The road to the school was very smooth, unlike the road to Mary's old preschool. It was in a terrible neighborhood but was, unfortunately, the only one close to Mother's work. Mary savored every minute of the ride to her new school, savored the familiarity of Mother's car. She also knew that this would be her last ride to school, as Mother had forgotten to schedule the bus to arrive at the front of their house every morning. She would be walking three miles to and from school, Monday through Saturday. Mother required Mary to take an extra private violin lesson on Saturdays. 

     Pulled out of her daydreaming by a sudden slam on the brakes, Mary gasped in shock. 

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Mother screamed at the mini van in front of her. 

She sat up in her seat, trying to see exactly what Mother was yelling at. The woman in front of her was on her phone. Mary knows from experience that there's nothing that Mother hates more than people that text and drive. Mother's outburst reminds Mary that, even though she took her medicine, she'll never be a normal mother. 

     Finally, after what seemed like an hour in the car, Mary could see the huge elementary school. It was so intimidating, casting a shadow over her like an eclipse blocking out the sun. Mother slowed to a stop and turned around to see Mary's frightened face. 

"You'll be alright sweetie. It's your first day of school. I'm sure you'll have a blast."

Mary opened the car door, without saying a word to Mother, and placed her first step on the official school grounds. There were, what seemed like, thousands of children of all different sizes and colors. But, they all had one thing in common: a look of judgement. 

     The second Mother pulled away, she retrieved Dollie from her backpack. Now she felt safe. Mary made her way up the few steps that led to the large front door and, at first, struggled to push it open. At last, she was out of the crowd and into the air conditioned main hallway. She took a moment to breathe deeply and observe her surroundings. 

     To her left was the main office, to her right was a hallway labeled Hallway A 100-130 and straight ahead was a hallway labeled Hallway B 200-230. Mary couldn't quite remember which classroom was her homeroom, so she went left, to the main office. 

"Hello, little miss. That's a beautiful doll you have. How can I help you?" The forty-something woman with graying brown hair looked at her with bloodshot eyes and a strange sideways smile. 

"Hi. Today is my first day of school and I'm kind of lost. My teacher's name is Mrs. Cornell. Do you know her room number?" Mary looked absolutely frightened and she spoke in a soft, almost whispering tone. 

"Of course. She's in Room 129. It'll be the last room on your right, down Hallway A."

"Thank you." Mary spoke quickly now and exited the office. 

She walked almost noiseless down Hallway A and just as she approached Room 129, she noticed a boy much older than her, probably in 5th grade. He was steadily walking towards her and the look in his eye gave Mary a bad feeling. 

     The boy was tall with dark brown hair and prominent facial features. He was walking with a certain gusto, straight for her, and the way he swung his arms made him look angry. 

"Hel-" Mary's sentence was cut short as the boy reached for her. 

He snatched Dollie from Mary's arms and began to run in the opposite direction. Before either of them could say a word, Mary stuck her foot out in front of his running path and tripped the boy. He faceplanted into the floor and turned over in surprise. Mary jumped on top of her attacker and began to punch him repeatedly in his prominent face. 

     Confusion filled her fragile mind. No one had ever tried to hurt Mary before; well, anyone besides Mother. After years of being completely defenseless, she finally had the chance to expel her anger through this boy. It felt so natural, but then...