In a cupboard under the stairs I tried to sleep as tears filled my eyes. I couldn't stop thinking about how much I hated Dudley Dursley, my stupid pig like cousin. We had a math test today and Dudley was looking at my paper to cheat! When I tried to hide my paper from him he starting screaming to Ms. Gould that I was the one cheating off him! She swooped down and tore up my test since all our answered matched and gave me a Zero. Dudley was smirking the rest of class.
At Recess Dudley and his gang started up their favorite sport –- Harry Hunting. In which I would run away for my life as Dudley and his 4 cronies would chase me and beat me up once they caught me. As they chased me in-between the school buildings I spotted a dead end. I knew I was dead meat.
For some reason, I felt a strange instinct to jump as high as possible when I got to the dead end. I closed my eyes and jumped as hard as I could. When I landed I fully expected with my entire being that I would be safely out of harm's way, up on the roof of the school building or something. When I opened my eyes my stomach plummeted. I was still very much at the dead end with Dudley's gang catching up. They beat me worse than ever before and smashed my glasses.
The School called Aunt Petunia and told her I had been caught cheating and starting fights again. When I got home Uncle Vernon thrashed my backside with a belt for a good 10 minutes before finally throwing me into my room.
I ached and had bruises and cuts all over, a fat lip and possibly a broken finger. But the worst part of the day had been the momentary hope that I would magically be safe when I jumped. Where had that surety come from? Why would I be so naïve as to think anything would ever work off my wishes? Thinking back I always had this feeling inside me, that If I wished and tried hard enough I could make anything happen, like maybe…I was special… or even… magic.
But nothing ever happened.
There were never any unexplained fires, no toys flying from Dudley's fat fingers into my own. No spontaneous teleportation. No getting out of my locked cupboard under the stairs by trying to force the lock open with my mind. Nothing special ever happened
And why would it.
I rolled over and let the tears trickle down my cheek and tried to go to sleep.