School Of Secrets

Chapter 1

“Are you ready?” My mother called from the kitchen. The day was here. I was leaving.

No, Mum, I’m not ready. Not now, not ever. But that won’t stop you from making me.

“Yeah.” My voice faltered, but of course my waffle-brained mother didn’t notice, or didn’t care, because she carried on, cheerful as ever.

“Well, I hope you packed everything because I’m not making another two hour drive just because you forgot your toothbrush.”

Well how about you just let me stay here and we won’t have that problem in the first place, will we?

I took one last look at my room, the place I had grown up in, now empty, and about to be converted into a library. My computer had been unplugged and sold, replaced by an expensive new laptop which was now in my suitcase. The drawers that once held my favourite Star Wars pyjamas and my ironic t-shirts were in Mum’s room now. The clothes themselves were sold, my mother having the opinion that millionaires do not wear anything under fifty dollars. She didn’t want me making a fool of myself in front of all the ‘Refined Ladies and Gentlemen’ of Hardwicke Academy. She didn’t realise that I just didn’t care. I didn’t care about fitting in at my old school, and I certainly won’t care a single bit there.

My mum walked in and, for once, noticed that the look on my face wasn’t spritely and joyful like hers.

“What’s wrong, Wil?”

“You know damn well what’s wrong, Mother.”

“Don’t swear, Willa.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Look, I know you were fine at your old school, but the Hardwicke Academy is where Elise and your grandma went. The only reason I didn’t go is because your grandmother, my mother, couldn’t afford to send me. You going to Hardwicke is like continuing on with tradition.” Her face instantly lit up “So let’s at least pretend to be happy because it is a great school and you’re going to love it there!”

My mother sounded like a cheerleader. I grabbed my suitcase as she walked out and glanced at myself in the mirror as I left. My blue eyes were twisted into a bottomless, hateful glare. I frowned at myself, and then walked to the garage.

The car trip continued in the same awkward and annoyed way as the conversation at home had. My mother would continuously try to persuade me that Hardwicke was, despite its name, a “good school” with “lots of different types of people.”  I couldn’t believe her. The only people that went to schools like that had lots of money. And kids with lots of money were the most irritating people ever. And now I was one of them. I would gladly put up with the “A-List” over pretentious trust fund girls with names longer than a whole sentence. At least I knew that in ten years’ time, Ashleigh, Alison and Addison would be stuck working at McDonalds, or better yet, working for me. The Elise Meredith Rosalie de Bougainville Greys of Hardwicke would most likely not be working, living off their 50 year old, millionaire husband throwing charity galas every other weekend. I will not become one of them.

As we drove up the driveway to Hardwicke, I became more and more certain that this was definitely not the right place for me. I had refused to let Mum sell our old, clunky Holden, and it stood out ridiculously in the field of limousines and BMWs that was the school carpark.

“Really, Mother?”

“What?”

“Don’t you realise?”

“No.”

I got out of the car, opened the boot and grabbed my suitcase. “I guess this is where I leave.”

“You don’t want me to come with you?”

I snorted. We said our goodbyes, and before long, I was mauled by a girl dressed in clothes that were definitely not designer.

“Oh, thank goodness.”

She shrugged and let go of me. “My name’s Penny Underwood. I’m your roommate.”

“But how do you know who I am?”

“It was in the newspaper.”

“It what?”

As we walked through the hallways to our room she explained.

“It was just a story about your aunt's will and how you're coming to Hardwicke and stuff. I read the newspaper quite a lot. There’s not much to do because I finish my homework in half the time of everyone else.”

I think I love this girl. Ahem. Friend love.

“Don’t worry, you weren’t front page or anything.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, and we continued walking. In silence, this time. Apparently she had exhausted all of her talking energy. Then, obviously not watching where I was going, I ran into someone. I looked up, and it was another girl, who looked a lot more hostile than Penny. But there was something strange about her eyes. They seemed to be glazed, and had a ring of silver around them. I apologised and stepped to the side, and she completely ignored me and just kept walking. I looked at Penny and sensed her obvious discomfort. This school was a lot weirder than I thought.