by Sarah Cleaves

Created on: July 15, 2009

The text message said that Lucy Josephs was a failure. It said she was ugly, had no style and the world hated her. At least that was what it said to Lucy. That and a whole lot more that she was struggling to understand. The actual words read 'You'd better not come tonight it's going to be bad enough already!'

Lucy tapped the mobile screen and the message disappeared from view. She only wished it was as easy to tap her heart and erase the trace it had left there. She sat back and watched the evening rain drizzle down the car window. It truly was a miserable night.

'Was that another one of those messages?' her mum asked from the driving seat. Lucy nodded.

'Have you reported it yet?' asked Jill, Lucy's older sister who was sitting in the passenger seat.

'Yes,' she lied.

'You mustn't let it get to you, they're only jealous' said her mother sighing. 'I never should have given you that phone for Christmas. It was supposed to make you safer.'

'No it's fine, I love it,' said Lucy knowing that affording the mobile had been no small thing for her mother, and she was signed up for an eighteen month contract. It had been nothing but trouble though. She didn't know who it was who was sending her the messages, and she didn't know how they'd got her number, but they'd slowly taken over her life. She was getting several texts a day now, all abusive, all hurtful, and she was beginning to be afraid of what was around the next corner. The phone hadn't made her feel safe at all.

The car pulled up outside the school and Lucy and Jill stepped out. The building looked like a large shadow in the darkness and Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine.

'Come on,' said Jill. 'I don't want to be late for my own concert.' As a senior in her final year of high school Jill had become involved in helping to organise this year's school talent show, and she took her position very seriously. Lucy hurried behind her pulling her worn oversized coat around her to keep her warm as the raindrops fell all around them. They headed straight for the hall where the show was to take place.

'Oh no, people are already taking their seats,' said Jill. 'We'd better get backstage.' All Lucy really wanted to do was take a seat and wait for the lights to go out, but she'd promised her mother she'd be part of the show tonight.

'You have such a beautiful voice,' he mother had argued three months back when the concert had first been announced. 'It would be a real shame to waist your talent.'

Lucy had

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>