Fairytale High

Family Affairs

Uncle Jake came out to meet us just as Dad was taking the last of my bags out of the car. He walked straight over to Mom and embraced her warmly, in that older brother sort of way.

Looking at them together they were both alike, and unalike. Both stood tall and slender with chestnut hair and the same, slightly pointed nose. Also, they were each, for their part, well-dressed, although, Jake pulled it off with more comfort and grace. He always looked peaceful and relaxed but there was something in his pale blue eyes that made him powerful. A sort of confidence that made you not want to disappoint him.

Mom, on the other hand, was as anxious as she was pretty. I sometimes felt that Mom and Dad balanced each other out. While Mom was borderline neurotic, nothing ever fazed Dad. He could be standing in the middle of the apocalypse and he would probably react the same as if it were a minor fire drill. Great sense of humour though, my dad. In that sense he was way more like Uncle Jake than Mom could ever be. I guess that's why Dad and Jake got on so well.

As they grasped hands in greeting there wasn't even the slightest hint of the famous hatred between in-laws. They looked more like old friends than anything else.

Next, Uncle Jake approached me, arms extended in a manner that suggested a hug was in order. Hah, not a chance. No way was I hugging the principal on my first day, or any day for that matter. I countered his hug gesture with one extended hand.

"Not that it isn't great to see you or anything but, I feel, under the circumstances, that it's best if we keep our relationship purely professional."

He stopped walking about a metre from me, dropped his arms, waited a moment, then grinned. "Of course." he said, firmly shaking my hand, "I forget myself sometimes. Runs in the family, you know." He winked. "It's wonderful to see you, Chris, it's been too long."

Apart from my very close friends, and on rare occasions, my dad, Uncle Jake was the only one who ever called me Chris. I could see Mom scowling over Uncle Jake's shoulder. She hates it when people called me Chris. She thinks it's a boys' name.

"What has it been?" he asked, with the look of someone trying to figure out a difficult maths question.

"Like, nine months." I answered, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of figuring it out for himself. I then proceeded to smile innocently at him.

He looked me up and down. "You haven't grown, you know," he shook his head solemnly, "still just a hobbit basking in the glory of youth."

"Wish I could say the same for you," I countered, "how're you adapting to that receding hairline?"

"CHRISTINA!"

"Sorry Mom."

  Dad and Uncle Jake were laughing though so I felt no need to apologise further.

Still laughing, Uncle Jake, picking up one of my heavier bags, told us to follow him as he made his way up the stone steps leading to the wooden front door of my new school, and home, William Jacob's Boarding School.

Once inside, we headed down a narrow corridor towards a room marked 'OFFICE'. That was all, just 'OFFICE'.

Inside the so-called 'office' was a make-shift reception area, complete with couch, coffee table and comfortable atmosphere.

"Well," I said, dropping the bags I was carrying, "it's not perfect, but it'll do for now." Stepping over my bags I made the throw myself onto the couch but was pulled up short by my mother.

"And where were you planning on sleeping?"

I crossed my arms and turned to face her. "Well, I WAS planning on sleeping AT HOME, in my own bed, but since that option wasn't presented to me I thought I'd make the best of the situation at hand."