Chapter 4 Sun's path

FIRST-PERSON POV: Melissa Gordon

I wished dad would stop looking over at me from his field. The look in his eyes always meant the same thing: socializing. No one wondered whether I truly wanted to or if I had tried. They focused more on now and less on 'why should I bother?'

It was certainly odd for an 11-year-old to be by herself, but I wasn't odd. I just didn't have the energy everyone seemed to need to make new friends. Sometimes your own company is way better than being in a crowd of people who don't know you enough. It was fun playing with mum and dad though, they were starting to complain that I wasn't a baby anymore and they couldn't carry me around like they used to. It was one of my favorite games to play, getting carried about made me feel like a little princess.

I looked around again for something to draw in my little book. Dad had gotten it for me some months back and had told me to do whatever I wanted with it. It felt like something an adult owned and that was why I was always careful with all the books mum used to teach me. It was special to me and it meant a lot to me. That was also why I had brought it out along with me today while accompanying dad. Dad had only let me come with him because he wanted me to mix with the people around.

Now though, I doubt sitting in a corner counts as mixing. The other farmers had brought their children to the fields today as well and they rushed past me every time. When they did though, it felt like they were intentionally kicking up dust in my face. There was enough space on the field for them to run across, yet they ran right past me and I was beyond irritated by them. The chances of me even trying to speak to them had lessened when one said I had strange eyes and his mum had told him I was probably evil. I had simply nodded in response, waiting for him to leave me to myself again. I didn't need people like him around.

I had finally seen something interesting to draw. There was a flower I hadn't seen before sticking out in the bushes and I couldn't stop myself from drawing it with the intention of coloring on it much later when I got home. Dad had warned me not to touch any of the plants because there was no way I could know the poisonous ones and the ones I could touch. To be safe, it was better I stayed away from all of them. I nodded when he said it. Not like I had any interest in getting up from my spot anyway. The plant came together in my book and it made me happy that what I had drawn was somewhat close to what I was seeing. There was a tingling feeling in my chest as I raised the book.

The kids ran across again, kicking up dust which led to me coughing just like I had the past few times. I looked in their direction, wondering what I could say to get them to stop.

"Do you want to play?"

As I looked up, the boy in front of me nearly made me blind because he was directly in the sun's path. He looked odd. His body was larger than I was used to and his eyes were grey, and almost rare oddity like mine. It wasn't often a boy decked with ropes and belts as accessories walked up to you to ask you to play.

I nodded, looking behind him to see other kids our age. They seemed more nervous than he was and kept their eyes down. I felt bad for them and hoped they weren't shy because of me. I certainly wasn't worth being shy over and I wanted to see them act freely.

"You must be Melissa." The boy with ropes said with a smile that revealed space in his gum, a tooth absent. "I'm Daimon."

"Nice to meet you, Daimon." I greeted in response, sparing the other kids a fair distance from us a glance. "Are they friends of yours?"

"Well... Yes. I just met them moments ago and I need a couple of people for this game."

"And you just spoke to them? Like that?"

He looked at me like I had grown an extra limb. "Yes. Wasn't that how I was supposed to speak to them?"

"It was. Don't mind me." There was something about his carefree attitude that pulled me further in. Also, he looked smart enough to understand drawing images in books, unlike the other kids.

"This is Ase," He pointed towards a girl with jet black hair and beads scattered on her wrists, "Ruth," Another girl with straight black hair too, not as dark as Ase's, she also had spaced teeth, "and Jack." The boy was shy, keeping his eyes down. When he finally looked up, I saw the blue in them.

I smiled at all of them and waved the way mum taught me to. "I'm Melissa."

"We know." They said, with their smiles too.

I couldn't help but wonder just how they seemed to know me when I had barely even seen them around. Well, I couldn't exactly see them from my bedroom at home, but the idea that I was popular even though I hadn't stepped out of home worries me. Daimon took our introductions as a hint to introduce the game he had dragged us together for.

"It's a game of hiding and seeking" He explained the basics and I was intrigued, excited to play something other than what I was used to. Daimon told us how it was going to go and made sure we all understood the basic idea of it before we started.

He decided to be the first seeker and started counting. I watched the other kids running away and hiding in different areas. Feeling excited, I ran too only to get cut short when a body bumped into mine, making me hit the ground. I hissed, feeling air hit an open wound on my arm.

"Why are you out, weirdo?"

My lips trembled as I looked up at him, the boy who had bothered me all day. I didn't even know what to say to him because I had never been in this type of situation before.

"What's going on?" Ase asked, stepping in between me and the boy.

The boy glared, eying her. "What is your business with the weirdo? Stay out of this."

She puffed, shoving his shoulders and I held her in return. "She's not a weirdo. Never say that about her again."

The other kids also came around, stepping in front of me just like Ase had, almost like they were protecting me. Daimon touched my arm and quickly pulled a cloth from his pocket, rubbing it against the wound.

"Press it against it to reduce the bleeding. I'm sorry." He said, his eyes losing the shine they had back when we were playing.

An adult rushed towards the scene, separating Ase and the others from the ones who had bullied me. The man looked upset they were fighting and I soon realized his son had been the one to push me. He scolded Ase for shoving his son and Ruth for pulling the other kid's hair. Jack had bitten the arm of another.

They came back to me, their eyes downcast and their heads lowered. "We're sorry for causing you trouble."

Tears sprang in my eyes, not from the wound, but because they had stood up for me in a way I hadn't expected. I reached towards them, pulling them and hugging them. My 'thank yous' were muffled into their clothes and I hoped they knew how truly happy I was that I had met them.