In the darkest of the night, a small and frightened raven haired, dark-skinned girl ran, with a black cat in her arms. She knew she was Unity Avenue North, a street in her hometown. She ran from tree from tree, ascertaining that, if her parents and sister had awakened and gotten in the family car, wouldn't spot her. After she left the culdesac, she went left on 80th Avenue North. When she approached the bus stop on Zane Ave North.

Placing the cat in her yellow backpack, she took out the fare for the bus and, despite her fear, boarded it.

As she sat down, she sat further in the back of the bus. The small girl, beautiful, demure, quiet, and autistic, stared at the window. As the bus rode from Zane to highway 694, several thoughts entered in her head.

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"Oh, my gosh, Heather!" said Jaime Anderson, with her friends, Celia Rocío, Eleanor "Nellie" Johnson, Mary Trenne, Mee Yang, Sandra Deepoo, Katie Larsen, Amanda Pitts, and Rahel Fanta.

"What a baby!" Nellie chuckled.

"You can't even handle a prank!" Celia jeered.

"Crying because we beat you up and pinched you!" Katie jeered.

"Next time we'll throw bricks at your head!" threatened Amanda.

"Freaks like you belong in concentration camps," Rahel said.

"Or better yet, the zoo!" Mary Trenne jeered, laughing.

"Let's feed her some bananas!" Mee Yang cackled.

As the girls chuckled and pulled out their IPhones, recording the incident, Heather fled down the stairs sobbing. As she escaped the hands of the carpers, the circling students pointed fingers at her, and joined in the laughter. Even most of the teachers who abhorred Heather, followed suit.

"Hey, TikTok," Jaime said, while recording herself on video, "My friends and I are back in Park Center. We have just humiliated the freak of nature known as Heather Matthews, and now, like the little busted pig she is, she is crying, "Wee-wee-wee!" All the way home!"

"Hashtag, Go home, Freak," Sandra Deepoo added.

"The whole world is going to rejoice when you DIE!" said Jaime Anderson.

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"What a baby!"

"Like the little busted pig she is, she is crying, "Wee-wee-wee!" All the way home!"

"Hashtag, Go home, Freak!"

"The whole world is going to rejoice when you DIE!"

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Homelife in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was no better for the girl.

"DAD, WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?!" Heather protested. "THEY ARE THE ONES PICKING ON ME!"

"Please, that's your fault!" jeered her father, Francis. "Why should we feel sorry for you, if you don't stick up for yourself?!"

"What, you expect us to protect you from all of your bullies, Heather?" Hayley, Heather's mother, exasperated. "You have to make them stop, not us! We're not going to help you, you are going to have to help yourself!"

"And we're not going to get you out of it, either," Francis said, icily. "Life is about challenges! They help us grow and mature."

"You always say that!" whined Heather.

"START ACTING LIKE YOU KNOW IT, THEN!" Hayley rose her voice. "You know what, Heather? I'm done! Get upstairs! You make me sick to my stomach!"

"But, Mom..."

"NO!" The single word sounded so possessed, that it silenced the girl, nearly prompted her to tears.

Heather, a girl broken, ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom shut behind her. Opening it was her equally pulchritudinous fifteen-year-old sister, Amber. Unlike her older sister, Amber was a popular, more articulate, and more full-fledged. Also, contrary to Heather, Amber had more of an edge to her.

"Do you know why Mom and Dad went off on you, Heather?" Amber asked.

Heather, holding her pink pillow close to her body, turned away in disgust. "Go away."

"No!" Amber turned to Heather, snatching the pillow out of her hands. "Answer my question!"

"Just leave me alone!" Heather negated, jarring the bed. But, Amber pushed her back down, and closed the door.

"I'M TIRED OF YOU BEING A BABY!" Amber hissed. "You know, this is why Mom and Dad are hard on you! You are the sixteen year old, acting like a child! Trying to get out of lectures, crying when people pick on you, depending on people to rescue you? GROW UP!"

"That's all I get from you guys!" Heather whimpered. "I get lectures of maturity only! If not that, then it's whippings! With extension cords sometimes, at that!"

"See, that's all on you, Heather! If you'd learn to make good choices in life, including stick up for yourself and carry yourself like an adult, Mom and Dad wouldn't be on your back so much!"

"See what I mean? I get no time to be a child, let alone a teenager! I get no time for fun at all!"

"Uh, hello? You're the oldest! So, logically, that's your problem!"

"You just don't understand!"

"I'm sorry? Am I supposed to care about you?"

"That's my point. You guys don't care. You get me to the point where I wanna run away."

Amber laughed. "Please, you get yourself to that point. You make the choice to let us ruin your day. You let the lectures in life contaminate it. It's you! It's you! It's you! Don't you understand me? You, you, you!"

Heather plugged her hands over her ears. Infuriated, Amber pinched Heather's wrists, making the latter drop her hands. As Heather screamed, Amber slapped her to the ground.

"Life is about choices, Heather," Amber snapped. "Life is what you make it. And the more you act like a baby, the more life is going to suck for you. Furthermore, you need to rise up to challenges. They are a part of life. Nobody is going to baby you, coddle you, and pet you up. The world is hard and cold. And it spares nobody. GROW. UP. It's time to mature. The sooner you do that, the easier life will be for you. But, hey, if you wanna run away, go ahead. Who would miss you? Who would care? Who even loves you? With you outta of the picture, life would be easier for us...."

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"Who would miss you? Who would care? Who even loves you? With you outta of the picture, life would be easier for us...."

Rubbing the injuries which were concealed by her red bracelets, Heather brooded on those words. To have to endure the wicked words from her classmates was sufficiently dolorous. But, to have heard them from one's own sibling was too much.

After the bus halted at the bus stop on Hennepin Avenue and Maple Street, Heather, unsure of where to head to, looked frantically at her surroundings. There were lots of vehicles moving fast, many people either coming in or out of edifices, or sleeping in the streets. The lights and the neon lights decorated the vast area of Minneapolis.

Deciding that she couldn't stay outside, she walked towards Harmon Place and headed inside Gai Noi, a Laotian Restaurant. As she sat down at the counter, away from the other customers. Holding her fanny pack close to her, she glanced down at the table, wondering whether or not she made the right choice.

Part of her wanted to be with her family, to be in her father's and mother's arms, and to even put up with the banter of her younger sister. On the other hand, for sixteen years, she has had to endure their harsh words, tough love, and limited freedom.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

As a child, Heather Laura so much wanted to have certain things for either her birthday or Christmas, such as toys and video games. But, for the most part, she had been denied that and given cookbooks, history books------other things she didn't either understand or like.

What's worse, from elementary school to high school, Heather had been bullied and teased constantly to no end by other students and even some teachers. And some of it was due to either her race, her disability, or even the way she carried herself.

Now, Amber Kirsten, on the other hand, was not only more favored in the family, she was more popular with the boys and girls, and was considered the homecoming queen in Park Center Senior High. Everyone wanted to be like Amber.

Heather's thoughts were interrupted when a friendly waitress came to her. "Here are the chicken wings and your water bottle, baby," she said, warmth entering her voice. "Have a blessed night."

As Heather accepted them, she nodded, smiled shyly, and walked towards the door. As she emerged, she opened the backpack, so the cat can breathe, and looked around the urban wonderland. "It's getting late, Nancy. Better find someplace for both of us to sit and eat. Then, we can figure out where to sleep afterwards."

In spite of common sense, Heather picked up the foreign animal and tried to find a place for the creature and herself to sit down and eat. Soon, her eyes spotted a bus transit staton with neon lights near the Minneapolis Community and Technical College. This one looked as though it could have come from outer space. Both glancing at each other with puzzled looks, Heather and the cat were wondering one certain thing: Where had such a system come from?

As the cold autmn breeze went through hers and the cat's body, Heather postponed the mental question, held the freezing feline to her body as though she were a baby, and walked inside the transit system. Then, as she sat the cat on the bench, Heather took out the box of chicken wings, tore off the meat, and put it next to the cat, so she could eat them.

"Taste good?" Heather asked, petting the purring cat, as she was crunching the warm food. "Glad you like it. You can have more if you want. Pretty baby.........pretty kitty...Oh, I wish I could find someplace you and I could stay in. I wish I know exactly where to go...this way, you and I don't have to worry about the darkness...mean people...nothing."

The cat mewed her concurrence with Heather's wish.

"Don't worry...wherever we go....I'll take you with me. I'll take care of you. I promise. Huh?"

Soon, glancing to the left, her eyes caught a large black double decker bus driving near the polychromatic, ebullient transit station. Engraved on the side were the words, "Starlight Express." As it stopped, the door opened, revealing a small white and blue robot with a black top light, and a brown cane in his tiny, robotic left hand.

In pure trepidation, Heather, her new pet in her arms, backed away. But, the robot stated, "Please wait, Miss Heather Matthews. There's no need to fear me."

Heather stared at the robot, puzzled. "Wait a minute. Who are you? How did you know my name when I-----?"

"I am Alphie, the universal bus operator and wish fulfiller, at your service. See, you'd wished for you and your cat to be taken to a place where you don't have to worry about the crueties of this world. Well, it shall be a pleasure to see that your wish comes true. By the way, does your furry friend have a name, too, by chance?"

"Nancy. Nancy the cat. I named her after my dad's grandma."

"Well, Heather," Alphie accentuated, "you and Nancy here are in luck. We have a spot open for you two in the Starlight Express. The seats include pillows, ear buds, bandages, blankets, and for the seats in front of you include televisions and remote controls. Not only that, there is more food on this vessel for you both. And the lavatory is located in the right back side."

"Oh, thank you," Heather said, gratefully. With Nancy in her arms, she walked up the stairs, taking in the vehicle. The carpet, the steps, and the seats covers, and the walls were adorned with multicolored stars. This sight had taken Heather's mind to the carpets of the skating rinks that she and Amber would go to as kids. On the left side were two girls, on the right were three.

Heather looked over to the left, where a slender, sexy blonde girl, thinking that the latter would be as inviting as to ask the former to sit down.

However, Heather found out different.

"Got a staring problem?" were the girl's cold words.

Heather recoiled, as thought she had been punched. Then, attempting to clarify herself, Heather commenced, "I just thought...."

"I don't care!" interrupted the girl. "Just take that little fleabag and leave me alone!"

Wounded, Heather admonished and turned away.

"Jeez, didn't know we were in the special ed bus!" grumbled the blonde. "And couldn't we have picked up someone with cleaner skin?!"

"Miss Dorothy," said Alphie, going over to the ornery girl, "kindly refrain from such stereotypical terms towards people of color and with disabilities."

"Whatever," snapped the blonde.

Then, on the right an equally libidinous brunette with butterscotch-colored skin waved her hand over, signaling and inviting Heather to sit with her.

"You can sit here with me, chica," beamed the girl.

"Thank you," Heather smiled. Then, she stared at Nancy. "But, what about Nancy, my cat?"

Sitting two seats from behind Dorothy, a beautiful redheaded girl tapped Heather's arm. "Actually, you can buckle her next to my dog, Tutu." She pointed towards a small black and white dog fastened in a seat belt.

Heather held Nancy tightly close to her.

"And don't worry," said a gorgeous, glamourous girl with purple hair. "Tutu is just fine with cats."

"That's great," Heather said, giggling. Then, she rubbed her nose against Nancy's. "Come on, Nancy. Let's get you settled."

As soon as Heather clicked the seat belt against Nancy's waist, she went to sit down next to the brunette. While the dog licked the left cheek of the purring cat, the girl introduced herself. "By the way, my name is Reese."

"Mine's Harumi," greeted the girl with the purple hair.

"And mine's Stephanie," cooed the redhead. "What's yours?"

"Oh, it's Heather," Heather answered, in her usually sheepish tone.

"Where are you from, Heather?" Reese inquired.

"Oh, I'm from Brooklyn Park," replied Heather.

"Girl, for real?" Reese sounded enthusiastic. "I'm from Osseo!"

"Nice!" Heather said, almost like a child. "I wanted to live there..either there or Maple Grove."

"Maple Grove?" Harumi averred. "That's where I live!"

"Well, I wanted to live to Maple Grove myself," Stephanie admitted, applying some rouge on her lips. "But, thanks to my parents' jobs, I ended up residing in Champlin instead. Hey, what are you going to do about it? Huh? What?" Stephanie then turned to a reserved, pregnant older girl, sitting next to her. The alluring, pale-skinned, strawberry blonde whispered something in Stephanie's ear.

Stephanie giggled. "Terry said that she likes your bow and it goes nicely with your dress. And quite frankly, I agree."

"Same," Reese winked.

Heather blushed. "Thanks, guys...and tell Terry thanks."

"Terry's a shy girl," explained Harumi. "She doesn't speak very much."

"I see," Heather said, just as bashfully.

Terry winked at Heather.

As Heather returned the wink, she briefly took note of the red welts on Terry's right arm and legs. They seemed to have stemmed from the end of a large extension cord. As she turned away, disturbed, she stared down at the floor. It seemed that Heather wasn't the only one receiving this horrible treatment.

As Alphie planted himself back in the driver's seat, he inserted a hard drive in the monitor on the right lower side of the steering wheel.

"Hmmmmm," said Alphie. "It seems that I have them all. Now, let me check their profiles......"

The windshield then turned to a large computer screen, which displayed the pictures of the six girls. As he clicked on Reese's profile, he read it aloud:

"Let me see here....Reese Jessica Felicia Canales..age, seventeen. Parents: Timoteo Aurelio and Sheryl Arielle Kantowitz-Canales. Older brother: Dorián Eugenio Teodoro Canales. Hometown: Osseo. A sexy tomboy-slash-girly-girl who loves to play sports, video games, dance, dress provocative, and flirt with boys. She's run away because she is sick of her parents telling her to quit flirting with boys."

Then, he went to Stephanie's:

"Stephanie Audrey Gale...age, sixteen....Hometown: Champlin. Parents: Peter Evan and Mary Elizabeth Holland-Gale. Older brother and sister: Jonathan Andrew and Clair Alicia Gale. An attractive, but klutzy redhead, who wants to become a Broadway actress. Along with her dog, Tutu, she wants to escape the hands of her bullying parents and a domineering teacher who tell her to go to an all-girls college and find realistic jobs."

Then, to Dorothy's:

"Dorothy Victoria Woods...age, fifteen. Hometown: Maple Grove. Parents: Tobias Horace and Judith Raye Korff-Woods. Older brother and sister: Nathan Barry Woods and Linda Joyce Woods-Reeves. This voluptuous blonde homecoming queen's venomous behavior stems from being bullied all from elementary school and junior high. And this is not even including the fact that she has been abused by her own parents. She has even been called a scumbag, due to her attitude, and given a lot of death threats. Now, tired of being judged, she has decided to leave town, hoping to be away from people."

Next, to Harumi's:

"Harumi Kobayashi...age, fifteen....Hometown: ALSO Maple Grove. Parents: Hiro and Akemi Yamadera-Kobayashi. Younger sister: Natsumi Kobayashi. This sexy purple haired butterfly is a party girl who loves to hit the nightclubs, much to her parents’ chagrin. She runs away because she is sick of her parents telling her stay in school and keep her head in the books, and not in the clouds."

Terry rubbed her stomach.

"Olivia Therese "Terry" Jefferson....age, seventeen. Hometown: Plymouth. Parents: Harold Dalton "Harry" and Sharath Margaret "Shari" Mason-Jefferson. Younger brother: Gerald Brock "Jerry" Jefferson. This quiet, yet seductive young woman is a puerile teenage mother who had dropped out of school, much to the rage of her parents. She has received more than one beating with extension cords, which explains the marks on her body. Through with being their punching bag, she attempted to escape to the father of her child. After the disavowal and the denial of the child's paternity, she has run away to search for a sanctuary for herself and her baby."

Overcome with anxiety and fear, Heather held her hands down and her lap and started trembling.

"And now, our new passengers. Firstly, the little princess, Heather Laura Matthews....age, sixteen. Hometown: Brooklyn Park. Parents: Francis Jasper and Hayley Colleen Douglas-Matthews. This beautiful little flower has fled from home, due to the bullies in her school, her popular younger sister, Amber Kirsten, and the whippings, and the pressure her parents put on her. She and her feline friend, Nancy, wish to escape to a sort of utopia where they will be worry free..." Activating the engine, Alphie said, "Well, these girls are going to learn the hard way to be careful what they wish for......because they are going to get it....real soon!"

Then, grabbing his microphone, he announced, "Ladies and pets, welcome onboard the Starlight Express with service from Minnesota to Kahewan Island. We are currently fifth in line for take-off and are expected to be in the air in approximately seven minutes time. We ask that you please fasten your seatbelts at this time and secure all baggage underneath your seat or in the overhead compartments. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices, including laptops and cell phones. Smoking is prohibited for the duration of the flight. Thank you for choosing Starlight Express. Enjoy your flight."

At supersonic speed, Alphie drove the Starlight Express carried the six girls and the two pets from Hennepin Avenue and, later from the roads, and into the sky.

Apprehensively, Heather glanced around the vehicle. What was Kahewan Island? What and who were in there? Well, she and her new travelmates were about to find it out!

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