Own nothing.

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Miss Campbell, her untidy grey bun coming undone, smacked a book on the desk for quiet. The older girls shushed the younger ones, in an attempt to help the soft spoken teacher regain order. The dim schoolroom instantly hushed, and a ball of paper belatedly hit Stacy Faulkner in the back of the head.

"I am pleased to announce- Lottie, you will not speak while I am speaking- that we are going on a class trip to the Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis."

There was an instant hubbub, and Hazel craned her neck to see Dorothy, who was waving wildly at her and mouthing, "Partners, partners!" She happily nodded. Miss Campbell raised her voice and continued.

"The last time I had allowed you to pick partners, there was an absolute ruckus. I am thus forced to assign your partners. " Mass outpouring of gloom! "Listen for your name. Maggie Allen and Clara Armstrong. Gladys Atkinson and Lucille Breckenridge." Oh no, they were going alphabetically, so Hazel would be almost last. Impatiently, she tapped her foot until- "Deryn Sharp and Hazel Shaw." The two girls looked at each other, and nodded half-heartedly. Deryn was... a nice person, probably very lovely once you got to know her, but Hazel was a bit scared of her. She was very tall and intimidating, as if she knew something you didn't.

"Um. Hi, Deryn. That's a bad scrape you've got there. What happened?" The girl's elbow was rough and raw.

"Fell down the stairs."

"Oh, that's awful. I'm very clumsy too. In fact, the other day, I was trying to make porridge when-"

"I'm not clumsy, I just tripped."

"Oh." That sat in silence until the French lesson began, when Hazel went to sit with the older students. She had a bit of a knack for languages, and Miss Cambell had let her work with the ten year olds. They dutifully recited verbs until the lunch bell rang.

Dorothy, Alice, and Hazel sat at a desk together, unwrapping their sandwiches.

"Dorothy, who'd you get put with?"

"Ruthie Ferguson. But you! You got partnered up with Scary Sharp."

"Oh, don't call her that. I'm sure she's-"

"Perfectly nice," her friends chorused, rolling their eyes.

"But did I tell you, that one time when I asked her if she wanted to embroider with me, and-"

"You've told us this story a million times, Alice."

"A billion times."

"But it was very rude of her to laugh."

"Yes, it was, but maybe she was having a bad day or something."

"I think it's very nice that you always try and see the best in people, but honestly, you're so trusting."

"Dorothy!"

"I'm just saying."

"Well, it's very rude."

"Perhaps she's having a bad day or something," giggled Alice.

"Stop it..."

"Oh, Haze, don't cry, please don't cry, I didn't mean it..."

"Yes, we're only teasing, we're really sorry."

"Alright, I forgive you. But please stop making fun of Deryn."

"Course. Maybe she's just very shy or something."

"Shy? She's the least shy person I know. Remember that time she climbed on top of that wall and just balanced there, like it was nothing?"

"Yeah, she's a very brave girl. Oh, and her plait is so pretty, I don't know why she complains about it..."

After school that day, Haze; noticed Deryn smiling to herself. Perhaps their whispered gossip was louder than they thought it was.