I dragged myself out of bed the next morning. I was not ready to face the world. But I got up anyway.

"Good morning, Kaylene!" my mom said.

"Morning." I muttered. It was definitely NOT a good morning for me.

"You sure slept late. Anyway, your dad and I are going out for the day. We're leaving about right now, so I'll see you later."

"Bye." I planned on going back to bed.

"Can you tell us a story?" Kyla asked a few minutes later. I had chosen to be strong, get dressed and face the day.

"Gladly." Guy sat down on a chair in the living room. Kyla, Klara, Eep and I sat down on the floor in front off him. "OK. Once there was a young... wolf. She seemed happy, but insisde she had a terrible problem. Nobody knew it, and she never told anybody. One day, she became ill. Very ill. Everybody, including the wolf herself, knew she would die. Still she didn't tell. Finally, on her deathbed, she opened her moth to tell her problem, but it was too late. She died, and took her secret to the grave with her. But, she became an angel, who occasionally came down to Earth, to warn others with problems to tell their problems, before it was too late."

Suddenly something in my head clicked. I was that wolf, and if I wasn't careful, I would take my problem to the grave with me. I never knew what tomorrow would bring. Painful memories flooded my mind.

(Flashback)

Alone on the hill- again.

"Why? Why me?" I said. "Why am I alone? Why doesn't anybody care?" My eyes filled with tears. I hated being alone.

(Another Flashback)

"Excuse me..." another chaotic meeting of Battle of the Books. I was the leader, and once again, nobody was listening. "Please, listen up, HEY!" Still, nobody payed any attention. What kind of a leader was I?

(Yet Another Flashback)

I stood outside the huddle. I was being ignored again in gym. Nobody even noticed me. "OK, Emily, you do this..." Carson, another student, said, "And Mackenzie, you can do this.." Soon everone had an assignment.

"What about me?" I said hopefully.

"Oh, um.." Carson turned to look at me. "Uh.."

I sighed, and turned around with tears in my eyes. Who cared about me? I was a nobody.

(Present)

"Kaylene? Kaylene? Are you OK?" Guy was shaking me. I snapped out of my daydream.

"No. No, I am not OK." I finally admitted. For the first time in my life, I admitted I was not OK. Besides when I was little, and got hurt. "I am not OK, and I'm not sure if I ever will be."

"Kaylene! What is wrong?" Guy was clearly alarmed.

"I am that wolf, aren't I?" I said, and Guy nodded. "OK. My problem begins with a story. Two years, or summers, as you would say, ago, I went to a public school. And the last year I was there, I was ignored. Right then, I lost all confidence in being who I was and that anybody cared. It's been bugging me ever since. My heart hurts so bad. I just want someone to care, and I want to be who I really am. Oh, I don't even know who I really am." I had tried to hold back my tears, but they overflowed. "I can't do this anymore." I buried my face in my hands and sobbed.

"Kaylene? We care." Eep said.

"We're here for you." Guy said.

I completely lost it. I sobbed harder than I ever had. "Thank you." I finally hiccupped. "Thank you." I did something I hadn't done in years. I reached out and gave the both of them a huge bear hug. And for once, I felt happy.