Secret Friends — Lynn Landes

My name is Bella. I am a Pegasus and this is the story of how I met my secret friend, Maximillion. You know what a Pegasus is, right? NO? We are mythical creatures that look like horses with wings. We can fly, well, most of us can. Every day after school it starts. The other Pegasus don't like me. You see I can't fly, it scares me. Lots of things scare me. I am different and they just don't like different. So I run, but it is hard to run faster than a Pegasus can fly. One day after school, I ran into the woods to the waterfalls. I hoped they would get tired of picking on me. They didn't. They followed me and I was trapped. I closed my eyes in fear and waited, but this time was different. Shhh…don't tell anyone but my secret friend came to my rescue! I can't run faster than a Pegasus, but no one messes with a Dragon! If you want, I will tell you the story of how Max teaches me about forgiveness and how to handle a bully… Excerpt: “Lift up your head Bella, tell me what you see?” “Stars, Max. I see stars.” “Well, Bella, you are like a star. No two are the same, each is different; special. None of them can shine as brightly as you, because you were made by a loving hand. Never forget that, Bella.” “I will try, Max,” she says staring up at the night sky.