Raya didn't like to be part of the group, she wasn't like them and didn't wish to be. If they wanted to keep shunning her as a result, let them. She wasn't part of the cool kids, the geeks, the brainiacs, nor the elite. She was her own person, a lone wolf, and sometimes that meant a price was to be paid. If it resulted in being on her own more, rather than with people she didn't have much in common with, then so be it.

Her escape was in books and art. She loved reading, and hours would happily fly by while she read novels and fan sites. She interacted a lot with like-minded readers, but she was always sensible to keep her private details to herself. Sure, she'd openly spill her guts about what she was feeling and why, but she never crossed that line and gave out her number or address. She was lonely sometimes, but she was never stupid. Sure, sometimes cute guys asked for her photo, but she was careful. Even her Insta account and other media held limited information on her. People were far too free and easy with their details, she'd seen how simple it was to find out a great deal just by piecing stuff together from various sources.

Her other great love was art, and she was good at it too. In fact, she wasn't reticent at all about posting that online. She was making quite a name for herself in the world of digital artistry. At only sixteen, she was still young enough to know she was naive and inexperienced at some stuff, but at others she was daring and defiant. Her imagination knew no bounds. It allowed her mind to escape and visualize her books she read, but it also aided her in thinking up great artistic compositions. She was clever and talented. She was very pretty too, but nobody had told her that, and she never really saw it for herself in the mirror. No great beauty truly does.

From the sanctuary of her room Raya blossomed from a girl into a young woman. Few even saw how much she changed, nor did they notice how she liked to play with her looks. She'd change her hair, the colour and length, the styles. She'd pretend to be characters from the books she liked, or else mirror the fashions of her favourite artists. One day she'd wear pretty dresses, the next she wore men's suits. She was experimenting all the time, with make-up, with colour and materials and with her growing budding confidence. Nobody really looked like she did; nobody even tried. In fact, had it not been that she was indeed beautiful, then she'd have probably attracted a lot more haters than she did already. But she didn't care. She was unique, cutting edge. All great artists of their time were.

What you notice most about teenagers is that they do one of two things. They are either drawn to the different like moths to a flame, or far more likely, they use it to single you out and ridicule your choices. Raya walked a fine line between those. Girls thought her different enough to be edgy and interesting, but best kept at arms length. Guys felt a little intimidated that she knew her own mind and thought for herself, moving to the beat of her own drum. They lacked the confidence to approach her to ask her out, but they also saw her beauty and how different it was so rarely picked on her. As a consequence Raya had few friends, and she liked it that way. She could manage on her own, and the little world she controlled and lived in was quite enough for her at this stage in her life

Dark skin, shiny full black hair and light blue green eyes. She was into tribal themes at the moment, and she'd woven beads and feathers into her plaits. Her amazing eye art was golds and yellows like the coat of a cheetah. The same pattern was carried on down her neck and visibly across her upper chest. It could be seen as a tantalizing stripe that made her skin look exotic. She'd designed layers that were in similar tones with heavier dark grey and black accents. Nobody looked like Raya, no-one thought like her too, and for that she stood out. Perhaps she stood out too much. For in life, those who get noticed are often the ones who meet the dangers first.

He was nineteen, a player and a young man with big ambitions. He'd grown up on the tough city streets and he was always in a lot of trouble. He knew some very undesirable people, and he dealt in a lot of very nasty things. He was as far removed from a person that Raya would usually have any contact with, but that day Lamar Lenton was picking his baby sister up from school. He was parked round back trying to hussle some kids and make a few extra bucks and connections. This age they'd do anything if you knew how to tap into their world. But when Raya walked past, nobody paid her any attention, She was camouflaged, blending in so well that she was a ghost walking the school grounds. But Lamar saw her, the long luscious limbs and the sexy sway in her step. What he wanted he had learned to take, not ask for. That posed a threat for Raya, an unexpected risk she'd never thought she'd have to deal with.

Lamar quickly concluded his shady business and sent the kids packing. He forgot about his sis, and started following the pretty creature over the back buildings and the routes towards the playing fields. His car was parked close. His mind was going full pelt, she was likely only his sister's age, but that didn't bother him none. He liked what he saw, she had that bounce in her step and purpose in her stride. He knew he was tall, muscular, intimidating; but women said he was a looker. He had bravado and an ego the size of a tennis court. He headed her off at end of the last set of outbuildings where the smokers generally hung out.

"Hey girl, you need a ride?" asked a cocky youth with a menacing look in his eye. Raya instantly turned to walk the other way out of his path. He moved to block her.
"What? You ain't got a tongue in that pretty head of yours?" He was offended, most girls loved to pay him attention.
"I mean it, my car is over there, and I can give you a ride you'll never forget."
Raya rolled her eyes visibly.
"No thank you." She turned again. This time she picked up her pace but he kept in step close behind her.
"C'mon, c'mon, I'm just being a gentleman."
He put on his best winning smile. It generally went over well when he was peddling his trash to dumb little school girls who were crushing on him. But not with Raya.

She'd never had to deal with guys like this. She didn't like attention, not least the type of attention she knew he'd be wanting. He made her feel unsafe, so she determined to stick on college grounds and find more people. That was kind of against her nature, but her instincts said on this occasion it would be wiser.
"Hey, ain't you gonna stop?"
"No," she replied curtly, and carried on walking. But he reached out and tried grabbing her arm.
"You know you've no need to be a prissy bitch about it. I'm just being friendly."
Raya was looking around for witnesses but oddly nobody was in sight. She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and started hurrying away.
"C'mon...." Lamar was pissed. He didn't take rejection well and as a guy who thought of himself as a gangsta, he thought this girl needed taking down a peg or two.

Raya really wasn't looking for trouble, or the attention. But the insane guy came past her and blocker her way again. She was just trying to calculate how fast she could run, or loud she could scream when the stranger reached behind to his waistband and pulled out a gun.
"Yeah that's right bitch. You ain't willing to stop for me but you'll stop for my little friend here."
Lamar poked the gun right in her face. She froze and her brain went on freeze. It was like he was still talking but none of it was registering. She tuned out the drone of his voice, time slowed, her heartbeat sped up in opposition. He was an angry bee and she was about to be stung. She retreated into that mind escape she did so well with her books. It was safe there in her mind, she would be okay, all would be fine. Don't look him in the eye, don't show fear, don't engage.

Lamar went off on one the way he did with his ma and Pa when they treated him like a young boy not the man he was. His language got foul, his body language got angry, and he was all bluster and in-yer-face bravado. He lost all logic so easily, he'd always been like it. But as he mouthed off at this girl, waving his unloaded pistol about like he meant to use it, he looked like a crazed maniac. That is of course, until his little sis came running up behind him and smacked him round the head with her geography course work. And I can tell you, there was a lot of work in her studies and the text book was no mean size.

The thud of this caught him off guard, and it had the result of bringing Raya's attention back too.
Here was a fierce little creature short and mean, laying in to her brother all guns blazing.
"Lamar Lenton what you mean coming to my school packing heat and threatening my friends. Don't you have no sense at all?"
She continued pressing her advantage as bells still rung in his ears and stars shone brightly in his grey bloodshot eyes. Her books were like some magnificent ninja weapon, and he was arm up to block it rather uselessly.
"Hold up, hold up Lanette! I didn't know you knew her..."
"You wait till I tell Pa, he'll sort you out, and what you mean peddling your shit round here where I study!"

The blows rained down heavier. He put the gun away out of sight.
Raya was stood like a rabbit in the headlights watching the spectacle. She'd never seen such a hellcat before, and her admiration leapt up inside her. Then she noticed, as the blows kept coming at the brother, the girl had turned to her and mouthed...
"Run!" And she did.




© .Garry Saunders