It was a rainy morning. A normal girl named Ivy, with short black hair and brown eyes, sat at the back of her classroom. She was shy, rarely spoke, and always kept her head down, avoiding eye contact. She fidgeted with her sleeves, trying to disappear from everyone's attention. Unfortunately, her classmates often made fun of her and that wasn't even the worst part. She had problems at home too.

One day, Ivy had had enough. She decided to run away. As she walked along the rain soaked street, she reached a bright, open place. Her thoughts were dark, and she was ready to jump. She stood there for a long moment, hesitating. Then she put one foot over the edge and started to fall.

Suddenly, someone tall caught her in time. He pulled her up gently. Ivy screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go!" she shouted, but he didn't. Instead, he spoke softly, in a smooth, calm voice, "It's okay."

She looked up at him. He was Japanese, with long black hair tied in a bun on his shoulders, and deep black eyes. She was speechless. After a moment, he took her to the hospital.

Sitting on the hospital bed, Ivy looked down at her hands and whispered, "Why did you save me? I don't need your help."

The strange man looked at her for a moment, unsure of what to say, and stayed silent.

An hour later, her parents rushed in, their faces full of worry. "Where have you been? We were so worried about you!"

Ivy remained quiet. The man standing beside her glanced at her parents and then back at her. Calmly, he lied, "I'm her teacher. She was with me after class."

Her parents were momentarily speechless at his composure but eventually accepted his explanation. "It's okay," they said, though still concerned, and left with Ivy.

Ivy turned to look at the strange man one last time. She hoped she would never run into him again.

It was a rainy morning. A normal girl named Ivy, with short

Janine Charoownay