HUNTED

Aila followed Hollie to her small group of friends; some were making daisy chains and placing them everywhere, in their hair, around their necks, wrists and even trying to make rings. Hollie sat down beside them, but Aila did not follow; she had a lot of energy and knew that it would make her crazy if she sat down. There was a hopscotch outline painted on the ground beside the field, and so she began hopping on top of it. 

After finishing her third round of hopscotch, she turned around to find an older looking, plump girl standing at the start, her arms crossed and a sneer on her face. Aila blinked back at her, not daring to speak and waited for what was to come. 

"What's your name, new kid?" The plump girl crinkled her nose as she looked Aila up and down.

"Aila," She responded and began walking towards the girls on the field, making daisy chains. 

"Aila. What an awful name," The girl followed behind her, "your parents have terrible taste."

At the mention of her parents, she turned around with her hands fisted by her sides and tears in her eyes. This girl had no right to speak about her parents.

The girl laughed after seeing Aila's saddened face. "You won't last long here," She sneered as another girl, a tall skinny one, took her side.

The skinny girl laughed, "Oh my! I heard talk about a girl with white hair, but I didn't quite believe it!" She placed her hand atop her brow and squinted her eyes, "Do you get any sleep with that hair?" She giggled.

The plump girl laughed, "I wouldn't! It seems to glow. What a freak! I bet your mummy and daddy are also freaks!"

Their words were upsetting, but Aila did not act on it; instead, she continued to walk away, that was until someone grabbed her by the arm and spun her around, "Where are you going? We aren't finished with you yet!" The plump girl tightened her grip on her arm to the point her nails dug in.

"Leave her alone!" Hollie and the girls stood behind her as she marched straight up to the big kids and pushed the plump girl away.

"Why, you little-"

A whistle was blown, catching their attention and a dinner lady came marching towards them with a stern and unhappy expression on her face, "Hollie, that's the third time this week!"

Hollie feigned innocence before retorting to the plump bully, "You're just jealous. Our Aila here has princess hair that glows! Yours is just poop. It's the colour of poop and looks like it needs washing!"

The plump girl's face went to the colour of beetroot and shoved Hollie to the ground before kicking her in the face. The whistle was blown repeatedly as the lunch lady ran to them. Hollie moaned but grabbed her glasses in a panicked state; luckily, they were not broken. 

"Nichola! Go to the head teacher's office! NOW!" The lunch lady screamed.

The plump girl sneered down at Hollie's bruised face and her friends surrounding her before strolling back to the school building. 

Aila extended her hand to Hollie and helped her up. They stared at each other for a moment until the lunch lady checked Hollie for any cuts or further injuries. "Did you hit your head, Hollie?" 

Aila read her name badge: Miss Smiles. The lady had short blonde hair with brown at the roots; she was a lot younger than the other lunch ladies and teachers and wore subtle make-up. Her petite figure was hidden behind a yellow apron over a blue floral dress, ending her look with white trainers. 

"No, Miss Smiles. I am okay," Hollie grimaced.

"I want you to go to the nurse's office just for a check-up," Miss Smiles fretted again as she brushed away some of Hollie's baby hair away, checking again for any injuries. "Take the new girl with you so she can see where the nurse is. I'm sorry, honey, what is your name?"

Aila looked up to Miss Smiles, instantly liking the lady. There was something about her that seemed to make you want to smile and always be polite, unlike some of the lunch ladies in the canteen who did not look like they should be working in a school. They grumbled and looked at the children like they were pests.

"Aila," She replied, blinking up at Miss Smiles.

"Is this your first day of school, Aila?" Miss Smiles asked with concern behind her blue eyes.

Aila nodded in response. "I'm sorry it hasn't gone so well for you. But you have made some good friends, and I just know the rest of your time will be fine here," The lunch lady smiled down at her. Aila smiled back in response, the first genuine smile that stretched on her lips in months. 

Aila glanced back at the other girls as she followed Hollie towards the building. Were they her friends? She didn't have any friends. With that thought, she looked down before finding herself sitting next to Hollie in a corridor outside a closed door with the sign reading 'Nurse'.

The pair sat for a while in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable as Hollie swung her feet under her chair while Aila shifted and fidgeted, replaying the events that happened in the playground.

"Thank you for sticking up for me," Aila mumbled guiltily as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"What are friends for?" Hollie smiled back at her, causing Aila to look up at her.

"We are friends?" Her eyes were wide.

"Of course! Silly!" Hollie wrapped her arm over Aila's shoulders. "Plus, who WOULDN'T want a princess as their friend?"

Aila blinked her eyes in surprise, "I'm not a princess."

"But you look like one! Don't listen to what those girls said. You aren't a freak. If anything, you are a freak-in awesome princess with hair to die for!" Hollie rubbed the side of Aila's arm and pulled back before grabbing some of her hair and placing it over her own.

"I mean, come on! I want your hair!" Hollie continued, "Can we swap? Pleeeeease. If I cut mine off, will you cut yours?" 

Aila giggled at her suggestion. 

After the nurse gave Hollie 'the all clear', the two girls found themselves in trouble in the afternoon. Mrs Karp found them in the toilets, one chunk of hair missing on each of the girls. The teacher stopped and stared at their creation in shock. 

Hollie had a long strand of white hair interlacing between one of her plaits, and Aila made a small plait of brown hair sticking out from her headband. 

From that day onwards, the girls were inseparable throughout school. Aila began speaking more as time went on, feeling more comfortable with herself and her friends. The sadness of her parents passing was always there; it was not something Aila would forget but with Hollie by her side, who helped her through her dark days, she knew she would be fine.