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That's the section of this story that comes right before this one, in case you've forgotten what happens....she was on the train to her new school, and she'd just met Ellie.
By the way, I've written much, much more than I'm posting right now, so I expect comments to encourage me if you think it's good!! Because otherwise I'll be too shy to post more!!!!



“Look! Oh, it’s beautiful.” Ellie shakes me, her eyes staring out the window, a big smile framing her face. “The school.” She looks at me excitedly. “It’s in sight!”
I blink, trying to clear my head of the vague memories of my doze. “Where?”
She moves back the curtain on the window so that I can see out, her eyes gleaming. “Wow. Isn’t it great, Isabelle? Look at those gorgeous structures, the pillars, designs….oh, it’s so big.”
She’s right, it’s huge. Huge and wonderful, though. Marble pillars reach up, supporting old, stone buildings carved with swirls and gargoyles. A glimpse of the courtyard near the side of the main building reveals a shimmering pond, bushes cut into the shapes of animals, and flowers of black and white landscaped beautifully into the scenery. It reminds me of a series of small castles, or maybe some old, rather Victorian-looking mansions. A dark green forest sprawls out behind the grounds, cheerful on the outside but so thick it’s almost impossible to see into. I make note to go to the trees and find a reading spot. The whole school is set up right at the bottom of a large, fairly green hill, and surrounded and hidden by trees, most of all the forest in the back. There are three buildings, and the headmaster explained each of them to me; the main building, by which I mean the enormous, carved statue of a thing in the center of the grounds, is where almost all the classes take place, as well as the meals and most extracurricular activities. The small house to the right of it is the Teacher’s quarters, and the larger building to the left is the student’s quarters and common rooms. I stare in awe, wondering if this will become home or just another school I don’t belong in.
We rock as the train comes to a halt. I glance at Ellie, who is still admiring the sculpted school. “Hey,” I say awkwardly, “how do we get our stuff up to the school?”
She frowns in consideration. “I don’t know…” She glances out the window once more, looking, and her face lights up. “Ooh, look! Horses!”
“What?!”
“There are horses outside the train! I want to ride that spotted white one!” Ellie grabs her bag and stands up to go. “Well, aren’t you coming?”
I stutter. “Uh-um…well, horses? I mean…surely not…what if- I’ve never ridden a-” I stop, studying Ellie for signs of amusement at my difficulty. She just stares at me, waiting for me to finish. “Um, I’ll be out in a minute,” I finish lamely.
Ellie shrugs and heads out the door, singing something that sounds like a cross between “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and the theme from The Matrix.
I’ve never ridden a horse. My family just doesn’t do family outings. We do family shootings, family drug dealings, family warfare…yet, somehow, amidst all the chaotic fuss of being the daughter of a recently-murdered drug lord living partially in secret and partially on the run my entire life, I just happened to miss out on a few ordinary childhood experiences. Hm. Funny how that happens.
I glance out the window. Some kids are mounting their horses, and there are men there helping them load up their luggage. Take a deep breath, Isabelle. They’re only animals. I’ll just watch a few people get on and follow their lead.
The train is emptying out, so I quickly take my book bag and follow the last of the kids. As I hop off, one of the men who works there offers to take my bag and help me mount my horse. I nod, trying not to seem too relieved that I don’t have to do it on my own.
I tell him the number that my bags have been given and what they look like and he tells me to wait where I am until he gets my luggage.
I glance around at my future classmates, finally getting a good look. Everyone seems to be finding someone to talk to, and I lean against the train casually, hoping I don’t look too stupid standing all alone, but almost feeling comfortable with being an outsider. Ellie is nowhere in sight.
A boy with greasy, dark blond hair sidles up to me. “Hey, honey. Whatcha lookin’ for?”
I glance at him with obvious annoyance. “I’m not looking for anything.”
“Right…” He snorts. “Nice hair.”
This time I look him in the eye. “Thank you, I like it too,” I say rather sarcastically. “Now go away.”
He shrugs innocently. “Hey, toots, I’m just makin’ conversation! Don’t go worrying your red-dyed head about it now.”
I grunt. Maybe if I ignore him he’ll leave me alone.
He seems to take this as an indication to keep talking, the idiot. “Did you dye it yourself?”
“No.”
“Oh, cause it looks like it.” He snickers, and I realize another guy and a girl have joined him. Richard and Laurie. Joy to the freaking world. And look, how nice, they’re sniggering like hogs as well. What fun.
Richard flips his hair and steps in front of the blond kid. “So, what’ve you got there, Is-a-bell-a?” The corner of his mouth turns up meanly and he glances at my book bag.
I glare at him. “My stuff.”
He mocks amazement. “Oh, wow, your stuff! That is very neat. Very cool.” Laurie giggles and leans on his shoulder. “Mind if I take a look?” The smile leaves his face and he reaches for my bag, pulling it off my shoulder and knocking four books to the ground.
“Hey!” I say. “Yes, I damn well do mind, give me my bag back!”
Laurie and the boy with the greasy blond hair laugh as Richard grins and dumps the rest of the books on the ground. “What have we heeerre…” He draws out the last word, smiling wickedly. “Aw, just books? Nothing interesting. Except…” He pulls out my journal. “…this?”
I make a grab for it but he yanks it back. “Cute, isn’t it? She doesn’t want us to read her little diary! Harriet the Spy moment, hm, guys?” He laughs, opens it up to the middle, and starts reading with mock drama. “’I swear, it feels like the last day of winter. I can…” he pauses for effect, “…feel it, in my bones.” Laurie lets out a loud laugh and casts me a nasty look. Richard continues. “The buds in the backyard have begun to….” he throws his head back and pulls a hand across his forehead. “grow.” He glances at me dramatically, and adds in his own commentary. “Oh, the horror! The beauty! The sheer amazement at nature!”
The boy with the greasy hair is guffawing. “What, d’you think you’re some kind of poet? Writer?”
I feel the heat rising to my face, my hands clenching in embarrassment and rage, my nails cutting into my skin.
Richard shoves his face right into mine. “That’s just cute,” he practically snarls, throwing as much sarcasm as it seems possible for him to muster into those three words.
I can sense myself filling with some kind of intense heat, fueled by the pure injustice of it, that my personal thoughts, however insignificant, have been thrown out to the public and mocked. I feel a kind of power reaching through my body, starting in my chest and then expanding out to my fingertips, and all of a sudden there is a flash of dark purple light. As if in slow motion, I see Richard, Laurie, and the blond boy thrown back to land heavily on their backs, shock creasing their faces. I see kids around me stumble back a few feet and turn around in surprise and confusion, and a moment later I observe their faces twisted with accusation.
I stop. Did I just do that? Did I control what just happened?
The blond boy slowly sits up. He looks at me in fear and resentment, then quickly stands up and backs away. “What the hell…”
Richard puts his arm around Laurie and leads her away with only an angry, suspicious backwards glance at me. Kids are whispering, pointing, staring. I feel my face flush, and I just want to get out of this spotlight, I want people to stop looking at me. I see the man coming with my luggage, and rush forward to help him. He, having not seen what I just did, simply helps me onto the horse and sends it off walking towards the grounds. And I had no trouble getting on. Somehow, getting on a large, hoofed mammal just seems to be the least of my problems right now.