Chapter 10 Ella stumbled through the crowd, trying to get to a more open space. With every step she took, she either bumped into someone, or ended up tripping them with her walking stick. Needless to say, the people at the festival were not happy with her. She finally managed to get to a quieter place, after 5 minutes of shoving through the crowd. She walked down the quiet street, listening to the sound of her feet against the damp pavement, her heavy breathing, and the faint sound of the music and yelling from the festival. She couldn't hear anyone around her, but she couldn't be sure that the street was empty. Not that it mattered much anyway. She slumped against the brick wall of an apartment building. She thought about her mission: notice things. Why did tell them to do that? Why would he drive them here and tell them just to notice things? She was thinking about this, when someone walked up to her. "Um, hi," he said. Ella didn't bother to pretend to look up. She didn't even bother answering. She was tired of talking to people, she just wanted to be alone for once. "Are you okay?" The boy asked, sitting down next to her. She didn't reply. She didn't look at him. She was barely even listening to him. They just sat there for a few minutes, neither of them talking. "Why are you so fidgety?" The boy asked. "And are you wearing sunglasses in the shade?" "Why do you care?" Ella snapped back. "I was just wondering. No need to be so defensive." "Maybe you should stop and think about what you're asking people. It might be a little personal." She touched her walking stick, after saying this. The boy's eyes grew wide as he realized, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I mean, I wasn't..." "Yeah, most people don't realize they're really asking." "So you're... blind?" "Don't say it like that." "Like what?" "Like it's some terrible thing that makes me different. I don't need your sympathy, and I sure as hell don't want it." "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just, it's not every day you meet someone who are-" "Who are what? Who are different? Someone you wouldn't want to be in a million years? Someone you feel bad for, even though you don't know their life story? Yeah, it's not every day you meet someone like that." Ella grabbed her stick, stood up and walked away, in the direction of where she hoped the festival was, hoping that she would trip, and make a fool of herself. The boy chased after her, "Hey, look, I'm sorry. But, you know, I'm not exactly normal either." She spun around to face him. Sure she couldn't see him, but you should always face someone while you're having a conversation, right? "What do you mean by that?" The boy shifted uncomfortably, from foot to foot. "Well, when I was eight, my house caught on fire. I barely made it out of there alive. They took me to the hospital, and they did what they could, but I don't really look the same now, as I did before the fire. That;s why I was over here... to get away from all the people looking at me. And what I was going to say before was: 'It's not everyday you meet someone who are like you.' " Ella stood there, not knowing what to say. "I'm Brendon by the way," the boy said. "Brendon Parkers." "Ella," She replied, the faintest signs of a smile on her lips. "Ella Santrez." "Nice to meet you Ella." - So this wasn't as long as I was hoping it would be, but I really have to go finish my homework. I'm trying to make every chapter at least 1,000 words, but this one was only 640 words or something like that. I hope you liked it! I'm trying to update every week and I think it's going pretty well. But now, I'm also doing Camp NaNoWriMo, plus I have all my school work, so I'm going to be pretty swamped :\ Hope you have an awesome day/evening/night, ~Percabethlives4ever
