Chapter Two: Supernaturelle

Let me tell you about my past and the reasons of my torment. This happened several years back, primary school. Barry moved into my neighbourhood when I was eight. That was seven years from now. My suburb community was reasonably small; news buzzed and flew in the air like flies. We knew everyone in our suburb but it was rare to see new residents. 1

Let me tell you about Barry. His parents own a megamall that was just recently built in the city, just several kilometers from our suburb. They moved here because it was ‘quiet’ and needed to be close to business. 2

Since his parents own a megamall, you can safely assume they’re rich. They had money to influence our community. Adults and parents thought that Barry Morgan was such a sweetheart, so caring, so thoughtful and so polite. Wait till you meet his other persona, the school bully. 3

The fateful day happened when it was Barry’s first day at school. He was rude to some of the students he selected but a lovable sweet angel to the teachers. I got on the wrong side of him when he slipped on a banana on the ground and dirtied his ‘designer’ labels. It was lunch time; Barry thought it was time to prey on me. He had his eyes on me for the whole morning. “Prey on the midget,” may be the instruction that circled his head. Why me?!4

He approached me boldly outside on the grass. Stopping two metres in front of me, he sneered and turned his head to his newly-made friends from this morning. “Hey guys, we’ve got ourselves a midget in our school. You didn’t tell me…” His eyes flicked back at me, “I don’t like small things. Insects are small and so are you. I don’t like insects so I don’t like you.”5

At that very moment, the first thing that came to mind was, “Is he that stupid? Making assumptions because he doesn’t like something small? He’s absurd!”6

“Midget, why aren’t you speaking to me? You mute? Aww….we got ourselves a mute one! I like mute people, they keep silent just the way I like it…”7

He advanced towards me slowly to make it look dramatic. I looked frantically at people’s faces. Sweat beaded on my forehead, panic. Everyone stared blankly at me. I realised I finished a banana and was holding onto the skin. Desperately wanting to do something, I threw it in front of him. I can’t believe he fell over on the soggy grass. It was the oldest trick in the book, the banana skin! Everyone roared with laughter, I wiped the sweat of panic off my face, relieved. 8

Barry, covered in mud on his backside, was red in the face. “You…” He pointed at my face. Anger was taking over. “You’ll get back for that! I’ll never let you forget what you’ve done to me!” He turned on his heels and bolted for the nearest teacher on patrol. 9

“Great Dorielle, just great…you made him hate us all,” muttered a girl close to me. 10

“Why did you laugh at him, then?” I retorted.11

“It was funny then….”12

“Oh really? I was about to be bullied by the new kid in school? And guess what? None of you guys saved my backside. Is this all I get trying to defend myself?” That sounded like the longest speech I made in my life so far. The girl was gone by the time I finished. 13