Please, leave me alone, I silently beg. It's bad enough that less than an hour ago, I lost my apprenticeship, and I have no idea how I'm going to make it from here.
"I know her!" the male voice suddenly exclaims loudly. "That's Hanna Daydreamer!"
Damn.
I squeeze the corners of my cardboard box and quicken my pace.
The whole group follows with amused cheers. "Oh, so this is what she's become," sneers a woman, probably the blond one. "Suits her, don't you think?"
I desperately fight back the tears welling up inside me. Because now I know who these five are even though I still can't see their faces.
Jakob, Peter, Maria, Melanie, and Laura make up the coolest clique from my former school class. They not only witnessed me every day in class but were also in the audience during the project presentation.
Oh God, this just can't be happening.
"You've really made something of yourself, Hanna Daydreamer. Congratulations." Shortly after Jakob spits out the words, the engines finally rev up.
I dare to exhale. It will be over soon.
Keeping my gaze fixed ahead, I trudge along the road toward Semmtal.
The roar of the engines grows louder.
And even louder.
Soon, they will pass me. My heart thumps so hard against my chest that my whole body vibrates.
Shouting voices mingle with the motorcycles' rumble.
I hold my breath.
It's your own fault, Hanna.If you had just stopped daydreaming, they wouldn't have noticed you at all.
The motorcycles zoom past me so closely that I instinctively leap to the side. The cardboard box flies through the air, and I land on the outside of my foot, twisting my ankle.
A sharp pain shoots through me, and I collapse on the spot. I inhale sharply, the exhaust fumes from the bikes scratching at my lungs. Struggling, I prop myself up on my forearms and lift my head. That's when I see the blonde on the bike turn to me while the guy she's wrapped around from behind reduces speed.
"Freak!" she yells at the top of her lungs, flipping me off.
Then, at last, the five of them speed away, leaving me crouching by the roadside. Deep inside, I know the blond girl is right.
I am Hanna Daydreamer.
And Hanna Daydreamer is a freak.
On this planet, there is no place for me. So many times, my mother has tried to make me understand that, but I refused to believe it. The worlds in my head were too intoxicating, and the dreams in my imagination were too vast. I fought—and never once won.
I can’t go on like this. Here and now, I must finally admit the truth, whether I like it or not. If I ever want to live a normal life, I have only one choice: I have to become someone else.
