Madison Green had never really fitted in at her school in Southampton. When she had first arrived when she was 8, she was picked on by a few girls who believed that they were better than everyone else. Gradually, most of her class had begun bullying her, making her miserable. The depression had felt like a knife cutting deep into her skin, slowly tearing out every organ, every bone and every vein that lay inside her. She had never had the courage to tell anyone; she thought that, if she had, it would only make things worse. When she was 10, she was filled with false excitement when her father had been offered a job in Germany; she was finally going to get away from the dreaded bullies. However, the job position was offered to someone else, and the Green family remained in Southampton.
Madison looked forward to the summer holidays; she could stay at home all day and she didn't have to face her classmates for six whole weeks. She didn't actually mind the whole learning part of school; it was just the people she had to learn with that was a bother. This is where our story begins, three weeks before Madison was leaving her primary school and going to secondary school.
Carrying her blazer over her right arm, Madison used her spare hand to take out the hairbands holding her plaited hair in place. She slid the hairbands on her wrist and let her brown hair flow freely down her back. The day was hot; sweat beaded her neck like diamonds. She couldn't wait to get home and pour herself a cold glass of lemonade.
"Hello, Maddie!" Mrs Sonnenschein greeted her neighbour as the child walked past her house. "Good day at school?"
Madison smiled at the lady.
"Ja, es war gut, danke, Frau Sonnenschein," the 11 year old said to the German woman. (Yes, it was good, thank you, Mrs Sonnenschein). The old lady beamed. It had been her husband who had recommended Madison's father to the job in Germany.
"See you later!" Mrs Sonnenschein said, and disappeared behind her window.
"Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Sonnenschein!" Madison called back, before getting out her keys and unlocking her front door.
"Hello?" the child called, setting the keys on a hook on the wall. "Mum? Dad?" No answer. Madison wandered off into the kitchen, setting down her school bag on the way. She took out a glass and poured some lemonade and was just taking a rather large sip when the door slammed and her mother walked in.
"Hello, darling. Nice day at school?" she asked her daughter. She nodded. "Oh, a letter came for you today!"
The mother dug her hand into her bag and pulled out a yellowing envelope. She put it on the countertop and then went upstairs to her bedroom.
Madison took another gulp of the fizzy drink and then looked at the envelope. Written in fancy green ink on the front were the words:
Miss M. Green
Bedroom opposite the stairs
45 James Avenue
Southampton
Hampshire
England