I’ve never been good at maths, and I had a huge dislike for it, so when I realised that it was the last lesson of the day I felt slightly miserable. I wished I it was English or Music. Kaitee walked me to the door and said goodbye.

Inside the classroom, there were only about nine people. Well, eleven including me and the teacher. The other class probably had around the same. Of course, this was normal in the countryside because there weren’t as many students.

It’s just that I didn't use to it but I already knew I would like it better. I sat down at the back in a seat next to the window so that I was out of the way of everyone. Hardly anyone ever sat at the back of the room. Well, that was the case at my old school.

I looked out at the car park and saw a man walking around outside.

Who was he? I wondered.

Was he a parent?

A visitor?

When I turned my head away from him, I caught a glimpse of a little bird, hopping about gleefully. It made me smile to see such a little creature filled with happiness and a sense of freedom. It also helped to lift my bad mood.

"You’re in my seat," a voice said making me jump. I looked around and saw Nick.

"I’m sorry. I will move," I said starting to pick up my bag.

"It’s fine you don’t need to move. I’ll just sit here," he said sitting in the seat next to me. "Sorry that I scared you."

"You didn’t, I wasn’t paying attention. I erm- got distracted," I lied, quickly because I didn’t want this cute lad I just meet to think I was a scaredy cat. I wasn’t, but I did generally jump at the sound of his voice because I wasn’t expecting it.

"How? There’s nothing really to see out there, just a car park."

"I was just wondering who that man is?" I asked pointing out the window in the direction of the man.

Nick moved to behind the chair I was sat in and looked out the window.

"He is the caretaker. He is always walking around doing nothing. I always wonder the same thing. Shouldn’t he be working?" He said and then walked back to the seat he was about to sit in and sat down.

"Anyway, you following me or something?"

"What? No of course not. Not many people live around here so this school is small so we were bound to have a lesson together at some point," I mumbled out.

"I know I was joking. Not a very funny joke right?" He said.

It wasn’t funny at all but I didn’t say so.

"Anyway, how have you enjoyed your first day, Vicky?" He asked me. He was the first person to call me Vicky, without me asking them to so naturally I was shocked.

"It’s been good and you called me Vicky."

"That’s your name isn’t or do you prefer to be called Vicktoria?"

"I prefer Vicky. It’s just that people normally call me Vicktoria the first time they meet me."

"Yeah, well I’m not very normal."

"Yeah, I’ve been told that. That’s why some people here don’t like you."

"Right," he agreed.

"I have also been told that you’re not very talkative. That you don’t really talk to anyone much but you’re talking to me. How come?" I asked but I wondered if it was for the same reason I was talking to him. Maybe, he wanted friends too.


"I don’t know."


"Everyone is quiet," the teacher said as he entered the room, and everyone looked to the front.

After the lesson had finished everyone was rushing out so I hung back. I didn’t want to get knocked over in the mayhem of the students squashed in the doorway. There weren’t many students but they were all pushing to get out at once.

"Are you catching the bus back to the village?" Nick asked me.

"No my mum’s picking me up."

"Okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then," he said and walked to the door. I was slightly glad that he couldn’t ask me any more questions but also slightly sad. He seemed like a really cool boy and I liked him. He’d make a great friend. That’s if I could make friends with him. Everyone had left now so I walked out too.

I had forgotten to pick up my blazer from the head teachers office because of the hectic day I had of not knowing where anything was, and trying not to embarrass myself. I’d have to get it on my way out after I went to the toilet.

***

I looked down to wash my hands in the sink, and when I looked up again I saw the reflection of a woman with hair the same shade hair as my own, but it was longer. It went all the way down her back. She was looking at me. Slowly, and in fear I turned around to face her.

"Vicky dear you must not go looking for the place in which one thinks they belong. It isn’t safe, it is very dangerous for you. And stay away from that boy, Nick Watson," she said before vanishing. I ran out frightened and my heart was beating faster than normal.

Was she a ghost? If so why was she telling me to stay away from Nick? How could being in a place where I belonged be dangerous? I was extremely confused and thought, no this just proved that you are going crazy, Vicky. I shook my head trying to shake off that thought because I wasn’t crazy. I was probably just tired. Yes, that must be it.

I reached the head teachers office and knocked on the door."Come in," I heard a woman say from inside so I opened the door and walked in. There sat a woman in her forties, behind an extremely tidy desk. Everything had its own place. She smiled at me when I entered.

"Hello, Vicktoria. I was wondering when I would be seeing you. I was beginning to think that you wouldn’t be picking up your blazer today."

"Well I’ve been busy, Miss," I said.

"It’s Mrs I thought you would be and I heard that you’ve started making friends with Kaitee Drake and Nick Watson, " she told me

"Sort of. They’ve been very nice and friendly towards me," I told her.

"Well, I can tell you that you’ve made some great friends," she said smiling.

"Some people don’t think so. I have heard that a lot of people don’t like Nick."

"They don’t know him that well, and I can never tell why they hate him he is a very polite lad. He is always offering to help me with jobs. Very reliable and helpful. He is very different from his sister. Not that she is horrible, she just misbehaves all the time and has quite a temper, " she explained.

If Nick was so nice why did the ghost woman tell me not to go near him? Was she just trying to scare me?

"Is he weird? Kaitee told me that’s why people didn’t like him because he is strange," I wondered.

"He can be a bit weird sometimes but I wouldn’t call him strange. I think that him being different is one of the reasons why they dislike him. But it’s okay being weird sometimes it means you’re very individual and unique."

"Yeah, I can defiantly tell that Nick is very unique, " I muttered very quietly to myself.

"Sorry, I must be keeping you from getting home. I’ll let you get off now," She said and then got a dark blue blazer out of the cupboard.

"Here you go, this should fit you perfectly." She handed me it. On the pocket, I noticed that there was the school logo. The logo was a gate with a symbol engraved onto it, near the top and underneath the gate, there were the initials G.W followed by the words High School.

"Thank-you," I said gratefully as I took it from her.

"See you tomorrow," she said and I set off to the car park.

I found my mum’s car and got in the front. "Sorry, I’m late. I was getting my blazer from the head teacher."

"It’s fine, honey." She turned on the engine and started to drive as soon as I shut the door and put on my seat belt. We left out of the gates.

What a great day it was. Even though it ended in some sort of ghostly warning, I was beginning to make friends.