The Martian at the Academy of Astronomy Expertise

It was a cool, breezy autumn morning. Colorful leaves of red, orange, and yellow fell from the trees as the wind blew outside. The sun shone down on the ground, and the sky was a clear blue.

RING, RIING, RIIING!!! The bell rang; it was the end of class. I was at my school, the Academy of Astronomy Expertise. I sprinted out of the classroom into the sea of people, going to my Sci-Astro (Science-Astronomy) class. It is my favorite class because I love learning about the science of astronomy. I arrived at the door and went inside.

“Good morning, Angela!” greeted my teacher, Ms. Astronomia.

“Good morning, Ms. Astronomia!” I answered.

“All right, class, let’s get started,” she declared, “I have an announcement to make.” She continued, “Today, a new student will be joining us! WOOHOO!!!”

We all clapped, just as the door opened. And…

A girl with bright green hair and faint dust-red skin appeared. She had a bundle of disheveled hair, which was tied up with a shiny, purple, slimy thing (Is that a purple worm?). The girl also wore an indigo dress that had too many ruffles. She wore shorts, even though it was almost winter. This girl is weird, I thought. Why is she dressed like this, and why does she look like this?

“Everyone, this is Daisy,” Ms. Astronomia introduced, “She will join us for fifth-grade Sci-Atro!”

“Hi,” we all grumbled.

Everybody watched as Daisy sat alone in the solitary seat at the corner.

“Okay, so get your notebooks and computers. Let’s get started on taking notes for The Characteristics of Mars,” Ms. Astronomia shouted, snapping our attention back.

My whole class groaned… except for Daisy. She actually seemed quite excited. How can anyone like taking notes? I wondered.

After Sci-Astro, I had recess. While I was playing with my friends, I realized Daisy was wandering around the playground, getting stared at. No one wanted to play with her because she was so weird. As I watched her, I noticed that she was crying. I need to cheer her up, I thought. So, I raced towards her…

“Hi, Daisy!” I called.

“Hi,” she responded with an unfamiliar accent.

Then, I felt as if eyes were on us. As I looked around, I saw every person on the playground staring at Daisy and me, whispering. “Oh, no,” I muttered to myself, dreading what’s going to happen, “Not rumors about us.”

“Do you want to sit with me at lunch?” I inquired.

“Okay!” Daisy exclaimed, wiping her tears away.

On the way to lunch, my friend, Scarlet, rushed towards me.

“Angela! Why are you even talking to that weird Daisy girl? I think she knows waaay too much about Mars,” Scarlet informed me. Then, seeing my utterly confused face, she added, “I’m in her Planetary-Astro class.”

“Oh,” I responded, “Why do you think that she knows so much about Mars?”

“You know how her hair is green, her skin is a tint red, her clothes are abnormal, and she speaks in a strange accent?” Scarlet pointed out. Then, dropping into a whisper, she carried on, “We all think she’s a Martian. She’s a person from Mars.”

I was totally and completely astonished.

“Let me find out,” I informed her.

I was determined to discover if Daisy was a real Martian.

I sat with Daisy at lunch.

“Daisy, my friend says you know a lot about Mars. Can you tell me some facts?” I questioned.

“Mars is very red because of iron oxide. It’s also rocky and desert-like. It has a thin atmosphere, cold poles, volcanoes, and canyons. A day on Mars is…” Daisy rambles on.

Once she finished, which seemed like forever, I commented, “Wow! You do know a lot about Mars.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” she muttered. I nodded, so she went on, “I am from Mars, a Martian as you humans would call us.”

I WAS SHOCKED. WOW!!! Scarlet was right! Daisy is indeed a Martian.

After lunch, I dashed to Scarlet.

“Scarlet!” I hollered, “Daisy is a Martian!”

“Told you,” Scarlet replied smugly.

“Let’s tell everyone!!!” I announced.

I bolted in one direction as Scarlet whizzed in the other, telling others about Daisy being a Martian.

“Wow!” they all commented, “I want to be her friend!”

Soon enough, the whole school knew. They all wanted to talk and play with Daisy. She became the most popular kid at the Academy of Astronomy Expertise.

One day, Daisy walked to my side.

“Angela, thank you for helping me make friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she thanked, hugging me.

“You’re welcome,” I told her.

This moment changed my life forever. I learned that inclusion can lead to more friendships and happiness. That is why now, every day, I include and help someone new.

Inclusion is important and will lead to many positive impacts. Be inclusive every day.