The Aislin Chronicles
A/n: Thanks a billion for your reviews. I'm so glad you liked the beginning.
nattie700- you rock!!! More S/V for you, dear? Certainly, but you'll have to wait just a little while. Oh yes, then pen. I lurve it. It's quite important to the story, mwahaha.
2-1-03
7:30 PM
Today has been relatively boring. Been doing the same old thing as usual when I'm home alone. Watch telly – or TV as everyone insists on calling it – eating snacks, doodling in my notebook, dancing around the kitchen...
I have to stop eating all these snacks. Vaughn and I went shopping and we went a little overboard. But seriously, at the rate I'm eating them I'll have nothing for lunches. And as for my doodling habits, this journal will be more drawings than thoughts which is what I don't want.
Thoughts are good to release, especially to you, my journal. Can't just let anyone hear my thoughts, right? Drawings are different. I can draw anywhere. Remind me to get some random paper to draw on.
7:32 PM
Or don't remind me. Because you can't. Journal.
And what's so wrong with dancing in the kitchen?
Gah! I had something to tell you. That's why I started writing. Stop distracting me! So today, boring, blah blah blah, you get it. Sydney comes home from work, she starts making dinner, I help a little. Still boring.
Then.
Vaughn comes home...
He's got my schedule for school and my school uniform! The uniform is so cute! It's this green plaid skirt with lots of blue in it, plus these dark blue socks, and I wear a white shirt or blouse with the vest over it. It's this sweater vest thing but I can wear either a green or blue one. You'd think I'd look like an old man with the sweater vest, but I don't. I tried it on, and it actually looks good. Good! Isn't it amazing?
Man, I despised the uniforms we wore in Ireland. They were so ugly and itchy and uncomfortable and this bland blue color. And we had to wear them ALL THE TIME. Vaughn – no, DAD – says that every Friday I'm allowed to wear khaki pants to school and he added that they have some casual days where we can wear whatever! I think I'm going to like this American school business. I think I'm going to like it a lot.
7:35 PM
Uniforms... And my schedule! Oh dear, I almost forgot. Apparently the grades are separated into teams. I'm in Grade 7, or the seventh grade and they put me into Team 71. I think Dad said there were three teams. Anyway, I have all core classes with my teams and we all have the same teachers. Then there are special areas which are physical education, foreign languages, arts, band, etc. We have those with other teams and sometimes other grades.
Here's the scheddie:
1st hour: Social Studies with Mrs. Ramsby
2nd hour: Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Frierson
3rd hour: P.E. with Mr. Petrowitz
4th hour: Spanish with Mrs. Voss
5th hour: English with Mr. Johnson
6th hour: Science with Dr. Kazsuk
7:37 PM
How the hell do you say Kazsuk?' Like KAZ-uck, or is it kuh-SUCK? Haha, I hope it's the latter. Maybe it's like kuh-SOOK. Or maybe it's one of those names that no one can pronounce like because it's really Karkshmeninov.
7:38 PM
So it's probably not the last one.
I remember I had a hard time whether I wanted to take Spanish or French. I already know a little French, and with Dad it would be really easy, but Spanish seems like it would make more sense. So many more countries speak Spanish that French, and I've heard America has a lot of Spanish speaking people. It's probably more handy than French.
And it's not like Vaughn doesn't know Spanish either. Besides, I really want to roll my R's. Rrrrrr...
Right then. Bang on.
I'm so excited and nervous at the same time. I just hope I fit in. I don't want to be the Grade 7 outcast. I just want some friends. Is that too much to ask?
I certainly hope not.
It's been ages since I've enjoyed school. I want that feeling again.
7:45 PM
Sydney just stopped by. Says she's taking me school supply shopping tomorrow evening. I can tell we're going to buy a lot... I don't have ANYTHING. No backpack, binders, pencils, lined paper even...
There was a little glint in her eye as well. I think she wants to go clothes shopping too. no complaints here.
All right. I'm tired of writing.
4-1-03
3:02 PM
Bored! Bored bored bored bored BoReD! I guess I should explain my boredness, because computers should be fun, no?
Yes, journal, I did say computer.
So Sydney and I went supply/clothes shopping yesterday and got me all the necessary items, and when we got back Vaughn surprised me with my own laptop and printer.
I think that man is seriously insane.
Not that insanity is completely horrible.
He said I'd need it for school, and his and Sydney's laptops are CIA issued and stuff so I basically can't use them. So he just decided to buy me one. And a printer. He's so sweet to me. I do love him. I think he knows how bored I get all day long too...
Oh dear. I just noticed I wrote the date backwards again. 1-4-03, 1-4-03. Damn months before days.
But we installed the internet yesterday and I've been amused by it once again. This cable connection is incredible compared to dial-up crap. It's unbelievable. Wow, I cannot believe that since I left Ireland I just kind of forgot that computers existed. I feel like the cavemen discovering fire. Or the ancient Egyptians inventing the wheel. Did they invent the wheel? Ah, who cares.
Alas, many, many straight hours of sitting on my arse have caused an internet induced coma. It simply is not possible to the internet for hours on end. Eventually you just get bored. Or perhaps I don't know of enough websites, but at least I'm bored.
3:09 PM
Oh God. I start school tomorrow morning. I have to wake up early. Bloody hell.
1-5-03 (See, I can too write the date Americanized)
3:35 PM
Oh my gosh. I LOVE SCHOOL! AHHHHHH! Wow I don't even know where to begin. La la la dee da la la! Goodness gracious I'm just so happy! Well I supposed I should start at the beginning.
Vaughn is going to drop me off at school every day. Unfortunately, we didn't leave early enough and we got caught in traffic. So of course, I was late for my first day. Here... it went something like this:
(We're in the car). Dad, what time is school supposed to start?Uh... 8:20.It's 8:15 now.What!? Oh. Okay. So we'll be a little late.Dad, it's my first day of school!
He bit his lip and sped up. Significantly. I'll walk in with you and explain things to your teacher. We'll just say we got lost.
I sighed into my seat. I was kinda mad at him, even though it wasn't his fault. But it's okay, I forgive him now. Because everything turned out all right.
Anyway, I get to school, and we find the office and I get this late pass, then we find room 204. That's my first hour. Social Studies. God, was I nervous. My hands were shaking and I could not stop fiddling with my hands.
Vaughn grabbed the doorknob before stopping to look at me and raise his eyebrows as if to say, Well, here you go. He opened the door and I followed him in. He went to find the teacher and I kind of stood in the doorway. No one seemed to notice that we had entered because the room was broken apart into groups and they were all discussing things loudly.
I thought my teacher's name was Mrs. Ramsby, so when Vaughn walked up to a male teacher I was a bit confused. But anyway, I started to pay attention to the group in front of me.
Do you think they'll actually find Osama bin Ladin? a girl with dark hair, freckles, and braces asked.
another girl replied immediately. Our president is a babbling monkey, there's no way.Aw, come on, Jess, that's a little harsh. A boy with brownish blonde spiked hair cocked his head at the girl who disliked the president.
No, Adam, she spat back. He's an idiot and you know it.Are you allowed to say that? I asked suddenly, forgetting that I wasn't part of their conversation. Subsequently everyone at that table turned and gawked at me, finally realizing I was there. I felt so stupid. No one was saying anything in their group. Perhaps I needed to explain myself? I mean, that's legal?
The Jess girl glanced around her group with a growing smirk. Freedom of Speech. Bill of Rights. Constitution. I dug my toe into the floor, but I couldn't remove my eyes from their faces. I take it you aren't from America?
I meekly shook my head as Vaughn approached me. Your original teacher is on maternity leave. Mr. Richards will be your permanent substitute for the year. I nodded. Have fun at school. Will's going to pick you up so look for his car. He leaned down and kissed the top of my head.
Bye, Dad, I said quickly. He patted my shoulder before moving.
Jess looked at me expectantly. Then she slapped the empty seat next to her, exclaiming, Pop a squat.Pop a what?Just sit down.
I complied to her odd command or popping a squat, whatever the hell that means, and she smiled warmly at me. So what's your name and where ya from? she asked.
I glanced briefly around the at the group. They seemed interested in me, and they immediately forgot the prior subject of Osama bin Ladin and the president. I'm Aislin Vaughn. I'm from Ireland, but I've lived in America a little while now.Your dad wasn't Irish too, was he? I didn't hear an accent, the dark hair/freckled/braces girl asked. She was sitting nest to me now.
No, he's not. I'm adopted.
An of sorts went up about the circle.
Jess coughed. Well, I'm Jessie Silko. She had light brown hair with a few blonde streaks pulled back into a pony tail. Her features were smooth around her face and she continually smiled at me. She pointed to the boy next to her, previously revealed to be Adam. This is Adam Wingertsahn. Danny DeRose, Fini Nease, Dee Careathers, and Kathleen Moorland. I greeted shyly.
Kathleen, the dark hair girl next to me, spoke. She kinda looks like that Eowyn chick from Lord of the Rings.She does! replied Danny DeRose. He was kind of chubby with short blonde hair and green eyes. I thought of Vaughn. He seemed quiet at reserved, but I got the feeling he was nervous.
No! Shut-up! Fini Nease shouted, covering her ears. I haven't seen it yet, don't tell me! She had on athletic shorts under her shirt, and a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up under her sweater vest. Her dark brown hair was piled high on the top of her hear head in a messy bun. Next to her sat Dee Careathers, African-American with dark curly hair. She laughed at Fini.
This would be interesting, I knew it. Jess and Kathleen wanted to know my schedule so I told them. All my core classes were with Adam, Jess, and Kathleen. Jess said the schedules with the teams were like that. I think it's kind of weird, but whatever. I'm glad I get all those classes with somebody I know now.
It turned out that I had P.E. with Dee, Spanish with Jess and Kathleen, and English with Fini. Sounded good.
But to shorten a potentially long story: I have friends. Jess is great, and Kathleen is funny and quirky. Adam is cool but kind of obnoxious in a middle school boy way. Dee is crazy. But lovable. And I don't know much about Fini because I didn't really get to talk to her in English (or Language Arts as they refer to it). And I don't really know about Danny, but he seems nice.
And I cannot forget my teachers, oh my. Well, Mr. Richards is really young, and he doesn't really know what he's doing, but he's nice and fun, and I'm told he's quite easy to earn high marks. Mrs. Frierson... Eek, she's a bit scary. And she seems hard. But she was nonetheless nice to me when Jess introduced me as a new student. Mr. Petrowitz was annoying. And kind of sexist to the boys in the class. But who cares. I don't. I'll show them all how good at sports I can be. Mwahaha. Hm, competitiveness in me has been dormant for a while, eh? Mrs. Voss, or Señora Voss was so nice and really cute. She gave me some vocab lists to memorize, some verbs, and how to conjugate them, and she said I'd be all caught up with everyone. Mr. Johnson, my English teacher, I think he was my favorite. He was really nice and funny, and he enjoyed teaching us. He was just different. I really liked him. His class should be fun. And then there was Dr. Kazsuk (say kuh-SOOK). He's old, and creepy, and weird. We'll be dissecting frogs soon. Lord help me, I'm scared. Jess is my lab partner for the rest of the year, though, so that should help. We share a lab table with Kathleen and this girl named Emma Marcus. She's nice, but kind of quiet.
4:01 PM
Hand cramp.
4:02 PM
Im so completely, utterly, totally excited for tomorrow. I LOVE school.
A/n: Ta-da! I hope you liked it. Please review. Not sure when the next update will be but I'll try to be soon.
–Whitelighter Enchantress