Great heights for something so smallGreat heights for something so small

The white painted wooden fence creaked, threatening to snap under the girls' weight. The girl stood firm despite this and the wind which seemed to be blowing in all directions trying to coax her off the fence. The girls long light ginger hair with blond tips danced wildly in the wind like a naked flame ready to burn down a vast forest. The girl had the body and finesse of a type rope walker, showing no fear or hesitation in her actions.

The girl turned gracefully on the fence with a single movement. Her deep brown eyes scanned the task in front of her. Between her and her task was a thick hedge. She dismissed it as she believed it would not effect what she had to do. Just after the hedge was a wall many times her height. It had on it a neatly shaped blob of fresh dark green plant life that had been cut in such a way that not a single leaf was out of place. The wall loomed over her daring her to do it. She readied herself to jump.

"Lyra, is this really necessary?" asked another girl who was leaning on the fence with her arms crossed.

The girl had amazingly long, limp, bottomless pit black hair that fell just bellow the back of her knees. Her skin was so pale it could compete with a plain piece of paper. Her figure was fragile and delicate but yet strong and firm, with no visible curves.

"It would be easier to get the caretaker," she stated with her eyes closed.

This put Lyra off, during that short time the wind chose the moment to send a gust to sneak up behind her. This sent her navy school blazer over her head. Lyra felt the phone inside her blazer pocket hit her round the back of the head. Lyra removed her blazer revealing a white un-tucked blouse, as she did so her school tie, which was navy blue with white and thin red stripes jumped up to attack her face. She removed that as well letting her undone top button fall free.

"Don't be such a wet cloth Jen," said Lyra throwing her tie and blazer at the black haired girl.

Jen caught them professionally with one hand and her eyes closed as if she sensed them coming and had done this many times before. Several children nearby wearing the same school uniform gathered round, they knew Lyras ritual which meant she was going to do something big. In the navy crowd was the occasional red tie from the students in years ten and eleven.

A wave of muttering spread across the two playgrounds travelling like a game of Chinese whispers from group to group, each group sending a messenger to the next. Within a few minutes it seemed as if all the students on the playgrounds were gathered in what small space there was round the fence.
Jen glared at anyone that got within and arms length. Everyone stayed a step back from her as they knew what she could do if you made her mad. Lyra jumped up like a cat and latched herself onto the plants. Jen rolled her eyes.

"One day Cats gonna get herself killed," said a tall boy at the front of the group so quiet that even the people next to him were finding it hard to hear.

Jen sighed, she couldn't agree more. Cat was a nick name Lyra had picked up in the three years she'd spent at the school. This was mainly due to how she walked; climbed and how dangerous she was when she was backed into a corner. She was called Cat by almost everyone and most of them didn't know her real name.
Lyra began climbing the plant confidently but this confidence seemed to turn on her. Her foot slipped. The crowd gasped. She scrambled about trying to find a foot hold, as her confidence dropped slightly the wind seemed to put extra effort in. Lyra hung on tightly digging her finger nails into the plant. She took a deep breath and told herself she could do this.

A part of the plant seemed to grow towards her foot. The on lookers dismissed this as a trick of the light but not Jen. She had seen this happen to Lyra many times before. Lyra tested the plant under her foot, deciding it was strong enough, she continued to climb. She reached the end of the wall and the start of the roof.

"What's she up to now?" said a voice in Jens ear.

"Hey Matt," said Jan not taking her eyes of the roof, "How the hell am I meant to know?"

Leaning on the fence beside her was a tall skinny boy wearing a red tie. He had thick spiky black hair with electric blue tips. His dirty green eyes were fixated on Jen. Jen tore her gaze from Lyra to face Matt, to her surprise their faces were almost touching. Matt smiled at her.

"You're her mate aren't ya?"

Jen scowled and turned her head back to face Lyra.

"So what?" retorted Jen, "Be patient, like everyone else."

"I'm not a patient guy," smirked Matt, clearly not talking about Lyra anymore.

He turned in such a way that he had her trapped against the fence. Jens faced him and glared at him. Matt's face neared Jens. All at once a rock hit him on the head and Jen saw her chance and moved to the side. This took Matt by surprise; it also sent him head first over the fence, creating a whole in the hedge.

"Hey pervert!" yelled a voice from above.

Matt spat leaves from his mouth and shook his head making several lumps of mud fly everywhere. He looked up to see where the voice had come from.
"Get your dirty hands off my mate!"

Lyra had her right foot on the ledge of the roof as if about to jump off, in her opposite hand she had a rock which she was throwing up in the air and catching. Her other hand was planted firmly on her hip. Matt made a rude hand gesture to her.

"Don't make me come down there!" she warned him aiming the rock in her hand at his head.

Matt stood up and wiped the mud from off the front of his white shirt. He held out his arms as if to catch something or someone.

"Come on then!" He urged.

Lyra dramatically dropped another rock which skimmed his ear and hit him on the shoulder.

"There's plenty more up here," called Lyra.

Jen sniggered and shook her head. She stood with all her weight on one foot and her arms crossed.

"Go on, off with ya," said Jen making a head gesture, "You heard her."

Matt put one hand on the fence and hauled himself over it. Matt walked up to Jen and hugged her nestling his face in her hair.

"Fine," he whispered in her ear, "but only cos you asked me-"

Another rock bounced off his head.

"Not because you're sadistic friend is throwing rocks at me," he finished.

Jen laughed slightly as he let go of her.

"We'll talk later," he said as he turned away from her and walked into the crowd. Jen could still she his blue tipped hair in the thick of the crowd.
Lyra looked happy with herself as she watched Matt walk away from Jen. That boy was trouble, Lyra knew it, and Jen was just too blind to see it. Lyra took her foot off the ledge and turned away from the large group that was watching her intently.

The roof was damp despite it being quite a sunny day for England. There were weeds growing through several cracks and mould in every corner. In one of these corners was a small bird, its brown feathers were ruffled and it looked disorientated. Lyra could feel it wanted to fly away and hide but it couldn't. She approached it slowly. The bird began to panic.

"Shhhhh…." Said Lyra softly.

The bird stopped and looked at her no longer scared by her presence. Lyra knelt down beside the bird as it followed her with its beady eyes. She scooped it up in her hands as if it were made of glass.

As Lyra stroked the bird gently, it shivered as if a chill had been sent down its spine. Then it flapped it's once unmoving wings and flew off towards the sun. Lyra listened to its happy chirping that was thanking her in its own little way.

There were several heavy foot steps behind her and the jingling of many keys crashing against each other. Lyra turned round smiling and laughing nervously. A large man with knotted grey hair was standing in front of her.

"I'm screwed aren't I?" laughed Lyra nervously.

The man gave her an empty smile and stepped aside revealing the top of a metal ladder.

"Yup," said Lyra seriousness coming into her voice as she started the familiar descent down the ladder, "I'm screwed."

What do you think of my first chapter?