Twisted Worlds

Chapter 8 - New Student *edited*

I woke up with a heavy feeling of impending doom... I had to go to school.

Even thinking about it made my head feel funny, not that it mattered, I had no choice but to get up or grandma would teleport me there herself, in my pijamas. So nearly an hour after stirring I finally gained the courage to head to the shower, well that's what grandma calls it. After a thorough wash in the indoor rain I flung open my wardrobe doors to find a collection of tight bottoms and baggy tops, "Do people here wear nothing else?"  My brain wanted so badly to head back to bed, but instead I put on the nicest thing I could find: charcoal coloured 'jeans' and a floaty purple shirt.

Before dragging myself downstairs I saw a small bag sitting in the bottom of the wardrobe and emptied out its contents on my bed, makeup, "grandma really did think of everything."  As I looked more closely at the bags contents, it looked nothing like the makeup from back home, no pots of tanglehurst blood or fairy dust eye powders, these instead were made of chemicals but as I looked at my face in the  mirror I realized I needed all the help I could get. My black eyes drew all the attention away from everything else, so five minutes of fiddling later and I had gotten my lips the perfect shade of pink to distract people, another touch up and I heading downstairs.

Before I reached the bottom step the world began to spin and I was surrounded in gold and silver swirls and once I realised that it was magic; everything stopped and went eerily silent and then I was dumped out of the sky right outside a large old building along side several hundred other teenagers. "Thank you grandma" I said exasperated before heading through the gates and up the beige stones steps for the door. 

The school was huge, an old ancient building that looked like a manor house back home, with large open gardens at the front and familiar thick oak doors at the entrance. But as I stepped in I was greeted by a small, brisk looking lady who took great pleasure at dragging me at a ridiculous speed down the corridor and into an office.

I couldn't take in my surroundings before I was pushed forward by the small lady and the door closed behind me. "Ah good, your here" a warm ladies voice called from a seat at the far end of the overly large room. "come come, we need to talk" as she beckoned wildly at me to move.

I sat down in an uncomfortable padded chair in front of the large lady behind her desk. Her brown hair pulled into a 1950's hairstyle that perfectly matched her rather plump face and figure.
"Ella Baxter how lovely to meet you" she put a hand out in front of her and I tentatively shook it before dropping  my own hand back in my lap and played nervously with my fingers. She looked at me then, really looked at me and she seemed bemused about what to say, my eyes had a tendency to do that to people, but after a moment of awkward silence she dragged her eyes away from mine and continued on.
"Well Ella I am so glad you chose to come to Tylside High school you are one of two new students starting today and here..." she handed me a crisp white sheet of paper across the desk, "....is your timetable, rooms and times are on there as well. We hope you enjoy your time here Ella" and then without another word I was whisked away to class by the short, quick lady.

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I was shoved through the door of a large room and every eye was turned on me. I was standing in front of around thirty other teenagers and there was a single lone desk free. The teacher had not yet arrived so I dragged myself in between closely packed tables and into my seat a few rows back. In moments a grey haired middle aged man, with a wispy handlebar mustache jogged into the room, his tartan suit being left ruffled by his late arrival.

"sorry students, sorry students" he said breathlessly, he had obviously had a bit of  run before class. "Ahhhh, our new student" he stretched out an arm towards me and everyone turned to look at me. I managed to hide my eyes as much as possible but soon people would see them, and I was not looking forward to that.

"Ella, come up here for me please" He continued to become me forwards so I stood up, rocking my table forwards and almost knocking the contents off onto the floor. I stumbled forwards and seriously regretted not staying in Syltyn long enough to learn public speaking. Reaching the front I kept my head down for as long as possible before looking out at the wide eyed class. "Please introduce yourself" And then the teacher sat down at his desk and left me standing there looking like a Howler Owl at a Pely Ferret convention.

I looked up, making myself stand tall, but in only seconds people were pointing and whispering, "He-Hello, My name is Arra- Ella Baxter" 

Seeing my discomfort the teacher took to his feet and beckoned me back to my desk. By the time I reached my desk by heart was beating far too fast and I felt a little faint; the lesson began and I soon calmed down. 

**************

The day went slowly, no one spoke to me, in the corridors they steered around  me, avoiding my gaze; so I took to walking quickly and keeping my eyes on the cracked ceramic tiled floor. When four p.m arrived I could not wait to go home. I fitted in to the crowd of students filing out of the old building, the world moving in a blur but suddenly when I hit the blinding sunlight of a hot afternoon everything stopped; teenagers walking in slow motion around me, I found myself standing still just watching a boy. Tall and strong, his brown hair falling over his eyes as he walked across the flow of people. His tanned skin making him almost glow in his tight brown v-eck, his loose khaki trousers which making him fade into the background, and suddenly when he hit the shadows of the trees he vanished. And the world sped up again. I physically shook myself, making the world come back into focus; I continued to walk onwards but I was constantly checking the shadows for any sign of the boy, but I found nothing. Then It dawned on me, the boy he looked just like.......KAILEN!

I hurried out of the tall iron gates and rounded the corner, diving into the dark shadows of a weeping willow, Its branches shielding me from view from the school and its pupils. I found the chain of my pendant and unlooped it from my neck, Holding it in my hands the sea green droplet began to glow and with a whisper of the magical words "Transportantes me deinceps" and the blinding sea green light filled the shadows of the willow and in a "pop" I was gone, through my own portal and back to home........