A Change in the Wind.

Chapter Three.

"Laura Evans. Laura Evans?"
The register was being called and Laura was sat slumped in her usual seat in the classroom, at the back corner by the window. She hadn't meant to fall asleep; but a restful sleep never sought her out and dozing off in class seemed to become a more regular occurrence of late. The ruler slammed down sharply onto her single wooden desk, causing her to bolt upright. Her eyes were wide with confusion until realisation tainted them, remembering she was at school and behaviour such as falling asleep in class was frowned upon. She looked down, not wanting to meet Miss Wright's glare that she could feel burning into her; not wanting to see if it was filled with concern or anger. "Come and see me after school, Laura." Miss Wright spoke monotonely as she returned to the front of the classroom where she continued to call the register.

Laura rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger, blinking a few times as she adjusted to the light. She wanted to argue the request with her teacher as she always met Paige at the front gates before walking around to the Primary School to pick Lucas up. She sighed quietly, kicking herself for getting caught, for falling asleep in the first place; but it was too late for all that now.

The morning passed slowly in a mixture of poetry by Keats to the basics of religion; none of which held her interest. She always had something else on her mind; there was always something more important to be thinking about. But none of these thoughts should have been concerning her at 14. She should have been going to see the latest movie with her friends, giggling over boys that paid her attention, which they did. For a young girl, Laura was beautiful. She had no need for make-up that others of her age stole from their mothers to give them a more flawless look. Laura's skin was naturally smooth and defined; her curves perfectly accented her body, making her appear older than her years; her hair had grown into thick waved curls that fell half way down her back. Many girls ignored Laura, jealous of her appearance, but that didn't faze her. She didn't need friends after all. Of course she had a couple of friends, but she chose them for their loyalty and knowledge rather than their looks and social status.

The school secretary moved through the hallways ringing the large brass bell that signalled that it was time for lunch. Laura stood and placed her books away in her desk before making her way to the dinner hall. She scanned the lines and rows of tables for signs of Paige, but she couldn't seem to place her. She sighed in frustration and joined the queue with one of her friends, Carrie. She was a petite girl that was a little plump around the edges, but had the most dazzling blonde hair. Carrie was fairly mild mannered, fantastic at English and Mathematics and seemed to be another lost soul here. Laura couldn't quite remember how they had come to be friends; some people just seemed to gravitate towards one another, she guessed.

"Hello Laura." Carrie said cheerfully, snapping her back to reality from her trail of thoughts. "I thought I'd lost you for a sec there! Everything okay?" Carrie's rose flushed face held an edge of concern as she followed Laura's gaze around the dinner hall.
"I'm okay Caz; I'm just looking for Paige. You seen her?"

Carrie shook her head as she bought her attention back to Laura. "No, not since this morning. Don't fret, she'll be here."

Laura nodded absent mindedly and forced her lips to tug into a smile; a smile that she had learnt and perfected over the years so that however un-genuine it was, that wasn't how it came across. Lunch passed slowly. This was a chance for her to actually have a meal and ensured she got at least some nourishment once a day, five times a week. She hurried out to the playground after discarding her cutlery in the designated area, but Paige was nowhere to be seen. Laura sighed in annoyance as she headed towards the wooded area that surrounded the far edge of the playground. An area that was off limits to the pupils, though she knew that Paige often disregarded such rules. She was such a wanderer, a free spirit. Laura often wondered if Paige would ever settle in one place when she grew up, but she always came to the same conclusion. Not possible.

Carrie stayed on watch as Laura scurried into the thick mass of trees, almost immediately running into a couple of kids that looked like they were eating each other's faces. "Ugh. Move." Laura huffed, pushing them to one side as she made her way deeper into the green. Her skirt snagged on a haggard grouping of twigs emitting from the overgrown pathway. She would be having words with her sister for this. The light became restricted as the leaves grouped together in a canopy above and Laura was not prepared to go any further; especially after the skirt incident and for the fact that her shoes were now caked in mud. She peeked from behind a large oak trunk that dominated the tree line to make sure that the dinner ladies were not eyeing that area, before slipping back into the yard besides Carrie. She shook her head as she mumbled a 'Thanks' to her friend, just in time for the bell that signalled it was time for them to queue up to re-enter the school for the latter part of the day. "Where is she.." Laura seethed to herself as she scanned Paige's class line, not finding what she was looking for. She felt a poke in her back as someone tried to hurry her along. Laura whipped her head around to meet the smirk of Elizabeth Smith; polished and perfected in the most unreal of ways. Laura glared at her, holding eye contact for what seemed like an age, until Elizabeth's cockiness subsided. "Just as I thought." Laura shook her head and turned to strut back into line with her class who had already ascended the concrete steps.

Laura watched as everyone left the classroom, her foot tapping restlessly underneath the desk as her annoyance had converted to concern about her sister and she worried about what Lucas would do when they weren't there to meet him on time. Miss Wright seemed to take her time organising the random papers that littered her desk, causing Laura to sigh dramatically. Miss Wright paused and glanced up at her pupil before shuffling the papers into a somewhat neat pile and making her way to the back of the room. Her actions seemed slow and deliberate and even though Laura sort of liked her teacher, right now she was doing nothing more that irking her. Miss Wright turned a chair around to sit in front of Laura; elegantly crossing her ankles and tucking them beneath her seat.

"I'm sorry about before Miss, but I really need to go." Laura pleaded on the edge of her seat, looking towards the door. Her brow furrowed as she saw Paige's face poking around the doorway, mouthing 'Hurry up!' Laura threw her a dirty look and turned back to her teacher, her eyes filled with urgency. But Miss Wright seemed to be working her way up to something, not taking note of Laura's request.

"Laura.. Is there something.. Well, is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"

"No Miss, I just need to go."

"Laura. Please, just one moment. I've noticed this isn't the first time you have fell asleep during class, and until now I have let things slide somewhat. But if there is a reason, any reason at all, as to why this keep occurring, you can tell me. Maybe I could help.." Miss Wright's voice was etched with concern rather than intrigue and Laura respected that, but couldn't prevent the laughter that spilled from her lips. How on earth could this woman help? No one could. She realised that the laughter was taken offensively as Miss Wright's face hardened and she sat up straighter in the small chair. Laura placed a hand over her mouth as she coughed and shook her head. "No Miss, everything is fine. I just have trouble sleeping is all." It wasn't exactly a lie; she had just left out the reasoning behind her statement. Added to the fact that she could never actually voice out loud that their mother didn't care for them, what she put them through. It just wasn't something you spoke about. It wasn't something Laura believed happened in 'normal' families and who would believe them anyhow?

She threw another glance toward the door as Miss Wright sighed. "Very well. There will be consequences if this happens again, Laura Evans." Her tone was harder now, but Laura didn't stop to ponder this as she pushed her chair back and threw her satchel over her shoulder, singing "Yes Miss" as she hurried to the exit.

"Laura." Miss Wright spoke, quieter now as Laura looked over her shoulder. "You know where I am if you change your mind.. If.. If you want to talk." The teacher smiled a warm and honest smile before she looked to the ground. Laura paused as she processed the genuine concern, the interest in her. From her teacher, of all people. She wasn't used to it and couldn't find a word for it, or a reply. She swallowed a lump in her throat that she was unsure for why it had formed and raced from the room, grabbing Paige's wrist, leading the way.

"Where in hell have you been!" She almost choked, her anger spilling over into the concern she had felt moments before.

"I.. I was in class?" Paige replied in a question rather than an answer. Laura spun around, glaring into her sisters beautiful blue eyes that were glazed in dishonesty, though her lips were twisted into a cheeky grin, not unusual for her.

"Ugh, we do not have time for this Paige Evans. You WILL tell me tonight."

Paige blinked, though it was obvious she would spill. They didn't keep secrets from one another. Their lives were fragile enough.

They neared the gates to the Primary School; the usual current of parents holding their child's hand passed them by, though there were backwards glances towards the grassed area. Laura raised a brow, hearing the whispered condemnations and tuts that could be dimly heard beneath chants of school children that had formed in a circle. A fight had broken out and she noticed Paige shudder. Laura felt the all too familiar knot twist in her stomach that could always be counted on as she walked in to face her 'punishments', despite this having nothing to do with her. Violence wasn't the answer and it bemused her why people went to such extremes.

Her thoughts were frozen as she stared unblinking at a lone satchel on the floor. A fawn shade, fraying at the edges, with a navy patch on the side where it had been repaired. Where she had repaired it.

She dropped her bag, not caring where it landed or what happened to it as she ran towards the circular crowd, pushing her way through the children that were annoyed at their view being disturbed or their concentration being distracted. It was now as if she had tunnel vision; her only focus on seeing the cause of the disruption. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as her eyes fell on her baby brother, lying bloodied on the floor, attempting to shield the blows to his face that reigned relentlessly from a larger boy that was crouched over him.

Laura felt as if she were watching someone else rip the boy off of her brother. The boy looked confused until a smug look crept to his features. "Stupid bastard can't even talk. Can't even beat a word out of him!"

It took her a moment to realise that the menacing laughter was spilling from her own lips, which she cut of suddenly as her hands balled together into tight fists. "What. Did. You. Say?" Her teeth gritted together as she looked the boy over, her own features indefinable, until she reached Lucas. His little body wincing as he curled into Paige who was now comforting him as best as she could.

"What? You stupid as well? Must run in th-" But he didn't get a chance to finish his statement as Laura's fist collided with the corner of his mouth, knocking him off balance. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't good enough. Her blows didn't cease; it was like she wasn't in charge of her own body as her fists continued to pummel into the boy's face, forcing him to the floor; his blood stained her knuckles, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. He was screaming, but she heard nothing. He was becoming less defensive as the energy and consciousness was beaten out of him, but she didn't care. Who the hell did he think he was!

Hands pulled at her arms, dragging her away from the bloodied mess that was sprawled on the floor. Laura struggled against the hands until she realised they belonged to her siblings and she allowed them to lead her backward. She spat on the boy and smirked, speaking in a tone she didn't recognise. "Try it again, any of you try it, and you will fucking regret it."

The crowd had become more or less silent as the scene had unfolded before them, but Laura hadn't noticed. They weren't important to her. She shrugged the hands off her as she turned, wrapping her shaking arms around her brother and sister as she led them out of the school property.

She had done something she thought she would never do and she didn't feel bad about it. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't be her mother. But she wasn't the same, was she? The thoughts spun in her mind as she looked directly ahead; though one remained a constant.

Laura realised that she would go to any lengths to protect her brother and sister. Even if it meant she turned into the one person she despised more than anything.