Rewrite a section from the novel from a different character’s ​point of view​.

  
 
ORIGINAL 
 
“Leave him alone!” Conor heard, wincing at the sound. 
He  turned  and  saw  Lily  Andrews  pushing  her  furious  face  into  Harry’s,  which 
only made Anton and Sully laugh even harder. 
“Your poodle’s here to save you,” Anton said. 
“I’m  just  making  it  a  fair  fight,”  Lily  huffed,  her  wiry  curls  bouncing  around  all 
poodle-like, no matter how tightly she’d tied them back. 
“You’re bleeding, O’Malley,” Harry said, calmly ignoring Lily. 
Conor  put  his  hand up to his mouth too late to catch a bit of blood coming out of 
the corner. 
“He’ll have to get his baldy mother to kiss it better for him!” Sully crowed. 
Conor’s  stomach contracted to a ball of fire, like a little sun burning him up from 
the  inside,  but  before  he  could  react,  Lily  did.  With  a  cry  of  outrage,  she 
pushed an astonished Sully into the shrubbery, toppling him all the way over. 
“Lillian Andrews!” came the voice of doom from halfway across the yard. 
They  froze.  Even Sully paused in the act of getting up. Miss Kwan, their Head of 
Year,  was  storming  over  to  them,  her  scariest  frown  burnt  into  her  face  like  a 
scar. 
” 
 
“They were making fun of Conor’s mother!” 
This  made  everyone  freeze  again,  and  the  burning  sun  in  Conor’s  stomach  grew 
hotter, ready to eat him alive. 
(–and  in  his  mind,  he  felt  a  flash  of  the  nightmare,  of  the  howling  wind,  of  the 
burning blackness–) 
He pushed it away. 
“Is this true, Conor?” Miss Kwan asked, her face as serious as a sermon. 
The  blood  on  Conor’s  tongue  made  him  want  to  throw  up.  He  looked  over  to 
Harry  and  his  cronies.  Anton  and  Sully  seemed  worried,  but  Harry  just  “They 
froze. Even Sully paused in the act of getting up. Miss Kwan, their Head of Year, 
was storming over to them, her scariest frown burnt into her face like a scar. 
“They started it, Miss,” Lily said, already defending herself. 
“I don’t want to hear it,” Miss Kwan said. “Are you all right, Sullivan?” 
Sully  shot  a  quick  glance  at  Lily,  then  got  a  pained  look  across  his  face. “I don’t 
know, Miss,” he said. “I might need to go home.” 
“Don’t milk it,” Miss Kwan said. “To my office, Lillian.” 
“But Miss, they were–” 
“Now, Lillian.” 
“They were making fun of Conor’s mother!” 
This  made  everyone  freeze  again,  and  the  burning  sun  in  Conor’s  stomach  grew 
hotter, ready to eat him alive. 
(–and  in  his  mind,  he  felt  a  flash  of  the  nightmare,  of  the  howling  wind,  of  the 
burning blackness–) 
He pushed it away. 
“Is this true, Conor?” Miss Kwan asked, her face as serious as a sermon. 
The  blood  on  Conor’s  tongue  made  him  want  to  throw  up.  He  looked  over  to 
Harry  and  his  cronies.  Anton  and  Sully  seemed  worried,  but  Harry  just  stared 
back  at  him,  unruffled  and  calm,  like  he  was  genuinely “curious as to what Conor 
might say. 
“No,  Miss,  it’s  not true,” Conor said, swallowing the blood. “I just fell. They were 
helping me up.” 
Lily’s face turned instantly into hurt surprise. ” 
 
 
POINT OF VIEW: LILY 
 
And right there, in front of me, I saw it unfold again. 
Once  a  friend,  I  saw  Conor  O’  Malley  bleeding,  his  face  slammed  by  Harry  and 
his  cronies.  I  felt  appalled;  but  I  couldn't  help  but  feel  a  sense  of  pity  -  after 
all  -  Conor’s  mother  had  cancer, based on what I’ve heard. Why did they have to 
make it worse for him? 
 
I should not help. I would surely get in trouble. 
 
But  Conor  was  a  friend.  An  ex-friend,  at  least.  He  deserved  better  than  this. 
Why was Conor not defending himself? It was like he enjoyed the ordeal. 
 
I started walking towards them. 
 
“Leave him alone!” With all my anger, I punched Harry’s face - he deserved it. 
 
Anton and Sully started laughing, hysterically.  
 
“You’re poodle’s here to save you.” 
 
I  winced.  This  was  the  reason  why  I  chose  not  to  help  before.  But  no,  this  was 
unfair for Conor, for me. Harry surely deserved punishment. 
 
“I’m  just  making  it  a  fair  fight,”  I  huffed,  staring daggers at Harry. He ignored 
my presence. 
 
“You’re bleeding, O’ Malley.” Harry said grimly.   
 
Conor  was  covering  his  blood-stained  chin.  The  bullies  were  like  sharks, 
predators.  They  enjoyed  it  when their victims, their prey, displayed weakness. I 
looked at Conor. He looked sad. He didn’t look back. 
 
“He’ll have to get his baldy mother to kiss it better for him!” 
 
That  was  it.  I  pushed  Sully  to  the  rocky  path.  I  proceeded  to  kick  him  -  I 
needed to teach these bullies a lesson -  
 
“Lillian Andrews!” 
 
It  was  Miss  Kwan.  Her  face  was  decorated  with  a  frown.  I  knew  I  was  going  to 
get  in  trouble.  After  all,  Harry  was  favored  by  the  teachers.  Unless-  unless 
Conor told the truth. He surely would. 
 
“They started it, Miss,” I quickly remarked.  
 
“I don’t want to hear it.”  
 
Miss  Kwan  promptly  checked  on  Sullivan.  She  gave  me  a  glance  -  her  eyes  were 
stone cold, as if they were swords or knives. 
 
“TO MY OFFICE, LILLIAN.” 
 
How  could  she?  I  was  doing  the  right  thing!  I  thought  this  school  was  against 
bullying! Those bullies ought to be expelled! 
 
“But Miss, they were–” 
“Now, Lillian.” 
“They were making fun of Conor’s mother!” 
 
Everyone  turned  to  Conor.  All  the  time,  he  was  constantly  trying  to  cover  his 
wound. 
 
“Is this true, Conor?” 
 
He  looked  over  to  his tormentors. Harry looked calm, as if he wasn’t scared, like 
he wasn’t going to get his punishment -  
 
“No,  Miss,  it’s  not true,” Conor said, swallowing the blood. “I just fell. They were 
helping me up.” 
 
I  was  shocked.  There  were  no  words  to  be  said.  I  felt  betrayed.  I  closed  my 
fist,  as  if  I  would  get  a  chance  to  strike  him  too.  I  forced  myself  to  be  an 
empath. To hopefully, understand Conor and help him, but I couldn’t. 
 
“Get to your classes,” Miss Kwan said. “Except for you, Lillian.” 
 
 
Rewriting  this  extract  of  the  novel  helped  me  understand  better  about  Conor’s 
interactions  with  people  in  his  life  at  school.  I  understood  better  the  reasons 
why  he  was  bullied  and  why  people  refrained  from  befriending or being friendly 
towards  him,  and  chose  to  treat  him  as  invisible,  and  why Conor chose to do the 
same,  secluding himself. His behaviour towards people that genuinely care makes 
them  lose  trust  and  faith  in  him,  such  as  with  Lily,  and  this  is  justified  by  his 
need of seclusion.