Chapter One
Author's Note: The Twilight characters do not come in till later. Sorry. Hope you enjoy this anyway!
"Hurry up Lacey!" Mrs Turner called up the stairs to her daughter. "Martin and Jonny are ready and if you don't get down here soon you're going to make them late for school!"
"Coming!" fourteen-year-old Lacey yelled back as she stuffed her homework book into her bag quickly and snatched it off the bed. "Give me two seconds!" It was two minutes later when Lacey was in the car and her mother was driving quickly down the road to school.
"It's just not good enough Lacey" her mother was saying. "You need to get much more responsible. I know that I said you didn't need to take the bus because it was so near the Primary School, but I may still make you catch that bus. I know Kate, Vanessa and Belinda do. Please start being more organised." So Lacey promised, but how was it her fault that one of her twin brothers had stolen her pen so she had been up late doing homework all night and so she had slept in this morning? She was always being blamed for things that didn't go right in her family even if they knew it wasn't her fault. Parents were annoying.
"Have a good day" Mrs Turner smiled as she dropped Lacey off outside school. Lacey trudged through the gate and spotted Kate's thick, long, wavy honey coloured hair and hurried over.
"Lacey!" called Vanessa happily, spotting her first. "We thought you weren't coming. You were nearly late!" The bell rang and so they hurried off to first period English.
That lunch time Lacey and her friends were standing in their favourite place- a small grassy area that was hidden. The girls were pretty sure only they knew about it. So every lunch they came there to practise their dancing. All four girls were dancers and their parents were always joking about the four of them being closer than sisters. But it was true that Lacey and Belinda were often mistaken for twins. Both had identical pale brown, straight hair that fell down to their waist. Vanessa and Kate didn't look at all like them. Vanessa had long hair too, but it was black and Van had to wear it in a plait or it went haywire. Kate had thick wavy golden hair that was the envy of all her friends. Kate's hair was fantastic, especially with her highlights. Lacey knew that the four of them would be friends to the death.
"Hey, are you guys free the weekend after next?" Kate asked as they stood outside the school waiting for Lacey's Mum who always picked them up. "I'm trying to convince my Mum to let me have a sleepover with all you guys. You can come back with me after ballet and go home the next day after netball." Vanessa, Kate and Lacey all thought that was wonderful and Vanessa was keen to have everyone back over at her place for Saturday night, but Belinda was pretty positive her mother wouldn't allow her to do that. Kate promised to try something anyway.
After dropping Kate, Vanessa and Belinda at their houses, Mrs Turner drove Lacey, Jonny and Martin home. When they had eaten afternoon tea and put their bags away, Mrs Turner called them back.
"I have something very exciting to tell you all" she announced. "I have brought a donkey."
"A donkey?!?!" Lacey screeched incredulously. "Mum, our back yard isn't nearly big enough for a donkey. Where is it going to live? Did your brain leave you or something?"
"There won't be any problem with land on our new farm" said Mrs Turner happily.
"WHAT?!?!" Lacey screamed so loudly that Jonny and Martin covered their ears. "We're moving to a FARM?! And you never told me??? Moving? To the country? ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!" By this point Jonny and Martin had actually run out of the room Lacey was screaming so.
"Lacey! Calm down" Mrs Turner laughed. "The country isn't bad. We'll have this wonderful big house and huge amounts of land so we can have horses, cows and our donkey. It'll be great fun. And Dad can still go to his job in town, although he'll have to get up very early and won't be coming back until late. And you-"
"Oh, that's alright then" Lacey sighed with relief. "If Dad is still going to his job, I won't have to switch schools. Won't I?"
"Well..." began Mrs Turner uncomfortably. "We've discussed this Lacey, you're father and I, and Dad will be leaving very early, as I have already said. We feel it is better if you just go to the local college."
"No!" Lacey screamed. "How could you do this to me? When I move into the country, what will I do? Where will I go to dance?"
"Oh, I've spoken to Mrs Carmody" said Mrs Turner airily. "She says she'll have an extra hour with you after the Friday ballet class so you won't miss anything. And you can still see your friends in ballet. You just won't go to ballet on Wednesday."
"But still" Lacey groaned. "The country!"
"And you can do your room up whatever way you like it" Mrs Turner continued. "Your father and I will agree on a certain sum of money that you can spend on new furniture and things like that for your new bedroom. Won't that be nice?"
"Are we really moving to the country Mum?" asked Martin, walking back in. "But what about Jonny's asthma? Won't the animals-"
"No!" said Jonny proudly. "Because horses don't. And I went with Mum to see the donkey and I didn't get asthma from that either. Ha!"
"Brilliant" snapped Lacey. "Just what I need. Moving to the country. Moving from civilisation. Everyone wants that don't they?" And she marched out of the room.
"Hello?" said Vanessa into her cellphone.
"Van! OHMYGOD, Van, you will so not believe what has just happened!"
"Lacey? Is that you? Tell me! What has happened?"
"This is officially the worst day of my life. So far. I have a lot of bad days to come. Van, I'm moving to the COUTNRY!"
Vanessa screamed so loudly that Lacey sprang away from the phone, dropping it on the floor. "No way" she gasped.
"Yes way" Lacey said grimly back. "I'm switching schools and everything. Apparently we're going to get this new house and everything. The only good thing about it is that I get to give my room a makeover. But Mum did say that she had to decide on the budget. I probably will get enough money to buy one piece of furniture. But I can keep my bed. I don't need a bigger bed than that one. But maybe a new duvet will be nice. To match the new walls and curtains I'll get. And a big dressing table, desk and bookshelf. And a way better CD player. Hopefully my room will be huge so there'll be a place I can practise dancing. But this is horrible Van. You have to save me."
"I can't" said Vanessa. "Your parents have already made up their minds. We can't help you. Well, we can help you, but we can't save you.
"Brilliant" Lacey repeated herself.