Gillian lived in one of the most disenchanting places in all of Europe. She lived at number 12 Magnolia Crescent in Little Whinging, in a neighborhood not unlike others, with houses not unlike the neighbors’. She had lived there for a large part of her life; fifteen years now. Gillian had come there as an infant, adopted from St. Paul's Children's Home by the Polkisses.
Mrs. Polkiss had been in her thirties at the time, married for ten years, and had been desperately attempting to conceive for most of them. She was short, dark-haired and thin, with small eyes and wiry framed glasses. She had a wispy sort of look, as though a breeze could take her away. Sean Polkiss, her husband, looked oddly similar to his wife. He was short, his dark hair peaked in a high, receding hairline, and he wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. After ten years, they had decided that having their own child was not a possibility, and at any rate, at their age, it could prove dangerous. So they adopted Gillian. She was young, so they could raise her as their own, and she even looked like them: overly thin and dark-haired. It would be best, they decided, to not tell her that she was adopted.
But things such as this do not always work out for a happily ever after.
A month after adopting Gillian, the Polkisses discovered that they had a child of their own on the way.
They already had Gillian, now, a daughter whom they loved dearly. They could not bear to give her up, but even they knew that things could not be as they had hoped.
And so, as the anxiety of the new baby swelled in the household, Gillian was all but forgotten, and the Polkisses were careless about their decision not to tell her she wasn't theirs. And so, Gillian grew up as the child they had not truly wanted, overshadowed by the child they had longed for for so long.
And, thus, a few weeks before Gillian’s first birthday, Piers was born.
Piers was a spitting image of his parents, and they loved him for it.
When they were both young, they may have been mistaken for twins, Piers and Gillian. But as Gillian grew older, her resemblance to the family faded. She was still dark-haired and thin, but the girl grew too tall to be a part of their family, and her eyes, blue in her infancy, had grown to a dark brown, almost black -- not to mention the strange tendencies she had developed.
As a child, she read a curious amount at an early age but not the normal books for young children. The first book she read was not about a dog named Spot, but Beauty and the Beast. Not only that, but the girl played make believe constantly and, as far as the Polkisses could tell, had no less than four imaginary friends. Her parents often worried that the little girl was unaware of the difference between the real and the imaginary.
And while Gillian played in her fantastic world of make believe, the Polkisses looked on, somewhat concerned about her inability to bond with the other children. At the same time their son interacted with the neighboring children on a regular basis. He would push them, bite them, and steal food from them whenever he could, and cried if he couldn't get his way. And, as happens with most parents faced with a difficult child, they didn't see anything wrong. They considered this normal, healthy toddler behavior.
Now, with Gillian 15 years old, Piers 14, nothing had changed. Gillian had stopped her make believe games as far as the Polkisses could tell, but she still was a loner who had never brought home a single friend. Piers, on the other hand, had his own group of friends that he visited daily. In truth, the visits consisted of beating up younger children, vandalizing the town park and throwing stones at passersby. But the Polkisses didn't know this and were pleased with their son. And, though they loved Gillian, they could not bring themselves to love her as much as their own, oh-so-popular boy. So, on the whole, they ignored her, and she was perfectly content with this.
In Muggle World by Daedalus Plum
Story Notes:
This story is told from an original character's POV.
Chapter Notes: This is just a little bit of background of the main character to prepare you for all that is to come. She's really a fascinating girl, and I'm sure you'll love watching her grow. Welcome to Gillian Polkiss's life.
PS- It is pronounced "Jillian", not Gil-lian (with a hard 'G'). Just thought I would get that out of the way
MAJOR NOTE- I would encourage everyone to read the summary. There's a small introduction in there I find key to the story, but inappropriate to put in a chapter.