Begin Again

Flashbacks with hope

Sally arrive for her shift spot on time, hung up her coat and strided down the corridor, whistling, towards her office. She shoved her key in the office door and jiggled it around the rusty keyhole until the door unlocked. Immediately she noticed the crumpled sheet of paper wedged under the door on the ground. She bent down to pick it up, hoping it was a letter from Leah, because she was extremely worried about her. She wasn't eating or sleeping properly and spent her day gazing longingly out the window. She was a bright girl, Leah. Sally could tell. But she was just in a bad place at the moment. Sort of how she was when Sally was her age.

Sally shook her head slowly, trying not to remember her past. She opened up the creased page and began reading Leah's scrawled letter. She was speechless. She quickly shut the door of her office and leant against the wall, sighing. Her back slowly slid down the wall until she was slumped on the cold ground in a daze, head in her hands.

All she could think of was Leah, being ignored every single day in school, no one ever being there for her. Tears came streaming down her face as twenty five year old Sally allowed all her own memories flood back into her mind, the ones she had been trying so hard to block out for eight years now. The memories of being 'the outcast.' The memories of being shoved on the corridors, pushed down the stairs, all the name calling, having no friends at all and worst of all, being tripped up into the slimy school pond in front of literally the entire school. Sally remembered how far she could of gone if she had stayed in school, but she couldn't take it any longer and dropped out of school at sixteen, as soon as possible, without an explanation.

Sally was adamant that this was not going to happen to Leah. She would do whatever it takes to make Leah's school days 'the happiest days of her life...' Sally finally came up with a solution. Now all she had to do was convince Leah. She would enrol her at a new school. It was worth a shot. A chance Sally never had. Sally remembered how she had nobody when she was younger, but this time she promised herself she would be here for Leah, always.

LEAH'S POV

I was curled up on my bed, music blaring through my headphones when I heard a faint knock on my door. I grunted something along the lines of a 'come in' so with that the door swung open and in came Sally. Wherever she went, she always seemed to bring happiness with her. I grinned at her and turned off my music. Sally came and sat down on my bed, crossing her legs like a little child. She began playing with her dark curly hair nervously. I rolled my eyes and told her to get on with it.

Sally told me how much I probably would be dreading school but that she had a solution. I felt as if a massive weight had lifted off my shoulders. Eagerly I awaited Sally's response. My heart sunk though when she told me her plan. She explained how I could move schools. Sorted. For some reason, I didn't tell Sally how I thought that the bullying would just start again. I kept it to myself, because I didn't want to disappoint her. After all, she seemed quite proud of herself.

Sally then leaned towards me and hugged me tightly and whispered softly in my ear, her cool minty breath was somewhat comforting. She told me she was really sorry, how the search and rescue team had found the remains of my family's car, but no bodies. The word bodies made me wince. Before, I had thought of my family as real living people, but now the image of their lifeless bodies, floating somewhere beneath the sea, lost forever haunted me. The funeral would be held tomorrow and I could go only if I wanted. Tears streamed down my face. I was living in a world amongst, what, 6 billion people, yet I'd never felt so alone.