The Gift

Brooke Lavender

After that, all I heard were murmurs. Whenever I passed people, they would laugh and point their fingers at me. Some people whispered to each other. Others would just yell out "birdbrain" and snicker. I was happy, though, that they hadn't actually thought I had spoken to the bird. All these school kids wanted was the smallest reason to make fun of somebody, and they got it. Birdbrain was my new label.

After the incident, I didn't go near animals again. I made a promise to myself. Whenever kids made fun of me, the tiniest chip of my heart cracked. I just wanted a friend. I didn't know how I would ever get a friend, like this. My friend would stand up to me when bullied, play with me when lonely, and most importantly be my true friend.

At Lunch time, we had to sit at these really long tables. First, we had to line up to get food, and then we brought our food to the tables and started eating. I sat at the far end of the table... alone. It was obvious that nobody wanted to sit next to the "birdbrain". The food was pretty okay I guess, although nothing like Mum's food. I had soggy mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and peas. The fried chicken was a bit greasy and the peas were pretty hard. 

At Dinner, we sat at the same long tables. I ate without tasting anything. My eyes were getting droopy. I was definitely tired after a long, hard day. 

Here I am, lying in my bed inside my dorm room. I have free time now, but every student has to be in bed at 9:00pm sharp. If a student is seen walking around the hallways after 9:00pm, Mrs. Lemming had warned, they will get into trouble. I'm sharing my dormitory with this girl called Brooke Lavender. I didn't meet her yet, and I'm nervous, because I know the time will come. Will she be friendly, or mean? Pleasant, or nasty? When I entered the dorm room, a strong smell of dust and wood filled the air. The wooden floorboards squeaked and groaned at me. In the dorm room, there are two single beds, two wardrobes, two cupboards, one bedside table, and a lamp and one chair; all squashed together in the small space. The thing I'm grateful about in this room is the window; it's average-sized but a room without a window is like a prison for me. The first thing I did as I stepped inside this room was collapse onto a bed. The bed is hard and I can hear the springboards squeak as I put weight on them. The sheets are pale blue, and the walls are white. Outside of the window, I can see the stars. They wink at me, flashing gracefully.  

I used to think that the stars were my ancestors, watching every step I take. That was until Mum taught me about the universe. Sometimes, I still believe that stars are more than just stars. And somewhere deep inside me, I know they are.

I look at my watch; it's 8 o'clock. Brooke should be coming soon. I hop out of my bed and start unpacking my suitcase. I take out my clothes and start placing them delicately in my wardrobe. I take all my school supplies and stuff them in my backpack, and put my torch on the bedside table after brushing all the dust off. Then, I put my book on the bedside table as well. Then, I reach in and take out my most precious object. It's a wooden whistle in the shape of a fox. I roll it around in my hands a couple of times, and feel the smooth texture of the wood.    

All of a sudden, the door creaks open, and in comes Brooke. I quickly settle the fox-shaped whistle on my bed. Brooke has sun-kissed, caramel skin, and dark, curly hair that slopes right down to her back like a tumbling waterfall, almost reaching her thighs. I notice her beautiful, mesmerising golden eyes. Her expression is curious, eager.

"Hi," I say nervously.

"Hello," she replies, smiling slightly. She rolls her suitcase beside her bed and looks around a bit. There's an awkward silence. I voice in my head is screaming at me to say something, but no words come out. All of a sudden, her eyes swivel to my book.

"Oh my gosh! That book is so good!" She holds up the book, eyes sparkling, "it's one of my favourite books so far! How is it?"

I didn't know Brooke was talkative and outgoing. This is great news. Well, at least it's my first impression of her. She can talk while I'll just listen. No awkward silences. Yes.

"Honestly, it's amazing," I breathe, grinning. She smiles, placing the book back on her bedside table.

"My favourite character was Sophia. She was so brave... you know, the perfect heroine."

"What? That's my favourite character too!" I gasp, excited. Was I a little too hyper? I didn't care. My shyness had faded. Brooke's golden eyes sparkle like a million coins. She giggles, jumping onto her squeaky bed. I smile widely.

"So, when did you come to this boarding school?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm new here," she replies a bit timidly.

"Same here!" I say, maybe a bit too loudly.

"Cool!"

"I know, right?" I sigh. We speak about all kinds of things from then on. She tells me about how she loves dogs and goes horse-riding. I tell her about how I love foxes and how I love to sing. But, I don't tell her I can speak to animals. That would ruin everything. She would think I'm some kind of freaky witch. After some talking, there's a happy silence. Not an awkward one, but a happy one. A silence where you are grateful for what you have. I pick up my fox whistle again, and look at it closely, like I always do. The details are so small and realistic... I love them. I've never figured out what the fox whistle does. I've tried to blow it, but nothing has ever happened. I don't even hear the high-pitched shriek of the whistle. My smiles fades. Brooke notices.

"What's that?" She points to the whistle. My fist closes around it but I don't look up at her.

"Oh, this?" I hold it up, glancing at her quickly but then back at the ground.

"Yeah,"

"This... well, it's a whistle, and it's shaped like a fox," I explain calmly but my voice shakes the slightest bit as she carefully takes it from me and examines it. 

"It's beautiful," she exclaims. She turns it around and looks closely at the fur texture. "The details are amazing...! Whoever made this is truly talented! I could never do this!"

I don't speak. I don't look at anything but the ground. Inside of me, my heart is pounding against my chest. All of a sudden, nothing is important to me. Brooke keeps on talking.

"Ooh! I want one too! Where did you get it fro--" she stops suddenly as she notices me. She gasps, "are you alright, Eleanora?"

I want to run far, far away, crawl into a hole, and disappear. But I need to face reality. There's no getting out of here... no hiding myself. I finally look up at Brooke. She gasps again, hands covering her mouth.

My cheeks are stained with tears.