Redwood Academy - The Start

1 - Starting

1 ------ Starting

"Irene! Are you sure you've got everything?"

Irene rushed down the stairs, almost tripping as she seemed to fly over them.

"Sorry Mum, I was just reading over my timetable," she said, panting.

Her mother turned around and smiled at her. Irene was being sent to a school nearby called Redwood Academy, after being recommended by a friend. Apparently, it would make the most unbearable kids into little angels!

Although her mother had been worried Irene wouldn't take the news of moving schools well, it seemed as though she couldn't wait to get away from her family!

As they drove to the school, her mother glanced at Irene, who was still looking at her timetable.

"Really, with the way you're acting, I don't think I need to worry about you! Will you even remember to say goodbye?" Her mum said, jokingly.

"Sorry Mum, I just can't stop thinking about how it's going to be like." Her eyes shone as she looked up. "I wonder if it's like all the stories I've read?"

"Well, you're going to find out very soon, seeing as it's right around the corner."

Irene gasped and looked at her new school. It was almost like a castle! It had a grand entrance surrounded by grass and her favourite flowers: daffodils. She watched nervously as the girls hurried up the stairs and into the building. Seriously, it was so big she was worried how she would find her way around!

Irene walked through the gate, admiring the school. On her right, she could see 3 basketball courts placed right next to each other, (she was speechless, to say the least!) a large field of grass that she assumed was for soccer, and a cafeteria. There were also different buildings labelled by letters, and she saw they were for different subjects. It was certainly different to her primary school, which was half the size of this school and only needed one classroom for each grade!

On her left, she saw a huge oak tree with a square bench around it. Next to the benches were people sitting on the concrete, writing things in their diaries and chatting to each other. So far, she had seen no one in the same uniform as her. All new students were to have a specific uniform, so she hurried to find them.

As she was walking around, she saw a rather scary looking teacher with a sign that said "All New Students to the Hall!" She had a cold look in her eyes and thin lips which made her quite intimidating.

"Hello, I'm Irene," she bowed. "I'm in Year 7. May I please know the way to the hall?"

"Welcome to Redwood Academy, Irene! I'm Ms Zelda, your principal. I hope you have a lovely time at this school," she added, smiling at Irene. "The hall is right down there! I can come with you if you like."

As Irene entered the hall, she was surprised to see everyone her age talking to each other and laughing. She had expected everyone to be nervous, but it seemed they had known each other forever!

Seeing the look on her face, Ms Zelda smiled and said "These girls have known each other for quite a while. There's a primary school connected to our school, and they all went here after graduating. Don't worry, you won't have any trouble fitting in. I'll see you sometime soon, I hope!"

Irene walked over to a chair, and sat down. She observed the room. There were comfortable chairs and wooden chairs everywhere, but most of the girls sat by the fireplace to talk. There were pairs singing and dancing with each other, and so far, Irene was the only one alone.

As she began to open her diary, she felt a tap on her shoulder. One of the girls by the fireplace had come up to her!

"Hey, what's your name? You look so lost sitting there. Why don't you join us? I'm Yeri, and these are my friends," she grinned, motioning towards the group. "Of course, I'm friendly with everyone. I just talk to them the most. Come, I'll introduce you to everyone!"

"I'm Katy," the girl said, pulling Irene's arm down. "I'm from America, but I moved here in Year 4, because I wanted to start somewhere new. I won't go into detail about why, though." Katy glanced at her. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not that weird, am I? Some people say I'm intimidating, but I'm one of the nicest people you'll ever meet! "

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the girl next to Katy replied with a mischievous look in her eyes. "I'm Isabel, and I'm from America too. I moved here because my parents found a job that paid them double the amount they used to earn! Honestly, Australia is nice, but I wish I could go back to America."

"That's enough about you," Yeri said, pushing Isabel playfully. "You're gonna scare the girl away! Like I said, I'm Yeri, and I was born here. I don't think I've ever been overseas before! My life is pretty boring, honestly. What's your name? Why are you here?"

"I'm Irene, and I moved here because my mother wanted me to. Thank you for being so friendly. I would've been lost without you!"

"Quite right!" Yeri agreed, giving her a warm smile. "Now, let's go to our first class! We can't keep Mrs Phoebe waiting. The other girls will introduce themselves sooner or later! Also, you're not the only new girl, I fear. There are two others - twins - and I must say, they look quite unpleasant!"

After their first class, Irene felt amazing. She had expected classes to be very different to her old school, but it was almost the same!

"There go the new girls," Yeri whispered, joining arms with Irene. "Don't they look unhappy to be here? I can't imagine why they would feel that way. This place feels like home - I thought it was going to take me ages to get used to it, but I feel like I've been here as long as the seniors!"

Irene silently agreed. Although she had only been at Redwood Academy for a few hours, it felt like she had been there forever! This place was already like her second home.

Irene checked her timetable. They had 15 minutes until break ended, so Yeri thought it would be a good idea to introduce her to everyone else.

"New girl? Well, she looks better than the other ones. So rude I almost smacked them!"

"Of course you almost did, Malory," Yeri laughed. "Mind introducing yourself to Irene?"

"Irene! What a nice name. I'm Malory, as you know, and I suggest you don't do anything nasty if you don't want to get on my bad side! You seem alright, though," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Hey, Mal! I've been looking for you everywhere! Hi Yeri! Who's this?"

Irene spun around and saw a girl, a head taller than her, staring at her.

"Well, she certainly looks better than that odd pair over there! I'm Catherine, and you are?"

"I'm Irene," she replied, immediately liking her. She couldn't help feeling grateful for how many friends she had made!

After being introduced to almost everyone and an exhausting tour around the school, Irene flung herself onto a bench nearby. Everyone stared at her, but she didn't care.

"All this talking is making me tired," she sighed. "The day's almost over, and isn't it funny how we can't find those two new girls? Not that it matters. From what we've heard, I don't think I want to meet them!" She frowned.

Yeri sat down next to her and sighed too.

"The first day is always much more chaotic than the rest, so they're probably lost looking around. Apart from them, I don't think anything exciting is going to happen. Looks like it's going to be a peaceful year after all!"