Well, I am a 12 year old girl and I would like to know what my chances would approximately be on getting published. Please can you give it a mark out of ten?
“So,” Zanna said, sweeping her waist length hair over her shoulder, “I’m assigned to be your new friend- your companion! Tadar!” She flung herself at me at a devastating speed, but, luckily for me, she stopped herself at the last minute.
“Oh come on Willow, I’m not that different if you think about it!” She laughed, her nose touching mine. I flinched back at walked towards the nearest tree. There were plenty of them here, in this tribe, which was all and well as we were in the middle of a forest. I couldn’t take my eyes off her ears. They were small and petite, quite average really, but they were pointy. I knew it was rude to stare, but I couldn’t stop myself. Two days ago I thought elves were stuff and nonsense, but now coming face to face with one, I had no choice but to believe they were real.
“Willow, anybody in there?” she enquired, her strange mystical violet eyes twinkling. She reminded me awfully of Sarah when she did that, she waved her hand in front of my face just as Sarah had done.
“No, yes,” I mumbled, turning away from her. ‘Its stupid thinking about Sarah,’ I told myself firmly, a lump rising in my throat, ‘after all she did beat you up.’
“She betrayed you!” I hissed at myself, unaware that I had said it allowed.
“What did ya say?” Zanna hummed, twirling and showing off her beautiful white dress. “No seriously, what did you say young Willow?”
That was another irritating thing here. Everyone called me young Willow- even if they were younger than me.
“For the last time Z-zanna- you’re the same age as me- so don’t call me young Willow!”
Zanna snorted and rolled her unusual eyes. “And for the last time for you Willow, in many ways I am much older than you!” She patted me on the shoulder before grabbing my hand and twirling me around. “Oh go on Willow, lighten up-show off your skirts!”
Yesterday after I had regained consouisness Aravind had found me this light blue frock that looked century’s old. Sure, it was pretty and apparently ‘it suited my hair colour’ but it was itchy and I didn’t feel like me. I never normally wear dresses, they cling to me in all the wrong places, but this one was just the right make.
I don’t know why I was uncomfortable in it, but I think it had something to do with the fact that it displayed my rank.
If you wore light blue clothing it showed that you were young, naive and not very clever. Emerald green showed that you were getting wiser and older; brown showed that you were an adult mentally, but still a child and pure white showed that you were a fully fledged member of the tribe. So yeah, I was a little miffed that I had to wear the same coloured dress as all the toddlers and five year olds. Many of the children had already earned the brown dresses and some, like Zanna, already had their white!
I did a slight twirl for Zanna and then turned to her, determined not to tell her anything about me, about my life.
“So young one,” I glared at Zanna, I could feel my face reddening, “Ok, ok.” She muttered, “So Willow what were you muttering about?”
I stamped my foot in a sign of resolve and marched away. Unfortunately the gesture was ruined when I tripped over a massive root hidden in the undergrowth.
“Ow! Watch were you’re going young one!” A deep, gravelly voice moaned. I jumped out my skin and ran straight back to Zanna, my heart beating franticly. Before my very eyes the tree root slunk back towards the tree and shrunk. I could still hear the tree muttering about ‘those pesky outsiders.’
A laugh that sounded like wind chimes started in my ear. I glanced towards the source of the noise and saw it was Zanna, red faced and giggling like a loony.
“Oh shut up,” I muttered, shame faced. I still hadn’t got to grips with all the inhabitations of this tribe.
“You’re so funny!” she giggled madly, leaning against the nearest tree for support.
“Why does everyone always laugh at me?” I half yelled in frustration. “I want to be taken seriously for once! Is that too much to ask? Anyone could have tripped over the massive, horrible root!”
“Oi!” a sleepy yet loud voice bellowed from the tree. I jumped, but Zanna was still laughing.
“No they couldn’t-only you could be so silly!”
“Right! That’s it!” I yelled, breaking into a run. I wanted to get away from Zanna’s laugh; I hated being a joke, the village idiot. I wanted to be treated equally, not as a joke. How would Zanna like it if every time she opened her mouth or did something she was laughed at? I bet she wouldn’t like it...
“Oh Willow, look I’m sorry!” Zanna called, “I promise I won’t laugh at you again!”
Suddenly her warm hand was on my shoulder, restraining me from running any further. I abruptly stopped running and leaned in towards her. My energy felt drained, I just wanted to go home.
“Shhh,” Zanna soothed wrapping her arms around me and
enveloping me into a hug, “It's all right Willow, there, there...” she cooed.
I sobbed against her shoulder, grief for a life that I could never get back to. A life without family, without friends- what sort of life is that?
Self pity filled me as my sobs grew louder and louder and my tears came quicker and heavier. I began to wail, the sobs rocking my body.
I could feel Zanna growing more panicked beside me, so, for her sake, I tried to calm myself down and keep the tears at bay.
She seemed to sense what my intentions were so she quickly darted to a tree and, saying a quick thanks prayer to the tree, pulled off a leaf.
“Here, blow your nose on this,” she whispered, trying to let me regain my dignity by looking the other way. I took the leaf and wiped my sore eyes and blew my nose.
“What,” I sniffed, “No tissues?”
Zanna gave me a blank look, “Tissues?” she inquired, “What are they?”
I cursed myself for mentioning them and just shook my head silently. Zanna frowned and for a
moment I thought she was going to pester me about it, but just as she opened her small lips, she seemed to think past it.
I cleared myself up and whispered, “Sorry about that, I-I don’t know what came over me.”
“Shhh, Willow, it’s understandable, you’ve been through a lot in the last twenty four hours.”
“So,” Zanna said, sweeping her waist length hair over her shoulder, “I’m assigned to be your new friend- your companion! Tadar!” She flung herself at me at a devastating speed, but, luckily for me, she stopped herself at the last minute.
“Oh come on Willow, I’m not that different if you think about it!” She laughed, her nose touching mine. I flinched back at walked towards the nearest tree. There were plenty of them here, in this tribe, which was all and well as we were in the middle of a forest. I couldn’t take my eyes off her ears. They were small and petite, quite average really, but they were pointy. I knew it was rude to stare, but I couldn’t stop myself. Two days ago I thought elves were stuff and nonsense, but now coming face to face with one, I had no choice but to believe they were real.
“Willow, anybody in there?” she enquired, her strange mystical violet eyes twinkling. She reminded me awfully of Sarah when she did that, she waved her hand in front of my face just as Sarah had done.
“No, yes,” I mumbled, turning away from her. ‘Its stupid thinking about Sarah,’ I told myself firmly, a lump rising in my throat, ‘after all she did beat you up.’
“She betrayed you!” I hissed at myself, unaware that I had said it allowed.
“What did ya say?” Zanna hummed, twirling and showing off her beautiful white dress. “No seriously, what did you say young Willow?”
That was another irritating thing here. Everyone called me young Willow- even if they were younger than me.
“For the last time Z-zanna- you’re the same age as me- so don’t call me young Willow!”
Zanna snorted and rolled her unusual eyes. “And for the last time for you Willow, in many ways I am much older than you!” She patted me on the shoulder before grabbing my hand and twirling me around. “Oh go on Willow, lighten up-show off your skirts!”
Yesterday after I had regained consouisness Aravind had found me this light blue frock that looked century’s old. Sure, it was pretty and apparently ‘it suited my hair colour’ but it was itchy and I didn’t feel like me. I never normally wear dresses, they cling to me in all the wrong places, but this one was just the right make.
I don’t know why I was uncomfortable in it, but I think it had something to do with the fact that it displayed my rank.
If you wore light blue clothing it showed that you were young, naive and not very clever. Emerald green showed that you were getting wiser and older; brown showed that you were an adult mentally, but still a child and pure white showed that you were a fully fledged member of the tribe. So yeah, I was a little miffed that I had to wear the same coloured dress as all the toddlers and five year olds. Many of the children had already earned the brown dresses and some, like Zanna, already had their white!
I did a slight twirl for Zanna and then turned to her, determined not to tell her anything about me, about my life.
“So young one,” I glared at Zanna, I could feel my face reddening, “Ok, ok.” She muttered, “So Willow what were you muttering about?”
I stamped my foot in a sign of resolve and marched away. Unfortunately the gesture was ruined when I tripped over a massive root hidden in the undergrowth.
“Ow! Watch were you’re going young one!” A deep, gravelly voice moaned. I jumped out my skin and ran straight back to Zanna, my heart beating franticly. Before my very eyes the tree root slunk back towards the tree and shrunk. I could still hear the tree muttering about ‘those pesky outsiders.’
A laugh that sounded like wind chimes started in my ear. I glanced towards the source of the noise and saw it was Zanna, red faced and giggling like a loony.
“Oh shut up,” I muttered, shame faced. I still hadn’t got to grips with all the inhabitations of this tribe.
“You’re so funny!” she giggled madly, leaning against the nearest tree for support.
“Why does everyone always laugh at me?” I half yelled in frustration. “I want to be taken seriously for once! Is that too much to ask? Anyone could have tripped over the massive, horrible root!”
“Oi!” a sleepy yet loud voice bellowed from the tree. I jumped, but Zanna was still laughing.
“No they couldn’t-only you could be so silly!”
“Right! That’s it!” I yelled, breaking into a run. I wanted to get away from Zanna’s laugh; I hated being a joke, the village idiot. I wanted to be treated equally, not as a joke. How would Zanna like it if every time she opened her mouth or did something she was laughed at? I bet she wouldn’t like it...
“Oh Willow, look I’m sorry!” Zanna called, “I promise I won’t laugh at you again!”
Suddenly her warm hand was on my shoulder, restraining me from running any further. I abruptly stopped running and leaned in towards her. My energy felt drained, I just wanted to go home.
“Shhh,” Zanna soothed wrapping her arms around me and
enveloping me into a hug, “It's all right Willow, there, there...” she cooed.
I sobbed against her shoulder, grief for a life that I could never get back to. A life without family, without friends- what sort of life is that?
Self pity filled me as my sobs grew louder and louder and my tears came quicker and heavier. I began to wail, the sobs rocking my body.
I could feel Zanna growing more panicked beside me, so, for her sake, I tried to calm myself down and keep the tears at bay.
She seemed to sense what my intentions were so she quickly darted to a tree and, saying a quick thanks prayer to the tree, pulled off a leaf.
“Here, blow your nose on this,” she whispered, trying to let me regain my dignity by looking the other way. I took the leaf and wiped my sore eyes and blew my nose.
“What,” I sniffed, “No tissues?”
Zanna gave me a blank look, “Tissues?” she inquired, “What are they?”
I cursed myself for mentioning them and just shook my head silently. Zanna frowned and for a
moment I thought she was going to pester me about it, but just as she opened her small lips, she seemed to think past it.
I cleared myself up and whispered, “Sorry about that, I-I don’t know what came over me.”
“Shhh, Willow, it’s understandable, you’ve been through a lot in the last twenty four hours.”