The front door creaked open at exactly 7:00 a.m., just like every other morning. Scylla stepped out into the autumn air, her oversized navy blue backpack weighing heavily on her small shoulders.
No other children walked this route, they all took the bright yellow school bus that she could see in the distance. It left her wondering what it felt like to ride a bus.
Her footsteps were careful and measured. The walk to her elementary school took exactly seventeen minutes. Scylla knew because she counted the seconds sometimes. Today, she watched a cat sunbathing on a garden wall, its tail swishing lazily as she passed. She wondered if it was as alone as she was, or maybe... it found peace instead of loneliness.
The school playground came into view, already filling with children forming their usual clusters. Scylla skirted the edges of the playground like a shadow, her dark hair falling forward to hide her face.
Room 4B was mostly empty when she arrived, just how she liked it. Her desk was in the back corner, next to the bookshelf. She wasn't assigned there; she'd just started sitting in that spot on the first day, and nobody had contested it. The surface of the desk was clean except for the small drawings she'd made in pencil along its edges.
She pulled out her notebook, already open to a fresh page, and began to draw while the classroom slowly filled with the arrival of students.
Ms. Okada's clap echoed through the classroom, pulling Scylla's attention away from her drawings.
"Class, I have an exciting announcement!" The teacher's voice carried its usual cheerfulness, but there was an extra spark in it today.
"We have some very special guests coming to visit us this morning!"
Scylla's classmates immediately burst into whispers and excited questions, their voices mixing like a flock of noisy birds. She remained quiet and focused, thinking about what this announcement could be.
"After your break time, there will be people visiting our school. I want everyone to behave and participate, understood, class?"
"Yes, ma'am." The students nodded, but it left them wondering about what this visitation was all about.
(A few hours later)
"Everyone, please line up. We're going to the multipurpose room for a special assembly!" Ms. Okada gestured toward the door, and chairs scraped against the floor as twenty-three excited fourth-graders scrambled to form a line.
Scylla waited until the rush subsided before sliding out of her seat.
The multipurpose room was already buzzing with other classes when they arrived. Scylla found a spot on the floor near the back where the shadows from the stage curtains created comfortable darkness.
A woman in a crisp business suit stepped onto the stage, her smile bright under the fluorescent lights. "Good morning, Honoza Elementary!" Her voice was warm and friendly. "We're here from Sunshine Bread Company, and we have some treats and surprises for all of you today!"
Two more people joined her, carrying baskets filled with lunch boxes. But it was what came next that changed everything for Scylla.
Through the stage door, a large, golden-brown bear mascot waddled out, wearing a chef's hat and a white apron with "Sunshine Bread" written in cheerful letters. The bear had kind eyes, oversized paws, and the gentlest expression.
"Today, we will teach you how important breakfast is in our everyday lives." The woman said with a mic in her hand.
The room erupted in squeals and cheers, but not Scylla. To her, this feeling is strange. She's not used to the feeling of excitement as she watches the mascot walk around the stage.
The bear began to dance, its movements clumsy and endearing. It pretended to bake bread, throwing invisible flour into the air and kneading imaginary dough while the woman discussed the importance of breakfast.
Children around her laughed and clapped, but Scylla remained still. There was something about the bear's gentle clumsiness, its silent performance, that spoke to her in a way that words rarely did.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Scylla forgot to be lonely. She forgot to be invisible. She just existed at that moment, feeling something that might have been happiness flutter in her chest like a puppy seeing its human come home.
The representatives began moving through the rows of students, their baskets now filled with colorful lunchboxes decorated with the smiling bear mascot. The bear followed behind them, stopping to give high-fives and hugs to the delighted children.
Scylla watched from her spot, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The bear was getting closer, and her heart began to race. She wasn't used to being part of things, to being included in moments of joy that seemed to come so naturally to everyone else.
Then the bear was there, right in front of her, holding out a sunshine-yellow lunchbox with gentle paws. Scylla hesitated for just a moment before standing up, her movements uncertain. Around her, children were wrapping their arms around the mascot's soft middle, their faces pressed against the plush costume. Something about their unguarded happiness gave her courage.
Taking a small step forward, Scylla accepted the lunchbox, and then she stood up and wrapped her arms around the bear. The costume was softer than she'd imagined, like hugging a giant teddy bear, soft and cuddly. A warmth she hadn't felt in a long time spread through her chest. The bear's large paw patted her back gently, and Scylla felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.
Back on the stage, the woman in the suit spoke again about the importance of breakfast and good behavior. Scylla and the other students were already opening her lunchbox, her stomach reminding her that she'd skipped breakfast again that morning. Inside was a sandwich wrapped in cheerful paper and a small box of apple juice.
The visitors were saying their goodbyes now, waving to the crowd of children. The bear gave one final, clumsy dance, and Scylla found herself waving back, her other hand still holding the half-eaten sandwich.
The woman said one last thing, "You were never alone," before handing the mic to one of the teachers and leaving the stage. It hit Scylla the way the woman was right, she was never alone, there was always someone who watched her, noticed her, and thought of her.
Long after they had gone, after the children had returned to their classrooms and the excitement had faded, Scylla could still feel the softness of the bear's fur against her cheek. She carefully folded the yellow lunchbox and slipped it into her backpack. She thought, maybe, she would try to have breakfast tomorrow morning. Maybe there would be more days like this one, where the world didn't feel quite so cold and distant.