Chapter 11
Julia sat under the tree at lunch, the grass cool beneath her legs. Amira was already there, her hands busy folding a new paper bird—this one blue, with tiny stars drawn on its wings.
"I call this one Hope," Amira whispered as she placed it in the center between them.
Julia smiled a little. "Hope's a good name."
They didn't talk much after that, but the silence was peaceful. Together, they made paper birds—yellow for warmth, green for growth, purple for dreams. Each one held a piece of their hearts.
It was the first time since her grandma's death that Julia didn't feel alone.
After school, Julia went home and dug through an old box in her closet. Inside were her grandmother's things—knitting needles, a faded photo, and a leather-bound notebook.
She opened the notebook slowly. The first page had her grandmother's handwriting:
*"If you ever forget how to smile, start by helping someone else remember how."*
Tears welled in Julia's eyes. Her grandma always knew how to reach her, even now.
The next day, she brought extra paper to school. During lunch, she gave Amira a folded note that read:
*"Let's start a club. The Paper Bird Club."*
Amira looked at her, surprised… and then smiled.
That afternoon, they made ten birds together and left them around the school with little messages like:
- "You matter."
- "It's okay to cry."
- "Tomorrow needs you."
By the end of the week, other kids started noticing. Some even joined them.
Julia wasn't invisible anymore.
She wasn't healed… not fully.
But something inside her was waking up.
The girl who forgot how to smile…
was beginning to remember.