A Good Time For Change

Prologue

Whispers followed her everywhere.

"She's such a dork."

"What a complete weirdo."

Of course it's not like she cared. She had her books and her grades and that was all she needed.

Kelli Roberts was short, spunky, with long reddish-brown hair, oval-shaped golden-rimmed glasses, and had a brain so big it's amazing it didn't plop straight out of her head. None of the teachers liked her because she didn't suck up, and none of the students in her fifth grade class liked her because she got the best grades in school. Her family wasn't any better. She had an older sister, named Teddi, who was thirteen, and a little sister, named Shawn. They were always just a little bit more likable.

"Hey dorkon!" shouted Charlie Stimple. Charlie was a regular bully and dumb as a rock. It was recess and Kelli'd been reading a book (called Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card) and the ugly git had decided to pick on her.

"What is it now chuck-butt?" she said in a bored voice not taking her eyes off of her book.

"What did you call me?" he said sounding angry.

"If you weren't too thick to string two words together then you'd know I called you a," she spoke very slowly, "chuck-butt. A cross between a woodchuck, the disgusting, forest rodent, and a human butt. Although I don't know how anyone could tell the difference between your butt and your face as they look completely identical. So," she stood up and slung her book bag onto her shoulder depositing her book inside, "if you don't mind chuck-butt I'll just be on my way." she walked inside. Charlie and his friends stood staring at each other for a minute.

"Did you catch anything she said?" asked Charlie.

"Uhuh." said the thugs who always accompanied him shaking their stupid heads, with their stupid, semi-Beatle haircuts.

"So who should we pick on now?"

* * * * *

"That's correct, Miss Roberts." said Mr. Cotes as she answered another question correctly. Kelli always was chosen by the teachers to answer the questions because she was always reading and it looked like she wasn't paying attention. Fact of the matter was somehow she always knew. It was like the answers jumped from the teachers head into hers.

But there was another thing that teachers didn't like about Kelli. Weird things seemed to follow her like a puppy follows a little kid. Like when she was little her first birthday candle disaster. Ugh! She blew it out and then it kept lighting. She kept blowing and it kept lighting. The candles weren't even trick candles either. Finally the cake was an inferno and they had to have ice cream instead. When she started school her teacher's toupe flew off his head and rocketed around the room after he tried to insult her pig tails.

Anyway let's get back to the story. As the bell rang Kelli packed up all her things and put her book bag over her shoulder. Her little sister was in daycare and Teddi went to Lantel Street's Junior High so Kelli was always first home and was alone fore about fifteen minutes. She walked to the bus and sat in her usual seat near the front. The kindly bus driver, an old woman named Mrs. Figg, always had an encouraging word and a wink for her. The old woman seemed a bit crazy but her kindness was welcome to Kelli's unhappy life. But she gave Kelli the feeling that she knew something she didn't.

"'Ello lass." said the woman. I think she's British. Kelli thought to herself.

"Hello Mrs. Figg."

"What are you plannin' on doin' for yeh summe' vacation, dear?" she shouted over the kids pouring in, making loud statements about their exciting summer vacation plans.

"Nothin' much." said Kelli pulling out her book again.

"Thinking about getting any mail?"

"What?"

"Oh, never mind, dear. Never mind at'all." she said pulling closed the door.

By Kelli's stop nobody else was on the bus and she had finished her book.

"Have a nice vacation Mrs. Figg." she said.

"Have a nice holiday dear." she said.

Kelli had just turned around to wave at the bus when she was shocked for the first, but not last time that day. The bus was nowhere in sight and she didn't hear the engine anywhere either.

"Peculiar." she thought to herself, "Extremely peculiar."