Me and my Yapa (on hold)

Chapter 1 - Charlie

I stared sullenly at my desk, the teacher is talking in her weird language. I have to learn it if I want to talk to anyone because I am not allowed to speak my language and no one can understand it anyway. I have learnt enough to ask and answer basic questions which is "good for my age" but no one at school talked to me anyway, except for the teachers.

"Charlie can you understand me?" Miss Green asks. Does she think I am stupid? I look up and nod before going back to staring at the desk.

"Well then, what does a goanna eat?" Everyone looks at me, wondering if I will say something wrong. I I look directly at Miss Green and try to speak clearly.

"They..eat....small..animals. Like bugs." I say haltingly. Miss Green smiles and moves on.

I watch the other student look back to the front. None of them look like me. They all have white skin,  some with strange brown dots on it. And they all have light hair. They mostly have yellow had but some have red or brown. None have my dark features.

Even though I have been here for three years, no one ever talks to me. But they still talk about me. I hear the whispers.

"She is one of those."

"Does she know what electricity is?"

"She probably can't even read."

They stop when I come near and stare. At least the teasing has stopped. For my first year, they all teased me. But finally they realised that I wasn't going to give them a reaction. So they stopped.

At lunch I went to sit under my tree. Well it isn't actually mine but I sit under it. My real name means big, shady tree. Gumukul. I close my eyes and go back to Arnhem Land, but then the bell interrupts my dreaming.

As I return to class I see the principal  showing around a girl with golden hair and bright blue eyes. Her parents are with her. When I walk past she catches my eye and gives me a small smile. I stop, shocked. No one has ever smiled at me in three years (except for adults) and here she is smiling like I am her best friend. I give a shy smile back before running into class.

That afternoon I walk back to my 'home'. Mrs Lee or 'mum' gives makes me a milkshake for afternoon tea.  She tries asking about my day but like everyday I just nod or shake my head, not talking. Finally she gives up, taking the phone and goes to her bedroom, probably talking to her mother for advice about me, like she does every week.

I went up to my room and lay on my bed. I had books and even a radio in my room, but I never used them. As I lay there I tried to remember. But people's face were growing blurry and memories were faded.  I remembered my grandmother, helping her, talking with her and laughing with her. After three years I still miss her. I miss them all. I cried silent tears as I fell into a restless sleep.

"Charlie, dinner time. Dad is home." Mrs Lee woke me from my sleep by knocking on my door to tell me to get up.

"He is not my dad." I mutter under my breath. My real father, my bäpa was a lovely, kind man, swinging me around, comforting me when I was sad and tickling me until tears ran down my face. He loved me and I loved him. I got up and walked downstairs to dinner.

Mr and Mrs Lee had no children of their own, so they were very happy when I came to live with them. Their happiness soon died away when I wouldn't speak to them, now they act like I am a pain. They are young, maybe mid twentys, and they did help me to learn English but I refuse to talk to them because if they had not wanted me then I could've gone back. But I wasn't allowed to go home. I was stuck in this miserable place.

After dinner I went back to my room and sat at the window.  From my window I can see the local hangout for the kids in my year. Most of them are only twelve, but they pretend to be older to impress the older kids. As I watch them I see the girl from earlier walking towards them, her golden hair shining in the last rays of sunlight. She walks up to them and starts talking to a group of girls who are nicknamed "the drama queens" due to the way that they overact everything. Even from here I can hear their squel of greeting. I roll my eyes, I hope that the girl isn't one of them. If she is then it means that the smile was not real.

I sigh, as I walk back to my bed. I fall asleep quickly, even though I had a sleep before dinner. I dreamed of my family and friends. 'I was swimming with my friends in the billabong, when we got tired we got out and dried off while our families sat by the fire, making damper. All of a sudden my grandmother looked up and started yelling at me to run. I ran but I wasn't fast enough. Then I was on the train with heaps of other kids, some were crying, some were sleeping, others were talking softly.  Then I went back home and saw my grandmother, tears running down her face..'

I woke up gasping for breath, crying silent tears. I hugged my pillow as I rocked back and forth.

"I miss you, I want to come home. Please." I murmured. I had to get more sleep or I wouldn't be able to do anything at school the next day. So I calmed myself and wiped away my tears. Slowly I drifted back to sleep.
The next day, as I walked to school, I saw 'golden hair' girl walking with the popular group this time. It seems that everyone wants her in their group. She will probably choose the populars though, you can't say no to them.
When class had started, Miss Green introduced the girl.
"Everyone, this is Jasmine Cliff. Even though it is term 4, she will be joining us for the remainder of yr6. Make sure you welcome Jasmine and include her. Now, who wants to show her around?" Miss Green looked around the classroom. The only people who didn't have their hand up was me and a couple of other boys. Jasmine looks at everyone, giving a small smile. Miss Green chose Melanie, one of the popular girls, to show Jasmine around.
At recess as I sat under my tree I watched Melanie point out places and people. When Jasmine pointed to me, Melanie shrugged and kept talking. Jasmine however, kept looking at me and when she saw me looking back at her she smiled and moved her hand in a slight wave. I gave a small smile in return before leaning back, closing my eyes and rembering.