(Karen's POV)
We were a month or two into a new school year and everything was starting to die down. I always enjoyed this time of year, everything was sorted and it gave me a chance to get to know the students better. I was wandering down the corridor as I often liked to do before morning classes started. Mingling with the crowds gave me a chance to get invloved with the pupils and treat them as equals.
There was one girl that caught my eye, I didn't recognise her which either meant she was new or well behaved. She was about my height maybe a bit smaller and slender, she had a natural beauty about her which was obvious as she wore no make-up unlike most of the girls in the school. She wore black skinny jeans, with her white shirt untucked and her tie hanging loosely around her neck and just under the edge of her sleeve I could see two black letters which seemed to be the start of a tattoo.
Her light brown hair was draped over her right shoulder in a ponytail and she had a look of confusion on her face as she tried to look for something through the crowd.
I approached her slowly, trying not to take her by surprise.
"Are you lost?" I asked
She looked up and her soft brown eyes met mine for a moment. She reminded me somewhat of my own daughter Jess, well if Jess was a shrinking violet anyway. My daughter, Jess was much more lively and less rule abiding.
"Yeah... I'm looking for..." She said, as she juggled the papers in her hand "Mrs Fisher's office?"
"I'm Mrs Fisher, is there something I can help with?" I asked giving her a smile
"I'm here to enrol"
"Oh right, well lets go to my office and we can get the paperwork sorted"
She smiled softly, the nerves clear in her smile.
"So umm..."
"Oh Marley" She replied
"Marley" I smiled "Your parents couldn't make it?" I asked, trying to find out more about the quiet girl as we climbed the stairs
"They're away on business at the moment" She told me, but I felt like she was hiding something
Once we reached my office, I grabbed the enrolment papers and we sat in the comfy chairs in the corner.
"Have you got any identification with you?"
"Uh no, I didn't think. Sorry"
"That's okay, can you fill this in the best you can?" I asked holding the form out to her with a pen
She nodded gently and took them starting to write. There was something about her, I just couldn't put my finger on it. I felt like I'd met her before, like I knew her.
(Marley's POV)
First impressions, she seemed okay. Maybe a little too inquisitive but that was just now. She wasn't how I imagined my mum to be but she wasn't a disappointment either. I completed the form and handed it back to her along with the pen. She raised her eyebrows at my details, it seemed like she didn't really believe what she was reading. Smith was a common enough name, it could well have been my name.
She finally stopped staring at the page and printed me off a timetable, you have science with Mr Mead first. I'll take you there and then if you have any problems finding your way around just ask someone.
"Mum!" A voice called and I girl came rushing down the corridor "I need to talk to you!"
"Jess I'm busy, I'll talk to you later"
The girl looked me up and down, giving me a dirty look before walking off.
"Sorry about that..."
"It's fine" I smiled "So that's your daughter?"
"Yes"s
"Do you have other kids?" I asked, I knew it sounded a bit strange but she answered
"I have a son Harry, he goes here and a daughter"
"Does she go here too?"
Mrs Fisher shook her head.
"No she died, a long time ago"
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, it was a long time ago"