I strolled down the corridor, hands firmly planted in pockets. It was slowly emptying after last lesson, kids chatting and mingling in the way, I leisurely manoeuvred them noticing each strange thing about them, each inconsistency of their personality. The reasons why they had been sent to this school.

I must explain that this school I go to is a "special" school, it is situated in the middle of nowhere in the English countryside, there are steep hills surrounding Blackbrooke secondary, everyone says its too keep everyone in but I think that is what the big gates and chainlink fence is for. Its for those people who don't function properly in normal school. I admit I belong here but those who say its unjust are always the worst. Most live in but some go home everyday, in some ways its harder for them to go knowing they'll have to come back.

I rounded the door and headed for the front desk. A short teacher sat there, bent over papers, marking tests, I threw my note on his desk. He looks up at me and pushed his geeky classes onto his nose.

"Nice to see you again, Helen" Mr Terrence commented sarcastically

"You too sir, is this your fifth day straight doing detention" I quipped back

He mumbled something inaudible in his test papers, me 1, teachers 0. I had a habit of finding a persons key and turning it, his wife had just left him and he was endeavouring to throw himself into his work, I could see the look of betrayal disguised by his efforts at wit. I could see the hurt in those dull watery eyes.

But I turned my back on him and chose a seat in the middle of the back row, a perfect vantage point to watch my fellow detentionees as it were, my favourite pastime as it comes to it. Figuring out peoples story gave me immense pleasure but gave me very little social skills, coupled with my inability to concentrate, I couldn't be in the cool groups because I was too weird and smart but I couldn't join the nerds either for I didn't have the grades because – well its not that I couldn't read – its I had trouble reading, apparently I've got that dyslexia thing but that's just another word for stupid.

I knew there were the new batch of bad apples in so I decided to scope out the competition. I was the first there and slumped into the chair, slinging my bag underneath. I had seen a few new faces today, most were petrified and scared to see so many hardened criminal students, dear god! don't do the crime if you can't handle a few psychos.

I leant back and stared through to window, well at it anyway. The fog lay over the tennis courts, the dull grey concrete blocked by a white blanket. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It brought back a memory of a figure turning its back on me disappearing into the fog, its long hair swaying as it vanished.

A noisy group broke my reverie as they pushed there way into the classroom. The girls giggling and pushing one another, you'll have to buck up your ideas if you want to survive here, I thought, disappear is the best idea.

I studied each one, figuring out each ones story from their body language and appearance.

The first one I saw was big boned and taller than the others. Her features were surprisingly delicate and elfin. Her eyes were shifty, she sized up ever single object on the desk, giving me the impression she was one to watch, obviously a thief of some sort. I hugged my bag under the table with my legs, wasn't going to let that out of my sight, not with what was in there.

As she turned to laugh at another shorter girl with flowers in her hair, I saw her rectangular glasses shine in the strip lighting. Her brown bob swished and her smile shone, mischievous and mocking. She was definitely sharp and quick but I wondered whether she'd met anyone like me not that I was intending to get in an in-depth conversation with her about the meaning of life or anything but its always important to take account of any possibility.

The next girl to move off to sit down had straight dark brown hair it was almost black, her fringe was straight and her eyes intense. She was slim but I could tell she had power behind her thin willowy limbs, she'd probably been done for some kind of violent behaviour, I could see her temper bubbling just below the surface. Especially when she caught my steely grey eyes boring into her, she turned to face me her eyes flecked with red but I wasn't going to back down so I leant forward and pinned her with my most disdainful look, like she was something I had brought in on the sole of my shoe. That provoked her as I had expected. She strode towards me, I didn't fancy taking her on but I had to test her. A moment later her arm was grasped by the flower girl whose face was blissfully innocent of my part but full well knowing her friend.

"Sam? Leave it, don't get wound up by nothing, come sit in the corner with me and Ellie" flower girl chirruped from behind, her high pitched positivity was so overpowering I felt a little bit nauseas. It seemed to affect the other girl – Sam – as she gave me a last death look then turned and went to sit down.

I got an apologetic smile from the flower girl, wouldn't it be funny if her name was iris or lilly or something or maybe that's why she had foliage intertwined in her hair. I smiled in return, I could tell she would be easy to persuade or use. Maybe that's how she got nicked in the first place.

As I was filing away this information for later use I noticed the forth girl in the gang, medium weight and height, long black hair, her head was bent low her face shaded by a curtain of hair, but by the slump of her shoulder I knew she was laid back, relaxed and possible sleep deprived.

I wasn't sure what her deal was until she straightened and I saw she was wearing a pair of sunglasses, jeez at 3 in the afternoon on a cold miserable day, aha drunk and disorderly, it must have been a late night last night. And it was a week night, I shudder to think what she was like on a weekend.

A few more usuals sauntered in afterwards but my attention was solely focused on the newcomers. There was something about them that I just couldn't put my finger on, something like we were kin or something but not axactly. I was drawn to them but my better judgement told me to stay away. Observation was acceptable thought, right?

I made a resolution there and then that I would watch them and find out everything that I could because there was something special there that drew me in and took hold of my senses. From that day on I knew things were going to change, for better or worse I didn't know but I didn't comprehend how dramatically my life would change.