Amy ran across the sunlit streets as fast as she could until she reached the damp grass in Kensington Gardens on the other side, she sighed. No one understood her, no one cared, not even Angie.
She sat down on a nearby park bench and placed her head in her hands. A robin sang in the tree above her and the wind whispered it's secrets to the leaves. Her hair swayed in it's icy breath, making her ears cold.
Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder, she looked up to see a plump, ginger haired, freckled, pale skinned boy.
"Are you alright?" he asked, looking into her emerald green eyes.
"I'm fine" snapped Amy, looking the other way.
The boy sat beside her. "I've seen you around. You live in the orphanage across the road, right?"
"Yes" mumbled Amy.
"I used to live there too"
Amy looked at him. His eyes were a dark brown colour and his ginger hair had bread crumbs and whords of dandruff in it.
"Really?" she asked. He nodded and smiled.
"Were you adopted?"
"No, I ran away"
"What?" gasped Amy, moving away slightly. "You ran away? Why?"
"I ran away because I wanted to go home." he answered, the wind now whipping around his hair. "You see, Amy"
Amy froze. She hadn't told him her name.
"I'm not from around here..." he sighed, looking at his feet.
"I was smuggled here when me and my best friend hid on a sleigh, you were there too!"
Amy looked at him and burst out laughing. "You're mad!" she said, her voice trailing off a little.
"Everyone says the same..." he sighed as Amy ran away.
Amy wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but she ran for it, she wanted to get away from the madmen, the torment and the liars.
Suddenly, she stopped, there was Angie, as clear as day, dead ahead of her.
"Where are you going?" she asked, rather annoyed.
"I was playing with my new friend..." she began, then it hit her, she hadn't found out his name, which was probably a good thing, seeing as he'd ran away from there.
"Well, stop playing and come inside for your lessons!" she snapped, grabbing her ear and pulling her back to the gates up ahead.
***
Amy's favourite subjects were Science, Maths and needlework, for some reason, she had always been good with a needle and thread. She had sewn up her jeans almost three times now!
Luckily, the three girls didn't have lessons at the same time as Amy and she managed to escape from them for the whole day.
When it came to the end of the school day, Amy returned to the park with Tim, hoping she'd find the boy there again, but she didn't, all that was left on the bench was a sleepy pidgeon.
"So, where do you want to go first?" asked Tim, jumping up and down to keep warm, the Autumn leaves rustling beneath his feet.
"Not sure..." Amy sighed.
"Is something wrong Amy? You've been mighty distracted since this morning."
Amy looked over to the park, she saw the little children with their parents. It was then she realised how much she missed her parents.
"You miss them, huh?"
"Yeah..." she breathed, tears swelled up at the back of her eyes, but she held them back.
"You'll find them, I promise" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Amy's heart missed a beat. Her parents were dead. Yet he said she'd find them.
"Tag!" he shouted cheerfully, tagging her and running down the path, leaving Amy utterly heartbroken and confused.
===
What do those boys know that Amy doesn't?
