Anne
"Anne! Wakey-wakey, rise and shine!" I hear a ferocious knocking on my door and bolt upright. The world tilts violently as I do so, and I put my head between my hands to steady my perception on the world. "You've got school in an hour! Get moving!"
"Coming, mum," I say groggily and practically roll out of bed. Perfume lands on top of my head as I fall to the floor, pulling the covers with me. I knew I shouldn't have stayed up until one o'clock reading by torchlight underneath the covers just to finish the book. It had me intoxicated, and more than once had kept me awake out of fear that some serial killer would come and get me. Of course, the chances were incredibly slim, and no killer was going to come and cut me up to create the right, lustful perfume.
Then again, these reassuring thoughts didn't usually accompany me when I went to sleep… I drag myself over to my closet as I stand up, and start pulling on my uniform. Twice I had to put my socks on, for I mixed up my sense of left and right due to my lack of sleep. Once I had everything on, I sit on my bed and begin to pack my school bag with the necessary things; pencil-case, ruler, English notebook, history textbook and notebook, art sketchbook, and science textbook. Oh-yes. And another book. I select one randomly off my stack of books in the corner and slip it into my back with a limp hand.
After that, I lean back on my palms and pondered life for awhile, whereupon I fall asleep again.
"Anne Sherley Watson!" The yell comes from outside the door again. I rub my eyes and looked hatefully at the time. 7:40 am, I read… and mentally swear.
"Oh, god," I say, and sling my back over my shoulder, grab my laptop in one hand, and burst out of the door. I hurry over to the fridge, snatch up and apple, and don't bother closing any door I open after that.
"Sorry- sorry, mum-" I say as I pass her, kiss her cheek and then trample down the stairs, my heart occasionally skipping a beat when I think about tripping up and falling down nine flights.
Eli complained to me the whole trip to the Science Museum. I bluntly agreed to pretty much everything she had to say.
"I can not believe that he's given us another!" She exclaims.
"Shh, Eli!" I hiss. "People are staring."
"Let them!" She was feisty when she was enraged. At the moment… well. She seems a tad bit more than just enraged to me. "One thousand words! One thousand bloody words and not even three weeks to write it." I don't respond but with a sigh, and she grabs me by my shoulders. "Anne! I'm going to fail history. I swear. I'm going to fail it."
I have to laugh at that. "Eli, shut up. You're going to fail history as much as I'm going to fail English."
We had come upon a mutual agreement that I was an outstanding student when it came to English. Eli probably only puts up with it because she's my friend.
"Nah." She's looking doubtful, but there's something off about it. Something… malicious.
"You know you aren't going to fail it," I laugh as we climb off the red double-decker.
"I might."
"Shut up." I give her a light punch in the arm, and after that she does shut up about her failing history.
She's still muttering, "One thousand words, one thousand bloody words," as we enter the Science Museum.
"Eli, focus." I turn to the receptionist. "Oh- uhm, two tickets for the microbiology four D show, please."
He types it in. "Have you got a student pass?"
"Yep- hold on- here, hold this." I shove my laptop into Eli's arms before she can protest and pull out a twenty-pound note and my student card, which reads: Anne Sherley Watson, DOB: 07/12/2014. I hand both to the receptionist, who scans it wand says, "that'll be eighteen pounds, please." He's smirking as he hands me back the card and the change, and it unsettles me deeply. There's something off about that smile…
"Come on." Eli grabs the tickets off the counter and pulls me past him, handing me back my laptop.