Cara and Laney (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1: Cara

"Father! Could you please drive me to girl's club?" I cried from upstairs.

I had just gotten up, from the sound of the alarm clock. I had already gotten out of the shower and started to get ready. I put on the apropriate clothing for girl's club: a knee length skirt and a blouse. I quickly made sure I was wearing stockings and that I didn't have any buttons on my blouse undone or Mrs. Prendergast and Ms. Stewart would have my head! 

My strawberry blond hair was dry, and I gathered it into a nice and sleek ponytail. Once I looked apropriate to the Almsmire expectations, I walked out of my bedroom with my brown leather satchel. 

"Good after noon darling! Of course I'll drive you to girl's club." father said smiling. He just came out of his bedroom doorway, dressed in pants, a shirt, and suspenders. "Let's eat brunch first, your mother is waiting."

We walked downstairs to the dining room, where mother was sitting with all of our food layed out. She had made eggs, bacon, and had layed out a jug of orange juice, and a jug of coffee. "Good afternoon mother, thank you for the brunch by the way." I said cheerfully taking a seat.

"Good afternoon to you too dear. I see your manners have improved Cara!" mother said proudly.

"Oh, I just can't wait until I get to girl's club! Today, is first day so of course I have to look my absolute best, and be my best." I said excitedly.

I love going to Almsmire Institution for Girls, it is where all the girls over 12-18 years of age in the town of Almsmire must go to learn how to be lady-like. It is very important to be lady-like because it is the way a lady must act: polite, elegant, cultured and modest. It is especially important to teach girls those traits at a young age so they grow up with those traits and they're easier to handle. When older girls are brought to the girl's club, they are harder to handle because they are more accustomed to their old practices of an uncultured and un-lady-like life. Teachers like Mrs. Prendergast and Ms. Stewart help make all of the girls lady-like, and make them educated on what their place is as women.

I dream of teaching other girls at Almsmire, and I really enjoy my time learning here also. Oh, how excited I am for girl's club! I will see Penny Brooks and Juniper Wilkins; we are the best of friends. I am probably the most serious abot girl's club out of the three, but all of us enjoy girl's club.

Once me and father finished our bruch with mother, father kissed her goodbye and grabbed his coat and briefcase and headed out the door. I followed him out and we settled into his 1956 black Cadillac.

He drove us through the beautiful town of Almsmire, in the country and all you could see for miles was green. Fences lined the houses on the street and most houses had broad oaks or weeping willows in their yards. Flowers bloomed and the summer sun felt amazing on my fair and freckled skin.

When we reached the girl's club, I said goodbye to father and stepped out of the car. I looked at the grand house as we liked to call it. It was originally meant for a retirement home, but the elderly decided they liked their own homes, because honestly, Almsmire looked like heaven to me. So, Mrs. Prendergast fought against many other buisnessmen and bought the grand house to make the Almsmire Institution for Girls. She did some more renovations to make the place more suitable and more feminine for the girls that would go there. Mrs. Prendergast is a very rich woman in our town by the way, so basically she founded this girl's club when I was 11; 4 years ago to be exact.

The grand house was white stoned and almost looked like a mansion. Lots of young girls were entering through the main door and into the girl's club.

"Cara!" a high-pitched voice squealed. I looked over to see Penny Brooks fast-walking towards me, since running was unacceptable. She was clutching her burgundy suede satchel and was wearing a white blouse and a red knee-length skirt; Penny always looked amazing.

"Penny darling, you look gorgeous, as usual!" I replied pulling her into a tight hug. Her auburn hair was curled and smelt of roses.

"Oh thank you! You look amazing as well!" she chirped.

"Penny please, I was in a hurry today, I can't possibly look right in the head!"

"Stop being so modest! Your pastel pink and white get-up makes your green eyes pop!"

"Oh, stop it! Where's Juniper? She shan't be late on the first day?" 

"There she is!" cried Penny pointing to a brown-haired girl walking towards us. "Juniper, darling!"

Juniper smiled and waved. She was wearing a very sweet pastel yellow knee-length dress, and had her hair in a bun. "Hello! Oh dear, am I late?" she cried coming to a stop in front us. No one was outside, in front of the building. Shoot, maybe we were late.

"Well let's go in! We can't possibly miss the afternoon tea, can we?" I said grinning. We walked into the building and I sighed. It felt good to finally be back in this building after months of school. Seeing the dainty drapery, white walls, and the bright sun shining through the windows, I quickened my pace. I wanted to get this summer started as soon as possible.

We walked into the vast locker room, and I started towards the locker I have had since I was 12: locker #0049. I opened it, and I savoured the slightly squeaky sound of the hinges. It took me back to some memories from when I was younger.

I immediately took out some photos from my satchel, I carefully placed them on my locker door with tape. These were pictures I took myself; photography is my a favourite hobby of mine. These were pictures of me, my friends, my favourite places I've been to, nature, my favourite foods, and my cat Snickers.

I added a few doodles I had cut out from my sketchbook, and pasted those on my locker too. I stuffed my Ilford Advocate Camera, my prized posession into my locker along with my crochet kit, some books, and a few necessities. I took out a small clutch, so that I would be prepared, and look great too for the afternoon tea.

Juniper's and Penny's lockers were quite far away from mine, so we met at the washroom door. We didn't dare go in, because it would be bustling with girls, trying to look their best and gossiping. When we re-grouped, I saw Juniper and Penny had their own clutches with themselves, just like me.

"I wonder how Mrs. Prendergast is doing." I told my friends as we walked towards the 'tea room'.

"Well, I've heard that she's having a hard time finding a girl for her grandson Michael!" Penny whispered.

"Ugh, of course! That fat oaf must be a nightmare to find a woman for. I heard he started spending all his nights drinking at The Den!" I whispered back.

Penny stared at me with wide eyes. "That explains the 'no girlfriend' part."

Juniper snorted. "Any descenant of the Prendergasts is a lost cause."

"Shh! She's coming our way!" I hushed through a clenched smile. Mrs. Prendergast gave me a smile. She was standing at the tea room entrance.

"Oh good afternoon darlings!" she cried in a raspy voice.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Prendergast." I greeted. We quickly walked into the tea room and took a seat at table 3 at the front. This was the same seat we've had for 4 years! More students started piling in, and suddenly I saw a crowd of young girls; maybe 12 years old!

"Eeek! Are those the little 12 year olds? Oh, such young girls learning to be like ladies, it takes me back!" I whisper dreamily. 

Juniper rolls her eyes at me. "Oh, Cara."

I give her a dirty look. Some of us weren't as serious about this girl's club like I was.