Crow Forest

Chapter Six

The bell rang, making Parker jump at the sudden noise. Her grip on the pencil she was writing with tightened somewhat. When her brain finally processed the noise, she felt relief. She breathed a heavy sigh and let herself relax for a minute.

She watched the students around her scurrying around and stuffing their belongings into their bags. They were like mice scuttling around to find their exit. Time had been cruel today. It seemed like months had passed at the school in just one day. A minute flew by, and Parker decided it was time to assemble her belongings and place them back into her bag.

She wasn't in the most enormous hurry like her other classmates. She wasn't ready to go home just yet, and she felt slightly bad for giving her Aunt and Uncle a hard time with her sulky attitude. She stood up and walked over to the classroom door. Her eyes settled on the swarming hallway. It was like a beehive full to the brim or maybe a glass of juice overflowing onto the floor... this simile is losing any kind of significance to the story.

Parker darted between students, ducking and dodging arms and people stumbling backwards. Laughter, screams and conversations filled her ears. She couldn't help but turn her head slightly when she heard some interesting choice of words from a group of girls she was passing. She rolled her eyes slightly as she walked away. Some people really didn't have a care in the world.

She turned a corner and darted away from the crowd heading towards her locker, which she got during recess. She knelt on the floor and took the key out of her pocket. With a small click, the lock slipped off, and she opened the small metal door.

She had stuffed a bunch of papers that teachers from her other classes had handed her into the locker. She couldn't believe teachers at this school would personally hunt you down just to give you homework. She was sure they'd probably go on a full-on manhunt to ensure a student got work.

"I see someone is in a rush to get home", Matthew called as he headed down the hallway to her locker. Parker's ears perked up, and she turned her head with a smile. "Yeah, my Aunt is outside waiting for me in the car", Parker informed. "What? You mean we can't walk home together? Ah, what a shame." Matthew sighed. He still had a smile. He seemed to be very smiley.

Parker closed the locker door. It made a small metallic slam as it approached. "Shall we?" Matthew hummed as he extended his hand out to help Parker up. She grabbed his hand, and he quickly pulled her to her feet. "Who knows, maybe we could hang out tomorrow after school?" Parker suggested walking next to him down the hallway. "Yeah, I'd like that", Matthew hummed, placing his hands behind his back.

Beams of sunshine painted the walls, and shadows from the trees outside reflected a light green and danced lightly from the breeze. Parker's head turned slightly upwards at the bright light coming through the large arched windows. The warm glow from the sun was soft and comforting to Parker. Her eyes stung a little from how sunny the day was. She could see the fluffy white clouds slowly moving with the breeze. "It looks like a lovely afternoon" She breathed as they walked. Matthew turned his head to glance out the window to view what Parker could see. "It is", he agreed. "It's even more beautiful if you stand still and listen to all that is going on", Matthew added.

They reach the vast doors that lead outside the school. They stopped at the top of the school steps and looked over the sea of students waiting for parents or chatting with friends. Parker watched as the grass swayed slightly. She felt the cool breeze drift by. There was a loud screech like screaming coming from the forest making Parker and Matthew snap back.

"What was that?" she hesitated. "An animal, they do that all the time here. Trust me it's nothing to worry about" Matthew reassured. None of the other students had reacted, Parker gave a small nod then glanced back to the path ahead. Her eyes darted across the car park in search of her aunt. It wasn't too hard to spot the car. Her Aunt's car was probably the tallest in the car parking lot.

"Well... That's me," Parker stated, unsure if she had found the right words. "Well, I enjoyed seeing a new face and potentially making a new friend", Matthew smiled, putting a hand out to shake Parker's writing. Parker took his hand with a smirk and shook it. "I'll see you around", Parker hummed, walking away. "HEY!" Matthew called. Parker turned her head to see him waving very aggressively. "You have a fantastic evening!" he grinned, still continuing to wave. Parker shook her head, a smile creasing as she raced to the car.

Parker slipped her backpack onto the car floor and pulled herself in. Aunt Linda waited patiently for her to buckle her seat belt. As Parker did, she caught her aunt smiling at her. "What?" Parker inquired cocking her head to the side with a slightly confused look. "I see you made a new friend", Aunt Linda stated, gesturing towards the boy on the steps still waving. "Yeah... I guess I did," Parker responded, falling back into the cushioned seat. Aunt Linda then started the car up and began to back out of the car park. Again, Parker waved at Matthew as the school disappeared from view.

"How was your day?" Aunt Linda inquired, "It was alright", Parker responded with a slight sigh. "I'm guessing you have quite a bit of homework to catch up on", Aunt Linda guessed, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah... Teachers really hunt you down at that school" Parker admitted sheepishly. "Don't worry, Parker, things will get better", her aunt reassured. "I hope so", Parker breathed, then turned her attention to outside the window.

She watched as people enjoyed the beautiful afternoon, their gardens in full bloom, freshly mowed grass, and the purest green you'd ever see. She managed a lady hanging up her washing on a hill hoist clothesline. Tea towels flapped slightly in the breeze. Parker could see neighbours talking over the fence to one another. She could hear laughter from kids as they played in their front yards. She watched as the birds flew by onwards to an unknown destination.

Parker rolled down the window letting the breeze sail inwards. She felt the cold air pressing against her face. Yet, it was fresh, crisp and clean. She has been whisked away from the entire world she knew and loved. She felt lighter, more accessible, as if she were flying out from her troubles. "Uh, hey... do you think I could walk to school and back tomorrow?" Parker asked quietly, unsure of how her Aunt would respond. "Of course, I don't mind. As long as you promise not to get lost," Aunt Linda chuckled. Parker nodded and then retreated to gazing outside the open window.

"Any plans this afternoon?" Her Aunt inquired as she stopped at an intersection. "Not really. Just maybe tackling this pile of homework" Parker responded. "Would you like any help with it?" Aunt Linda offered. The car started to move again down the road. "No, no... I should be alright" Parker denied shaking her head. "Alright, well don't burn yourself out. Pace yourself with it..." Aunt Linda advised. "Yeah... will do", Parker breathed.

Parker didn't want to speak anymore. She tried to sit in silence and just let her mind wander. She wasn't used to having many conversations in cars. She preferred to let her mind drift off to an imaginary world and relax a little. Unfortunately, she felt she wasn't going to have much time in the future to relax. Especially if the homework kept piling up. She thought the teachers would keep handing out work like there was no tomorrow.

The car finally pulled into the driveway. Both Parker and her Aunt began to exit the vehicle. Parker threw her backpack onto her shoulder and started to head towards the house door. She waited for her Aunt, who was locking up the car. A few minutes passed before her Aunt headed over to the door. "Why didn't you knock?" her Aunt inquired. "Was I supposed to?" Parker responded, raising an eyebrow. "Mark's home. He could have opened the door," Aunt Linda stated, staring blankly at Parker. "Oh..." Parker hesitated in response.

Aunt Linda sighed and pulled the house keys out of her pocket. She then opened the door with a click. Parker walked into the small hallway and began to head towards the stairs to get to her room. Uncle Mark was sitting in the lounge room in his usual cushioned chair. "Mark! Didn't you see us in the driveway?" Aunt Linda snapped slightly, making Parker freeze. "Yes, I did, " he responded, flicking to the next page of his newspaper. "Then why didn't you open the door for us?" Aunt Linda shot, placing her hands on her hips with a stern look crossing her face. "Well, you have the keys, dearest. It doesn't take two minutes to open a door," Uncle Mark responded.