The next morning, Kay arose sleepily from her bed and walked through to the living room, where her mother stood, ironing her school sweatshirt. Her mother was gazing out of the window, which looked out over her home town of Falkirk.
Belle Mackenzie glanced at her daughter, giving her a brief but pleasant smile. She was tall and slim with short, dark brown hair that curled softly around her pale face. Kay joined her mother at the window. Rows of bungalows were lined outside, each with identical terracotta-tiled roofs. Beyond Kay’s street, was the rest of the town, descending into the valley. Giant pylons towered above the land and the British Petroleum Station sat to the right, spewing dark clouds into the atmosphere. The Ochil Hills finished the picture, sprawling across the countryside as far as the eye could see.
Belle handed Kay her sweatshirt, just as her brother Rob appeared in his pyjamas. Rob was eleven, a year older than Kay, and had dark brown hair, like his mother, with freckled cheeks and big ears, just like Kay. Rob had been Kay’s closest friend but that was changing — Rob was now popular at school and Kay was not.
Kay returned to her room and slipped on her sweatshirt, disliking the royal blue colour that clashed with her red hair. As she made her bed, she thought of the little light she had chased the night before; it made her feel happier than the thought of school and the lonely day it would bring.
“C’mon kids, school time! Kay, Rob, time to go!” called their mother.
Kay trundled obediently to the car.
Five minutes later, the car pulled up at the school and Kay sighed; the car journey was always too short for her liking. They got out of the car and kissed their mum goodbye.
“Rob, you’ll never believe what I saw last night,” Kay cried eagerly when they were alone.
“Maybe later, Kay,” Rob told her as he spotted his friends and ran off to join them.
Kay was left alone and sat down under an old oak tree. All around her, kids were laughing, chattering and chasing each other. Kay longed to have a friend; someone to make her happy.
Kay pulled out her pencil and sketch pad. She drew happy faces, little stars, fairies… That’s it! Kay thought, the little light I saw last night was a fairy!
“What are you doing, Weirdo?”
The voice startled Kay. She looked up at a pretty girl with straight, light brown hair and a sneer on her face. The girl was surrounded by friends, who all wore similar expressions. She laughed cruelly, and her friends laughed louder as they walked away from Kay. It was Margaret Harronton, the girl who thought she was better than everyone else. It was true that she was pretty, clever and popular, but Margaret wasn’t a pleasant person. Margaret would make fun of her, whatever she did. She even told the other kids that people with red hair had a disease, so they stayed away from Kay.
The bell rang and Kay slowly walked over to the classroom door.
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