Sophie Foster at Malory Towers

Chapter 2- Off To Malory Towers Again

Darrell

"Hurry up, Darrell!" Darrell's father's loud bellow came from outside, along with the impatient honking of the horn. "Or we'll be late to pick up Sally!" 

Darrell hurried to go outside, slamming the door behind her as she ran to the car, holding her hat on her head. 

"Goodbye, Darrell!" Came Felicity's, Darrell's younger sister's, voice from inside. "I shall miss you!" 

"Goodbye, Felicity!" Darrell called back. "I will write to you every week, I promise! Goodbye!"

Darrell hopped into the car and they began driving quickly down the driveway, Darrell's father quite impatient to go. "Wait, Daddy, wait!" Darrell shrieked suddenly. "I forgot my tennis racket!"

Darrell's father sighed heavily, annoyed. "Run and get it, then," he said. "Or you shall just have to go without it for the first week, until we post it to you!"

Darrell shrieked in alarm at the thought and quickly ran back down the cobbled drive, picking up her tennis racket that she had conveniently dropped on the front step of her home. She grabbed it and ran back, hopping back in the car, panting. 

"You can go now, Daddy." Darrell said, setting the racket at her feet. 

"Why, thankyou very much!" Said her father, speeding off, for they really were very late by now to go pick up Darrell's best friend, the sturdy, loyal Sally Hope.

"I simply can't believe we're in the third form now!" Darrell exclaimed to her mother. "Why, only two years ago I was setting off for the first time to Malory Towers as a puny little first year!"

"Well, I doubt you thought yourself puny at the time, dear." Mrs Rivers replied, "but I dare say I can't believe that you're in the third form either! My little girl is growing up, and a fine woman you're growing into, Darrell! I'm very proud."

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"Finally!" Exclaimed Darrell, several hours later, to Sally, who they had picked up, as Mr Rivers had predicted, quite late. "We're arriving at Malory Towers! Look out, here's the first glimpse!" 

As they rounded the corner, both girls were given a wonderful glimpse of the castle-like school they were both so proud of. 

"I say," said Darrell suddenly, as they drove slowly towards the school, getting closer and closer by the second. "I wonder if they'll be any new girls this term." 

"Oh, yes!" Said Sally. "I do hope they're decent, if we do get any new girls, though Malory Towers can shape even the most horrible person into a kind one. It really is a splendid school. Aren't we lucky to go there?"

"Yes, we truly are." Agreed Darrell heartily as they drove up the driveway. "I say- there's Irene! And Alicia! And there's Mary-Lou too, and Belinda and Bill with Thunder- oh, everyone's here!"

The car finally came to a stop at the doors of Malory Towers. "Goodbye, Mummy! Goodbye, Daddy!" Shouted Darrell over her shoulder as they tumbled out of the car to meet the other girls. "Thanks for super hols! See you at half-term!"

And that was that. Darrell was very glad she had such sensible, kind parents as they pulled out of the driveway and went zooming back down the road. 

"Darrell!" Alicia shouted excitedly into her ear. "Splendid to see you again! I got some simply wizard new tricks my brother Sam gave me!"

"Hallo, Alicia! Did you have good hols? Oh, look! There's Irene! Hey, Irene, over here!"

"Hello, Darrell!" Irene said, a friendly smile on her face. "Did you come with Sally? She was looking for you, but she eventually went to dump her things in the dormy and to give her health certificate to Matron."

"And did you remember your certificate, Irene?" Alicia asked, her shrewd black eyes twinkling with humour.

"My mother mailed it ahead this time, thank goodness!" Irene said. "Well, come on! We better go up to Matron!"

The three girls waded their way up the stairs, meeting flustered mistresses and shrieking first and second formers on the way. The first day was always a bit crazy, before everyone settled in. 

Sally, Darrel, Alicia, Irene, Daphne, Mary-Lou, Gwendoline, Bill and Belinda were all in the same dormy, in North Tower. They finally reached Matron, where she was gathering up health certificates. 

"Hello, Matron!" Darrell said. "Here's my certificate." 

"And here's mine." Said Alicia.

"Thankyou." Matron said briskly. "And Irene, I got yours in the mail. Now, you better go settle into the dormitory."

The girls turned away, but Matron suddenly called Darrell back. "Actually, would you mind taking charge of this new girl, Darrell? She's to be in your dormitory. Her name is Sophie Foster."

"Of course, Matron." Said Darrell, smiling kindly at the girl- Sophie. "Follow me, will you? Got your nightcase? All right, let's go."

As Darrell led the girl to the third form dormitory- or dormy, as the girls called it- she took a closer look at her. She had beautiful, gold flecked brown eyes, and a sheet of shining blonde hair she hid behind shyly. Her face was angular and elegant- she was truly one of the most gorgeous girls Darrell had ever seen.

"You're Sophie, right?" Darrell asked, trying to break the ice.

She nodded. "Sophie Foster. And you're Darrell Rivers."

Darrell was taken aback. "How do you know my name?"

"Matron told me." Sophie replied evenly.

"So..." Darrel said in the awkward silence. "Do you have any family at home?"

A glazed, distant look came over Sophie's eyes, as if she was trying to remember something but couldn't. "A guardian. Mr Forkle." She said eventually, after a long pause. She continued robotically. "My parents died when I was young. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I've been in Mr Forkle's care since..." The distant look came over her eyes again. After another long pause, she finished, "since a long time."

Darrell was shocked and greatly saddened at the other girl's misfortune. "I'm so sorry," she said. She couldn't imagine being without her own sensible, kind, loving parents. "I didn't know."

Sophie gave a shrug. "I don't remember them, and how can you mourn people you don't remember?" She gazed into the distance, then said, as if to herself, "But then again... I can barely remember anything before being with Mr Forkle in the car this morning..."

Darrell stared, then remembered her manners and smiled politely. She found Sophie quite odd, but again, Sophie was probably just homesick. It was her first day after all. Darrell would give Sophie a chance. Who knew, there might be someone truly likeable beneath her strange exterior. And at least she wasn't outwardly mean, like Gwendoline. Malory Towers had fixed people stranger than Sophie appeared to be, after all.

They arrived at the dormy door. Darrell opened it to find all the others already inside. She slipped inside, and so did Sophie, rather timidly. Everyone turned to look at Sophie.

"Everyone," Darrell announced, "This, is Sophie Foster."