12

Part title

The name's February Genton. Like the month. I guess I shouldn't bother telling you too much, But I'll have to. Not for my sake, But for yours.
Pay attention.

"Don't you think it's wrong to judge someone Feb?" The younger girl walked closer to the door. She wore a thick light green jumper, woolly legging's and black pumps. Curly white hair dangled over her eyes. Alice picked up her bag and turned back to face me at the kitchen table. I looked down at my little sister and smiled.

"It's wrong to judge people Ali, You're right. But that doesn't stop everyone from doing it. We don't mean to, it just happens."

"Oh."
Alice looked down at her feet and sighed. "Catch ya' later Feb."

She span back to the door, turned the handle and stepped outside. Her excitement was plain to see, It was that time of year again. The type of weather where the little one's pretend to be dragons and breathe into the sky.

"It'll be alright, nothing to worry about. Love you!"

I waved goodbye as she closed the door. The little girl I loved ever so incredibly started walking down the pathway. Leaves scattered as she hopped along. The road empty, the neighbourhood quiet.

She walked into lesson and took a seat that was in the exact middle of the classroom, the last space. Mr.Clark was not in the room, instead, there sat a supply teacher, Mrs. Davis. She asked for Alice's name and "an overview of herself. No slang, please, speak properly!" This was a top school in England and there was certainly no messing around.
"I'm Alice Genton, here from America. My birthday is the 6th March, 2000. I'm 12. I have a big sister called February, like the month. She's 15. Mum went missing 11 years ago in a terrorist attack, something to do with two aeroplanes at work? I don't remember her. We live up the road with our dad and my favourite colour is pale green."
Ali sat back down as the room of children stared in silence and the teacher struggled to find words to comment. A simple applaud would have to do. Alice was rather good at public speaking for a 12 year old.

It was her first day of  high school and the beginning of a new life. It was exciting.

Alice's class introduction would have taken exactly two minutes. But, it didn't happen. Alice never went to school on that day. Or any other day.

It would have taken her two minutes to tell the class about herself. It also took exactly two minutes for her sister to run through the kitchen, open the door and sprint through the leaves to the girl lying in the road. It had come out of no where, Alice wasn't looking. No one was.

THREE WEEKS LATER

I dragged myself up the stairs and into my Literature class. I was a late bloomer, apparently. With such good grades in America, "it was a shame that my sister's death had stunted my intellectual performance." But I was thankfully back on track. I don't give a shit about school anymore.

As I walked into the classroom, I was greeted by Mr.Woodstock droning on about how Shakespeare used unfortunate circumstances to teach the audience life lessons.

"What are your words of wisdom then, people?"

The enthusiasm hurt my head.

I sat down and replied; "Look before you go."