The Newness Of Life

Chapter 1: Homeward Bound

1st July 2016

I sometimes wonder whether people have forgotten to tell me something that could be quite vital. It seems like things creep up on me, and then when I'm all confused those people say, "Oh, didn't you know? "

This morning it happened to me again. I was packing some last things into a series of jumbo bags when it struck me that I ought to check my watch. As I thought, I was late for registration (which I probably should have guessed earlier since everyone else in my dorm had already left) so I hurried downstairs, hurried back upstairs to grab my phone and then hurried down into school to my registration classroom.

Unfortunately, no one was there. At all. The room was empty.

I thought for a minute about what events were on the agenda for the day, and since it was the end of term no obvious thing which we would usually do came to mind.

Where could they be? I thought. I thought a bit more. Was there an assembly?

I hurried to the Main Hall which was in the middle of the oldest school building... but no one was there. Of course.

Maybe the meeting was in the arts building? Sometimes when the Main Hall was being used for something else meetings were held in the theatre instead. It seemed like as good an idea as any so I rushed towards the arts building - but when I got there, no one was there either. Where had everyone gone?

I checked my watch. It was ten fifteen. I had been searching for nearly half an hour but I hadn't seen another soul (apart from one of the staff from the school office who had walked past looking stressed).

The only option that I could think of was to go back to house. My boarding house was a ten minute walk from the arts building so I took the shortest path that went around the main school building and though a bit of the woods.

When I arrived at the bottom of the staircase that led up to the ancient stone house with the wonderful orange door, I stopped for a moment. From where I was stood I could see the sports centre, some classroom blocks and the main school building. There were no signs of life that I could see, anywhere. Bemused, I climbed the stairs and put the code into the door.

I could hear a voice, finally. I followed the sound into the sitting room, but perhaps I should have looked into the room first, because it was actually my housemistress sat with a few visitors. Of whom included the headmistress of the school.

Woops.

My housemistress, Miss Stevenson, looked vaguely surprised and then confused as to why I was there.

"Lucy, what are you doing in house? And what are you doing in here?" she asked calmly.

"Err... I'm kind of lost. I'm not sure where anybody is..." I said with a sheepish smile.

"The whole school went for the end of term chapel service and then went for an extended break. At this point everyone will be in their registration classrooms," chipped in the headmistress, Mrs O'Donell, with pursed lips.

I looked at the clock above the TV and noticed that it was already twenty to eleven.

"Ah," I said, "that makes sense."

Miss Stevenson smiled serenely while Mrs O'Donell looked slightly awkward, like she wanted me to go but she didn't know how to say it. It took me a moment to pick up on that facial expression, but when I did I quickly excused myself.

"Oh, sorry! I obviously interrupted an important meeting," I said gesturing towards the other visitors who were sat quietly watching this exchange from some other chairs, "so I'll just go now... registration, right?"