Chapter 1
The wind blew into the open window on the top floor. It swept past the dingy brown colored curtains into the small closet sized room. The only furniture was an old rusty metal-framed bed and a beat up dresser that barely fit into the tiny room. The wind flounced onto the bed and playfully whispered into a half hidden figure buried under old blankets full of holes. The figure groggily sat up and yawned.
"I know it's morning, now go!" the figure said half-asleep with irritation. In an instant the wind had stopped and the figure slowly stood up. "Great" she huffed as she pulled her chestnut colored hair into a messy ponytail, "I'm going to be late!" She quickly pulled on a faded green t-shirt and jeans, then eyed herself in the mirror. Her short hair didn't look too greasy in the ponytail but she put on a hat anyways; it hid her face. She cringed when she heard someone coming up the creaky steps.
"Girl! Your late for breakfast… again!" a squeaky old withered female voice screamed up the steps, "I'm adding more chores to your list!" The female slammed the door at the bottom of the steps. The girl sighed, slid on a pair of ill-fitted shoes and made her way down to the cafeteria for breakfast.
As she passed by groups of girls, she could hear them whispering and felt their eyes warily stare at her. They jumped out of her way and made sure when she looked at them seem immensely interested with something on the floor. She made her way to the large metal cafeteria doors. She took a deep breath and opened them.
All the conversation in the room stopped. The girls all stared at their trays laden with gourmet food. No one made a protest when she cut in front of them in the line for breakfast. The one eyed cook who was serving breakfast spooned a measly morsel of what looked like gray sludge onto the girl's trey; last years outdated tuna fish. "If you cut, you pay" the cook muttered. Everyone in the room held their breadth and waited to see what would happen.
"You're new here aren't you?", the girl pulled up her hat so she could look directly into the cook's eye. The cook slowly looked up into the unnerving gaze of the girl. The cook flinched and moaned but could not look away from the girl's yellow eyes. She groaned and tears began to stain her face. "Stop!" she whispered with her voice full of agony.
The girl smiled wearily, and said, "Say please." The cook groaned and murmured a response. "Say please." The girl said more firmly this time.
"Myra!" said the loud squeaky voice from before, making Myra break her gaze. "Stop this instant and come here!" Myra spun around and pulled her hat over her eyes again. She haughtily walked over to the head mistress and made a mock bow. The head mistress grabbed Myra's arm and took her to her office. As they left Myra could hear all the conversations start up again.
Myra could smell the overpowering smell of perfume before they had even opened the pink door. The head mistress motioned for Myra to sit down on the pink couch and walked over to the file cabinet in the corner. Myra took in the pink desk, chairs, couches, tables, and floors noticing that nothing had changed except for the plaque on the wall. The plaque was the only thing that wasn't pink in the room. On it was the inscription; World Class Girls Home with other words she couldn't make out.
Myra chuckled wryly, "If only they knew how ironic that is," she mumbled under her breath. The head mistress swirled around to face Myra and frowned, "What did you say?" she hissed. Myra said nothing but examined the head mistress from head to toe with a superior smile playing on her face. The head mistress was dressed in a long pink dress, with a matching shawl that made her gray hair stand out even more. The gray hair was pulled tightly into a bun that made her sharp birdlike facial structure stand out. A large wart protruded from the tip of her nose that finished off her terrifying look.
"I said, what did you say?!" the head mistress screeched. Myra blinked and gave the head mistress a blank look. "I didn't say anything." The head mistress frowned but went back to the file cabinet. Myra sighed, and waited impatiently for the head mistress to be done.
"Ah, here we are!" the head mistress said abruptly as she pulled out a large pink folder stuffed with papers. She opened it and sorted through them. "It seems that this is the tenth time this semester that you have…erm…" she paused as she searched for the right word, "gotten into trouble." She looked up at Myra whose face was expressionless. The head mistress continued, "I have told you not to cause problems and keep your head down or wear a hat to hide your eyes. I know you're smart; you are the top in your class. So why won't you listen to me?" Myra bitterly told her (for the hundredth time) that people treated her cruelly and she didn't see why such swine should not get what was coming to them.
Myra thought silently to herself, Everyone in this world stupid world is cruel selfish pigs that destroy everything they come in contact with and are cruel. They don't think that anything they do is wrong; they live in their own little world; unlike me. Myra blinked and looked up to see the head mistress staring at her. "What?" she asked trying to interpret what the head mistress was thinking.
"I am trying to decide what to do with you" she said. After a brief thought she said with a wicked grin, "since chores don't seem to stop your unruly behavior, I think I'll take away your free time in the woods or with your silly little books!" Myra's face was stone; it was unnerving to see how emotionless it was. She crisply said "fine" and got up to leave. "Another thing," the head mistress said, "Your food will be brought to you in your room, so as not to have an incident as this morning. Now off to class." The head mistress waved Myra away and sank into her pink chair with a sigh.
Myra couldn't help but notice all the stares she was getting as she walked to class. They stare because they are frightened of me, she thought but it did not brighten her mood. As she entered the classroom, Mrs. Loft, her favorite teacher stared at her as well. Myra had never realized how much people were uncomfortable around her. Myra sat in the back and tried to immerse herself into the curriculum like she normally did.
Myra tried to pay attention to Mrs. Loft's lesson but couldn't. Students were moving their desks slowly away from Myra and were eying her with distrust and were panicky that she would look them in the eyes. Myra closed her eyes as to concentrate better but it didn't help. It won't hurt not to pay attention one day, she decided, after all I'm way ahead of my class!
Myra stared listlessly out the window. It was a bright sunny day with breezes rustling the tree's leaves gently. The school was beside Unton Wood, most of the adults did not like the children going into them but they did so anyways. The wood was bright and cheery with wildflowers growing everywhere. In the middle of the wood was a large tree with vines twisted around the trunk. Myra had often gone there when she needed to think or just read. She was the only one who knew her way around the whole wood; instead of playing tag or picking flowers, she would go exploring. Myra sighed and mentally wished that it was the end of the day so she could go outside.
Myra was snapped out of her daydream when she realized that Mrs. Loft had asked her a question. "Do you think that this is free time?" Mrs. Loft said haughtily. The girls snickered and watched intently to see what would happen.
"No, Mrs. Loft", Myra said as she hung her head.
"Then what do you think you are doing?" Mrs. Loft said with a frown. Myra couldn't believe this ghastly lady was her favorite teacher, how could she be so uncaring? " "Thinking, about your wonderful lesson!" Myra said with sarcasm oozing like honey from her mouth.
"Enough of your disrespect, girl! I don't care how smart you are!" Mrs. Loft said with a snarl, "Come here!" Myra slowly walked up the aisle to the front of the room with twenty eyes watching her keenly. Mrs. Loft addressed the class with a firm voice, "Watch, and you will see what happens when you talk back!" Myra closed her eyes and waited for the pain as Mrs. Loft swung the ruler at her.
Myra winced when she sat on her bed; her butt was still very sore. She couldn't help but think of the anger that had radiated from Mrs. Loft. She sighed; it had been a long day. In every class the teachers had watched her very intently, waiting for her to do something wrong and punish her harshly. They would call her up to the front of the room then… she shuddered when she thought of the punishment. The punishment wasn't too cruel if the teacher didn't use too much strength or anger but all the teachers' anger was pouring out of their ears and Myra got the blunt of it. Then to make it worse, the head mistress made Myra do chores upon chores and did not let her go outside; except to clean the windows, the world was cruel.
Myra sighed and decidedly fell asleep until her dinner was brought up to her.
In her dream, Myra was in her reading tree, as usual, but the leaves were a darker more olive green then normal. She was sitting on sturdy branch with an old book in hand. The wind was whipping her hair everywhere and that but she didn't mind. Myra had the sense of waiting for someone and hummed while she waited. She heard someone climbing up but before she could look to see who it was a banging came from nowhere, waking Myra instantly.
Myra jumped to her feet and opened her door. The one eyed cook was standing in the doorway with a tray of food in hand. She handed Myra the tray and said with her gruff voice, "Leave the tray on the steps when your done and I'll get someone to pick it up later." Myra nodded and stared at the cook's disfigured face. The left eye was stitched shut with tiny bumps all over the eye-lid. Her pug nose was lopsided and her lips had scabs over them. The cook's one good eye was a too bright blue and the pupil was a strange shape. She can't see so well, I shouldn't have added to her pain; it makes me as bad as the rest of the world. And she was only doing it so I wouldn't cut in line… Myra thought abruptly as she lowered her eyes when the cook realized she was staring.
"What are you looking at? Your not a much better sight for the eyes either!" the cook exclaimed with vehemence. Myra mumbled an apology, quickly shut the door and sat down painfully to eat her dinner.
