friend was in the class with her: Don Jacobs. He, like Karina, was a junior, but he was nothing like her. Don was nice to Leni and funny, too. He had blond hair and slate-gray eyes.
"Hey Leni!" said Don cheerfully as Leni walked in the door. She smiled and walked to their corner in the back of the room. "What's up, firebug?"
She smiled again as he called her by the nickname he came up with for her. Don knew what happened to her family, same with some of the teachers and Nat's family. But he knew something else about her that no one else did, except for Leni herself.
"Not much. Karina Mathers ticked me off again," Leni said as she sat down by the window.
"Hey, calm down about it. Don't want to scorch something, do you?"
"Not really, Smokey."
"The bear?" Leni laughed.
"No. What are we doing today?" Leni asked.
"Don't know, don't care as long as we aren't doing mosaics. I hated doing those!"
"Hmm, I hope we're doing either origami or kirigami. I love Japanese stuff."
"True. Wait, what was kirigami?" Don asked confused.
"The Japanese art of folding and cutting paper," Leni explained.
"Oh. Yeah."
They continued talking, until the art teacher, Mr. Daryu, came into the classroom.
Halfway through their lesson on Da Vinci's sketches, the PA system came on in the room.
"Mr. Daryu, could you send Lenitra Thomson to the main office, please?
"Certainly," said Mr. Daryu as the intercom was turned off. "Well, Leni, you heard them. You better get down there."
Leni nodded as she stood up and exited the room. What did I do? She thought as she walked down the hallway to the principal's office.
"What?!" yelled Leni, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Ms. Thomson, calm down. Now, tell me, is this your lighter?" repeated Mr.Canaldy, a little more calmly this time. He was a balding man of fifty-three. What hair remained was white. He pushed his glasses back up as he waited for Leni to continue.
Leni looked down at the item in question. It was a small, silver Zippo lighter with a phoenix etched onto the surface. She knew it was hers, but was afraid to admit it. Finally, she decided to go ahead; it couldn't get worse than it already had, could it? "Yes, sir, it is. But..."
"Did you bring it to school?"
"No, sir. I don't know how it got here. I thought I had left it at home."
"Hmm, I see. Well, do you know Ms. Karina Mathers?"
"What's she got to do with this?"
"It was her purse that was burnt."
"Where was it?"
"Her purse was found in the bathroom between the junior gym time and the freshmen gym time."
Leni sat back in her chair, hardly believing that this was happening to her. And especially since it involved Karina, too.
"Ms. Thomson, until this matter is cleared up, I'm afraid that you will have to be assigned after-school detention."
"What about my lighter?" Leni looked down at it. The etched phoenix almost seemed to Leni like it was crying, the way Leni wanted to, but didn't.
"You may get it from me after detention today. Just as long as you come by before four-thirty and make sure that it stays home after this. Deal?"
"Yes." Leni nodded.
"See you this afternoon then, Ms. Thomson," Mr. Canaldy said as Leni left his office.