Legend of the White Witch {#Wattys2016}

Chapter 1

"What would you know about work?" she snaps. "You're poor."

"The poor know much more about work than the rich do," I say. Lauren sneers at me while two of the others behind her laugh quietly, exchanging whispers back and forth. The third, a small girl with olive skin and hazel eyes named Wendi, doesn't join in. She never does, but neither does she help me.

I keep my eyes trained on the horizon. One minute left. Where is Ms. Rune?

"This hides nothing, you know." Lauren reaches upward, toward my hood. I react instinctively and reach for it as well, pulling it tighter, but she grabs a handful of the blue fabric and pulls. A few strands of silvery hair are ripped from my scalp when she tears the cloak off my body. I barely manage to keep back a yelp. Now standing, I don't make an attempt to grab it out of the mud. "Everyone already knows that you're a bitch—oops, I mean witch."

I touch the side of my head gently, wincing when it stings. "Clever."

Her eyes narrow. "I'm going to tell Ms. Rune that you attacked us. With magic. Maybe you'll even be burned for it this time."

"I'm sure she'll believe you. With all this evidence, I mean. It'll be a quick trial." I gesture to her spotless green tunic and trousers and to the lack of blood.

Lauren barks a laugh and glances backward at her friends, all of whom are watching with interest, encouraging Lauren with their smiles and nods of approval, save Wendi. The shortest and often most ignored one of the bunch is silent and watching me with poorly masked conflict. She works more than the others, but normally she's too afraid of them to offer me much help.

She always watches me with a sad expression, never joining in but also never standing up for me.

For her sake, I hope it stays that way.

When Lauren turns around to face me again, she lunges. I knew it was coming, but even so, I didn't bother to try to escape. They would only catch me.

The first blow hits me squarely in the jaw, sending hot flames of pain shooting through my head. My teeth are bashed together upon impact, causing me to bite down on the side of my cheek. I taste blood instantly. Somehow, I manage to stay on my feet.

Next, Lauren's fist plows into my stomach with so much force that this time I'm knocked to the ground. The wind is stolen from my lungs and I lay in the dirt, arching my back with the effort to breathe.

I'm still gasping for breath when Lauren yanks me back up by the collar of my shirt and sends her fist colliding into my nose. Pain rips through my face and explodes to spread quickly to the rest of my head. I wind up in the dirt again, clutching my nose and curling around my stomach to shield myself from another blow. Warm blood soon spills onto my fingers, but Lauren doesn't move to hit me again.

I don't mind the physical pain or that my clothes are now covered in mud. I mind that, despite how many times Lauren has done something like this to me, it still hurts. And now they all know it.

"Ms. Rune!" Lauren's voice is laced with feigned innocence.

"What's going on here, girls?" Ms. Rune exclaims tightly, her voice still a bit distant. I raise my neck to watch her approach. Her blurred form stalks toward us, holding her skirts above the dirt and stepping carefully. My vision finally manages to focus on her grumpy, wrinkled face as she leans over me. Her eyes graze over my bloodied nose and my dirt-streaked face and she purses her lips. She straightens and turns to the others. "The truth. Now."

Lauren doesn't try to convince Ms. Rune that what occurred here was my fault. She knows the truth is painfully obvious to her as I wallow in the dirt by myself while they watch, not a scratch on their pretty little heads.