“Class, I would like you to meet Calum Murray.”
Heads turned and giggles were suppressed as the snub-nosed boy with red hair and bright blue eyes stepped nervously from behind the teacher. Already he felt he would be the target of some ill-mannered teasing, if not outright hostility.
“Why’d his mum name him after a fish?” one bold boy whispered, soft enough to go unnoticed by everyone except the unfortunate boy standing within earshot.
“His dad probably named him,” a girl whispered back. With green eyes, ginger hair, and a smattering of freckles across her face, she wasn’t what one would call beautiful. But there was a lively dance of life in her eyes, and ten-year-old Calum fell head over heels in love with her on the spot.
“You’re right,” the bold boy agreed, smirking. “His mum’s probably too daft to even know her own name.” This time he said it loud enough to be heard by everyone, and a wave of laughter rolled over the room.
Calum dearly wanted to punch the boy - black-eyed, black-haired and the most treacherous-looking soul he’d ever seen - but he held back, and he lifted his chin in determination. He was not going to let some snot-nosed bully ruin him. Besides, the ginger-haired girl was giving him an interesting look - something which Black-eyes noticed straightaway. His thick black brows drew together in a scowl Calum knew all too well, having seen it on the face of his father too many times to count. But instead of being frightened, Calum felt fresh determination enter his soul.
“You can find a seat over there,” the teacher directed, giving Black-eyes a scowl. He put his tongue out at her as Calum picked his way through the interested crowd to the appointed desk. He sat down nervously and set his book-bag on the wooden, well-scratched surface, taking comfort in the fact that at least the teacher was near in case he needed a hand. But even as fresh fear set in, so did the determination in him grow.
He was going to triumph. No matter the problems facing him, he would rise above this situation. He had a long and proud history behind him, and ancestors who did good, honest work with their hands. They knew the value of a pound, and they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
And Calum vowed to be like the good, true men and women who had gone before him. Already he saw his future laid out before him, and as the teacher called the class to order, he began making plans in his mind, even as he turned his attention to the first lesson of the day. If there was one thing that could be said of Calum Murray, it was that he never let fear get in the way of his prize.
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