PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Once upon, a time not too long ago there lived a young black-haired girl named Lux Moon. She lived in Massachusetts with her mother. They had recently moved there from the south because there was more jobs opened in the north, and for other reasons both were uncomfortable mentioning. You see, Lux had a condition that was life threatening.
Her life threatening not only was dangerous to herself but to others too. She wouldn't admit this to anyone, but sometimes she wasn't her normal self. Back in the south Lux had been harshly bullied by her school mates because she acted differently than them. This was what caused her condition.
You might wonder, if bullying was the cause of her condition, then what was the cause of her bullying. There is never an acceptable reason why someone bully's another. Yet, one reason why by-passers gave her strange looks when she walked down the street was because of Lux's birthdmark. The girl, as pretty as she was, had a large dark mark stretching across her neck. Her birthmark resembled a scar, something that young girls don't usually have.
What she could not control caused her fall. Whenever Lux felt angry or threatened, she transformed into a large black wolf. Unlike Lux's usual self, this wolf was dangerous, harsh, and cruel, just as the other girls and boys had treated her. For a while there had been a difference between Lux and the wolf, but after a period of time they morphed into one. She began as an innocent black sheep but ended up a dark wolf. Her condition made it hard for her to be around other people.
Each time Lux had what her mother called an accident, she had to move to a different school. When she had attended all of the schools in her area, it was time for her to move again. Just in the past year Lux attended five different schools. She hoped that things in the north would be better.
The first day of school came in a flash. When Lux arrived at school, things didn't seem so bad. No one was paying attention to the girl with black hair and a sad look on her face. It was only when she arrived at her first class that her new peers began to notice her. They stared, but not with the judging glare that Lux's old peers used to hit her with. She was wearing a jacket zipper all the way past her neck after all.
They were curious of the girl with black hair, just as they would be if any other new kid had walked through the door. Lux was relieved, but she knew deep down that the name calling would start up again soon. She couldn't hide her imperfection forever.
Lux's teacher, a tired old woman named Mrs. Cross, briefly introduced Lux to the class and then sent her to sit in the back. For a while everything was at a dull roar as the students who wanted to learn listened to Mrs. Cross as she spoke in a monotone voice and the students who wanted to socialize whispered back and forth to their friends. Then, something unexpected happened.
"Psst". Lux, who had been looking at the floor trying to avoid drawing attention to herself, looked up and around. "Psst". Lux looked to her left. A pretty green-eyed girl sat next to her. "Hi," The girl whispered, "You're Lux Moon right? Cool name, I'm Heather. Heather Scott". Heather held out her hand to Lux. Lux didn't have a clue how to react.
"Hi-Hello... Heather". Lux reluctantly shook her hand. "Mrs. Cross said you're from Salem right? I have an aunt that lives up in Salem, it's so creepy there. Did you live in Salem? Of course Salem isn't the only place in Massachusets, silly me. Not everyone from Massachusetts lives in Salem..." Lux , with a smile, stopped Heather before she could ramble any further. "I'm from
Salem". Heather nodded, "Ooh that's cool. You probably know my aunt, she's weird. It's cold up there isn't it? So that's like a big change for you, coming here to the south?" Lux bit her lip . "I guess..." She answered shyly. Mrs. Cross glared at the two from the front of the classroom. "Girls, I know Lux is new but that's not an excuse to be talking during class".
The girls nodded sheepishly. For the rest of the day they stuck side by side. Lux felt normal again when she was with Heather. She was afraid that Heather would get tired of her and leave her alone, but a month passed by and Heather still treated her like she had the first day of school.
Then another month passed, and another. Heather eventually introduced Lux to her other friends. At first they were weary of the girl with black hair, but they grew to accept her. Even Lux's own mother started to notice a change in her daughter. She wasn't changing as often anymore.
Six months passed. Lux had a new record. She hadn't changed in two months. Things were going so well and she didn't want it to end, yet her mother constantly reminded her about her past. "You can't change what happened," She had said, "It can never be erased. The best thing you can do is accept it and learn how to use you experience positively".
Her mother thought Lux should tell her friends. She said if she didn't, she'd be lying to them. Lux knew her mother was right, but she was afraid of how her friends would react.
One day durning school at lunch, Lux, Heather, and a few of their other friends, Olivia, Patricia, and Eliza were talking about family issues. Eliza's parents had recently gone through a divorce, and she found solace in her friends. Lux thought to herself, if Eliza could talk so freely about such personal things, she could too.
Lux thought about it so hard that she let the voices of her friends drown out. After a few minutes, her friends stopped talking. "Lux?" Olivia asked, "Are you alright? You don't seem like you're... you know... here". Lux nodded her head, shaking herself into focus. "Yeah I'm fine, I was just thinking". Her friends looked concerned. "Whatcha thinking about?" Heather asked.
Lux took a deep breath. "Look, you guys are my best friends. You all have been so kind to me, you deserve to hear this, even if it changes your view of me. Just, please promise me you all won't stop being my friend?"
"Of course," Said Heather. "Lux, what is it?"
It took the rest of the lunch period for Lux to explain. When she was done, Heather stood up and pulled her into a hug. "Group hug guys!" She smiled. Olivia, Patricia, and Eliza got up from their seats and joined in. "Thank you". Tears rose in Lux's eyes. "Thank you for being my friend".
