The street lamps flicker to life. Wanda pulls her hood over her head to keep her identity a secret as she scours the streets looking for a blank canvas. When she finally finds what she's looking for, she spends hours working on bringing joy and colour to her town. Every paint brush stroke heals the aching hole in Wanda's heart. Her entire body ignites to life and she continues to paint until the sun begins peeking through the clouds.
When Wanda steps back to admire her work, she releases a small gasp.
"I love it," Wanda whispers in awe. Her eyes dart over the masterpiece and she lightly runs her fingers over the freshly dried paint.
"I can't wait to see what my fellow town folk think of it," Wanda giggles as she packs up her supplies. She scurries to her car and drives home whilst the nerves bubble away inside the pit of her stomach. When Wanda arrives in the office the next day, she overhears her colleagues talking about the surprise paintwork that appeared overnight. Wanda's excitement heightens and she scurries closer to hear exactly what they're saying about her best work yet.
"It's scandalous! Who is responsible for it?" One colleague mutters in disgust.
"It's graffiti! We don't want rubbish staining our town walls!" The second person chimes in with their opinion.
"Think of the visitors. They're going to think this behaviour is acceptable. We have to dispose of it immediately," the final colleague says with a deep frown on his face.
Wanda's heart drops to the pit of her stomach. Her features crumple up with confusion because she believed her work was incredible. She feels herself shrinking into the box Bridgeport wants her to fit in. Wanda decides to try one last time to get the town folk to see the beauty in her work.
"Don't you think the colours are beautiful? Vibrant? Ethereal?" Wanda says desperately to her colleagues. They all look at her like she's losing her mind. Wanda feels tears prick the back of her eyes and she's unable to suppress her emotions any longer.
"I don't belong here," Wanda whispers as her heart begins to break into a million pieces. She turns her back on her colleagues and begins to leave the office with her head hung low. Tears fall freely from her cheeks as Wanda wonders whether she'll ever fit in.
On the drive home, Wanda sobs her heart out. She decides Bridgeport isn't the place for her to be anymore. She quickly wipes the tears away from her cheeks, puts on a brave smile and sits up straighter.
"I know exactly what I need, a fresh start." Wanda says to herself. When she gets home, she packs away all of her belongings and stuffs them into her car. Fear and anxiety for the future invade Wanda's thoughts but she pushes them aside.
"I can't stay here. I'm forcing myself to be someone I'm not and I'm terribly unhappy," Wanda whispers as she fights back tears. She pulls out of her driveway for the final time and begins the journey to a new beginning. Wanda drives past her latest masterpiece to find the town folk furiously painting over all of her hard work.
She sniffles and stares straight ahead at the road. Wanda wonders whether her new town will accept her or outcast her for her differences. When Wanda drives into the town of San Myshuno , she feels a glimmer of hope. Wanda is terrified to show her artistic side to the town so she decides to hide in the shadows until she figures out whether the town folk of San Myshuno will accept her.
