3. Welcome back to 'normal' life!
There Sarah woke up suddenly.
She looked around dismayed. She was in her new room, which wasn't completely furnished yet, because there were many half unpacked boxes on the ground.
"Wow! What was this dream about? I guess I watch too many horror-movies..." Sarah murmured to herself, while she looked around her room. There she heard her mother calling, "Sarah! Are you already awake? It's time to get up!" "Yeah, Mom, I'm already awake." Sarah answered and stifled a yawn. "All right. Today is your first day at school and you won't be late, will you?" Sarah rolled her eyes and called, "No, Mom, I won't." And she sighed, "Of course not!" Then she got up, put on her clothes and had a quick breakfast. After that she set off to her school.
Watched with curious, mocking and sceptical glances from the pupils, she worked her way to the principal, to that she should come first. She knocked at the door timid and stepped in hesitated, when a "Come in!" sounded.
A man, who sat at a desk, looked up and looked at her friendly. "Ah! You have to be Sarah Blackstone, am I right?" Sarah nodded. "Please, sit down." "Thanks." "Welcome at my school! Well, how I heard, you are moved with your parents just recently here, aren't you?" "My father got an offer from his company to work here, 'cause they searched workers here. And so we were moved here with him." Sarah answered. "Yes, I see. There such a move is usually inevitable. And it's hard to leave the previous surroundings and manage it in a new environment. But I'm sure you'll like it here. You'll settle in here very quick." "I hope so..." "Definitely. And you'll get a new start at my school. I got the documents and the credentials of your old school..." With these words he took a folder in his hands and had leaf it through. "Well, no complaints about you and all in all quite satisfactory grades. Refrain from the 5 in physics and the 4 in maths and the 3 in French and chemistry..." "Well, physics and maths aren't even my favourite subjects and I would be much better in French if we would have had another teacher and in chemistry..." The principal interrupted her, "Well, I can't judge it. Anyhow, you are now at my school and you can prove that you even are able to do more than these grades state. I can't grade you a class higher, because you have interrupted in the middle of the school year. As a trial, you'll grade in your previous year, the 10th class, because you actually should be on a level with the other pupils. Initial knowledge residues are normal, because the teaching methods are quite different than at your old school. But should you or one of your teachers notice after a certain time that the die knowledge residues are too enormous, you'll probably have to repeat the 9th class and come into the 10th class in the next year. All right?" "Yes." "Fine. Well, your class is in room Nr. 104. Good luck!" "Thank you." Sarah rose up and left the principal's room.
Then she walked through the school and looked for her class room. It took a while until she had found it. Now she waited quite nervous in front of the class room. She watched shyly the other pupils, which shoved through the corridors and glanced at her partly strange or paid no attention to her, while she waited.
Then the bell rang, the lessons began. The pupils of her new class rushed her by and set down on their seats. Sarah followed them hesitated. Then she stopped undecided until all pupils already set. She discovered a vacant seat beside a girl. She walked there slowly and asked, "Hey! Is this seat taken?" The girl shook her head. So she set down.
The teacher entered the class and greeted his pupils. Then he came up to Sarah and said, "Good morning. You are Sarah Blackstone, my new pupil, right?" "Good morning, Sir. Yes, I am." "I'm pleased. Would you please come with me forward to introduce you your new class?" Sarah nodded unsure and came forward with the teacher. „Well, as I already told you, you get a new pupil. This is Sarah Blackstone. She moved only short time ago to London and she'll go from now on in this class." "Hi!" Sarah said shy. "If she has any questions or anything is unclear to her, please help her. Well, then I wish you all the best!" "Thanks." With that Sarah set down on her seat again and the teacher continued with the lessons.
As predicted, Sarah had really not the knowledge like her classmates. But she would try hard to make up for the residue of her knowledge as soon as possible.
Catherine, her seat-neighbour, was an intelligent and friendly girl of fifteen. She offered her immediately to help her, if she should have any questions or difficulties. Catherine was friends with two other girls in the class: the same-aged Hannah and the two years older Alicia. Alicia had to repeat a year. These girls were also very nice and that was why Sarah found very fast confidence in them.
So, this lesson went by and in the following lesson Sarah's class had to write a test. Because Sarah didn't know anything about the subjects, she didn't have to write this yet. That was why she waited outside on the school yard for her new friends in her class, which had to write this test now.
She set down on the stairs and looked around a little bit bored. There a man suddenly came towards her and spoke to her, "Are you Sarah Blackstone?"