Waterloo Road Comprehensive High School was about to start another school year.

It was 8:30, half an hour before the new academic year officially begun, and the pupils were gathered in the corridors or on the grounds catching up, whilst the teachers were in the staff room, savouring their last free time.

In the car park a silver Mercedes-Benz pulled up and a woman aged about 30 stepped out of it.

She was tall and slender and had dark brown, very straight hair with a fringe that flopped into her light blue eyes.

The woman struggled to lock her car due to the several ringbinders and folders in her arms.

Just as she managed to point her keys towards the car and lock it, she lost her grip on the folders and a few of them fell to the ground.

Inwardly cursing, she knelt down to pick them all up and once she straightened back up, she found herself facing a blonde haired man aged about 25.

The man smiled at her, 'Need some help there?' he asked, gesturing towards the things she held.

'No, I can manage.' replied the woman in a middle class accent, with very well pronounced speech.

'Take it you're heading for the staff room?' he asked.

'Yes, I am.' She replied beginning to walk to where she had been informed the staff room was.

'Hold on, I'll walk with you.' he called catching up to her,' I'm Matt Wilding by the way. I teach music and drama.'

'Anastacia, new mathematics teacher.'

Matt looked at her ready to ask questions, but she gave him no chance by asking first.

'So, how long have you been working here? You're not old enough to have been here long, right?'

He nodded, 'This is my second year. How long have you been teaching?'

'I've been at a private boarding school in Kensington for 5 years but I fancied a change.'

Matt raised his eyebrows in suprise, 'Kensington? That's sure different from around here. What made you choose Rochdale?'

'I grew up here but I moved away during my teens. Used to come to this very school actually.'

'Really?'

'Yes I have quite a few fond memories of Waterloo Road. My parents wanted to send me to a private school you see, but I was insistent on being 'normal'.'

'You're from a well off family then?'

'Indeed, note the accent. That's mainly why I ended up working at the boarding school, my father was a business man and had connections to the govenors of the school.'

Matt had no answer to this, but it made no difference as they had reached the door of the staff room.

He leant forward and pulled it open, allowing Anastacia to go through first.

As she entered the room the rest of the staff were watching her curiously, as they always did to anyone who was knew to them.

Anastacia glanced around slightly nervous, but not showing it. She always gave th eimpression of being very confident, even when she didn't feel it.

She was hoping that the headmistress of the school, who she met in her interview with the governors, would be there to introduce her. Not that she couldn't speak for herself, but it would have made her feel at ease to see someone she recognised.

Luckily there was someone else who had been in on her interview - the deputy headmaster, Eddie Lawson.

Eddie set down his mug of coffee on the table and walked over to his new collegue.

'Good morning Mr Lawson,' smiled Anastacia, setting down her various folders on the worktop beside her and extending her hand.

Eddie shook her hand graciously,' Good morning and welcome to Waterloo Road.'

He turned to face everyone in the room and adressed them authoritively.

'Everybody, this is our new head of mathematics, Miss Anastacia Aspinall.'