My Battle For Equality

Chapter 1

- This is a picture of Leila.

-Listen to Homesick by Dua Lipa.

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"Dounia! Leila is here!" My mother yells from outside. I was looking at my room, for the last time.

It was moving day.

Leila is my best friend, I've known her my whole life. It is always been me and her against the world.

I heard someone coming up the stairs and I recognized the steps immediately.

"Do you remember the day when we were trying to stay awake to watch all the Harry Potter movies? And the next day we acted like wizards for one week until our parent hid our wands." She asked with a sad smile, leaning against my door.

"You're a wizard, Leila." I responded.

"I know. But my parents won't stop hiding my acceptance letter from Hogwarts"

Leila was a Moroccan girl too. With long dark hair, brown eyes and a thin body. She has a light brown skin complexion and is very beautiful. She is wearing jeans with a blue top and Converse.

"Dounia, everybody is waiting!" My mother yelled. I always wondered where she found such a voice. She can yell all day at me and won't lose her voice.

We walked down the stairs and saw my parents, my brothers, Leila's family and some friends of my brothers.

I greeted Leila's parents and waved at the friends of my brothers.

It is time.

I looked at my best friend for seventeen years with tears in my eyes.

"I'm going to be so angry if you're going to be one of those people who will forgot about their friend when they've moved." I said jokingly, but also serious.

"Are you serious? I'm going to be that one friend who will text and call so much that their moved friend is going to throw their phone out of the window." She answered with tears in their eyes.

"You better be." I hugged her so tightly that I actually heard choking noises.

I saw everyone hugging and saying their goodbyes. I gave her one last hug and looked for the last time at my house full with memories. All six of us stepped in the car waving to our friends until we couldn't see them anymore.

We were moving to Dobbington.

You probably haven't heard of it.

My little brother won't stop saying that we're going to live with Dobby. That poor boy, I haven't let him see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet. I will let him watch it when he's older and I'm mentally and emotionally ready.

My father wanted to move here for his job.

I don't want to move. I'm going to miss Leila and my old neighbourhood. There were always kids playing outside, a huge mall, a lot of people of my age and a beautiful library.

I LOVE to read. It all started when I was very young. I have three brothers. Soufiane is 18 years, Ayoub is 15 and Mohammed is 4 years old. 

Soufiane and Ayoub always shared a room and I sleeped alone. Their room had a television so I was always in their room. But when we had to sleep they would throw me out of their room.

I could always hear them laugh in my room while I was alone.

So I started reading. One day I was a princess and the other day a fairy. I fell in love with books.

My father took me whenever I wanted to the library. I could only take ten books a time with me. So when I finished my books I would sneak into the room of my brothers  and steal their books. Then I would run back to my own room and locked the door. Until they found out and I would beg them to let me finish it.

I love my old neighbourhood a lot, but I love my parents more. It was not their choice to move, my father got fired from his old job. He worked in a factory and his boss told him to replace some heavy stuff and he couldn't, because his back and the rest of his body hurted a lot. When you've been working since you were little like my dad your body would weaken more and more. But his boss thought he was disobedient, so he fired him.

Just like that.

That's how they treat you if you haven't finished school and you have a different origin.

Because it is so easy to replace you.

There are a lot of people who have no diploma.

Luckily my uncle knows someone who helped him find a new job here in Dobbington.

I wasn't happy when they told me that we were moving. But they have more things to worry about than a angry daughter so I didn't complain about it.

Dobbington, here I come.

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Author's note

This is the first story, I've put online. I have not realised how hard it is to do it. Because writing is a very vulnerable thing to do.

Even if you don't realise it, you'll always put a little bit of yourself in your story. You'll write down your thoughts, interests and conversations you've had.

I hope you liked the first chapter of Different.

The next chapter will come very soon.

☆☆☆