Girl on Fire

Chapter 2

I was reluctant to leave Ali in the morning. She still wouldn't tell me why she was bad. She seemed upset though, and she clung to me as I tried to leave. As I went to step out of the door, it felt like a wind was pushing me back, but that must have just been my imagination. I finally dragged myself out of the door and detached my arm from Ali.

When I was out on the street, I felt really self-conscious for some reason, like someone was watching me. I suddenly had a thought and I ran back into the orphanage to look at the house opposite. I never actually paid much attention to my surroundings so I didn't notice that the building looked newer than the others until now. I quickly crossed the road and walked up to the doorstep. When I looked around the doorway, it just looked normal, not like a place where someone had written their last words. Especially not my mum.

When I looked down, I could see faded marks on the floor that looked like lettering. They were partly covered by the wall. When I looked closer, I could see that there were three letters burnt into the ground.

DES

The rest was swallowed by the wall.

Typical.

My life.

So I went to school with three letters. Three letters that could possibly tell me about my past. Three letters that could tell me my future. A word that I needed to figure out. All through English I wrote down words beginning with des. I got quite a few but none that actually made any sense for me.

"Anything you want to share there, Ashleigh?" My teacher asked me, making me jump.

"Oh... no Miss." I mumbled.

"Well then, I would prefer that you pay attention in my class rather than writing on a note that I presume you are about to pass to someone."

"I wasn't... Sorry, miss.

"Bin. Now."

"Yes, miss."

The class giggleed at me as I walked up to the front of the class, my cheeks burning as red as my hair.

When the bell finally rang for break-time, I went outside and rushed over to a little, quiet corner of the grounds that was covered by trees. I needed to think. After a couple of minutes of just sitting there, staring at the leaf litter, I heard a noise behind me. Without even looking, I knew that it was Megan and her gang.

"Hey, Ashers," She said, I hated it when she called me that, "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, I totally didn't mean to get you a stupid DT. Anyways, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do!" She picked a speck of dirt out form one of her (super perfect) nails and actually looked a bit apologetic. Then she flicked it into my face and ruined it. "Y'know, I was actually TOTALLY thinking of admitting to Mr Benny that I lied about you but... guess what?"

I didn't say anything.

"I said, guess WHAT?"

"What?" I grumbled

"I DIDDN'T! That's what!" She and her gang laughed and they all strutted off. I growled into my hands. They didn't respond. I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see River, a boy from my class standing there.

"It sounds like they were being quite tough on you there." He said quietly. I shrugged, trying to look like I didn't care.

"I'm used to it, don't worry about me." I said. I was embarrassed because I hardly ever talked to boys, I didn't know how to respond. He held his hand out to me and pulled me up.

"So, why do they give you such a hard time then?" He asked.

"You know in class yesterday?"

"Nope, wasn't paying much attention... wait, you got a detention right?"