Chapter 1: Tara and Mike
Tara and Mike are your typical brother and sister. Tara is the oldest, at age 11 and Mike is the youngest, at age 10. They live in their house in Wolver Hampton, England. Tara has light skin and dark, shiny, long hair down to her spine. She has a very pretty appearance, but like some girls she "wastes her lady like figure", her mum says.
See, Tara isn't one of those girls who go around with lip-gloss and pretty handbags, she plays sports, not tennis or swimming, sports. She hardly lets her hair hang down, it's always in a pony tail or long pig-tails. "Though, she has her manners, at least" her father would tell her mother to cheer her up about his daughter's opinions.
Mike has light skin aswell and short black hair. He has all the things a boy should be, sport ability, running ability, and gentleman ability, just too bad his sister has the means to over power him. Though lot's of girls fancy over him, but it all goes to waste because, he hates how girls act "desperate". "Nonsense!" her mother scolding when he would tell her, "Girls aren't desperate, it's just when we fancy someone we try our hardest to get to that person." she explained casually. "Is that how you got dad?" he would ask back, but get no answer in return.
They live with their mother, Janice Tollhouse, and their father, James Tollhouse. The story begins on one afternoon in August. Tara and Mike came home from the park after football, (Tara won), and made it very clear to wipe the dirt off their shoes. Mike went to get a drink from the kitchen when he overheard his parents' conversation. "Dear, when shall we tell them? I don't want that feeling all groggy when we tell them the day before." his mother asked his father. Mike gestured for Tara to come. " 'Reckon what they are talking about?" Mike whispered loudly. "Shhh!" Tara snapped, pushing a strand of her long hair over her ear to the wooden door.
"Do you really think we should tell them? I've heard very horrid rumors about-" Janice began bitterly, but was cut off by James' raised hand. "Janice," he sighed, "do you really in such rubbish?" "No, I don't," Janice answered after a moments silence. "Are they talking about us Tara? Shipping us to Kenya to work in pea crops?" he shivered, Tara looked at him with ignorance and gave a sarcastic smile, "I don't know Mike, let's go in and ask them, then have to explain for eavesdropping and explaining why we thought that would ship us off to Kenya to work on pea crops!" she said sarcastically.
Mike scowled. "I'm serious!" he said hotly, Tara just chuckled softly, "So was I Mike." after a moments silence, and arguing on what their parents were talking about, their mother and father opened the door only to see their two children at the door, on the floor. They glanced at each other, then rolled their eyes jokingly. "What were you two doing?" Janice asked. Tara was way ahead of her, "What were you two doing?" "Thinking of sending us to Kenya perhaps?" Mike added, Tara slapped her forehead. James looked confused and shocked. "We have to tell you something," he looked at Janice -who nodded- before continuing, "Something… something important." he stammered, his voice sounding very weird to Mike, who glanced at Tara who's eyes were dancing in confusion. "Al- alright, since it is so important, me and Tara should sit down." spoke up sensible Mike.
So the parents led their children over to the living room and had a seat. Janice and James sat on their single chairs, -mostly used for reading newspapers- , Mike, and Tara sat on the sofa. "Now, your mother and I have enrolled you in a boarding school." James explained softly, looking over at Tara and Mike's shocked and surprised faces.
"A boarding school? Why! I was going to do something with my friends during the year!" Tara stammered, still paralyzed with shock. Janice thought quickly, "Fancy you should know, it's only for a year, and if you don't like it, you don't have to go back!" "What's the name?" Mike asked, easing down a little, unlike his sister. Tara nodded at his comment. "Yeah! If the name is scary I wouldn't dare go!" she said so stubbornly her father looked like he couldn't take one more thing. "Now listen here young lady! You and your brother are going to Juron's boarding school for Boys and Girls, and that's final, now go to bed, all of you!" he bellowed. Even Janice was a little shaken as Tara was. "All right, we've got all your supplies, Tara you're the intermediate group A, Mike you're the intermediate group B. So hurry and get to bed before your father still sees you here…..quickly!" Tara and Mike dragged them selves to the bathroom, to the bed, and into bed. And that was the end of that.
Later that month, sometime on August 22nd, Tara and Mike got up at 5 a.m. in the morning, to pack, brush their teeth and eat breakfast -rather slowly matter fact- Tara and Mike ran down to the car, where it took atleast a five minute drive to get there at the gate to the trainstation and change to their uniforms. "Goodbye, have a great year at school!" their mother cheerfully sang, but got a groggy look in return. "Train 12B! Train 12B leaving now!" a speaker box called. "Oh blimey, that's us!" Mike shouted and ran up the platform with Tara tagging behind him. They had their tickets and came up to a man -the conducter- with a hate with the letter J on it in bold blue. Plus, he had a round face, and a huge nose matter fact.
"Hello, I am conducter Frank, and may I have your tickets?" he gestured in a deep voice, deep enough to scare both Tara and Mike. They gave in their tickets, and hopped on the train after giving their luggage to him, -rather reluctantly-. Tara scavenged around for a compartment until Mike actually found one. Tara put up her carrier bag and sat down across from Mike, and staring out the window until Mike started up a conversation. "I don't feel so jolly and sure leaving our luggage with Frank." Mike said blankly. Tara nodded in agreement, "Neither do I, Mike." she breathed.
The compartment door opened to reveal two girls, one with light purple colour of hair, the other with a light black colour hair, the one with purple hair had gloves that let all your fingers wiggle freely through, the black-haired was just simple with bracelets. "May we sit here?" the purple-haired one asked. Mike nodded. They sat down, after putting their carrier bags and tote bags down, one on either side. Tara then had two thoughts, light bulbs she'd call it. 'I reckon that it's a perfect moment for an introduction' and 'It shall be one crazy year here!' and it just happened that both her thought's were right.