I spot the girl ahead of me mere seconds after following her. She turns back, as if to say 'you coming or what?'. So I trot on after her, my heels catching in the rough ground. The girl stays quiet as we walk side by side. The woods is beautiful, if a little creepy. Everywhere you turn there is a twisting tree, branches sprawling across the sky like a vine searching for the sun. There's the sound of a small brook bubbling that never seems to fade and the autumnal feel of the space makes me feel calm and safe. Eventually the girl stops walking and sits at the base of a grand oak tree, her tiny body nestling in amongst the warped roots that entwine the ground around the tree. I sit next to her, wondering why she seems so oddly familiar to me, but yet, so new at the same time. I flinch when the girl leans against me and she notices, sitting up again and staring at me, her big blue eyes burning a hole into my soul. "It's ok, he won't hurt you" she whispers before leaning back against me. I frown, a little weirded out by her comment but I let it slide. "Why am I here?" I ask her and she shrugs "I don't know". We lapse into silence again. I pick at the bark of the tree behind us and the little girl gently pulls my hands away "Don't, you'll hurt it" she states and I shake my head "You know for a child you seem to know an awful lot" I mutter and she giggles, "They say that too". I resist the urge to roll my eyes "Who?" I ask but she doesn't respond. She abruptly stands up "come" she states, yanking my hand softly and I once again follow her deeper into the woods.
Eventually the woods fades out, replaced by a garden with a small cottage. The girl leads me inside and into a kitchen with four people standing around a kettle arguing softly with each other. The girl clears her throat and they turn to face her and stare at me "Another one?" A tall lanky black haired girl scoffs. I scan her, sneering at her supposed outfit. It's a scruffy elongated dress of some kind that reaches just below her knees. It's a dark purple by the looks of it but faded from one too many washes and covered in patches, as if someone has tried to stop it from falling apart. She's wearing knee high black Doc Martins, laced with rainbow laces and her wrists are wrapped up in an assortment of bracelets, mostly black laces but some have pops of colour. Her dark brown eyes meet mine and I'm not surprised to see dulled down anger hidden behind them. Her makeup looks familiar but I can't place where I have seen it before. It's dark and thick and black but beautifully graceful at the same time. The man standing next to her swats her arm "Ashley be nice! she can't help it" he states, before heading over to me. "Hi, I'm Lucas" he states, extending a hand towards me. I take it, marvelling at his pure white skin. I take him in as he stares back at me. He's literally colourless, white and black and nothing in between. He's got pure white skin, jet black hair and eyes and is wearing a perfectly fitting black suit. He smiles at me and I hesitantly smile back "Hi, I'm Sharpay" I state, shaking his hand gently before pulling away. "Welcome" Lucas states "Don't mind Ashley, she's always a little snappy with new people" he murmurs before stepping back. I finally get a look at the two other people. One's a short teenager and the other is an older woman. The teenager steps forward "Nionaella but they call me Ni" she states, brushing her auburn fringe from her face. She's scantily clad in a sleeveless crop top and tiny pair of shorts and cowboy boots. Finally the older woman, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cream jumper steps forward, clasping her hands with mine "Jasper" she grins and I can't help but smile back at her. "And Juniper is currently out the front" I hear Lucas state. I turn to him "Out front? There was nobody out there when..." I stop realising I don't know the girls name. "Vanessa?" Lucas asks, noticing who my eyes have landed on and I flash him a smile "Yeah, when Vanessa and I came in, it was just us two, there's nobody else outside" I shrug and Lucas does as well "Jasper'll come back when he's ready" and for some reason I believe him.
The kitchen fills with the rumble of conversation again and I stare at the crisp terracotta tiled floor trying to work out where I am and how to get home. I wander away from the group, exploring the house. Most of the rooms are empty, barren of life, lacking furniture and colour. One door won't open. I finally find a room that looks lived in, it's small and cosy and filled with books, crafts and a sofa that is the perfect size for me to sit in and curl up with a book. So I do. The space feels familiar, like I had been here before.
...
"Sharpay!" I hear Ryan snap as my eyes open. I blearily look around, feeling incredibly disoriented. One moment I had been reading a book, curled up in a safe, warm armchair, the next, I'm standing in front of my twin in the middle of a school hallway. "Huh? Sorry?" I stumble over my words, wincing at how... well how spaced out my voice sounds. Ryan sighs "Did you hear a word of what I just said?" he snaps and I flinch, unknown words and a face flit before my eyes before they vanish, seemingly swept away by my thoughts. I suddenly feel a sense of calm wash over me, like someone entered my body and filled it with a warm hug. "Sorry Ry, was busy thinking about the next winter show and our auditions for it" I state confidently, somehow knowing that's what he was on about. He rolls his eyes and nudges me "Well duh, they're next week. Have you decided what to do about... well, the whole Bolton situ yet?". "Uhhhh, no" I panic and he notices "it'll be ok, he's not serious. He can't be" and despite the fact I have no idea what the fuck Ryan is on about, I nod along. The bell rings and I strut towards class, casually flinging my jacket... wait? Since when was I wearing a JACKET? How much time was I in that reading room? Miss Darbus enters the room and I hastily sit on a seat, flashing Troy a sly grin before eyeing the new student I noticed loitering behind Darbus. "Settle down, settle down" Darbus claps her hands and the room falls into silence. The teacher gestures to this new kid and she plonks at a desk at the back of class. "As some of you may have noticed, we have a new student joining us today. Gabriella Montez has transferred here from New York. Miss Evans will be your guide for the remainder of the week, won't you?" the drama tutor inquires looking at me. I smile "of course. Happy to help". "Thank you Miss Evans. Now class turn to page 40 and let us continue with our learning"