The Unknown Road

Prologue - Matt

Age 7

CLASS IS BUSY TODAY.

It's always busy, but this is a different kind of busy. The teachers are frantically discussing something in the corner whilst letting us kids run wild, but this is what I like about school so far.

Tessa, my twin sister, and I joined here last year, around this time, and class has only got more fun as the year went on. I had a few friends in class, and so did Tessa, and we liked it. We were here until the end of this year, when we move up to big school, and despite not really knowing what that means, I didn't want things to change.

We turned seven just before Christmas, and our parents had hinted that big school would be totally different. But I always knew I had Tessa. No matter what happened, whenever I felt scared, I held onto Tessa's hand and all was well with the world.

This new kind of busy was exciting. We'd worked out pretty quickly that the teachers only talked like this when we had new children starting, and sure enough, two minutes later four children are filed in, followed by their parents, and they stand at the front of class.

Three girls and one boy, and as I looked at them all, and the boy's eyes locked on mine, I realised I'd seen him earlier.

The sandy-haired boy had been sat with the woman standing behind him, his mum, and she'd had her arms around him as he watched the children in the playground. I could see he'd looked intrigued but he was no doubt too scared to ask to join, even though I would have let him.

He's relatively small compared to the other boys, and he stands smallest out of the four children at the front, which doesn't help the terror on his face. He wears a wary expression as he looks around the class, looking at every single person who is staring right back at him.

I wanted to go up to him earlier, but by the time I'd worked up the courage, the bell was rung for us to come back inside. He looked incredibly shy, but he was clearly curious because I could see his eyes moving all across the room, to the art boards in the corner, to the alphabet caterpillar on the back wall. He looked nice enough though, and the fact he'd been watching our football game earlier meant I liked him immediately. Anyone who liked football is okay in my eyes.

After a couple more minutes of loud chattering, Mrs Tracey begins trying to get our attention. She stands at the front of class and holds her finger to her mouth patiently, waiting for us to follow suit. Tessa and I put our fingers to our lips quickly, and the rest of our table and the room follows soon after, making Mrs Tracey smile.

I could see the boy was turning around to look at his mum. She was giving him encouraging looks in return but she looks nervously at Miss Dimmock and Miss Moore as they started to gesture out the other parents. She waits behind him though, and I can see her eyes darting about the room too, looking for a child who would be nice enough to make her son feel comfortable. I find myself hoping I can be that friend for him, and when she catches my eye I try to smile.

I nudge Tessa's arm, pointing at him at the front, and I see her grin toothlessly at me. She nods and I know she's listening as intently as me for their names to be read out.

As the final tables become silent, I can see he's close to tears. He keeps sniffing and he wipes his nose unattractively with his hand. I can see his bottom lip quivering, and to be honest I can understand why he feels uncomfortable. I certainly wouldn't want to be standing at the front of class. I felt for him, given we'd had to do it a year ago, and I wanted to tell him everything would be okay.

His eyes continue to dart around the room as the class becomes silent but he doesn't try to stop his mum as she steps from behind him. He swallows and looks from side to side, looking at the girls standing at the front with him.