The Willow Tree

Chapter 4

Hey guys sorry, this is a little late. Hope you can all forgive me. I don't love this chapter but give me your feedback. I spend a lot of my time writing this for you guys and it only takes a second to vote and comment. Thanks! Back to Willow and her story.

Shocked, I walk out of the knitting factory, Ruben following close behind me. I turn to her, watching the silent tears streaking down her face. 

"I'm leaving," Ruben says through the tears.

"Leaving where?" I probe.

"Away, anywhere. My family is so broken already, I couldn't bear to see my mother's face if she knew I was fired from another job. With Dylan and-" her voice breaks and so does my heart.

I hug her and say, "are you sure?"

She just nods. 

"When are you leaving?" I ask.

"Tomorrow, before my mom and brother wake up."

"I'll meet you here," I  say gesturing to a street corner. She nods again.

I walk home, barely remembering anything. Barely remembering me getting fired, Ruben deciding to run away, or anything.

When I walk to where Ruben wants to meet me before she leaves I'm nervous, I don't know where she's going or how long she will stay there. 

"Hey, Ruben," I say when I see her.

She just looks at me, tears brimming her eyes, to sad to say a single word. She presses a thick envelope into my hands. I look inside to see more money than I have ever seen in one place before.

"I want you to go to school. It's all my money and I want you to go to a good school," she says 

"I can't take you money," I say my voice quiet and solemn.

"Please Willow, you're my best friend and the only friend I will ever have. I wish you could have a much better life."

I take the envelope and she gives me a hug and turns to walk away.

I enrolled at a school called the Queen's Castle. After taking a few simple tests I got in immediately. I walk up the stone staircase of the Queen's Castle and I stare at the beauty of it. I have never had enough money to care about what a building looked like but now I see why people would care. The headmaster greets me the moment I walk into the large oak door. 

"Hello, you must be Willow Song. I am the headmaster of this school and you can call me Ms. Oakes."  She says.

"Hello," I say awkwardly.

Ms. Oakes hands me my schedule and says, "you will be rooming with another girl about your age, any questions?"

I shake my head and she leads me to a room where I assume I will be sleeping. A girl with bouncing blond curls comes to me immediately after Ms. Oakes left the room.

"Hi, my name is Lark, you're Willow, right? I've been so excited to meet you!" She talks a million times a minute and I can't seem to make sense of when one sentance ends and another begins. "We're going to be late for our next class if we don't hurry up. You can't be late on your very first day! Then the professors will have the wrong imperson of you!" I look at her for a second, wonder what imperson could mean,

"Do you mean impression?" I ask,

"yes impre--impres--imperson!" she responds.

My impression of her lowers quite a bit after that. She must come from a very rich family. She wouldn't be able to get into this good school otherwise.

I sigh as she leads me to our next class, she is still talking faster than I can think but I tune her out. 'A new school' I think to myself, smiling on the inside.