I just got some pancakes and orange juice and was heading back to my table when I heard Tina Walters say THE most ridiculous thing I have EVER heard her say and that is saying something!
"Hey, Lauren is it true that your old school stole a painting?" she asked forgetting about the Spanish we were supposed to be speaking, eagerly leaning across the table in excitement.
"Tina, don't be stu-" I was cut short.
"Si." she said so casually and resumed eating her bacon and eggs while the whole table went into shock.
"WHAT?" Liz spluttered, also forgetting about the Spanish, "Your school... STOLE...a painting?" my genius friend repeated to be sure she had heard correctly.
"Si." Lauren repeated simply. My mind was blown. The snob's school stole a painting! That was so cool! I was starting to like this girl.
"Which painting?" I managed to ask.
"The girl with the pearl earring." With that she left the table. She sounded so casual! It was as if that sort of thing happened everyday at St Trinians. Maybe it did...
"Do you think she was being serious?" Macy asked no one in particular.
"I honestly don't know. It would be so bloody cool though!" I said. The whole of our year headed for Ancient Languages talking about one topic only: Lauren.
At lunch I decided to get to know Lauren. Well, since we were sharing a room together, why not? It seems everyone had started to befriend her after we what we heard at breakfast.
"So, it Gallagher different to St Trinians?" I asked. I was NOT expecting what I heard next.
"Not really. Well the lessons are slightly different; here you learn to make antidotes for poisons and stuff, at St T's we made explosives. And vodka. VERY strong vodka. Some year eights found that out the hard way!" well that just make me like the girl even more!
"St Trinians sounds...um... interesting." Liz chose her words carefully.
"Interesting? It sounds bloody terrific!" I exclaimed.
"Did you get any work done at all?" Only Liz would ask such an academic question!
"Yes. Except we learnt how to say 'sir, I have never seen that suitcase in my life before' in at least two different languages."
"Hey, at least that's a useful phrase!" Macy chuckled. We continued to eat in silence.
"Who's Cammie by the way?" our new roommate asked, picking up a chip (or French fry as my American friends call them). My friends and I froze at her words. We didn't answer for a few minutes. It was Macy who broke the silence. "She's our friend and old roommate. She...ran away." She looked down and Liz looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"Why'd she run away?" Lauren frowned, "How did she run away?"
"A secret organisation, called the Circle of Cavan, is after her. No one knows why though." Liz answered quietly.
"They either don't know, or they're keeping it a secret." I corrected. I watched Lauren's confused frown turn into a sympathetic frown. We didn't speak again.