Back at Malory Towers!

This picture is exactly how I imagined Uncle Charles' Manor to be, except that it has no fountain and is on a slight hill which the car is at the bottom of ^^

"Hurry up Lizzie!", an extremely excited Edith exclaimed, beckoning for her to tear down the long driveway of their uncle Charles' colossal manor like she herself had done. "Uncle's getting impatient!" On the contrary, Uncle Charles had not a hint of impatience in his unfocused eyes. In fact, his face split into a wide smile as he remembered his own years of excitement at his old boarding school, though he wasn't the only one feeling nostalgic. "You're getting impatient you mean!" said Lizzie with a knowing look after she had compared her uncle's dazed face to Edith's cheeky grin. But when Lizzie thought no one was looking, she lapsed into a pensive state, a wistful look upon her face, not even reacting when Edith called her name. However, Lizzie did jump after being tapped on the shoulder by her sister, and she obliged to walk down the side path towards the car with her.

"Are you okay sis?" Edith enquired as they made their way down the lengthy drive, "only, I've been seeing that vacant expression more frequently lately...what's on your mind?" Lizzie heaved a sigh. "My last term at Malory Towers..." she said remorsefully. "I'm looking forward to going to university of course, but all the same... I shall feel as if a part of me is gone, once this term is over." Edith took her hand. "Nonsense!" she said stoutly. "whether you're a schoolgirl or not, you're still the same Lizzie. Though you had better not become all prim and proper AGAIN once you go to university!"

the term before last, Lizzie had been such a wet blanket that she had even gone to the extent of trying to split on Edith and her friends while they were having a midnight feast, but had been locked in the shed by Malory Towers' old maid, Daisy, who was disguised as one of the teachers and former pupils, Miss Lacey. But her seriousness all changed when their rich Uncle Charles enlightened her about the whole situation, that she wouldn't have to pay him back for the fees paid for her and Edith's school and she had made a simple mistake. Since then, she had been a much happier and carefree schoolgirl.

"Oh, you wouldn't understand, but I'm sure you will when your last term comes," said Lizzie, just as they had got to the enormous car. Then Edith took a huge breath and said "That may as well be, but I'm not in the sixth yet, I have terms and terms to go, and I'd like to at least be on time for this one!" Then she ushered her sister in, clambered in herself, and called out, "We're ready Uncle Charles! sorry for being late!" Uncle Charles snapped out of his daydream the moment he heard his name being called, and looked around for the girls in confusion. He then realised that the only place they could've disappeared to for him to still hear them so clearly was the car.

"Girls!" he exclaimed in surprise as he opened the car door and indicated for them to exit, "surely you're not planning to leave so soon! I haven't even got the trunks in yet! And as for the time, we'll be two and a half hours early if we set off now!" Edith looked mystified. "Early? Why, I don't understand Uncle, right now is..." She checked her watch." forty-five minutes later than we usually leave!" Uncle Charles scratched his chin looking puzzled. Then, his furrowed brow cleared, and his confused face broke into a hearty laugh as the truth dawned on him. " My girls, I do believe you're mistaken. I think what you mean is: we'd be forty-five minutes late if we were at your usual home! you must've forgotten that you have come to stay with me at my home for some of the holidays! And 'The Mannering Manor' is much closer to Malory Towers than your house is."

The girls laughed too, but had a small sad sensation gnawing at the pits of their stomachs as they remembered why they were at their Uncle's manor. Their Mother had fallen so desperately ill, that she had to be transferred to hospital, and (since their father had died several years ago) Lizzie and Edith had no place to stay, until their uncle had offered to take them for the remainder of the holidays. "Well, let's not waste any more time standing around," said Uncle Charles, noticing the somewhat melancholic atmosphere, and sensing the girls' slightly crestfallen mood.

"How about you both go and do your last-minute preparations together. Lizzie, have you packed those new pyjamas? As you spoiled your old ones only yesterday, I think you might've forgotten. And Edith, I very much doubt you have remembered to pack your toothbrush, for it had somehow turned up in the kitchen, of all places!" As the girls hurried off to collect their missing items (Lizzie striding up the drive in a significantly more dignified manner, compared to her unruly sister), Uncle Charles resumed indulging in his blithesome reverie only to be interrupted yet again by an irritating Edith, who this time yelled at the top of her voice, "By the way, my trunk is stuck in the cupboard under the stairway, on the bottom shelf!" shaking his head in amusement as he heard a far off and yet hyper voice screech: LIZZIE!! CARRY ON LIKE THIS, AND WE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE LATE, Uncle Charles strolled up the side path, entered his manor, opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs, and began fruitlessly tugging at the heavy brown trunk belonging to his niece.

(A/n) Wow! 1000 words is crazy! Hope you're enjoying so far and make sure to write your thoughts or improvement ideas in the comments and don't forget to vote! xx