The Message

By Rana Abid-Ali

Meet Laila Huberman, a dreamy head who has always dreamt of having a friend... "That will never happen" she thought. Yet the very next day becomes the best. She ended up meeting the friend of her dreams and they set out on an adventure of a life time. But as Laila opens up the mysterious gate, her curiosity becomes unbearable as she discovers... a message in a bottle..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rana Abid-Ali
• Release date: Sep 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310442971

Book preview

1

DREAM

The stars of the night sky glimmered in my eyes, trying to cheer me up. But no matter how much they would glow, my face wouldn’t brighten up. Feeling down in the dumps, I looked away from the beautiful view towards a sketch on my tired old desk. The sketch was of a girl with short, blond hair, with glittery eyes and a beautiful smile that could encourage anyone to go on an adventure. That girl is supposed to be the friend of my dreams.

That will never happen.

Spinning on my desk chair, I could see a blurry view of my room. Not a luxury room but a perfect size for a small person in this colossal world. As the chair came to a halt, my head kept failing to regain balance. Feeling scared that I would fall off, I closed my eyes immediately and gently placed my head into my hands. After a few moments, I was yet again staring at that girl. Automatically, my eyes shut tight, thinking what it would feel like to have a friend. The image didn’t come to me very easily. I closed my eyes harder, thinking... thinking...

Laila! Breakfast is ready! A smooth voice called from downstairs. With suspicion, I lifted my head from my desk. Breakfast at night? Realising that I had slept through the night and that it was Monday morning, I put on my school uniform and tip-toed down the stairs. Holding my breath, I crept towards mum. Before I could scare her, she interrupted my plan.

Hello Laila, did you sleep well?

Feeling disappointed, I turned around and sat down at the breakfast table.

Yes, well, I don’t know how, but I ended up sleeping at my desk!

After I gobbled down on my egg and toast, I grabbed my school bag, gave mum a kiss and darted out of the front door. I was in such a hurry to catch the school bus that I ran as if I was running for my life from a man-eating, blood-sucking creature.

Have a great day at school and be sure to make friends! my mum’s voice echoed behind me. A good day at school hardly happened and she just wanted me to have a great day ... Yep, that’s my