Little Miss Strange

 Johnny.

I’m Johnny. I’m 10 years old and I’m in 6^th grade. There’s this mysterious girl. Her name is Felicē. They call her Little Miss Strange. She always speaks in a whisper. She sits alone. Her face looks blank. 

Anyways it was the first day of school. Felicē acts all weird and strange. It seems she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Her eyes are elusive. I tried to introduce myself. I started to walk beside her and have a little chit chat, but she remained distant. Like her mind is somewhere in the shadows.

“Hey, you must be Felicē, right? I’m Johnny.” I said.

“Yup you got that right.” she whispered.

“I’m just asking, is something wrong?” I continued.

“Nothing. I’m doing fine.” she answered. Then she started walking the opposite way. I ended up looking at her back as she disappeared in a corner.

Later on. I went to eat and saw her walking alone. I followed her and she ended up eating by herself at the end of a corridor. I was worried about her situation. My friend saw me peeking then he called me.

“Hey dude!” Carson shouted from the other side.

“Shhh….be quiet dude!” I replied still trying to think what seemed so strange about Felicē when she suddenly stood up.

Carson dragged me by my backpack. I was so angry at him I can’t focus on her.

“Will you tell me what’s happening?” Carson asked.

“Okay. Felicē is the mysterious girl they always talk about, right? Now I’m starting to be curious about her. Now all you had to do is to be quiet and follow me. Stay quiet!” I said.

I followed her and Carson joined in. We went straight to where she was headed. Turned on another corridor but there is no trace of her. We moved on a bend not usually popular to kids our age. 

“It is dark in here, my friend.” Carson started to be curious about Felicē, too. But the darkened part of the building terrified him, he started backing off whispering, “I wonder what he’s up to. He has been wacky and crazy about this.” Carson said.

I didn’t know what was he talking about but he’s starting annoy me. Then I noticed Felicē dropped something and it was a necklace. It was on the floor and she did not notice it fell. I was scared to pick it up because she might see me and realize I am following her. I waited for her to come back get it herself but at that moment, I fell because it was slippery, though I was able to grab the necklace. Carson was there to help me but all he had to do was to pull my legs to get out.

“Thanks a lot dude. It was great.” I said.

“Told you I could help you. What’s that you got there? You should give it back though before you lose it.” he said.

I gave it back to her when it was lunch time. I asked her if she wanted to eat with me and my friends. 

“Can you eat with us for lunch?” I said.

“I’m sorry but I can’t.” she said.

“I found this on the floor. I saw you drop this.”

“Thanks a lot. This was my grandma’s. Now she’s not here. This is so important to me. When I miss her, all I could do is to stare at this necklace to remember her.” Then she turned away with that distant look again.

Next day….

I went to school early. Because of that, I need to ask the guard to open the gates for me. I was walking quietly until I heard footsteps on the stairs. I peeked and it was Felicē. What was she doing? Why is she here? I wondered. Then she saw me. She ran and I chased her. Then like the previous day, I lost her. I didn’t know where she went but I had to call my friends quick. 

It was our first period when my friend texted me.

            The message said: We caught her walking towards the little room under the staircase.

Carson.

I was with Jordyn when I saw Felicē rushing through the staircase so I texted Johnny so he knows where we were. Jordyn and I chased her and caught her opening a room under the staircase. I was going to ask her something but Johnny quickly ran towards us and wants to see what’s happening.

“Carson, Jordyn, what are you guys doing here? And Felicē what are you up to?” Johnny said.

“We were in a dark room and we were ready to ask questions about this silly guy who is trying to…” Carson said.

“I’m not silly, Carson and what are you talkin’ about?” Johnny said.

“It is true that he is silly. Not just silly. Wait! Let me think… Oh, I know! He’s lunatic, out of his mind and he’s ugly. That’s a great thing to describe Johnny. And Jordyn, she looks so annoying and weird and…..” Carson said.

“I don’t have time for this Carson! Just leave me and Johnny out of this. Understand!” Jordyn said.

Johnny. 

After that conversation Carson began to roll his eyes at Jordyn. Anyways, Felicē started to be out of place because of us but I started to ask questions.

“Hello, Felicē! First of all you got this necklace that your grandma gave you and you told me that she’s gone. Next, you went to school early without even opening the school door. Now you’re being sneaky and what is wrong with you?” I asked. 

“I know. Maybe her grandma gave her the necklace. Maybe, when she was small, she was an orphan and her grandma adopted her. Now she’s dead. So she is now living in school with the supplies so she would have a place to stay and an unlimited supply of school stuff.” Carson blurted without thinking.

“Be quiet Carson! This is serious!”Jordyn scolded Carson.

“But it’s true!” Felicē yelled back crying on her hands. She started to crumple on the floor, looking so afraid, and lost with that distant and lonely eyes I got curious about.

“What?” Jordyn and I said in unison.

“Told you it’s true! Wait! It can’t be true. I just guessed that.” Carson said.

“It’s true. I was an orphan living in an o homecare. An old woman adopted me and gave me this necklace when I was seven. She eventually got sick and died both with old age and her ailment. We had no money to put her in a hospital. But before she died in my arms, she told me to stay in this room under the staircase so it can be my home. She said she knew the janitor and asked him to look after me when she’s gone. After that she left me in the cold night. 

So I started doing odd jobs, helping the janitors clean and run errands for the principal to buy my own food. This compact room provided me my own shelter. 

Now I’m in a school with bullies that tell me that I’m a strange girl. Calling me names and laughing at me. They say I am weird. They say I am crazy. But in my heart, I’m just a shy lonely orphan who don’t have a decent place to live in. They call me mysterious. They say I am an insane person. They even call me Little Miss Strange. 

They do not know that they can hurt someone’s feelings when they call you names like that. I am always crying here in my bed. I had no friends, no family and no loved ones. All I had to do was cry. I felt trapped like in a prison cell and I feel like no one loves me and more than that, no one knows me and never tried to know me.” Felicē said.

“We’re sorry we call you names like that. From now on you’ll be my best friend.” Jordyn said.

“I was touched by your story and I can be your friend, too.” Carson added.

“I would be honored to be your friend as well and now that we know you, we will protect you from the bullies. Remember, you are no longer Little Miss Strange. And you’ll have us as friends from now on.” I said, offering my hand for a shake.

Felicē smiled. The first time I see her with warmth on her face. She started to relax a bit as Jordyn offered her arms for a hug. We both pulled her up and as she stood, she thanked us.

But I said, “No. don’t thank us. Accept our sorry for thinking bad things about you instead. You were the one who taught us a lesson today. We should never judge someone by his looks. Or talk about someone at his back. We should be the ones thanking you.”

For my readers, this is a poem for all the ones who got bullied:

In the dark, there is a star who sits alone

She’s scared to dream

She’s scared to make things happen

She never had a chance to be a constellation

She had never been a light in the dark

She sits like a lone star

But she wants to be a bright star

Be a part of a constellation.

Would it be better?

What could happen?

What’s wrong being different?

So she stopped listening to what others say

She started to shine.

Go be a star and a light in the dark

Be bright!

Don’t let someone change you

Go ahead and be your self

BE THE BIGGEST STAR!

©GabrielleYumiJosue