This is a test, I'm just trying to see what I can improve on the chapter and seeing how people like it.

Sofia could still remember her father reading her the story she always begged for. She would ask for it every night, Whenever she begged her father, he couldn't say no. After all, he loved the story as well. It was the story of a brave heroine who worked hard to achieve her dreams. She faced many obstacles like a fierce dragon and a scary witch, but she kept going. In the end she got all she dreamed of. Sofia would always ask her father if he thought she would ever be like the heroine in the story.

"Well sweetie," he would smile at her, "If you work hard and stay strong, you can do anything."

Sofia had loved her childhood. Her father had taken her on walks and explained every animal and plant they passed. By the time she was six, she could name them all. Her father was the one who took her to a little hill overlooking the village and pointed out the large house on the hill to her.

"That is the Madrigal's Casita. They saved us not so long ago, and now we let them lead us. Queen Alma has three triplets your age, and they all have amazing powers. Maybe someday you'll get to meet them."

Sofia had been amazed. The Madrigals seemed too extraordinary to be real. She used to imagine living in that amazing house and making friends with the triplets. She knew that was impossible though. The triplets rarely left the Casita and people from all around would come to get help from their gifts. There was little to no chance of her meeting them. She may be able to get quick glances when she went down to the village, but so far she had only seen Julieta.

Despite her lack of friends, Sofia would run around in trousers and play in the rain. She didn't feel friendless when she had all the creatures of the world. Sofia had seen the other little girls in the village and knew she didn't have a normal childhood for a girl, but she didn't mind.

Sofia's father, Aurturo, was getting worried though. As she turned thirteen, he realized she would probably need some sort of female influence in her life. The villagers were starting to turn up their noses to the tomboyish girl. Auturo wasn't sure what to do though. He didn't have any relatives in the village though, so he wasn't sure what he could do. Then it came to him, there was a lady in the village who was looking for a husband for her and her two daughters.

On Sofia's eleventh birthday, her father married Daniella. Along with her came her daughters Valeria and Natalia. Sofia had been ecstatic. She thought gaining a mother and two sisters was the best thing ever, and at the beginning it seemed like it was. Daniella would take the girls out shopping and they would play dress up, but soon enough things began to change.

Daniella began adding rules. Sofia was no longer allowed to wear trousers and playing outside was "too unladylike". Her father had argued against it at first, he wanted his daughter to be happy. Then he began to get sick, and couldn't fight as hard.

So Daniella began to get away with more and more.

"Sofia, wouldn't it be nice if Valeria could have your room. She couldn't sleep upstairs with her low constitution. You can sleep in the attic!"

"Sofia, don't you think this skirt would look better on Natalia? It's just not your color dear."

"No you can't go play in the rain Sofia. Are you trying to make me look like a bad stepmother dear?"

All through this Sofia kept her father happy as he got weaker and weaker. She didn't want him to worry about her when he should be focusing on his own health. So she put up with Daniella, and just tried to ignore her as much as possible. She would find little loopholes in what Daniella said and take them. So one day when she was twelve Daniella said go away and leave me alone, and she had done exactly that. Sofia had thrown on a pair of trousers and ran out of the house.

As Sofia was running through the woods she smiled. It had been so long since she had gotten to go to the woods. She was so focused on the beautiful scenery that she didn't notice the person in front of her until she ran into him.

"Oh my, I am so sorry!" She quickly looked down,"I didn't mean to run into you."

As she held out her hand to the person she had knocked down. As he took her hand and stood up, the first thing she noticed were his green teary eyes. The boy had black curly hair, and a green ruana that seemed too big for him.

"Oh dear, are you alright? Did I hit you too hard?" Sofia was so worried about the teary eyes, that she didn't notice the boy's fist knocking on his leg until he hit himself on the head,"oh my."

"I'm...I'm fine. You didn't hit me...I'm just having...well…"

The boy trailed off and Sofia figured he was just shy.

"You had a bad day?" The boy nodded. "Well that just won't do!"

"It… it won't?" The boy seemed confused.

"Of course not. Here come with me!" Sofia took the boy's hand and led him through the woods and up a hill. From the hill there was a view of the entire village and the Madrigal's magic castle in the background.

"Here we are," Sofia smiled at the boy who still seemed confused. "This is my favorite spot in the valley, so I thought maybe we could sit and talk here." She plopped down and patted the space next to her.

"Why?"

Sofia gave him a patient smile. "Well I know how bad days are, and taking to my papa always helps, so maybe I could be the person you talked to," As she realized she missed something she smacked herself on the head. "I completely forgot, Daniella would be so ashamed of me. My name is Sofia. What's yours?"

The boy paused for a second before sitting down. "My name is B- Ivan. My name is Ivan."

Bruno wasn't sure why he had lied. Well, he kind of was. The kids in the village had stopped talking to him because of his gift. He had been scared when he first looked up into her straight brown hair and her bright blue eyes, but her smile had put him at ease. He didn't want her to fear him like the kids in the village did.

"Well Ivan, why are you having a bad day?" Sofia held up her hand,"I cross my heart and hope to die that I would tell anyone."

Bruno hesitated. She was a total stranger, and yet he felt compelled to trust her. He knew he couldn't tell her everything though.

"I...well...I kind of think I'm a shame on my family." It felt like a relief to admit it. "I don't fit and...I just don't know how to."

Sofia tilted her head. "Why would you think that? I'm sure your family loves you."

"But they judge everything I do!" Bruno sighed. "I'm so tired of trying to be perfect."

Sofia put her hand on his shoulder. "Then don't be. I'm not. My madrastra tries to fix me, but even she can't. I don't wanna be fixed. I want to be me. Why don't you just be you?"

"Oh I couldn't!" Bruno waved his hands in front of himself. "I would be disappointing everyone...I'm not perfect, but if I try hard enough-"

"Then you'll never be you!"

Bruno was in shock. No one had ever told him to just be himself. It was always-

"Bruno, why can't you just tell people good fortunes?"

"Bruno, why won't you just stop scaring the other children? No one needs to know that."

He was so tired of it, but maybe he had found someone like him.

"You...you really think so? I don't really get the chance to be me."

Something flickered in Sofia's gaze. "Then I guess you'll just have to be yourself with me," she stood up suddenly and Bruno followed her.

"What...what do you mean?"

"Well, I don't have a lot of friends, and I'm guessing you don't either. So how about we be friends?"

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course!" A voice rang out.

"Sofia, get back here this instant!"

Sofia paled. Bruno wasn't syre who had called her, but he certainly didn't want to meet them.

"I've got to go, but I'll meet you here again. I promise. It was absolutely wonderful to meet you Ivan! I'll see you again soon!"

With that Sofia ran off, leaving Bruno standing there alone. As he walked home he thought about everything. Sofus was certainly strange, but so was he. He really hoped he would see her again.

As he got to Casita he gave the house a little wave as he snuck through the back. As he walked in, his sister, Pepa, came running.

"Where have you been? Mama has five people who need their fortunes read. Come on."

As she pulled him along, Bruno sighed. He was tired of the same old thing, of the fear people had for him. It was the reason he had snuck out in the first place. At least he had something to look forward to. He smiled at the thought, before beginning his work.