Spark

This is the story of a girl who was lost. Trying find her out of the shadows; find who she was in the light. Caged by the shadow of expectation. The perfect daughter, straight A girl. Quiet, innocent, kind... Invisible!

The second best, never the favourite. Not loud enough, not confident. She could step out of the shadows. The shadows of popularity; of her younger sister (always braver); the shadow cast by her fear of failure; fear of judgment. To the world she was just another speck of dust in the air.

All her life she felt alone. Never as beautiful as the other girls; as her sister, her cousins. Instead she wore too long shirts, baggy jumpers and trousers that didn't fit. Hair too thin and curves too straight. She didn't fit in. Never spoke to others unless spoken too first. Didn't put her hand up in class and didn't step out of line. The few times her words were heard, others were surprised. They didn't know she had a voice because it was silenced by her doubt. Why would anyone want to hear her words? She had nothing important to say. Who was she? Just a girl.

Distant from the few she called her friends. Barely spoke to even them. Isolated in a group. They each had their best friend in their circle but she had no one. The odd one out. Spent lunch in the library and break watching others laugh and have fun. A silent shadow, staring at the light from the corner if her eye.

Year by year, it all went by, her on the side. Then came the second year of high school and she went to registration like any other day. What changed was the girl across the room sat down in the empty seat by her. Someone she's said hello to a few times on the walk home from school (they lived a few mere minutes apart). Slowly, they formed a bond and unknowingly she started slipping from her shell, talking more and more. Even daring to put her hand up in class and speak up when they make fun of her for being quiet. She had found her voice and it would never again be silenced.

As the friendship grew, her eyes finally met the light. Seeing the beauty of the sun, she was reminded of the nickname her grandmother had given her years before: little sun. It was then she realised she needed to step toward the light for she has had the light inside her all along; it just took a spark to light the fire of her heart.