Natalie sat at her desk at school, seriously bored. It was another rubbish Geography lesson, her least favourite subject because her teacher was about the most boring person in history. As he droned on, she zoned out and went off into a daydream, as she did every lesson. This meant her work suffered, but she didn't care any more. Natalie didn't know many people at this school yet, as she'd recently moved from London to Bristol, so she didn't have anyone to talk to either. So she daydreamed. Today, she was thinking about a show she had loved when she was younger. The Sparticle Mystery. She had been eleven when the first series came out, and thirteen when series 2 came. Now she was fourteen.
Sometimes Natalie wished all the adults would just disappear, like in the tv show. When she was eleven she'd spent hours fantasizing what it would be like. To work with a group of other children she'd never met, do what she wanted. But what Natalie really wanted was to meet the characters. The ones she liked best were Kat, Reese and Holly. Even though Natalie was older than Reese, she had recently started to feel a special connection with her. After all, they were both outsiders. They both needed a friend. But when series 1 had been out, her favourite character had always been Holly. Too bad her favourite characters hated each other. And now, even though Natalie was fourteen, she still often imagined what it would be like if the adults just disappeared. One thing that worried her was about all the young children who were too young to look after themselves. She supposed somebody would be appointed to look after them. But somehow, in the tv series, they hadn't thought about that. But she had made crazy plans for what she'd do if it ever did happen. Find her sister. Head over to the primary school nearby, to make sure the kids there were properly looked after. Then all the babies. How awful for them! Natalie was always worrying, even about things that couldn't possibly happen. What would she do next if it happened, she wondered. Steal a load of valuable supplies, she supposed, then take over a shop and live there. Or try to find Reese and the others and tell them what they had to do. But of course, in this world, they didn't exist.
Natalie stared at the school clock. Ten past eleven. Eleven past eleven, that's when it had happened. She started to count down, her heart racing, though she knew she was mental. But this was better than Geography, anyway.
Then, the hand on the clock moved. Natalie waited...
Nothing.
Of course. She did this every lesson.
"Where's Mr Matthews?" asked somebody. People shrugged. Natalie gasped, her heart pounding. And ran out of the room, wondering what she'd done.