"Suzette was the only girl who ever made an effort with Lucistra. It took several months to win her trust, but once Lucistra realised it was not a trap, not a trick, she surprised all of us by letting Suzette into her life. Over the course of the next year, they became very close friends. "Until that time, Lucistra's pastimes consisted entirely of sitting in quiet, brooding thought, or torturing animals. But Suzette taught her how to play games, to appreciate beauty, and to laugh. Often we'd see them playing chess after supper, or playing croquet in the Great Hall. "But the rest of us...well, we had known Lucistra much longer, and our prejudice ran deep. One morning while we were down in the dining room eating breakfast, the entire room fell silent at the sound of Lucistra's sudden laughter. Every pair of eyes fell upon her, sitting in the corner, playing with a stray puppy Sinistra had brought back from the real world the night before. She wasn't torturing the puppy, she wasn't teasing him, she was just playing with him, rolling a small ball between his legs and laughing as he tumbled over himself to fetch it. "The sound of her laughter was so alien to us, and I guess even to herself: a pleasant laugh, young, vibrant, innocent. We should have been happy for her, we should have encouraged her, but a room-full of teenage girls can be cruel. After a few moments of stunned silence, somebody began to laugh. Savagely. At her. Mocking her. Within a few seconds the rest of us had joined in. "Lucistra recoiled as if hit. She stood up and backed into the corner, her eyes wide and terrified, deep hurt etched into every muscle of her face. This just made us laugh all the more. "In the space of just a few moments she'd gone from a girl innocently enjoying the pleasure of a young puppy's company, to a girl isolated and teased by a room-full of her peers. She ran out of the room, sobbing loudly. Suzette ran after her. "Lucistra has always been a strange girl - quiet, sadistic, a loner. We shunned her because she was different, and we segregated her because we were afraid. But Suzette was willing to work through all that. She'd made a difference. And, with just a few short minutes of callous laughter, we undid almost all of her good work. "At the time...well, we were just kids. But when I look back now, I can't help but wonder if things might have been different if the rest of us had just made a little effort too." Credits: La Sombra by Dark_Whisper Hair by Koz Nethergear by Netherworks Croquet Set by me