Off to Malory Towers for the First Time!
Chapter 1 – The Day before Leaving
Darrell Rivers was upstairs with her mother packing her brand new dark leather trunk. "Mother, what is Malory Towers like?" Darrell asked inquiringly. "It's very big" said her mother with that well know sparkle in her eye. "You're sure to get lost when you first get there, and I expect you will feel very small to the older girls". Darrell looked at her mother lovingly. She had never been to a boarding school before and she was very excited. "Yes I suppose I shall feel rather small shan't I!"
"Felicity, darling! Could you bring me up a marker pen please?" called Mrs Rivers. Felicity was Darrell's younger sister. She went to day school and was very upset at the fact that her sister was leaving for boarding school in just 15 hours. Little Felicity looked up to her sister very much and wanted to someday be just like her. "Darrell, make sure you have marked all of your belongings before packing them. The Mistresses don't look kindly upon those who don't mark things and then complain that they have lost them."
Felicity came running in with the marker and handed it to Darrell. "Don't worry Felicity I will be back at the end of term and will tell you all about Malory Towers! The weeks will fly by and before you know it I will be back home with you, I promise!" Darrell took felicity's hand and smiled at her.
"Come along girls. Felicity, help your sister get her things into her night case while I go down the list and make sure we have everything." Mrs Rivers picked up a few sheets of paper and ran her finger up and down them. "We are still missing your new bedroom slippers Darrell. What have you done with them?" Darrell scratched her head trying to recall where she had put them. "Oh, yes, now I remember, Daddy took them to mark them for me. I'll go and get them."
Darrell ran off to find her father. He was a very tall man with broad strong shoulders and dark hair. He had a pleasant yet determined face that everybody could trust. Darrell looked much more like her father than her mother. She had the same dark hair and determined face, however, she also had his fiery temper that was prone to rearing its ugly face at the smallest of incidences. Darrell ran up to her father who was sat down in his favourite arm chair, in front of the fire. "Daddy, have you got my bedroom slippers?" she asked excitedly. Her father smiled and leant over the side of the chair and pulled up a pair of blue slippers. "Here you are Darrell, I have marked them for you ready for packing. You seem rather excited, you had better get an early night, don't forget that you need to be up early to get to the train station on time in the morning!" Darrell stared at her father with respect in her eyes. He is a good man, she thought, he always knows best! "Thank you daddy!" she said as she turned to run back up the stairs again.
"Here you are mother! Here are my slippers!" Darrell put her slippers in the enormous trunk along with all of her other belongings that would be travelling down with her to Malory Towers in Cornwall. "Check your night case for these things please" asked Mrs Rivers "Night dress, tooth brush and paste, hair comb, flannel and a hand towel." Mrs Rivers looked over to Darrell who was rummaging through her night case. "Yes mother everything's here!" said Darrell sleepily. Mrs Rivers placed a hand on Darrell's shoulder. "I think it's time you got into bed. You don't want to be tired in the morning do you? New and exciting experiences await you at Malory Towers. You need a good night's sleep." Darrell yawned and climbed into bed. "I can't wait for the morning" she said but before her mother had chance to say goodnight Darrell was fast asleep, already dreaming of what her new school had in mind for her.