The Outsider

Prologue

‘’I will never!’’

Yelled a little girl to an other one as she was pushing her into the school fountain. The girls around them laughed and the scene looked like it was about to get worse. That was until a boy with an eggplant in his backpack stepped in.

‘’What are you doing?’’ He asked the girl who just pushed the other.

The girl stopped and looked at him, ‘’What does it look like? I’m teaching her a lesson.’’ The boy shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder.

‘’Who did you push? There’s no one in the fountain’’

The girl looked around and saw that he was right. No one was in the fountain, or even close to it. Everyone was standing around them, watching the scene unfold.

The girl who had been pushed in had vanished.

Chapter 1

As Nina feels the water soak through her clothes, she can’t help but think of her mother. She had always told her to be careful, and now she was in for it. But even as she thought of the consequences she would face, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. It was as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. For years, she had been trying to be someone she wasn’t. She had worn the clothes her friends wanted her to wear, said the things they wanted her to say. But it had never felt right. It was like she was living in a world that wasn’t meant for her. But she had no idea how much the new world she was about to encounter would change her perception of life.

As she opens her eyes, she realizes that she is no longer in the fountain. She is now in some kind of forest, and she has no idea how she got here. She looks around, trying to find some clue as to where she is, but there is nothing. No sound of cars or people. Not even the sound of birds. It was like she was in a whole other world.

After getting out of the fountain, she starts to walk, draining her dress as she goes. She had no idea where she was going, but she figured that if she kept walking, she would eventually find someone who could help her. But as she walks, she can’t help but feel like she is being watched. She turns around, trying to see if anyone is there, but there is no one in sight. She starts to walk faster, but no matter how fast she goes, she feels like she is being followed. She runs, but it feels like the forest is closing in on her. She is about to give up when she sees a light in the distance. She runs towards the light, and as she gets closer, she realizes that it is a campfire. A gigantic campfire. No one seemed to be around. Suddenly, she felt a warm breath on her neck, she turned around and what she saw made her scream.

A giant, dark furry creature was standing behind her, its mouth open wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Nina was paralyzed with fear. She thought for sure that she was going to die.

A loud crackling noise filled the air and in a blink, the creature was gone, leaving Nina alone by the campfire. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was grateful to be alive. Nina sat by the fire, trying to make sense of what had just happened, when she heard someone coming towards her. She got up, ready to run, but she realized that there was nowhere to go. She was surrounded by forest. She turned around and saw a girl about her age, walking towards her. The girl had long, curly hair and she was wearing a dress that looked like it was made out of leaves.

‘’Hi,’’ said the girl, ‘’My name is Gaia. You must be from the other world.’’

Nina was about to ask what she meant by that, when she realized that she had never seen anyone like Gaia in her life. She must have been from the other world too.

‘’But how did I get here?’’ asked Nina.

‘’The same way you got into the fountain, ’’ said Gaia, ‘’You were pushed.’’

Nina was about to ask how she could know that someone had pushed her, but she realized that it didn’t matter. Whoever it was, they had saved her from a life that she didn’t want.

‘’Come with me’’ said Gaia, ‘’I’ll show you around.’’

Nina hesitated for a moment, but then she realized that she had nothing to lose. She had already lost everything. So she might as well try to find her place in this new world. And that is how Nina ended up in the land of the Outsiders. A place where she didn't have to pretend to be someone she wasn't. And where she finally found her true self.