A New Day

      When she walked past the park she liked to sit in, she decided to stop for a few minutes and just calm down before she went home. She'd been picked on again today. She was the only light faerie in her school and when today, they had to cast spells to make a room light from dark, she'd had to leave the room as her natural glow was making the room too light.

      She sat down on a patch of grass and sighed. She started tearing out the grass from beneath her. Her hands became muddy but she hardly noticed as she stared off into the distance.

      Soon, there was a bare patch. Rae sighed and stopped tearing out any more grass. After all, it wasn't the grass' fault that she was bullied.

      She lay back onto the grass, not caring that there were now strands of grass in her blonde hair. That was another thing. Her fellow Air faerie classmates were extremely disdainful about her clothes because they were yellow. It wasn't her fault. Anything else clashed with her bright yellow glow. And it wasn't her fault she was short. It was a family gene. Her ex-friend Mary had been the heart of all this teasing. That had hurt the most. Mary had been her first and best friend at this school. What had gone wrong?

      She stretched her arms out and closed her eyes. Her left hand suddenly felt something hard. She sat up and saw a corner of what looked like a book sticking out of the earth.

      She dug it up, clawing at the mud, not caring about her fingers. She brushed the mud off the item as best as she could. It was a red notebook with DIARY printed across the front. Rae flicked through it. The pages were yellow with age and were filled with pages and pages of neat writing written in violet ink.

      Too curious to resist, yet not wanting to intrude, Rae cautiously opened it to the first page and read:

First entry:

     Dear Diary,

      First day of school has been terrible! No one spoke to me all day. They all avoided me and whispered about me. I heard one Air Faerie say loudly, "She's so short. That dress is too baggy on her. Anyway, that colour is so last year!"

      She could talk. She was so tall it was freakish. Her head was up in the clouds, literally. Anyway, first lesson was English and I kept putting commas in the wrong place so I was told off. Even the teacher was smirking at me. I was on the verge of tears when the bell rang for the end of school and I raced out.

      I hope tomorrow is better but somehow I don't think it will be. I should have listened when mother said I should be home schooled.

A month later:

     Dear Diary,

      I finally made a new friend today! Her name is Jhudora and although she's a dark faerie, she seems nice. I'm so glad she's my friend. I have been so lonely. The Air faeries think I look down on everyone just because… well you know. They hate me the most out of everyone. I think I'm quite a nice faerie if they'd only give me the chance. But then again, I probably don't wear the 'right colour'.

      I went round to Jhudora's house after school today. It was quite nice and cosy for a dark faerie. Wait, that's wrong of me to say. It's like I expected her house to be horrible and dark just because she's a dark faerie. Maybe I'm not so nice. I'm certainly prejudiced. Well, I won't be anymore. It would mean I was being a hypocrite, judging before I know.

      And besides, I like Jhudora so much! I don't want to lose her as soon as I've just made friends with her. She was very brave coming up to me anyway. I could see all the other faeries giving her dirty looks.

A few weeks later:

     Dear Diary,

      There's a new girl in our class. She's a beautiful earth faerie with the loveliest long brown hair. No one spoke to her so I dragged Jhudora over to speak to her. I know what it's like to have no friends.

      She's just moved to this part of Faerieland. Her name is Illusen. She invited me back to her new home today, but I was meant to go to Jhudora's. I asked Jhudora if I could go back to her house tomorrow and she said, "Fine." And then she walked off. I will have to make it up to her tomorrow by being extra nice. I suppose I shouldn't have gone to Illusen's but I wanted to see her home so much. It sounded so lovely and it was. Even nicer than Jhudora's!

      I hope Illusen and Jhudora can become friends. We'd make a wonderful trio!

The next day:

     Dear Diary,

      Illusen was off sick today and I tried to make Jhudora forgive me. She was cold at first but then she softened and we had a wonderful day. After school, I went back to her house. On her bed, she has this plushie. It's only a cheap Green Kacheek Plushie but she loves it so. To my surprise, she gave it to me! At first, I refused but she seemed so intent on giving it to me. And she can be awfully stubborn.

      So now, Barney (the plushie) sits on my bed. I chucked all the fancy cushions off and instead there's just Barney now.

A month later:

     Dear Diary,

      Jhudora and Illusen have fallen out and it's my entire fault! What happened was Jhudora and I went round to Illusen's house. We were getting on really well, reading books and such. Then Jhudora went to the bathroom and Illusen went to her drawer and took out the most beautiful silver locket. She put it in my hands and whispered, "I want you to have this. As a token of our friendship."

      "What about Jhudora?" I asked.

      "Between you and me, we both know that we can never be as good friends with Jhudora as we are with each other."

      The door burst open and Jhudora stood in the doorway, tears glimmering in her eyes.

      "I knew you'd take her away from me!" she cried before running out.

      "Jhudora!" I called.

      I chased after her but she's always been a faster flyer.

A week later:

     Dear Diary,

      I've quit school. Well, I'm being home schooled now. Jhudora wasn't speaking to me and Illusen kept trying to talk to me but it didn't feel right. The air faeries were getting worse and teased me about the fact that I always wear purple and no one else does.

      I guess life's going to be a whole lot less fun now I don't have my two best friends with me. Or rather ex-best friends. Already, I've heard that Jhudora tried to jinx Illusen into attacking one of the Fire Faeries. The teacher managed to do the counter spell before Illusen caused any harm but the Fire Faerie's wings scorched her, quite badly. Illusen got her own back by causing pimples to erupt all over Jhudora's smooth skin. Apparently it was only a minor damage as the actual spell was to make little trees grow all over her face.

      Despite all this, I still miss my friends. I've sent the plushie and locket back as it wouldn't be right to keep them. I wish that one day we could all be friends again.

Three months later:

     Dear Diary,

      All those months of pain and stress don't matter anymore! What I know is that I will succeed in life, no matter what. My maid has really taught me to appreciate things as they come. So that's what I'm going to do. Live for the moment. And tomorrow will be a fresh start.

      A New Day

     Yours,

     F

     ~*~

      Rae looked up. This faerie sounded just like her! She had friendship problems, was picked on for being small and then having made friends, everything turned out wrong! She wondered whose diary this was. But they mentioned Jhudora and Illusen! She flicked through the rest of the book but it was empty. Then she turned the book over. There was a small squiggle at the bottom. It looked like a name but she couldn't make it out. She squinted but it made her go cross-eyed.

      Who was F, she wondered. A famous faerie? Hmm… who would that be?

      She stood up and sighed. She felt much more reassured. She strolled positively home, reciting her new motto in her head.

      "Live for the Moment."

      She hugged the book to her chest. That diary gave her more than an afternoon of reading entertainment - it gave her hope. Tomorrow would be a new day.

The End