Boarders war

Chapter 1

'The cat holds the answer,' That was the last thing my mother ever said to me. Not I love you or even goodbye, just some dribble about the cat.

That was seven years ago now, but it seems like much longer. I remember that day, crying pathetically, shaking our Burmese cat, Kit-Kat and yes, his name was after the chocolate bar. As hard as I begged Kit-Kat he wouldn't give me the answers.

Now looking back on that day, I don't think poor little Kit-Kat had anything but fur. It was all just a ploy so my mother didn't feel as bad about what she'd done, I guess. Maybe she thought that if she gave me something to do I wouldn't notice she had left me there.

There, was in a motel room in the middle of nowhere.

It's been seven years and now as I am elected to be in charge of my house, I think of her. I wonder would I be the same as her? Would I crack under the pressure? Will I just up and run?

When I think of my mother, I don't feel angry or sad, I feel nothing because I am not even sure I can feel anything for her, not hatred, nor love. Sometimes I don't think I can feel at all.

As I stand there in front of the whole assembly I wonder why my house had picked me to be boss. In my house there are so many better options and yet here I am. By my sides are the other house leaders, each a power in their own right. Next to these five people I am weak and invisible.

Being in charge of the house wasn't the hard part, being the leader in the boarders wars is what scared me the most. I wasn't the kind of person who scared easily but I'll admit spiders don't mean much when you have lives under your care.

We were dismissed and I headed straight back to my house with numerous others. Looking at the three-storey building, my house, the one I was responsible for. Just thinking about it made me queasy.

Half way up the front stairs I was cornered by two of the most annoying year eight's.

"Martha seen my sister with matches." Audrey squealed on her sibling.

"Is she in her dorm?" I sighed.

The Burns sisters were two people I hated to hear anything from or about. Then of course there Martha who is somehow related to them, cousin I think, likes to dob on them at every opportunity.

I march my way into the year ten room and stopped in front of Bernadette.

Bernadette Burns is known as a pyro maniac. Bernie Burns is what they like to call her. It wasn't until after she had burnt some girl's hair in science with the Bunsen burner, did we realized her potential for being a firebug and it made the other students somewhat, paranoid.

"Hey Bernie," I sat down next to her on her bed. I looked at her, she had the same nose and eyes as her sister but that's were the similarity ends.

"Martha says you've got matches."

"Does she now?" She shot a glare at the two girls standing in the doorway. She sighed pulling out the box then handed them to me.

"Sorry Bernie." I stood up glancing back at her, "Don't kill them ok?" I smiled.

"No promises." She looked coldly at Martha and her little sister. I smiled leaving the family to sort out family business. I liked Bernie and any pain she inflicts on those pair will go unnoticed by me.

I let my feet carry me to the top floor to my room. Flopping down on my bed I realized, just what I had been given power, responsibility and which was going to lead to a lot of headaches.

All my thoughts began swimming around in my head and all I can think about is my mother. It was funny, I hadn't thought about her in six years and now I can't get the damn woman out of my head.

I hear the squeak of someone opening my door and instantly I groan rolling over so I didn't have to face who ever was now in my doorway.

"Bernadette has Martha and Audrey in tears, you need to go down stairs and sort it out and you still haven't found who stole my necklace." I pretended not to hear but Amber wasn't the kind of person to get that I just wanted her to leave me alone and even if she did she wouldn't leave anyway. "Tegan!" She brutalized my name.

I climbed off my bed and glared across the room at Amber.

"I'll deal with it ok?" I half snapped. She gave me a doubtful look and stomped down the hall. Amber is that one person I love to hate. She is self righteous and arrogant. She, unlike most here, is from a family with money, so being rich and loved makes her think she's above the rest of us. She is constantly threatening to transfer into another house but I know they are empty threats and that I wouldn't be lucky enough to be rid of her.

I make my way down to the dorm. Katrina and Amber were in the corner consoling Audrey and Martha. I approached Bernie with a cool glare as a tragic attempt of being in charge.

"Due to your actions towards other house members I have no option but to suspend your privileges for the next week."

"What?" She yelled. "You can't do that!"

"Sorry Bernie, as the house leader I can and will."

"Come on the fairs on, you can't do this." She whined.

"I'll discuss the fair with you later, excuse me but I am expected else where." I left the room of distort girls and headed back to the school building. I was required to attend counselling sessions once a week, like all the other students they classified as coming from a troubled background. In this boarding school almost every student fell into that category.

Karen was sitting behind her paper littered desk, gesturing for me to take a seat. I slouched down into an armchair.

"So Tegan is there anything you want to tell me about?"

"Nope, is there anything you want to tell me about Karen? How are you feeling?" I mocked her with a smirk.

She sighed, starring at me. "I hear your house captain."

"I am." I waited under her watchful eyes waiting for me to put in some input voluntarily but as always she'd be waiting awhile.

"How that going?" Disaster, I wanted to say, one big mistake but that would lead to more questions that I am unwilling to answer.

" Me and leadership are like two peas in a pod." I said sarcastically. Just waiting to be eaten alive.

"Now Tegan, I want to touch on a subject you have avoided since you've been here, your mother." It was funny how that woman kept coming up of late.

Karen leaned across the table to hear better sending a few loose pages tumbling to the floor. I would of thought she knew better by now, that I wasn't ever going to chat about my mother. Like always I was going to weasel my way around it.

"Do you think a week without privileges is a fair punishment for making two other students cry?"

" That sounds reasonable Tegan. Are you having trouble with your house?"

"No." I lied. I knew I had to give her something substantial to keep her from talking about my mother and this was going to be it. It's not that I minded talking about my mother it's just I would rather not go into it with someone who would read into every word I said.

Time was up and I grinned at Karen.

"Until next week."

"Tegan you know you can come and talk to me anytime."

"Ah-huh whatever." I walked out the door.

I went to the chapel instead of the house. The chapel was there for those who wanted to use it, but praying and church weren't in forced, it was just there in case. The chapel was basically abandoned all year round and after discovering this shocking fact, I became a regular visitor. I guess in a place like this there isn't much to believe in. It wasn't like I was religious or anything, I just liked the quite. Nobody ever thought to check down here, I mean who would look for me in a church. So the chapel had become my safe haven, my secret hiding place.

I took myself to the third pew, laying down against the hard wood. The thought of going back to Regina house, my house scared the shit out of me. I knew by the time I got back a thousand problems with the roaster would be in desperate need of my attention and there was still the Bernie Burns matter to consider. Of course the message for the first meeting of the leaders of the houses concerning the war would be sitting on my doorstep. I began trying to remember who the other leaders were. At the assembly I was standing next to Dylan Rodgers the sport captain and on my other side was Chelsea Jones, both powers in their own right, and who knows who else were in charge of the remaining houses, which left me feeling less then adequate for the job.

Before long it was getting dark and I knew it was time to return to the dorms. I let a sigh escape my lips as I trudged back to my house.

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This based on the book on the jellicoe road Melinda Marachetta, i wrote this a thousand years ago,it was probaby the first fan fic i wrote but i never put it up. I am sticking it up even if i find it a bit cringe worthy, purely so i have a reason to finish typing it. hope you enjoy it, if you see any mistakes point them out, i think there is still a few...sorry.