Chapter One

"Ebony!" A voice screamed, waking Ebony Greenhayle from the dream she was having about skiing in Italy.

"Ebony did you nick the six pack of beers which we're under my bed?" Ebony's fifteen year old brother Sam, stormed into the room, looking for a fight, he had been out till three AM doing goodness knows what and had quite a major hang over. A strong smell of BO and cigarettes filled the room.

"What the hell have you been smoking, bro?" Ebony asked her brother, holding her nose.

"None of you're business… now where are my beers?" Sam demanded pinning his younger sister to her bed. Ebony fed up with being accused of stealing his stupid beers, leapt up and gave her brother a swift punch in the kidneys. Sam lurched backwards clutching his stomach. He was in total agony, but was trying not to let his little sister see. Being hammered by his twelve-year-old sister was not exactly the ideal start to the day.

Ebony smiled to herself, at twelve years old she was already a very adept fighter and could take on kids her brothers age. Sam retreated back to his bedroom seriously pissed off at his sister.

"Samuel Greenhayle! Why the hell aren't you up yet? Do you want to fail you're GCSE's boy? do you want to end up like you're good for nothing father? Drunk and living in a place even crapper then here." Casey Greenhayle shouted at her son. Sam's father had walked out before he was even born, but came back once every few years too see his son and try and get money of his ex-wife.. Clutching his sore stomach from Ebony's punch told his Mum with plenty of swear words that there was no way in hell that he was going to school today. Ebony could guess what the outcome was going to be. Sam would eventually give in and go to school, he'd get suspended for starting a fight or getting busted for smoking on site and get to skip school for the next few weeks. And then the whole cycle would start all over again. Sighing at the total patheticness of her brother Ebony shoved on her battered up converse skate shoes that had once belonged to Sam on, grabbed her skateboard and headed down town towards school.

Freddy Hook was one of the hardest guys in year eight. No one was brave enough to mess with him. Freddy was one of those complete boneheads who got a kick out of winding kids up, he was a total bully and after putting up with being in the same class as him for two whole years Ebony was beginning to get seriously pissed off with the way he treated people. It was period three and absolutely bucketing down outside, Ebony sat inside the dingy Math's classroom next to her mates Harry and Lena bored out of her mind. Freddy Hook was also bored with Maths and flicked bits of snot and rubber bands at people. His favourite target was Melissa – a quite girl who was a refugee from some war torn country. After watching ten minutes of Freddy hissing racist comments and flicking things at Melissa (who by this time was almost in tears.) Ebony was fed up.

"What the hell is you're problem?" Ebony shouted at Freddy, the whole class looking on in anticipation of a fight. The teacher Mr Bryn was a wimpy looking, old guy who had no-idea how to control kids. He shouted at Ebony to sit down, but his voice was so quite and he sounded so scared that Ebony just laughed in his face.

"I will sit down, Sir when Freddy Hook stops being a complete racist dickhead." Ebony said as calmly as she could in her new found rage.

"Could be standing a long time." Harry one of Ebony's best friend commented cheekily. Mr Bryn, by this time was quite frightened, he had never been that tough and didn't want to get involved in the fight so went and hid in the stationary cupboard.

"What the hell was that for you little bitch?" Freddy demanded facing Ebony. If it was a guy Freddy would have punched him straight out but because she was a girl he thought words would be just as sufficient, realising this just made Ebony madder and so it was her that punched first. The other kids in the class cheered. Freddy got a black eye from the first punch but was determined not to be beaten by a girl so lashed out trying to hit Ebony in the stomach. Being of a lighter frame and having a quick mine Ebony predicted his move and dived out of the way at the last second. Freddy had put so much force and momentum into the kick that he feel over. Ebony recognised her chance and punched her opposition once again – this time right in the stomach. Satisfied that Freddy wouldn't be giving her or her mates any more trouble Ebony let out a big breath and breathed in again. The taste of victory was defiantly sweet.

"Ebony Greenhayle the head master wishes to speak to you." Ms Haggis the school secretary said in her usual wingy voice. Ebony hadn't even noticed her in the classroom. How much had she seen? She asked herself. Victory didn't seem so sweet anymore. What was her Mum going to say? She had seen what had happened to Sam whenever he got in trouble at school, her Mum totally blew her stack every time her brother got suspended. Ebony's brain seemed to be asking a million questions all at once but she didn't have the answer to anything.

"What am I in trouble for?" Ebony tried to gain information from the unsmiling secretary, even though she knew very well why she was in shit. But Ms Haggis was not in the mood for questions.

"I don't know, I'm just the secretary but the head looked pretty serious, ya must of done something well bad." The secretary's comment's where not exactly doing anything to lighten Ebony's mood.