Zelda Knightly, District 3, Female, Age 16

"Freak." A slightly overweight man wearing a suit is looking at me from his place almost two metres to my left. He hisses his words to me. Venom clearly laced through them. I shrink and avert my gaze away from him. I continue walking, I hear him mutter something else. I try to forget about that part though.

I continue walking, hurrying my pace as to try and forget. I close my eyes too, hoping it will not only black my view but my hearing as well. I know it's futile but it reassures me in the oddest ways. In my rush, I nearly bump into a young blond haired man. No older than twenty, wearing almost all black. "Watch where you're going, Bitch." I nod before running off in the other direction. Tears prickling my eyes. I hear another voice. This one much more high pitched.

"Weirdo." I see a little boy no more than ten look up to me and whisper it. I continue walking, hurrying my pace. I don't want acknowledge him. It'll only make it worse. "Hey Freak! My son was talking to you!" I hurry off before the boy's mother can make another remark. I pretend that I didn't hear her. Or her son.

I stop in front of a shop when I voice behind me speaks. "What the Hell are you doing here, Freak? The sign clearly says no animals." I don't even bother looking at who spoke. I Turn around and brisk right past them.

These are the words I hear as I wander aimlessly through my District. Hoping for a breath of fresh air. A breath of fresh air that doesn't involve insults trailing me as if I were on a leash. But the Wirds never gave in. No matter how long it's been, the Wirds don't stop. I was twelve when they started. Et continued on through the War even, and our District had to have been the most rebellious one of all. We had been relentless. In our view Rebelswere right. We treated each other well. Except for me, because even in the midst of war. The Wirds followed me.

The words always followed me.

I sigh, I had quit school for just this reason. Words. All they were were words. Yet, they convinced me to throw my entire future away. Then again, I most likely would have become suicidal if I stayed there any longer. So my future was doomed either way because of Words. I wasn't crazy, just cynical. Depressed. Vulnerable.

I had always been kind. To everyone. But then Words had to do the opposite to me.

Words. That's all they were weren't they? But they felt like so much more. To be honest the whole District hates me, minus the exception of my step-brother and mom. My real dad's dead. My step-dad, new dad, quite honestly only tolerates me.

And my step-sister's one of the main reasons, why if I had stayed in school, I would have most likely become suicidal. She was the one who started the insults, believe it or not. At first they were simple comments, maybe that my shirt didn't go with my pants. Little things. I would be necker, self-conscious. I would cast my head downwards to avoid embarassement. That was before she told the whole school nasty things. Nasty things concerning me.

It was different that day. I walked into to school, just a helpless twelve year old. The students started whispering. That was when I got my first real taste of Words. Nasty, mean, horrible Words. I would go to my class, the words, idiot, freak, weirdo etched into my pure white desk. I didn't know what was going I heard the Words. I over books, they would help me escape. I would escape the Words and replace them with new ones. Nice ones. Words that were for once on my side.

Ironically I was reading when I heard what Jennifer had told everyone. What words she had used exactly. I pretended not to care. I would feel the tears prickling m eyes. At lunch though, Dominik joined me. My step-brother. and he helped fend off the Words. The Words.

All just rumours too. Lies. I was already an outcast among my fellow students. I had no friends, not even one. This just gave them even more reason to avoid me like the plague. I was already ridiculed for not inheriting anything of my mother's. She was computer smart. Technologically smart. But all that came to an end when she remarried when I was seven to Jade, my newfound father.

So, everyone expected me to carry it on. But I couldn't. I was failing in moSt of my classes already. Add on the pressure and I was gone. They whispered about the dumb girl born to a genius. I would cry myself to sleep. Seemed like I couldn't go a day without the words trailing me. Seemed like I couldn't go a day without being laughed at, pranked, bullied, beat up even. They whispered, talked, laughed, snickered.

My spoiled brat of a sister just made that ten times worse. Jennifer. I'm honest to goodness so glad my step-brother was absolutely nothing like her. Dominick was actually nice around me. Happy. Something I realized, isn't an emotion expressed around me a lot. Normally it's disgust, anger, superiority. Never Happiness.

He would defend me, when people whispered. But that just made the District talk about him too. But he was smart, so at least it wasn't too bad for him. They would mostly pity him, saying that he was only doing it, out of pity. Out of responsibility. Out of society's rules. They say he would defend me because he had to, he was my step-brother.

My only real friend, was potentially not doing it for the sake of helping me. But they were just Words. Letters put together to form words, then Words put together to form sentences. With sentences came insults. And with insults came threats. And with threats, insults and Words, came suicidal thoughts.

I quit school because I thought the insults would stop. Turns out they didn't. I had started going on walks, nothing better to do now with school over forever. I was hoping it would clear my head a little. Help me forget about Words. Stupid Words that for some reason mean so much, so much.

They would never give me a chance. Nobody would. Not Jennifer, not the townsfolk, Not Words. I would get rude when they didn't give me a chance. But when I snapped at them, they would just tell me words. And those would always break me. I would take walks, naps, would read- I had always loved reading. The one place where words were always on my side- to rid my heads of the Words, the very same that plagued my dreams and thoughts.

But the words just followed me. They never left me alone. I have never done anything to anyone, yet. I am the one suffering. I had always been kind to everyone. I would think they finally looked past our differences when would talk to me nicely. They would treat us as friends for a couple of hours.

They would tell me that they had forgotten their red dye at home. I would give them my bottle. Next class they would ask for my sweater because they were cold. I would give it to them. The next day they would return both items. I out the dye back into sweater pocket before slipping the sweater on. When I would get home, I would see why exactly they had plays nice. The word, 'Freak' dyed onto the back of my favourite sweater in big red letters.

I would walk past a shop, I would hear the whispers. I would simply duck my head and try to block the Wirds out. But it never worked, no matter how hard I tried at least area words would get through. Never any nice ones. But I would keep walking. I would wave to a young child, I would hear the mother frantically pull her child away from me. I tried my best not to look offended and hurt. The child would wave back, before the mother would most likely tear her child away from me. Then she would tell him all the lies. He would never want to step nearer ever again.

People would clear a path for me as I walked, not like they did for royalty back then, but because nobody wanted to touch me.

It was nice sometimes, not having to shove your way through a crowd like most were forced to. But other times, most of the time, it was so sad. Depressing. They would clear the way for me because they didn't even want my shoulder to brush theirs. It was lonely too. I was always lonely. I would die insane and alone.

I'm not insane quite yet though. I think I may go insane because of the Words. I know I sound foolish, young, selfish even. They're just words. Just Words. But every time I close my eyes, they're there. Every time I go to sleep, they whisper. Every time I try to escape them, they're right behind me.

I cannot seem to escape. I think I have right to believe I may go insane. I never knew my father. Died. When I was six months old. I know I shouldn't be complaining, imagine if I had actually known him. Only for my father to be torn away from me forever. I wasn't sure which was worse. Because I wanted so badly to have been able to know my father.

Is that selfish? Is it really? I have the right to want to know my father, right? I don't even know what's right and wrong anymore. Words have messed my decisions and opinion long ago. Words would whisper the self into my ear, leaving me more confused than ever.

I would say I was right, I would justify it, calculate it, make sure I was right. Then would would say I was wrong. No proof, but because they were Words I would believe them. And soon enough I would convince myself that I had indeed been wrong.

I was a freak.

I was a idiot.

I was a weirdo.

That was what Words had told me. I believe them. Because I've learned to believe them. Words have twisted my mind, or shown me the truth, which one? I'm not sure. Because I Zelda Knightly, was not only broken but also insane. All because of stupid Words. I am broken and cracked because of Words. And I don't think anyone'll be there for when I finally shatter.

Because I am Zelda Knightly, and Words may have the biggest monster I have ever faced. Who am I kidding, I've never faced them. I've always ran away. Or at least, that's what the Words tell me.

Erm, I think I may have made Zelda insane about Words. She seems so broken though, I just wanna give her a hug. I actually quite like it though, in the end. Sorry about that, hope it's fine with you on that one. But all in all I really like Zelda. Can't wait to write more of her.