"What?" Was all I could mouth even though I barely heard the voice myself.
"Don't act like you don't know " She rolled her eyes maliciously. "Look at you."
And she waved her hand from my head to my feet.
"Just take a look at yourself. Have you ever seen anyone with red hair?" She asked reasonably. "There are dark-haired people, blondes, brunettes . But you would never see anyone with red hair like you.
I felt weak to the bone.
My knees became all wobbly.
She gave a bitter laugh and I felt my stomach twist in a dreadful knot.
"I'll tell you this." She raised a finger at me. "No one has red hair here. You're a stranger to us. You don't belong here. Look at yourself!"
And she actually reached out to touch a strand of my hair with her finger tips.
I slapped her hands away, infuriated by her audacity.
"Don't touch me." I warned.
Except the way I warned her was in a less confident voice.
It was small and sounded like someone who had been backed to a corner.
