Cast The Die

Chapter One

April 2019

I woke up this morning with what I call an "anxious tummy" where you feel so much anxiety that it makes you feel a bit sick. Like on a rollercoaster, when you go down the big drop you get those exciting butterflies, but it's the complete opposite of exciting. I usually get it before an exam, or when I see the boy I like at school. It was different today, I didn't know why I had this feeling, nothing is actually happening, it's only the beginning of April. It was like I knew something bad was going to happen, but I wasn't sure what. I mean, I don't want to use the term "psychic" but I'm considering buying a crystal ball on eBay. I could even start charging people money to tell them their future, but if its anything like mine, I'd want my money back.

After my long shower, I found myself staring into my wardrobe as if snow would appear behind my clothes. I look at my calendar, the year is 2019 and today is Friday, I'm supposed to be excited about the weekend but this gut wrenching feeling in my stomach is distracting me. I pulled out my black trousers with the flared bottoms and a plain white t-shirt. I dried my hair as much as I could before my arms got tired and then tied it back into a ponytail with my fringe hanging down. I looked at myself in the mirror, put on some mascara and lip balm, nodded to myself in agreement and then headed downstairs. I don't wear a lot of make-up unless I'm going out somewhere, I'm probably the only girl in school that doesn't wear a full face of make-up every day. It's expensive and I can't justify spending money on make-up every month just to go to school with pink eyelids and a perfectly contoured face.

I sat in the kitchen alone eating my breakfast, my Dad leaves for work at around 7am and my Mum takes a while to get ready. My Mum would happily go to work with pink eyelids if she knew how to do it without looking like a clown. My morning routine is simple, I get up at 7.30am, I spend approximately 10 minutes in the bathroom, in the shower washing my hair and the rest of my body, cleansing and exfoliating my face – skin care is important – and brushing my teeth. Another 10 minutes spent drying my hair and putting on minimal make-up and 5 minutes to get dressed. By 8am I'm sat in the kitchen eating my cereal. When I look at the clock on the wall its 8.17am, my Mum rushes into the kitchen like she usually does, drinking the last drop of coffee in her cup, like she usually does. She puts it in the dishwasher along with my bowl and then hurries me out the house.

"Mum, seriously," I said, raising my eyebrows. "We're not even late, we leave at this time every day. School is only 2 minutes away and you work there too, and the first bell doesn't ring until 8.40, its only 8.20, chill out."

She looked at me with concerned eyes. "You've always been so organised, Moo" she said kissing my forehead, "I honestly don't know where you get it from."

My parents have called me Moo for as long as I can remember, my name is Macey, it started with Macey Moo and now it's just Moo. It's embarrassing but I like it. 

"Probably from my real parents, you always said I was swapped at the hospital" I said, and she laughed with me.

My anxious tummy started to settle in the car ride to school. We sang along to the radio, even the adverts and we laughed at each other's inability to carry a tune. We were in the car several minutes, maybe more given the traffic, but those several minutes were the best part of my day. My Mum parked in her usual space then we said our goodbyes and headed in different directions. At the entrance I could see Jen waiting for me. Jen has been my best friend since birth, literally. Her Mum and my Mum are best friends, her Dad and my Dad are best friends. We had no say in the matter. As we walk to the common room, Jen fills me in on the details for the party tonight, I'm trying to listen to her and take it all in, but my brain is distracted. She hasn't noticed. The bell rings.

"Hello? Earth to Mace?" Jen says waving her hand in front of my face.

"Shit, what? I was listening I promise." I lied.

"I said, HE is definitely going tonight, Jacob said the boys are going, so that means HE definitely is" she said grinning.

"Please, don't I'm already nervous as it is" I laughed but I was serious. I'm not even sure I want to go to the party. But I'm not going to tell her that.

Jen is the most outgoing person I have ever met. She's enthusiastic, bubbly and very likeable. I'm all those things too, once you get to know me. Jen would tell her whole life story to the first person she met, she doesn't care, that's just one of the many reasons I love her.

The morning went by in a flash. I had English Literature first thing and then a free period where I started my assignment. After break I had a double lesson of Biology and we had a practice exam, I failed. It's now lunch time and I'm on my way to my Mum's office. It's never been a problem for me going to a school where my Mum is the Deputy Headteacher, if anything it's a good thing. People know my name, the teachers like me, I'm allowed into my Mum's office to eat lunch and we gossip about students and other teachers. Although, she didn't have much to say today, we just ate our packed lunches in silence. I left for my last lesson of the day which was Geography and we had another practice exam, I passed.

When I arrived home from school my phone started ringing. It was Jen, I answered the phone and her face appeared on the screen.

"HELP, which one?" she shouted. She flipped the camera around to reveal two outfit choices. One was a black bodycon dress and very short, the other was a red, knee length skater style dress with a very low-cut neckline.

"Shoes?" I asked.

"Black ankle boots with both, I think" she said, holding them up to the camera.

"Definitely black" I smiled.

"I thought so too, what you wearing? Did you buy that dress you were looking at? It was so pretty you would look so good in it. If not, you can borrow something of mine" she said, turning the camera back to her beautiful face.

"No, I didn't buy it, I was thinking maybe my..."

"Macey," my Mum shouted up the stairs. "Can you come down to the kitchen please?"

"Yeah in a minute Mum" I shouted back,

"No, now please, it's important."

I knew it was important because she called me by my real name. I promised to call Jen back straight away and headed downstairs. If I had known what was about to happen, I would have run out the front door. I'd run out into the street and down the road without stopping. I'd have nowhere to go but anything would have been better than standing in that kitchen with my parents. But I had no idea what was about to happen.