Chapter 1
In the middle of the night they came for me.
The first time I was only heard of them. The
Next night I saw them, too. I looked into the darkness and there they were.
The Frighteners.
Just writing their name sends a cold chill down my spine. I really hope that never meet them.
So what happend to me? If i live to be a hundred and twenty, I remember every detail.
It all began on a freezing cold morning at the beginning of october. The air was like ice. I was walking into a school I'd never ever seen before.
I had to wait outside the office for my form-teacher, Mr karr. The school smelt of cold fish fingers. And I seemed to be standing there for ages. I kept thinking about my friends at my old school. If only I were still there with them. If only!
And then this bearded man in a multi- coloured jersey whoosed up to me. Chloe storr', he practically shouted. ' splenedid. Follow me'. We bounded down the corridor. I believe you come from London ', he said.
'Yes, that's right', I gasped, struggling to keep up with him.
'Well, you'll find life in a quite vaillage very different. I'm sure you'll enjoy it though.' He opened a door and all the chatting stopped. Eyes peered at me from every corner of the room.
Mr karr warbled on about how it wasn't easy being new, especially in the middle of a term, but he knew they'd all make me feel very welcome.
'Do we have volunteer to look after Chloe?' He asked.
I gave one of my really sickly 'plsease like me' smiles. But no-one said anything. One girl at the front smiled at me. All the rest just sat there like a bowl of prunes.
'They're a friendly lot really', said Mr karr. 'They're just a bit shy with newcomers. Now , where will you sit ?' At my old school we sat round these big tables witch was really friendly. Here they were in rows. And there were only two spere places. One was next to the girl with very long blonde hair near the front the other was beside a boy stitting at the back by the window. He was the only person not gawping at me. He was frowsning at his desk.
'You will sit beside Tanya', said Mr karr. The blonde-haired girl sprang up angrily. 'But she can't. Karen will be back soon'. Not until next month', said Mr karr, firmly. Until then Chloe will sit next to you. I know you will look after her. And Alison, as I've had no volunteers, I'm picking you to look after Chloe at breaktime'.
So I scrambled next to Tanya, giveing her the biggest smile I could manage. She i didn't smile back, just snapped, 'You know you can only sit there until karen gets back',
Talk about friendly! I was getting cross now and muttered, 'And who made you Qeen of the world?' I'd only said that under my breath but she must have had supersonic hearing, beacuse she gave this angry flounce and ignored me for the rest of the lesson.
She just sat there playing with her hair.
I suppose I ought to tell you that she was very pretty and she had the kind of long blonde hair I've always wanted. My hair is dull, mousey brown colour. I'm quite short too and have what people call an interesting face which means I'm not a wildly attractive ( although I'm not a dead-ringer for the Elephant man either).
Tanya stared whispering to this boy in front of us, who kept turning round.
Finally he spoke to me. Hello I'm tom.'
And I thought I'd become invisible.
Hello, tom.'
He grinned. 'I bet you support one of the London clubs Like ... west ham.' Right first time,' I said.
He grinned again. Tanya was clearly furious at haveing the attention taken away from her. She wispered something I couldn't hear. But Tom didn't say another word to me.
I got out my pencil case. It was one of those fluffy ones made of fake fur which were really cool at my last school. I opened it. Inside all of my friends had written little messages on it for me. I started reading them again and I felt so lonely. I even gave my pencil case a little stroke just as if it were a tiny pet. I hardly wrote anything, thought. I couldn't. They were way ahead of me in maths. So I sat there in a total fog. At the end of the lesson Mr Karr asked me to stay behind. Everyone else had left for the morning brake, expect that boy who sat by him self at the back. He seemed to be drawing something.
Mr Karr tried explaining where I'd gone wrong. I became more confused than ever. In the end he told me not to worry, I'd soon catch up. But I didn't believe that and I don't think he did either. He took me out to the playground at the front of the school. I stood there watching some of the boys play football. I felt all nervous and shy. Then a girl came up to me. The one who'd smiled at me in the classroom.
'You're chloe.'
'yes.'
'I'm Alison.' She spoke very softly.
'Hi Alison.'
'Are you a cockney?' She asked.
That took me by surprise. 'No, I'm not.' 'Oh, actually. But I didn't argue with her.
There silence for a moment as we struggled to think what to say next.
'So are you cocked?' she asked suddenly.
I gasped at her. 'I'm sorry.'
'Are you cooked?'
'I don't think so.'
'You must be packed then.'
I couldn't understand a word she was saying. 'No, I don't think I'm that either.' I said at last. After another deathly pause she whispered, 'See you later then'.
'Bye', I replied. Then all at once I understood what she'd been asking me. Alison I'm having a cooked meal today, so yes, I'm cooked', I called. Sorry for being so dense'.
But she can't have heard me. Some other people did though and gave me funny looks. I crawled back into school.
A group of girls and Tom were standing by the pegs. Tanya was in the centre of them. She had her back to me. She was sniffing her pencil case and saying in very affected voice, my fluffy pencil case everyone. I can't stop looking at it. Isn't it just the most wonderful one you 've ever seen in your whole life?'
The girls around her were in hysterics. I wasn't. But then I was the one she was impersonating. And I hadn't been showing off my pencil case at all. I just liked it. They were being totally unfair. Suddenly Tom spotted me. Then every face whirled round. And Tanya stopped her impression, her reddening a little. I never said a word, just slowly walked back to the classroom. That boy at the back was still there. But he didn't even look up when I came in. I sat there seething with hurt and anger.
Then Tanya swept back. A little group, including Tom and Alison, huddled around her. She got out this bag. We weren't allowed to wear trainers to school but she'd sneaked in her new ones to show everyone. I thought I'd die of excitement.
She waved these trainers about and went on and on about how totally wonderful they were. She was such a show-off. And all the time she spoke she had this smug grin on her face. She was setting my teeth on edge.
Then Alison suddenly asked me, 'What do you think of Tanya's new trainers, Chloe?' she was trying to be friendly, draw me into the conversation. But they belong to that awful, stuck-up girl who'd just done a very cruel impression of me.
So I blurted out, 'yes, those trainers were quite fashionable in London about three years ago'.
Immediately I wished I hadn't said that. But it was too late. Tanya's face just froze with shock. Then she turned her back on me as Tom snarled, 'You think you're so great coming from London, don't you?'
He didn't understand. I'd only said that to put Tanya in her place.
And then lessons started agian and I made a truly massive mistake. Mr Karr asked me to tell the class about where I'd lived before. So I did. And for the first time that day I enjoyed myself.
I told them all about my old school and how it had a swimming pool and big playing fields (unlike this place) and then I got carried away. Soon I was turning my last school into a palace.
After I'd fishished there was silence.
Even Mr Kate's smile looking a bit frozen. 'Well,' he said 'I hope you won't find life here too dull, Chloe'.
And as the atmosphere had become distinctly heavy I replied, all bright and breezy 'oh no, this is really exciting, modern place. I see you've got colour television here now and indoor loos . . .' I was only joking. And I'm always saying daft things like that. Ask any of my old friends.
But no-one smiled. There was lots of angry murmured, though. And Mr Karr said in this very tight voice, Right, well I think we'd better get back to our work now.'
After the lesson finshed and Mr Karr had rushed off to see a parent, half the class circled around my desk. You can guess who led the jeering. Yes Tanya.
'I hate big-headed people who look down on everyone else,' she said.
Hark who's talking I thought. But I never said a word. I'd said far, far too much already. I just shrank into myself while the insults rained down on me. Only the boy at the back didn't in. He was slumped so low in his chair he seemed as if he was about to slide off it. 'If your school was so great, what are you doing here?' demanded Tom.
Before I could reply, this vioce said, quitetly, 'Leave her alone'.
The boy at the back had got to his feet.
He was very small and thin, his clothes seemed to just to hang off him. He looked as if one gust of wind could blow him over.
'Stop picking on her,' he continued, in the same, low vioce. 'You're not giveing her a chance.'
I wanted for them all to turn on him. But amazingly, they didn't. Instead, they all seemed to freeze. You'd have thought a very scary teacher had just spoken, not this frail-looking boy.
'I expect you're hungry,' he said to me. I nodded.
'Follow me then.' Not a word was spoken as we walked to the door. Even Tanya was silent. It was incredible.
' Thanks for doing that,' I said to him as we walked along the corridor.
He didn't answer.
'What's your name?' I asked.
He turned to me for a moment.
He had straight, fair hair and looked very pale as if he didn't go outside very much. But it was the eyes I noticed most: very large and as blue as the sky on a hot summer's day. There seemed to look right through you.
'My name's Aidan,' he said.
He didn't say another word until we reached the dinning hall. There was a queue stretching out of the door. We walked right to the front of it. I waited for people to cry out about us pushing in. But no-one did. Then Aidan made as if to go.
'But aren't you . . .?' I began.
'I never have a school dinners. I prefer to eat alone. But you'll be all right now.'
'Yes, thanks -thanks a lot.'
He turned back for a moment. 'about your maths, I could help you catch up, give you some extra coaching.'
I was stunning. 'That's really nice of you,' I began. But he'd already walked off. In the queue I spotted Alison. 'Yes, I am cooked,' I grinned.
She smiled nervously back.
I don't think I'm very popular,' I said.
'Some of the class have just been having a right go at me. After one morning they've decided they hate me.'
'We don't get many new people,' replied Alison. 'Most people have lived here all their lives.'
'What about Aidan?'
She looked startled by this question.
'Aidan, well he's quite new too, stated about a year ago.'
'He's been really helpful.'
'Has he?' Then suddenly she leant forward and whispers right in my ear, 'Keep on the right side of him. Don't ever argue with him.'
My breath quickened. 'Why?'
Alison's vioce was hardly even a whisper now. 'Just be very careful.'
Before I could ask her anything else, she'd gone.
