Dear Rabbit

Chapter 1

Our family situation was complicated. Perhaps that's why we had moved from one country to another, or perhaps it really was just that Norman had gotten a better job offer in America; either way it was a change that I didn't welcome. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, I always said I wanted to visit America, I wanted new experiences. Our new house was massive compared to our old one, but that didn't make the transition any easier. Luckily I wasn't starting a fresh on my own and we had moved here over the summer allowing me and my Step-Sister Dori all the time in the world to understand the not so little town of Beacon Hills that we had moved to. I suppose perhaps by American standards Beacon Hills was little...but it was practically a city to me. I had found rather quickly that some of the surrounding hills offered a wonderful view of the town at night or in the day. It was beautiful in its own way and, perhaps other than the vast forests and the really good curly fries, the one of thing I liked about the town.

Dori, also known as Theodora, was really my only consolation prize about this whole trip/life changing experience. I had known Dori prior to 'The Marriage', but our interactions had been limited to 'Hey Dori!' and 'Do I know you?'. Norman, Dori's dad, knew he wasn't my father. He knew he couldn't help with the scars that had been left when my dad had ran out on mum when I was 6, but he knew that he could be the friend that I needed. He did a bloody good job all things considered. And Dori? Dori was my other half-we were two sides to the same coin (naturally I was the Queen). We were practically joint at the hip, but we were opposites in many respects.

I suppose that's why she was looking rather relaxed, whilst I was freaking out...the familiar feeling of nervous butterflies welling up in my stomach. I don't know why I was so nervous. Schools weren't a problem, I'd survived them before, and surely American schools couldn't be that different? Besides if people didn't like me then that was just that. It wasn't as if I'd have no one, Dori was here and I wasn't being completely shoved into the lion's den all on my own. I tapped out a rhythm on the leather of my steering wheel, breaking the nervous silence...Breathe, Charlotte, Breathe. I did really need to get a handle on my nerves.

I glanced to the passenger seat to my right; driving an American car was still bizarre. Dori shot me a bright grin. I knew underneath the pleasant smile she was as nervous as I was, she was just better at hiding it. While I was all jittery movements and tapping feet, she was perfect smiles and small chuckles. It was part of her charm, as much as my quirks were my own, I suppose. But really I wish Norman or mum had driven us. I was so worried I'd crash, between the road being the wrong side and the heebie-jeebies I had, I felt about ready to run us into a tree - there were certainly plenty to choose from. But I couldn't do that firstly because Dori was in the car with me, and secondly because she looked really pretty today and I wouldn't want to make a mess of that. Anyways I've heard whiplash is a right bastard and I wasn't fond of being in pain...

I was, however, seriously contemplating turning around when we finally saw the school, greeted by the sign emblazoned 'Beacon Hills High School est. 1941'. It looked like any old school from any of those teenage dramas that Dori and I would sometimes watch when we needed a mindless break, already there were tonnes of students milling about outside.

The car we were in was notoriously shoddy and reliably unreliable. I really hoped that it would last long enough to get us home that evening because I certainly wasn't fond of being stranded at school, particularly ones that looked like they were part of a horror movie waiting to happen. It was so much larger than our old one...a mere 750 students where as this one appeared to have a good few thousand...the nerves certainly increased-if that was even possible.