When I was in 8th grade, a new girl moved to our town and transfered to our school. Her name was Luci Raven. She had long black hair, which she usually wore in a long single braid that ran down her back. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost ghostly white. Her eyebrows were very thin, almost invisible. She had dark brown eyes that were surrounded by thick, naturally long eyelashes. Her lips were pale just her skin, and were often parted. Her teeth were perfectly straight and white. She was on the short side, yet was very skinny. Overall, Luci had a rather dark beauty to her.

Luci was the outcast. She sat alone at lunch every single day. She was often bullied, both verbally and physically. I had never seen her with a friend or even an aquaintance. Luci never approached or spoke to anyone, with the exception of answering questions in class. Luci was a rather odd person.

Luci always seemed to be around when things went wrong. When Ms. Hill fell down the steps and broke her leg, Luci was seen standing at the top of the steps, staring intently at the hurt teacher. She was sitting on the swing next to Carrie Fitzpatrick when she fell off the swing and broke her arm. Luci was also seen sitting at a desk near the very same cage that the lab rats had escaped from. You can see the pattern here. Bad luck seemed to follow Luci.

The worst encounter with Luci was the night of the 8th grade play. We were putting on a show that our play director, Mr. Higgins, had written himself. Luci had been cast as Meredith, the main role. Everyone was shocked at the news, because Meredith was a loud and outgoing girl, and Luci was quiet and reserved. We crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

It was opening night. Luci stood centerstage, about to deliver Meredith's speech about animal rights. She stood on the platform that raised her up above everyone, just as the script instructed. She spotlights beamed down on her. Everyone's eyes were glued to her, anticipating what she would say next. Luci froze. She stared out at the crowd with a look of fear on her face. She had forgotten her lines, and everyone knew it. She began to breathe louder and faster. Her face tensed up, and she let out the loudest, fiercest scream anyone had heard. Everyone in the audience and onstage covered their ears. Then, the terror began. The spotlights exploded. The props onstage began to fall over. Actors and actresses began to slip and fall, injuring themselves. An earsplitting buzz ripped through the air, then everything went blank.

Nobody ever saw Luci ever again after that night. To be honest, everyone was glad we didn't. People say bad luck followed Luci, but I believed Luci was the bad luck. Luci Raven was simply an omen.