Maria

Chapter 3

Maria

1 universe

9 planets

204 countries

7 seas

And fate gave me the  chance to meet Lola.

"I want to be your friend." said Lola

My eyes widened in shock and then I did something I hadn't done in years- I hugged her. I could hear people all around us saying that Lola had caught cooties or something stupid but she just ignored them and pulled out of the hug.

I wrote another note in my notepad

Thank you Lola, I want to be your friend too

I stuffed it in her hand just as the bell went for next lesson and headed off to maths. I was in bottom set. My English levels were the top in the class whereas, in maths I was bottom. The teacher hates me- she makes these really rude comments about me being mute, today it was-

"Has the cat got your tongue Maria? Or maybe you just don't have one!" she'd cackle at her own jokes. It was moment like these that I wanted to use my voice, just so I could shout some really bad words at her though most of it would be incoherent as I hadn't used my voice in years. Besides, if I shouted at her, I could get thrown out of the orphanage and I didn't want that, I didn't want to leave Lola, I didn't want to lose the only maybe friend I'd had in 7 years. 

Friend. That word warmed me up like the amazing hot chocolate my mum used to make, suddenly I had a flashback- It was a cold winters morning, one of the coldest that year. Our heating had broken so my Dad and I sat at the table with layers of jumpers and blankets draped over our shoulders while my Mum made us hot chocolate. She looked like a wizard with all of the layers on top of her, sweeping the floor with every step. She made the most amazing hot chocolate that day. Maybe it was because of the cold but it tasted like magic. The memory was cruelly snatched away from when a shout in my direction brought me back to the present.

"So- we're dreaming now are we? Would iccle wiccle Maria like to sleep?" Miss Posey said, cackling. The whole class erupted into a chaos of laughter like wild monkeys. I just kept my head down and lips sealed. 7 years had taught me to be silent and to keep a lid on my anger. I risked a glance at the teacher, I'm happy to say that she looked slightly disappointed as she hadn't managed to weasel a word out of me. No one can do that. No one. I made a vow to myself exactly two minutes and fifty six seconds after I came out of my coma. I promised myself that I just wouldn't speak to anyone, that I would just keep my head down and go through  life like a ghost. 

After that lesson, it was English- part of me was scared of seeing Lola. What if she'd changed her mind? What if it was just a dare? However the other part of me that wanted to at least see Lola and that part was stronger so I obliged and headed towards the English department. 

Everything in the orphanage was old and crumbling, you could move the walls by sliding them  and the roof was starting to sink but one of the amazing things about living in such an old house was the fact that it had a proper library- one with vintage classics. The smell of old books is amazing, I absolutely love the smell because it takes me back to the past, it reminds me of my Dad when he used to work as a librarian. That's where I got my passion of reading from. I would sit in the corner of the library and go through more that two books a day. I still read of course- it is my escape, it's funny really to think that my safe haven from the world is inside my mind. It's comforting to know that my imagination is one thing no one can take away from me. Albert Einstein said "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." And I cannot agree more.

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That was Chapter 3- I'm really getting into this now and I will try to update every 2 days so tell me how i did in the comments!!