Daughter of Torchwood

The Slitheen

It wasn't until the next day that the Torchwood team were back in the meeting room to hear about Starla's Monday at school.

Once again Tosh sets up the recorder and Starla just talks as she did yesterday.

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The first day back at school after the summer holidays is always the worst but she is a bit less down about the idea knowing she will have Maria and Luke joining her.

She walks with Maria to school but they meet Luke at school, Sarah Jane drops him off, "Hiya," She greets them.

"Oh, hi Maria, Star," Sarah smiles and kisses Luke's cheek before driving off, some of the kids behind them laugh.

Starla glares at them, "Why were they laughing?" Luke asks them how she wished that scanner had given him some street smarts too.

"First day and your mum's kissing you goodbye. It's a bit embarrassing," Maria explains then stops raising an eyebrow at a shiny new part of the school, "That's a bit flashy."

"It's a brand new building," Starla tells them, "Went up over the summer."

"It was in the paper is morning," Luke adds.

They follow Starla to the assembly hall, sitting together, "I'm feeling anxious," Luke tells them sitting between the two girls.

"So am I," Maria admits, "This school is new to me too."

A lad comes over to them, "Budge up," Starla doesn't recognise him but they all move along one, "Are you two new today?" He asks Maria.

"Us two yes," She gestures to herself and Luke, "I'm Maria."

"Clyde, I'm new too. Probably hang around with you guys till I meet some cooler people," He jokes.

"How do you do? I'm Luke Smith," Luke formally introduces himself with a handshake.

"That was a joke," Clyde admits, "Now I mean it."

Starla hides a laugh behind her hand and then introduces herself, "He's just nervous, I'm Starla."

"Good morning everybody," The headteacher gets everyone's attention.

"Good morning, Mr Blakeman." He proceeds to fart loudly making the entire hall laugh then continues with welcoming everyone back to school.

After assembly, everyone is sent to class except form 10B, Clyde and Luke's year 10 form group, who are taken to see the new technology block. Each form group will be taken for a tour of the building separately.

Morning classes were boring but at least she has Maria to talk to for all but one lesson, at lunchtime she sits with Maria.

Both of them keep an eye out for Luke but they're joined by Clyde first, "Can I sit here?"

"Only if we're not going to shame you," Starla teases.

"Well it was here with you two or over there with him," He nods to a nerdy-looking boy sitting alone, someone Starla also doesn't recognise, 'lots of new students this year.'

"Oh there's someone worse than us," Maria laughs, "So where are you from?"

"Hounslow. My parents split up so I moved here with my mum."

"Like me only I moved with my dad."

"Yeah, how's that going?"

"Better than them rowing all the time."

Clyde nods knowing the same pain, "What about you?" He asks Starla, "You never said this morning, are you new here too?"

"Nope, I've lived in Ealing all my life with my mum, came to this high school from primary school. This one moved in next door then Luke was adopted the same day and lives across the road, which replaces the friends a lost towards the end of year 8 so I'm trying not to scare them off," Before Torchwood became part of her life she was one of the popular girls but she made the mistake by trying to convince her friends that aliens and time travel is real. She quickly became the school loner.