A girl is struggling against the harsh wind. It whips past her face and pulls her hair back. She squints to get some kind of view of what’s ahead of her. The closer to the object she gets to the more the wind dies down. She stopped squinting her eyes and looks forward in amazement, what stands before her is a large tree in full bloom. The harsh wind had become a gentle breeze. The blossoms that had come off the tree were passing by her in what seemed to be slow motion. A memory of the past flashes before her eyes. A woman of unordinary beauty is singing a lullaby. This lullaby was taught to her long ago but it still remains fresh in her mind. She continues to walk towards the tree, stands with her eyes closed and places her hands on her heart to begin the song.

I wait here alone under this tree
While you continue your journey
I pray for your safety
I know you will come back
I sing this song of protection
I will continue to pray and sing
Until I see you walking up to this tree
Even if death whisks you away
I will continue to keep this promise
And live under this tree until we meet again


The girl opens her eyes to find that the wind died and that the ground was covered with pedals. Disappointed, the girl walked back to her home that was over the hill. She did her normal routine. It included doing homework, cooking, and sleeping. When she lay down in her bed to sleep. She looked over to her right and stared at the photo that stood her night stand. A small tear ran down her face. She wiped it away and fell asleep.


She had no dreams that night as what happened every night. It was of no concern to her. Her breakfast had already been prepared and placed on the table. Her adopted mother must left early again. The lonely mornings did not bother her. She was use to it by now. As she looked out of the kitchen window, the street was bustling with people as it always was. Nothing had changed for as long she lived there. She walked away from the window and to the front door. She put on her shoes and picked up her bag. She locked the door on her way out. She walked to the bus stop where she waited to be picked up. It was all too familiar to her. After boarding and getting off at her stop, she continued her way to school. She saw more and more students making their way to school. She arrived to school, and then found her class through the crowds of people who talked non-stop. She over heard the other girls gossiping when she sat in her seat. She never saw the point of it. It never did anything useful. The teacher started his lecture when the bell rang. The girl paid no attention to it. She knew the teacher was wrong. He was constantly wrong. She wondered why she even bothered to stay there. She could have graduated college right now but she didn’t. Her high scorces kept the school going so they forced her to stay. School was a dictatorship and she had no rights. Even out of school, she still did not have rights for she was a child. Adults think that children can’t make choices for themselves but that wasn’t true. She knew it but it didn’t matter how smart she was, they still oppressed her. This hurt her so much. To trick them she faked a smile everyday. Most people saw her as a happy little girl but in truth, she was an incredibility sad little girl. For she had no one to support her.


The school day passed by quickly and she left quietly like she did everyday. To her, the word “change” didn’t exist at all. Life looked like a movie on loop. She rummaged for her keys when she was at the steps of her house. She found them and unlocked the door. As she opened the door someone called for her.


“Did you get the mail my dearest?” A woman asked.


“No.” She replied.


“Alright.” The women confirmed.


She closed the door behind her then took off her shoes. She knelt down to take out her papers that she needed to do her work. She kept her bag near the door because her room was small. She dropped her work on the bed and headed to the kitchen. The women that had called for her earlier was prepping dinner. The girl opened the door to the refrigerator and pulled out chocolate yogurt. She grabbed a spoon from the dour, and then peeled the lid off the container.


“So, how was school?” The women asked the girl.


“It’s always the same answer and you know it.” The girl held back her urge to punch her.


“Yes, well my memory is a bit fuzzy.” The women laughed softly.


She stared at the woman who was now chopping lettuce. She hated the women so much. The woman was a complete incompetent fool. The women’s infieoraity pissed her off to no end. Only certain people agreed with her on this matter. The women could only cook and clean much like a housewife. In all of the years she had lived with her. The girl still thought of her as a stranger. The women’s head turned.


“Is something wrong?” The women asked.


“Nothing.” The girl said with ice in her voice.


She walked away and the women continued on with her cooking. She placed her half eaten yogurt on the nightstand and started on her work. She finished it in 25 minutes flat. She ate the yogurt while working. She took the finished yogurt into the kitchen to recycle the container. The women had already started cooking dinner. She cooked the girl’s most hated dish. That dish was fish and chips.


“What are you angry at for this time?” The girl asked.


“I’m not angry.” The women answered.


“You’re lying again. I know that you hate me, so you do stuff to make my life miserable.” The girl’s hands curled into fists.


“I would never lie to you.” The women denied.


The girl’s temper flared, “Yes you are! You think that I ruined your life but it was you! You are the one who decided to adopt me when my family was murdered!”


The women said nothing for a minute but she had a come back, “I don’t suppose that you don’t know who murdered then?”


“The murder is right front of me.” The girl pointed out.


Her head creaked towards the girl, “But there wasn’t any witnesses my dear.”


“And yet, you’re wrong there.” She pointed out again, “You didn’t see that witness. I bet that you can guess who it is?”


The women’s head was fully facing towards the girl and it was full of shock. Then, with the knife in her hand, she lunged at the girl. The girl successfully dodged the attack and ran to the front door. The woman was on her tail. The girl quickly opened and closed the door. She made sure that the women had not come. She locked the door and ran over to next door neighbor’s house to call the police. The women saw her and ran to another part of the house where she could escape. The boy who was next door let her in to call the police. The boy had managed to lock all of the windows and doors when the girl finished calling the police. They armed themselves just in case the women managed to get inside. Under the girl’s feet, the floor shifted. Their eyes widened when they felt it. The women had dug a tunnel connecting the two together. They got off the carpet and the carpet flew up into the air. She still had the knife in her hand while boy held a baseball bat and the girl had nothing. The women went for the boy but he dodged the attack. While, the girl was still in the same place out of fear. The women pieced the girl’s left shoulder. The girls’ knee’s buckled and she clenched the handle of the knife. The women laughed manically and the boy tackled her to the floor. At the moment, the police burst through the door. The boy held her down until the police could. They already sent for an ambulance when the girl made the call. The boy went over to the girl and applied pressure to the wound. The girl quickly passed out from the blood loss.


She woke up in a hospital with her shoulder bandaged up. The boy was sitting next to her bedside reading a book. He looked over to see if she was awake.


“Hey.” He greeted her.


She only smiled at him because the pain made it hard to speak.


“The women confessed to murdering your parents.” The boy told her.


The girl’s express was blank. It meant nothing to her. The boy placed his book on the table and walked to other side of the bed. He laid down next her and she placed her head on his shoulder.


“When did you figure out that she had murdered your parents?” The boy asked.


“A year after their death. That’s when you moved in.” She answered.



There was a few moments of silence before the girl broke it.



“We’ve met somewhere before.” The girl finally spoke.


The boy smiled, “Yeah, its called school.”


“I never pay any attention at school” the girl told him.


He smiled at her answer. They didn’t speak for awhile for the girl had fallen asleep again. There was something comforting about the boy’s presence. She didn’t know what but she didn’t care for just stayed in that position for a while