Animal Ribbons

Chapter Twelve: Lemur

A/N: 1k reads! Oh my gosh, you guys rock rock rock! Enjoy! (BTW, the picture is if the original Animal Ribbons cover. I can't believe it's been roughly around half a year since I started writing AR!) Also, I wrote this chappie... and then realised that it's a Saturday! OOPS! So let's just pretend that they're having a public hol on Mon, so they have to suffer through school on a Saturday, kay? Thx! Also, I'll try to update a lot more frequently than I used to!

Dedicated to @Nazzok, for supporting this story!

-Crazeebookgirl xx

Jess and I are meeting up again tonight. It's become a kind of daily, or nightly, exercise for us. But before that, I have to suffer through school, and a private gym tutoring session with one of my old gym friends, Ava.

School's as boring as ever, until period 5 after lunch. Lilac, one of the girls I get along okay with, and myself walk to the art classroom together as per normal, but double take as we enter the room. Because all of the desks, chairs, and tables have mysteriously disappeared, and laying on the floor in their place, is the largest blank canvas either of us have ever seen.

A lady unknown to our eyes walks out of the massive supply closet. She has her long auburn plait swung over one pale, freckled shoulder, and has sparkling green eyes that light up the room. She's dressed in a sleeveless, white, flowy, satiny top, which is tucked into her denim shorts, and has silver sandals on her feet.

"Who's she?" Lilac gasps, and I shrug in reply, struck silent by her beauty and my own curiosity.

The lady in the silver sandals notices us and smiles softly, but widely.

"Hey, girls! I'm Miss Rose, your new art teacher!" she introduces herself.

"Sienna," I mumble, holding out my hand and grinning stupidly.

"Lilac," Lilac copies, only with more confidence.

"Woah! What's that massive white thingy?" Will, a sandy haired boy, asks in awe as he enters the room.

Miss Rose winks and taps her nose.

"Aah! That's for me to know, and you to find out when the the rest of the class arrives."

Will, Lilac, and myself laugh along with our new teacher, knowing in that moment, that we like her. The rest of the students file in slowly, and all gasp in delight and happiness that grumpy old Mr Renolds, our former art teacher, has been replaced. Miss Rose hushed us and we all turn our attention onto her, gathered in a circly square around the blank white canvas.

"So. Welcome to art! I'm Miss Rose, your new art teacher. Unfortunately, Mr Renolds has resigned, so I get to step in!" she grins.

"Um, Miss Rose?" Eva questions, raising her hand.

"Yeah?" our new teacher signals for her to answer.

"What's with the canvas?" she asks.

"I was just getting to that!" Miss Rose darts into the storage cupboard and comes back with a massive wheelbarrow filled with paint, paintbrushes, pencils, rubbers, sharpeners, crayons, and so much more.

"Go wild! Paint, draw, write! Do whatever! Eat your heart out!" she laughs and, after a second of hesitation, everyone rushes to the blue wheelbarrow.

I grab a small tin of sparkly gold paint, and a paintbrush with a really small, skinny, dainty end. I dip the brush in the tin and start with some small spirals, getting bigger as I grow in confidence. I spiral away, before getting an idea. I whisper it to our teacher and her already bright eyes light up even more.

I can't wait for the next assembly when the canvas will be showcased. I can't wait.

*****************

"Hey, Sienna!" Connie smiles. "Have you met Miss Rose yet? She's so nice!"

"Yeah! She's awesome!"

"She's a Goggle as well," my best friend adds matter of factly.

I roll my eyes. "Figures," I mutter.

"Can you make it to tonight's Goggle gathering in Goggle Glade?" Connie burbles, followed by a "wow, that's a mouthful!"

"No, sorry," I say guiltily. "I've got plans...."

"That's fine! Always next one!"

The truth is, I don't want Connie to meet Jess. I have a sure feeling that they WOULD NOT get along!

*****************

"So, how was your day?" Jess asks, sipping on a thermus of warm Milo.

"Meh. It was alright," I reply, taking a sip of my own malt drink. "Yours?"

"It was great! The school I go to is a bit poor, real low decile rating, and we had free lunch and breakfast today! We also got to go to the zoo. I absolutely love the zoo don't you?" Jess blabbers on, and I giggle.

"What?" she asks crossly.

"Sorry! Just *snort* you get so *snort* excited so easily!" I laugh, tears streaming down my face.

Jessica sees the funny side, and laughs along.

"I'm so tired!"Jess yawns.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because you keep keeping me up late, ning nong!" she swats at me, and we both giggle.

***Flashback***

"Because you keep keeping me up late, ning nong," Kasey grumbles, very grumpy, even as a seven year old.

Tears stream down my small face.

"It's not my fault I have nightmares!" I protest.

"Yes, it is," she hisses nastily.

I go outside into the cold, anything to escape my mean sister, and run to the tree. I climb it instantly. There's something about that tree... you just wanna be a monkey when you go near it! I sneeze, and a bird that was perched next to me flies away, before coming back almost instantly, and landing on my shoulder.

"Silly birdy!" I giggle.

***End of Flashback***

Ok... that was weird! It's not unusual for me to have flashbacks, but this one was completely random! Sure, it had Kasey saying the same thing as Jess just said, but the rest was a bit... ummm... interesting!

"So, it's my birthday tomorrow, do you wanna meet up tomorrow night?" Jess mentions casually.

"Oh my gosh, why didn't you mention earlier? I can't come, I'm sorry. I've got gymnastics," I apologise.

"This late at night?" she asks unsurely, and I nod, grimacing.

"There's a competition soon, and we have to prepare," I explain.

"I'll bring you a present the day after tomorrow, okay?" I ask.

"I don't need any presents!" Jess protests.

I look around her 'room', eyebrows raised.

"Really," I say in a neutral tone, and we both laugh.

"Okay, I'll see you Monday!" she hugs me, and I return the hug.

I climb the ladder, but not before giving the shoebox a weird glance.

I've GOT to know what's in there!