CODE: KATRINA

Chapter 1: Grief and New School

Katrina's POV

"Katrina, could you come up here for a second?" Miss Della called.

I looked up from my Math work to find her staring at me with a sad expression on her face. For once in my life I felt scared. Not of Miss Della. No. I was scared of what could make her look so sad and full of pity.

I slowly walked up to her desk, knowing all eyes were on me, and asked the question to which the answer I was desperate to know, yet afraid to find out.

"What's wrong Miss?"

"Kat, I don't know whether I'm the right person to tell you this."

I saw her glance down at a letter in her hand. I prided my self in being able to read upside down, but right now I thought of it as some sort of curse. One word stood out in bold. Dead. My stomach clenched itself into a tight knot.

"I'm afraid that your parents and siblings… well there was and car accident and-" She broke off when she saw my face. She knew I understood. " I'm so sorry." she whispered.

I heard muffled gasps around the room and 'Oh my God's'. but I didn't care. My life had been snatched from me in one moment. I refused to believe it. They had to be playing some cruel sick joke on me. I waited for some one to come out and shout "Gotcha!". But no one came.

"No." I whispered. " No. NO! Your lying!" I shouted. I ran out of the room before anyone could come after me.

I was sorted to move away to a new school. A boarding school. All the way in France. I didn't care. Everyone, my parents, my brothers… and my sisters.

My big sister Raye. I knew it would be torture without her. She stayed with me and we did everything together. If anyone dared hurt me in the slightest way, she would stand up for me.

I couldn't think of what to do to deal with all this pain. This physical pain that weighed down my heart and lungs. It was killing me inside. So I cried, and once I had started, I couldn't stop. But I always felt better afterwards.

But a few months later and a couple of days before I moved, I decided that I couldn't waste my whole life grieving. They would want me to be happy. All of them. So I tried to cry the last of it out, then spent a few hours, yes hours, trying to smile in the mirror.

Once I managed it, I knew it would get better. Life would go on and I would be happy. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow. But some day.

So I packed my bags, got on the plane, and all too soon for my liking, I was stood in front of the wrought iron gates of Kadic Academy.

A memory flashed through my mind and suddenly I was stood in front of the gates to my old school, giving my parents hugs goodbye and promising them that I would give them a full recount of my day a soon as I got home. I felt my eyes prickle with tears and was glad that no one was around to see me.

After a few minutes spent trying to regain control of my tears I cursed myself for being so weak. Weak. It was a word I both pitied and despised. I felt sorry for the weak, yet hated anyone who called me that. Back at my old school, Jase Academy, I automatically would kick anyone who called me soft in the shin. I hated feeling useless and having to rely on someone else. That was why I got into martial arts class and became a black belt in Taekwondo.

I glanced again at the gates, doubts flowing through my head. What if they shunned me because I wasn't the same? What if I could never find anyone to have as a friend? Everyone was sure to have settled in now that it was the middle of term. I would be a loner. An outcast.

That had a ring to it. Kat the Outcast. I weighed my options. I could either:

1) Stay here and become a loner.

2) Run away into the forest behind me without any money, food or hygienic facilities and probably get eaten by wolves.

"Damn you common sense." I whispered under my breath. And before the crazy part of my mind that I like to call Fred, could argue, I walked through the gates. The grounds were completely deserted. The kids would be in their dorms. Sighing, I trudged through the yard and into the main building, my feet dragging along the corridors toward the Headmaster's office.

After about fifteen minutes, in which I was sure I had been going in circles for ten of them, I stood in front of the Headmaster's oak door. I hesitated before knocking, wondering whether it was not to late to listen to Fred after all. But before I could step away to join my new life in the forest, the door opened to reveal a man in his mid 40's with spectacles smiling down at me.

" I thought I heard someone at the door. You must be the new girl, Katrina, yes?" he seemed such a nice man that I couldn't help but get my hopes up a little for a good life here as he let me in to his office.

" The one and only Mr …"

"Delmas. I am confident that your life here at Kadic will be splendid!" Mr Delmas beamed.

I nodded shyly. Which is weird, cause I'm never shy.

" Well here is your schedule," Mr Delmas continued, while handing me a piece of paper " and your dorm number is 213. Here's a map of the school as well, just in case. Dinner is at 7:00, lunch is at 12:00 and breakfast is at 8:00. School starts at 9:00 in the morning, but you wont need to worry about that as you start school tomorrow, so you have time to settle and get to know your way around. And no one is allowed out of their dorms after 9:30. Any questions?"

My first thought was Repeating that a lot slower might help but I stayed silent. " No, I'm good."

"Well then, it's 5pm now. Hurry along to your dorm to unpack and then go down to the dining hall."

Nodding, though my mind still spinning, I walked out of the office.