Back at Malory Towers

3. The first night and morning

Emily and the other new girls followed the rest of the first form to their table. There was a plump lady at the head of the table, she smiled widely and her black hair was tied into a bun on the top of her head.

"That's Mam'zelle Dupont, she always sits head of our table." Said Jaqueline whiping her hands on her pinafore, still wet from washing them.

The girls took their seats and Emily look across the long table full of food. Apple pie, big bowls of salad, sandwiches with cucumber, ham, cheese and jam, jacket potatoes with an option of cheese, tuna, baked beans to put on. There were biscuits too and tall jugs of lemonade.

"Wow this spread is wonderful." Said Rosa putting food on her plate.

"First night dinners are always the best at Malory Towers." Said Lillian to the girl next to her.

"Yeah every other day we just get bread and butter." Giggled Becca.

"Ah do not tease these new girls, Rebecca is —what is the word? Ah kidding, mes petits."

"It's Becca, Mam'zelle."

"Non, non 'Becca' is not a name, it is Rebecca, do not try trick me, I will not be tricked!"

"Okay Mam'zelle." Becca gave in with a sigh.

The other girls laughed.

Once all the girls had finished dinner, Miss Potts, ordered for each table to filed out in a orderly fation. The first form went straight to their dorm and changed into their pyjamas, dressing-gowns and slippers before brushing their teeth and eventually the girls crawled into their own beds.

Emily lay on her back in bed, the mattress was comfortable despite looking lumpy when she'd first pulled back the sheets, she grabbed a book she'd packed in her night-case and started to read for a few minutes as the rest of the girls got into their beds and waited for Matron to come in to say goodnight and turn off the lights.

The door opened slightly as Matron peered her head in.

"Goodnight girls, no talking after lights out, I'll see you at breakfast in the morning." She said.

"Good night Matron" said the girls who weren't new and then Matron snapped the light off and drenched the girls in the dim evening sun from the curtained window.

After putting the book back on the table Emily rolled over, thinking of her siblings as she slowly fell asleep.

As 7:30 came so did the wake up bell, the same dong from last night for dinner.

Emily slowly opened her eyes to the ceiling of the room.

"Good morning." Came a voice from the bed beside her.

Emily rolled over to see Becca making her bed.

"Morning." Emily replied with a stretch, eventually crawling out of bed and getting dressed in the school uniform. "When's breakfast?" She asked to the room pulling on her socks from the top of her draws.

"In a few minutes I think." Said Patricia, "My watch broke over the hols and I haven't got a new one yet."

"Ok."

Emily quickly plaited her hair into two thin plats, using orange ribbons to match the uniform, one either side of her head of course, they were too long to be left lose and she didn't want to be in trouble in her first lesson!

After a hearty breakfast the first form made their way to the classroom they shared with all the other tower's first formers that Emily had yet to meet.