Daughter of Torchwood

New Girl

April 2008

Clyde bounces into their kitchen while Luke and Starla are finishing their breakfast, Sarah Jane is busy reading something in the paper, "Morning people. This is Clyde Langer reporting live from Bannerman Road where at this precise moment a new family is moving in at number 36," He steals the last piece of Starla toast.

"Hey!" She protests but ultimately lets him have it and goes to slip her school shoes on at the front door then follows him, Luke and Sarah Jane out.

"Boy, they have no idea what they're moving in over the road from," Clyde watches the removal men.

"No, and they're never going to find out, do you hear?" Sarah Jane warns them, "All of you. Promise me you'll never breathe a word about what we do, Mister Smith, any of it."

"Why would we? It's not like it's Maria, is it? Come on, we're going to be late," Luke links his hand with Starla tugging her.

"Don't worry, we won't say anything," Starla assures her letting Luke lead them down the road.

"We'd just better hope Maria never left anything lying around when she went," Clyde plants the thought in Sarah Jane's mind, "I better catch up with the love birds. See you later."

At school, they make their way to their lockers as a girl bumps into Clyde and drops her books, "Hey! Watch where you're..." He pauses noticing that she is pretty.

"Sorry," She apologises, "I'm looking for Mr Cunningham's form."

"That's our class," Starla informs her, "Are you new?"

"Yeah, started today."

"And you run into me," Clyde grins, "Now that's what I call a start."

"Yeah, like starting a hundred metres in the Olympics and tripping over your laces."

Luke laughs at her sarcasm, "This is Clyde. He thinks he's cool. I'm Luke and this is Starla."

"Rani," The girl introduces herself, "My family just moved into Bannerman Road."

"Oh across the road from us," Starla smiles excited at the idea of a new female friend. She links her arm with hers, "Come on. I'll show you to class."

"Of course. Where else?" Clyde mutters to Luke. Following them to class.

"So the football team has been knocked out of the Inter-Schools Challenge, by West Hill after a 4-0 mauling last night," Mr Cunningham drones on, "So we'll be looking for better news in the National Schools Science Challenge. Anybody who wants to sign up for the team should see Miss Webster. I'll be expecting to see your name on the list, Luke."

"Lukey! Lukey! Lukey," The class chants.

"You a bit of a brain-box then, Luke?" Rani queries.

"They haven't got a box big enough," Clyde grins as Starla squeezes Luke's hand under the table noting his embarrassed look from being the centre of attention, there's nothing he hates more.

"That's enough," A stern man enters their classroom, "Silence, the lot of you. This is a classroom, not the home end at Stamford Bridge."

"Class, this is Mr Chandra, our new headteacher," Mr Cunningham introduces him.

"This is a school. My school," Mr Chandra continues walking to the front of the classroom, showing them that he is in charge and things will be different now he's here, "And you come here to learn, not to play about. I know it's been a while since your last headteacher, Mr Blakeman, disappeared, and it looks like standards around here vanished with him. But, listen up. Park Vale has a new captain on the bridge now."