The Bright Colours of Misery [COMPLETED]

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽 -cruely and the opposite-

Heidi sat in class. Her 8th birthday had just passed but she didn't feel any different, it was just the same as being seven.

She hadn't grown taller, or gotten a new pair of eyes and her only friend remained Alexander. the two friends also still sat on opposite ends of their classroom and it bothered her immensely since no one wanted to sit with her, which made some of her mean classmates laugh.

Heidi was lonely and stupid during class. That's what everyone thought and sometimes what some even said.

"Miss Seide!" Frau Huber barked (yes, barked). Everyone turned to Heidi and not to Frieda, since they knew by the tone of voice that this wasn't about her.

This moment must have been one of the only times in Heidi's life where she wished everything  had been about Frieda.

Scared and utterly panicked she slowly locked eyes with the old witch, forcing herself not to look away.

Frau Huber handed her a piece of chalk and gestured for her to get up. Heidi's legs began shaking.

'Not again.' She thought, as her tiny hand wrapped around the chalk piece. The teacher took her arm and dragged her up to the board.

"Write what I just explained." She ordered, trying to prove that Heidi hadn't listened and that she, once again, had been looking up at her friends the sun and moon up on the ceiling. Heidi had once explained what she imagined while looking up at those bland colour spots above her head, and Frau Huber didn't seem to have appreciated her imagination, which personally made my blood boil.

(It didn't actually make my blood boil, as I have sprecified before and will continue to specify, I do not have a body.)

I hated when Heidi was hurt unnecessarily, it happened a lot but I never truly got used to it. You must think I was a rather amateur soul adviser when I guided Heidi, and you would be right. The universe had smiled at me, or perhaps even revelled in my innocence before giving me this little girl.

"Write word for word what I just told the entire class." The witch told her once more. Heidi had actually heard and understood it all for once, she really had been paying attention, but the combination of fear and pressure she was being put under didn't exactly make an already hard task for her—such as writing—easier. Her hand drew unclear and uneven lines, she also made some spelling mistakes along the way, which Frau Huber snorted at. tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. However she quickly wiped them away, her class didn't need to see her cry.

Frau Huber was not exactly satisfied by Heidi's writing, and she would make sure that Heidi knew all about it.

"Hold out your hand, now." She commanded, pulling out her wooden ruler.

The whole class gasped, even Frieda and her friends. This was the exact definition of something unfair and cruel. Heidi had done what the teacher had asked her to and proved that she had been listening this whole time.  She didn't deserve another punishment, especially not the ruler.

Heidi couldn't go paler, but her fear grew that I can assure you.

The hit didn't exactly hurt at first, but just when the pain kicked in a second later, she got hit again. Her hand was burning, going red; after the third hit it even started bleeding. Heidi whimpered, but for the most part she was silent, mute like a fish. I swear, if I could have, I would have slapped that old hag with my own ruler. A metallic one.

The silence became deafening after a while, I looked over at Alexander, at Frieda, at her best friend Ingrid and lastly at the girl in braids. All were silent and frozen in their seats. They had seen this happen before of course, once, when Anton Hermann and Olaf Holtz had gotten into a fight during break and yelled forbidden words at each other. The only difference in this situation was that everyone seemed to agree that they had deserved it and that Heidi had not.