Story of Us

Prologue

Prologue

Clarrie Walker. That’s my name. Nothing special. I’m just me. You could call me a wallflower, I guess, always on the outside looking in. I just started my second year at Langley Academy. The first year was pretty tough; I’m not very good at making friends.

You see, my Dad ran away when I was three. I’m pretty much over that now, it happened ten years ago. Then, two years later my Mum was diagnosed with cancer. She died when I was six.

But don’t feel sorry for me, I hate that. I’m no different to you; I’ve just had different things to deal with. As both my parents had gone at a young age, I didn’t think I had the guts to get out and socialize with other kids. I couldn’t remember how.

So, I live with my Aunt Tanny (Tanya), we get along fine, most of the time. She’s my Mum’s sister and she misses her way more than me. They were twin sisters, you see. For me, that’s quite hard to deal with, living with someone who looks almost identical to your Mum, who has the same habits as your Mum, but really isn’t her.

I look like Aunt Tanny. We have the same hazel eyes, creamy-coffee coloured skin and wheat coloured hair. Except, Aunt Tanny’s hair is wild, bouncy and curly, like my Mum’s, whereas mine is long and straight.

Aunt Tanny’s great, she lets me be very independent, sometimes too independent. She rarely takes me out anywhere. Our little house is often silent, except from the tapping of keypads and the soft sound of a turning page. We get along though, in our own ways.

Anyway, at Langley Academy, I only had made one faithful friend, Lela Crosswithe, but her family moved to Australia at the end of the year. I miss her, we went through a lot. We faced all the evil, preppy girls in our year, ones who would do anything to humiliate the unpopular, mortal kids – like myself. This year I suppose I’ll have to face them alone.

Harper Colan and her boyfriend Cory Teller are the worst. Harper’s an attention - seeking, sharp - tongued, rich, gossiping, trouble-making witch. Cory’s her equal partner-in-crime, he’s very much the same as her, yet more violent.

Lela and I used to avoid them, but I knew Harper hated me the day she set eyes on me. I’ll manage though, I always seem to.