Run For Your Life

two.

First days. We've all had them. First day of preschool, elementary, middle and high school. Our first day is always one of scariest, hardest and exciting parts of our life. It's the fear and excitement of the unknown that gets us out of the bed and frozen at the door.

That was me today.

I lay staring at my ceiling praying that my duvet would come to life and pin me to my bed and not let me leave. But I knew the moment that my mother ripped the pink fabric off me that it wouldn't be happening any time soon. "Come on Maggie it will be fine, they principal was an old friend of your father and he said he'd look out for you" my mother assured me and I narrowed my eyes at her. The last thing I wanted was these people thinking I was someone's pet.

I wasn't.

"Come on kiddo" mum pulled me up by my arms and pushed me towards the bathroom saying something about how I shouldn't go on my first day looking like I was demonic. As my mother closed the door to the bathroom I looked in the mirror. I looked like a phantom. The girl looking back me didn't look the same a year ago, other than the fact that I had lost weight from grief so that the black shirt I slept hung too long and loose. My once healthy chestnut brown hair now looked sad but nothing a quick shower couldn't fix.

It took me exactly four minutes in the shower.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the maroon towel around me tighter as I blow dried my hair slightly so at least I could fix it. I sighed and lent myself against the counter and looked in the mirror again, my light green eyes were exact replicas of my fathers and I had to see him in me every time I looked in a reflective surface.

I willed myself not to cry and walked back out of the bathroom and over to the wardrobe and pulled on the red sweatshirt and blue jeans I lay out the night before. I fixed my hair into a bun securing it with a million bobby pins and pulled out two pairs of shoes, boots one with a heel and one without. I shoved the ones with heels in my bag and pulled the other ones on.

I picked up my bag and keys and walked towards the garage. Mum had probably left by now and that left me alone with my pride and joy: Donatello that was the name of my motor bike. Well technically it was my fathers but had taught me to ride it and I currently held a license for both a car and this bike. Before he died it was his gift to me since he hadn't ridden it in years and since I had spent so many hours helping him with it when I was a kid and up until his death it became mine.

I touched it gingerly and sighed. It reminded me so much of him but everything did and would for a while. I grabbed the helmet from the shelf and put it on, I opened the garage with my keys as I sat on the bike and started the engine.

I knew where I was going thank god and I also knew that I didn't want to draw attention so I parked my bike a street away and locked the helmet to the bike with its lock and sitting down on the pavement I changed my shoes (my dirty boots probably weren't the greatest first impression) and changed into the ones with the heels.

Zipping them up I made the five minute walk towards Thomas College. When I arrived it was nothing what I expected it to be. I would have assumed a fancy college like this would have a uniform but it didn't. I think it was called an exclusive public school or something. The building was a dove grey and it was surrounded by intimidating looking gates.

Where the hell was I?

Taking in a deep breath I made me way into the building and I could feel the eyes on me and this time it was not teenage paranoia. I finally saw the sign for the headmasters office (I felt like I was way out of my league) sucking in a deep breath I pushed open then door and the secretary or whoever she was, was sitting at a desk typing at her computer.

"Excuse me, I'm supposed to see headmaster Wellington?" I stepped towards her and she looked me up and down. "And you are?"
"Maggie Griffin" I watched her type of few things and then she looked me again. "I have a Magnolia Griffin here but no Maggie" I refrained from rolling my eyes. "Yes that's me" the woman sighed and gestured for me to go in.

Pushing open the door a was greeted by a man in a navy suit and stern expression which seemed to soften as he saw me. "You are the splitting image of Jacob" he said suddenly and I couldn't help but duck my head, he's already noticed. "I'm sorry but it's uncanny. I went to school with your father and he was always a good man and I'm so sorry for your loss" I nodded as I sat down on the leather chair. I spied the plague that had headmaster Terence Wellington engraved and I did remember dad mentioning something about him.

"Alright Magnolia-"
"Please I prefer Maggie, I only get Magnolia when I'm in trouble" he raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Well I can see here you wrote it as your preferred name so I guess I will then, any who here's your timetable and your locker combination. You've been excused from first period so you acquaint yourself with the college" I nodded understanding and began to rise from my seat, I made to the door before he spoke again.

"Maggie...I've read your file and your teachers did note a certain incident at the beginning of the year. I won't have to tell you that if this gets out it may ruin the schools reputation and I won't tolerate a relapse understood?"

"Yes"

"Yes sir"

walking out of the room I was afraid, excited and nervous all at the same time. But I could promise my headmaster something: my secret would never get out.

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Oooooh what could it be? ;) and did you all think her name was Margaret? Nope it's Magnolia.

L xx