Balloons (Wattys2017)

Chapter 2

Sparrow's first night wasn't so bad. If you exclude the infestation in the bathroom, the mice that contaminated her dinner, or Ms. Megan calling her 'Blue Jay'. It was kind of rough for day 1.

"It's just a month..." Sparrow growled to herself as she held a plush doll close to her. Lifting it above her head, it's features were clear. White fabric for skin, a crimson dress, long black yarn strings for hair, a black spiral for one eye an black X for the other eye, and a fanged mouth.

Sparrow deep down wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything to let out her emotions, but she wouldn't. She needed to suck up these next 30 days and try to befriend at least one of the other girls.

"Molly seems nice, but, she doesn't seem like the trickster type.....Ivy & Violet maybe, but, I still can't tell both apart....and then there's Christa, she's perfect, but also a jerk." Sparrow lamented her options for her second task.

She picked up her pillow and screamed into it, almost silent. In the end, no one heard. She removed the pillow and looked to the wall, a clock was barely held in place and ticked in the silence. 8:00, Sparrow needed to go to sleep soon, but on an empty stomach she was sure she'd die in her sleep from starvation.

She laid her head on the pillow (she placed back where it was) and closed her eyes. The clock ticked it's last before it stopped ticking all together. Sparrow was soon asleep, when her window latches opened and in came a cold breeze, as well as a red balloon.

Surprised, Sparrow jumped out of bed and closed the window; the cold air was giving her severe chills. She turned and saw the balloon drifting in place in front of her. It was ruby red and the perfect size, not to small, not to big. Curious, she attempted to touch the balloon, but it drifted away. Soon trying to touch the balloon became chasing the balloon. Sparrow silently made her escape from the school and chased the balloon to it's destination.

The balloon continued to drift, into the forest just away from the school by a few blocks. Sparrow, now unsure of herself, followed the balloon, trusting it fully. In the forest, the canopy of emerald leaves blocked the moonlight, causing complete darkness to fill her surroundings. It wasn't until the sound of crying was heard when Sparrow caught the string of the balloon. She then attempted to find the source of the sound.

Deeper and deeper into the forest she went, getting more and more lost with each step. Suddenly, a little girl comes into view. Not entirely little, around tween years, at least 12. She had brown hair that was tied into twin braids, her skin was fair in tone, not too pale not too tanned, and her dress was black and red; Sparrow's favorite colors mixed perfectly together. Sparrow approached her, unsure of herself again.

"Um, hello." Sparrow began. The girl looked up and showed bright blue eyes, glossed with tears as her eyes meet Sparrow's.

"H-hello." The girl said shyly. Sparrow kneeled down to the girl, falling in love with her eyes and wanting to do nothing more than help her.

"Are you lost?" Sparrow asked. The girl shook her head.

"N-no, I-I lost m-my favorite b-balloon." She sniffed wiping her eyes. "Y-you probably think m-me childish." She whimpered. Normally, Sparrow would've said yes, but instead she shook her head.

"No, not at all, I still have a doll that helps me sleep at night." Sparrow admitted. The girl smiled softly, her eyes turning green. Sparrow's eyes widened.

"Woah." Sparrow said in disbelief and awe. The girl blinked and her eyes turned back to blue. Sparrow shook her head and then handed the girl the balloon.

"Is this the missing balloon?" Sparrow asked as she held it out. The girl's face lit up with joy as she rapidly nodded her head and took the balloon.