Prologue

The Year 2005

OK, this is it.

Nothing to be scared of.

It's just a new school. Everything's going to be OK. It might even be better than the last one. Yeah, I think I'm going to have a great time here. I could get really popular and-Ohmigosh! Did that guy just wink at me?

THUD

"Way to fall, Flidoid." (A/N: A Flidoid is sort of aother name for a Spaz. Sorry if it offends)

Laura Quartermain sighed into her books, which were now crushing themselves into her face.

It's going to be a long day.

"Laura, are you OK?" She felt a pair of strong hands hoisting her to her feet. She turned to see her younger brother looking at her with concerned eyes.

"I'm fine Harrison. Did you get your timetable yet?"

Harrison, who was two years Laura's junior but already towering above her in his size fourteen shoes, pulled a flimsy piece of paper out of his pocket and waved it around to clarify the fact that he had, indeed, remembered to pick up his timetable.

Laura nodded "Good. What classes do you have today?"

Harrison started to reply but he was cut off by two guys around his age striding over to meet him.

"Come on mate! We'll introduce you to some of the people we hang around with before class."

And with that they were gone, Harrison shouting a gabbled goodbye over his shoulder and leaving Laura with her mouth hanging open slightly.

Harrison got friends already? It really is going to be a long day.

"So, to recap the Biological approach to Aggression, Can anyone tell me the key features?"

Laura looked around to see if anyone else wanted to answer, and then tentatively raised her hand. The teacher smiled at her encouragingly "Laura?"

At the back of the classroom a small wave of 'Keener.' And 'Freak.' travelled to Laura's ears. She could feel the back of her neck getting hot as the whispers were followed by a series of giggles.

Laura spoke quietly, staring hard at her books "The um… The Biological approach to aggression is linked to the-the central-um nervous system, or r-rather The Limbic system which is a part of it. There's a part of The Limbic system called the Amygdala-"

"Hurry up." A boy's voice shouted from the back of the classroom. Laura felt frozen in her seat and knew the only thing she could do was carry on talking.

"-And any d-damage to the Amygdala can result in Aggression."

"Thank you Laura." The teacher carried on talking while Laura slid further and further down in her seat.

The end of the day couldn't come soon enough. Laura didn't raise her hand to answer a question again, and spent her history class staring out of the window, hoping and praying that things would get better.

When the Final bell went she wandered outside and seated herself on a wall to wait for Harrison. He had promised to walk home with her.

Ten minutes passed and Laura frowned as the sky above her began to darken, the clouds covering up the spring sunshine.

Fifteen minutes later and she was soaked to the skin. Shivering, she pulled herself of the wall and began the lonely walk home.

Slipping inside she could hear Harrison upstairs in his room, on his PlayStation no doubt. And judging by the Neanderthal like laughs that were carrying down the stairs, he had a few mates around.

Dodging between the unpacked boxes Laura made her way through to the kitchen where she found her mother, poring over a crossword. She frowned when she saw Laura walk in dripping wet.

"Hello sweetheart. How come you're home so late?" Her mother stood and picked up a strand of her daughter's sopping wet hair between her thumb and forefinger.

"Harrison was supposed to meet me, but judging by the guffaws coming from upstairs, I think he forgot."

Her mother sighed impatiently "That boy! Where is he? Harrison!" She began to call out for her son but Laura stopped her.

"Don't tell him off in front of his friends, that's not fair. Leave it 'till later. At least one of us should have friends here." Laura rolled her eyes and walked over to the kettle to switch it on. Her mother stood behind her, hands on hips.

"That's very noble of you dear. So what is it you want?"

Laura laughed wryly "I don't want anything. I just think it'll embarrass him that's all."

"So how was your first day at school?"

Laura turned on her mother with pleading eyes "I didn't like it. I really want to go home mum, please?"

Laura's mother shook her head "Darling, you know this is the only place where I can find work. We were really struggling where we were, you know that."

Laura's father had deserted her mother when she fell pregnant with Laura and so Laura had been born out of Wedlock, adopting her mother's maiden name, Quartermain. Harrison's biological father had stayed a little longer, waiting until he was born before running off. Neither of them had known their father's, and this was probably the only thing they had in common with each other.

Laura's shoulders slumped "I know. I still don't like it here though. I've only been at school a day and I've been labelled a Flid."

Her mother frowned "Why?"

"I fell over within seconds of entering the first building."

Laura's mother laughed, pulling her soaking wet daughter into a tight hug "You just need some warm food and an early night Pet."

Laura buried her face in her mother's jumper, inhaling the scent of sweet tea and washing up liquid.

"Anyway, it'll be your birthday soon. Aren't you excited about that?"

Laura shrugged "Not really. I'm not sure eighteen will feel much more different than seventeen."

"Oh I'm sure it will." Her mother kissed her lightly on the head and then ordered her upstairs into a hot shower and some dry clothes.

Why can't they see I'm unhappy? I don't want to be selfish but I'm so lonely here. I got called a Freak, a Flid and a Spack today. Harrison's already got friends… It's just not fair. I don't belong here.

Gently rocking back and forth on the swing hanging from the gently shedding blossom tree, Laura regarded her eighteenth birthday with some disdain. Wherever she went, she couldn't shake the feeling of not being able to belong. There was always the sense of being disconnected, and alone.

It wasn't even intensified at school, it was all the time. Laura felt like she was screaming and shouting and pulling her hair out all the time and no one was even batting an eyelid. She could feel the anger and the strain building up inside her all the time. In her heart of hearts she knew that she was destined for something better… but what?

"But what indeed?" she murmured to herself, catching some lightly falling Blossom in the palm of her hand.

"I think I can answer that for you." Said a quiet voice from behind her.

OK, it's a little slow starting but I had to get all that in first. Please review!

Take care,

Officer BudBabe