Chapter 1: Back for year 8

Natasha, Lizzy and I are best friends. I met Natasha first in year 3; then, she wore massive round glasses at the end of her nose, before she got contacts. Kids called us "The Conjoined Twins" because we were inseparably at school, and we looked very alike .We used to sit next to each other, play with each other and eat with each other. Natasha has waist length brown hair, which is slightly wavy. She has a fringe going along her forehead, which she has had since she was 10.

I met Lizzy in year 6. When she first started, I didn't like her much. She seemed to me a bit arrogant. She has fair blonde hair, which goes down to her elbows. Her hair is slightly wavier than Natasha's. My mum is the owner of the local sewing shop and she was looking for another person to run the shop with her. Lizzy's mum is a professional at sewing, so she got the job. I got to know Lizzy from helping out in the shop with her.

Lizzy and I used to always get tangled up in wool when our mums asked us to wrap them up to put on the shelves (but that was when I was about ten!).

We are all in year 8 now, at a faraway private school, Hamersham High Boarding school, in Cornwall.

It was a great effort to obtain a place at Hamersham High. I nearly got rejected, because I got C's in my SATs in year 6, but I was lucky to get through. I can't stand Danmell community college. I would have gone there if I hadn't of gone to Hamersham High. I went and looked around it once in year 6. It looked so grotty and dull; it was like it had never been cleaned, and like it didn't have any windows. It felt depressing.

It was a fresh Monday morning; it was the first day of school, and I was to start year 8.

"Eat your toast; you're going to be hungry today with all the excitement going on at school." my Baggy-eyed mum said, trying to sound awake. (But actually she sounded quite drunk!). She was still in her silk designer dressing gown.

Eventually we clambered into the car, still half asleep. We weren't used to getting up this early any more. We'd normally get up at 10 0'clock in the summer.

The car felt mustier than usual, it normally was musty in the early mornings of September. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get to school to meet all my friends and meet new teachers. This year at school we start Drama lessons; I bet I'll be useless at it because I've never been dramatic before in my life.

The car stopped outside a very tall, grand Victorian building. It was covered in gargoyles and was engraved with fancy swirls and roses. In the centre of the fine school was writing saying:

Hamersham High

Boarding

Private

It was so nice to be back! I can almost smell the rose scented corridors connected to the tall Victorian classrooms. I can't wait to go up to the homely student dormitories, to spend every night with Natasha and Lizzy.

"Come on Miss Slow, or we'll be late, and it's our first day back!" exclaimed Kennedy, my older sister who's in year 10, "If you hurry up we'll be able to get beds by the window, overlooking the paddock!"

I'm glad I've got an older sister. Last year, in year 7, I needed her more than ever! I kept getting lost in the corridors, and ended up at the wrong classrooms for lessons.

"I'm coming, I'm coming", I answered, "Can you help me get my trunks out from the boot?"

"Sure", she replied. Baby Sweetie was in Kennedy's arms, giving her an extra special good bye kiss and dribbling.

"You be good now girls, no injuries!" mum said, tearfully, as Kennedy lifted up my trunks and placed them onto the ground.

Mum turned to Kennedy, "Especially you Kennedy, I know how competitive you get when playing a game of lacrosse!"

My mum always is tearful when we leave her to go to school. Before I came to this school, I used to see Kennedy get masses of hugs and kisses by mum. If she was kissed any more, her face would have turned pink with lipstick!

Mum has to run the shop on her own now, because Lizzy's mum is on holiday, now that her daughter is at school.

"Mum, we'll be fine", Kennedy looked at me, "won't we, Taylor."

We both kissed our mother goodbye and set off down the drive, up the steps and into reception with our trunks.

A bell boy came up to us and took our trunks up to the dormy hall. He looked pale, like he'd been carrying trunks up and down stairs all morning. Miss Arclec took us up to the New Wing dormitory, and left us to choose a bed and to unpack our stuff. Miss Arclec was my form teacher last year. Her long, thick brown hair cascaded down her shoulders. I had the feeling that her hair was in a bun, but it fell down with all the commotion. She had to take all the girls and boys to their house dormitories. (This is a very boring job to do!)

Miss Arclec was wearing a smart, knee length skirt which has a pretty floral pattern. On top she was wearing a white, silk blouse that was neatly tucked in to her smart floral skirt. Her outfit was finished with a thin material belt and a felt flower necklace.

As we where following her up the stairs, I felt very homely again, it felt nice to be back after all this time away. The best thing of all would be to ride my horse that I keep here, and to braid its mane like I used to in term time last year. Not many people here have horses. Most students have mice or rabbits or cats; pets that they can keep inside in their dormitory. Kennedy and I are both in Magnell House, so we sleep in the same dormy. At first it was quite strange sleeping with older and younger girls, but I got used to it. We have a head girl of the girl dormies and a head boy of all the boy dormies. Every night they stroll around the different dormies, to make sure everyone is asleep. One time in year 7, Lizzy, Natasha and I stayed away in the common room all night, eating chocolate biscuits! In the morning, the head girl last year, Clarissa gave us each a two page poem to memorise for the next week. (The head Mistress was not pleased!)

The four school houses are, Magnell, Seaniss, florment and Cavendish. Personally I think Magnell is the best. If you are in Magnell you are considered to be truthful, kind and loyal. People in Seaniss house are Smart and clever. In florment, girls are graceful and boys are well mannered. Cavendish house are for any pupils. On the first day of year 7, our house mistresses come into our dormies and announce which house we are in. Every girl wants to be in Florment, I think it's just because of the name, because it sounds feminine. If you know what I mean. I didn't mind which house I was going to be in, but I had a feeling that I was going to be in Magnell because my sister was in that house.

"You haven't packed much, have you", I said, laughing. Kennedy only had packed half a trunk full of clothes and a diary.

"I don't need much", replied Kennedy, "and anyway, there isn't much storage space in our bedside tables and underneath our beds"

"True", I added, "but where shall I put my riding things?"

"I don't know", Kennedy said, looking about my bed to try and find a suitable place to put my extra things, "what about here?" she gestured towards under my bed. Underneath my bed there was a spare bit of Floor which the draw underneath hadn't taken up. I kept moving the draw about, so I could make enough room to store my Riding things. It now looked a tad cluttered, but I now had an extra place to put things. Even Kennedy was having trouble trying to find a place to put things; she only had half a trunk of clothes, her diary and her lacrosse stick!

"They don't give you much space, do they?" Said Kennedy, with a giggle, "I suppose it's because they want to fit as many girls in one dormitory as possible"

As the two of us played snap, Lizzy and Natasha came in with their trunks. Natasha had her cat, Hurlard, slumped on her free arm. Hurlard was a fat cat with fluffy, brown fur; she was so furry she looked like a giant pompom on legs. Lizzy had brought her pet tortoise, she called her Silvia. Silvia was asleep in a basket full of straw, in her cage, which Lizzy was carrying in her arm.

I wish I had a pet cat. Every night I would cuddle up to it, and after school I would play with it on my bed. I would buy a comfy bed for it, and keep it under my bed. I will write in a letter to my mum:

Please can I have a cat?

Hopefully I will get one, but you never know.

Lizzy clambered on to the bed next to me, and bounced around on it.

"I declare this bed, mine", said Lizzy, rather conceitedly.

We all giggled.

"I'll have this bed", said Natasha, sitting down on the bed next to Lizzy's.

A few more girls arrived; three of them were in our year.

"Hello Natasha B! Hi Georgia! Hi Apple!" Said Natasha excitedly, "Had a good holiday?"

Natasha B's nickname is Nat, to stop confusion between my best friend Natasha and herself.

"Yes, thanks. I went to my holiday home in Florida all summer. I can't stand Universal Studios any more after going there every day for the whole time we where there!" explained Nat, breathlessly.

"I hated my holiday; well, actually not all of it. I had to take up babysitting to get money for a new saddle for Ginger, my horse that my dad bought me as a going away present. He's gone to South Africa for a year; business stuff", Apple told us, she then flung herself onto the bed next to Kennedy's; Georgia took up the bed next to Apple's. Georgia sat herself down on my bed.

"How has your holiday been Tay?" asked Georgia.

"Oh, Me, Kennedy and Lizzy helped out in mine and Lizzy's mum's shop all holiday, kinda boring if you're making quilts and cushions all day!"

Just then, a year 10 strolled into the dormitory, looking rather flustered.

"What's the matter Anita?" asked Kennedy, "why'd you look so red in the face?"

Anita seemed out of breath, and said in a rush, "Well, I had to take my sister in year 7 to Florment dormy, then my brother, to the boys Florment dormy, and last, my year 8 sister to Cavendish dormy!", dumping her trunks on a spare bed.

"No wonder you look so flushed!" I giggled, helping myself to a bottle of fizzy drink my mum packed for me. We all started chatting to one another, and soon the clock read 9:00, and by that time I had already drunk the entire bottle of pop to myself.

"Hey! – we were supposed to share that!"

"Oops!" I giggled, feeling a little guilty that I'd just drunk an entire bottle of pop, that I was supposed to share with my sister.

Anita sat herself down on the bed opposite Kennedy's; Kennedy got up to go and sit with Anita on her bed. As she sat down, I could see her body sinking right into the mattress, like sitting down on a half filled water bed.