A new term, thought Rachel Mason as she sat down at her desk, but still the same old Waterloo Road. There wasn't much to do before the doors opened once more, except brief the rest of the staff and file the rest of the LEA reports about what happened with Max.

Even seeing his name on a piece of paper caused her to shudder. It wasn't the fact that he'd tried to control the school with a rule of terror, but the way he'd hurt Philip was too much for her to bear. Ever since she'd found out what had happened, Rachel had become rather protective towards her nephew, much to his annoyance, though his blossoming romance with Ros gave him an excuse to get out of the house much more than before. The girl had also won Rachel's approval, so she was perfectly happy to let Philip spend time with her.

That was where he was now, while Rachel finished the last minute preparations at school. As she closed the file and headed towards the staff room, she was greeted by a bedraggled woman with a child shrinking behind her.

"Can I help you?" Rachel asked, holding out a hand. "Rachel Mason, I'm the head teacher here."

"Can you take her?" the woman asked, pulling the young girl forward. She, too, was rain-soaked, and the thin cardigan she wore didn't provide much protection against the elements.

"I'll have to get you to fill in some forms," Rachel explained. She crouched down to the girl's height. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Sally Parseri," she whispered, shaking.

"Ok, Sally, we'll find a space for you in this school, don't you worry. How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Right. Mrs Parseri, if you'd like to follow me into my office, then we can get Sally registered at Waterloo Road."

Reluctantly, Sally followed her mother and Rachel into the office. She stood silently by the door as Rachel rummaged in her desk for some forms.

"What school did you go to before, Sally?"

"I didn't."

"She was home schooled," Sally's mother explained. "But I can't teach her anymore, so I figured it was time she went to a proper school."

"Alright. Well, I'll need you to fill in these forms, and I'll get you a timetable sorted for today, Sally. Do you have any other clothes with you? You look freezing."

"I'm fine," Sally told her quietly as Rachel logged onto her computer and sent a piece of paper spewing from the printer.

"Alright. Well, here you go. I'm putting you in class 8E. I'll take you around in a few minutes and show you where your lessons are."

"They're done," Mrs Parseri announced, sliding the forms over the desk towards Rachel and turning for the door. "Bye, Sally."

"Bye," Sally whispered as her mother left without even a hug or kiss.

Rachel watched, dumbfounded. The woman hadn't even wished her daughter a good first day or made sure she was alright. The family set up seemed rather odd, but it wasn't her place to question.

"I'm going to see if we can find you a uniform for today," Rachel explained, holding out a hand to the shy youngster, who simply nodded as she took hold. Rachel led her out through the reception to the lost property box, where she rummaged through. Most of the jumpers were much too big for the petite girl, but she found one that seemed as though it wouldn't drown her, and a shirt of a similar size. There were a pair of trousers, too, that were quite obviously a boy's, yet were the only pair that would fit. She handed the clothes to Sally and showed her to the toilets. "I'll wait out here while you change."

Sally nodded, and Rachel leant against the door. There was something a little peculiar about the girl, but she knew from experience she would open up in her own time if she really wanted to. All she needed now was support.

Sally emerged from the toilets in a slightly oversized yet otherwise suitable uniform, her damp clothes clutched tightly in her arms.

"Shall I put them in my office for the day," Rachel asked, "and then you collect them at the end?"

Sally nodded again and followed Rachel back to her office, where she bagged the garments up and wrote Sally's name on the side before putting them under her desk. Suddenly, the bell to signal the start of the school day rang, and Sally jumped with fright.

"It's alright, that's just the bell," Rachel explained, taking her by the hand. "It means school's about to start, is all." Trying to calm the girl down, she sat on her chair and pulled her close. "You don't have to worry, you know. It's going to be different here, but it doesn't have to be bad."

Yet another nod.

"I was nervous when I first came here, too," Rachel continued. "You'll make lots of friends really quickly, though. There's some really nice people in your form. How about I take you to meet some of them?"

Sally nodded once more, and Rachel knew it was no good trying to get her to speak. She led her to 8E's form room, where Chris Mead was taking registration. Helen Hopewell's departure at the end of the previous term and no immediate replacement meant that 8E needed a form tutor, and Chris had been more than happy to oblige.

Rachel knocked on the door, interrupting the register. "Mr Mead, this is Sally, she's new to the school. I want you lot to make her feel welcome."

Chris smiled. "Hi, Sally. I'm Mr Mead, your form tutor. Emily, will you move up a seat so Sally can sit next to you and Denzil?"

Emily shuffled up a seat to let the newcomer sit down, but Sally didn't move from Rachel's side.

"Go on," Rachel persuaded her. "You'll be fine." Turning to Chris, she mouthed, "keep an eye on her."

Chris nodded his acknowledgement. "Right, settle down, you lot. I know it's the first day back but that doesn't mean you can talk through the register. Denzil Kelly?"