"You can't play with us. Do you know why- 'coz you're not good enough and you stink and you're a filthy good for nothing loser!"

"Loser. Loser. Loser," they chanted as they closed in and surrounded her in a messy circle, they clustered around her in a threatening way.

"Stop it," she whimpered helplessly, not knowing what they were going to do to her, this time. She turned her head this way and that way, searching for an escape or at least an ally amongst the bullies, but as she expected, found none.

She didn't know what to do - there were too many of them and only one of her.

When she had had enough, her legs gave way and she dropped helplessly to the ground and sat, hugging her knees and cowering. She didn't consider herself a coward. She had fought back for the first few times but she had tried in vain. Now she knew a losing battle when she saw one and there was nothing she could do about it.

She felt someone poke her and laugh.

Why did they always do this? Why was it her? Did she do something wrong? She couldn't take it. She knew the saying 'sticks and stones...' but it still hurt and plus it wasn't like that was all they did.

"Leave me alone. Please someone help," she whispered sobbing to herself. No one came to help her, they all turned their backs on her.

She felt anger rise in her but was totally helpless. She felt pathetic. She was all alone in this cruel world, a world where no one heard your voice begging for justice.

It was after a few minutes if she hadn't been sobbing so hard, she would have noticed, that the children were all running. For once they weren't running to come and 'get' her, but away from her. They had been very afraid of something. They had all sensed it coming. It had never been a threat before but now it had changed.

As she sat huddled in a corner, she felt the air cold- the atmosphere had changed. She looked up and the first thing that crossed her mind was, they're gone, but why was it so dark?

Then she sensed it too. Unlike the others, she didn't feel the need to run away because she didn't feel afraid at all. It wasn't posing a threat to her, if she wasn't mistaken it was inviting her to join it.

She stood up.

"You helped me. You made them go away." There was no reply but she knew that whatever it was, had heard her.

Then she felt a surge of darkness coming towards her but instead of running, she welcomed it with open arms. When the darkness surrounded her, she embraced it and held it close to her. She felt lost in it.

But she still wasn't afraid. She had found her warmth in the cold and her light in the dark.

To her, the darkness was her only ally, for it had befriended her when she was down.

It gave her strength when she was weak.

So as the darkness enveloped her, she felt happy and willing to go wherever it took her.

To her, it was her way out. It was taking her away from all the torture. Away from the horrible life she led.

And the darkness did take her, to a new life in a new world. A world filled with vengeance, into the world of the night…