Malory Towers; First Term

Part 2

 When they were inside they were overwhelmed with the chatter of everyone, it was even louder than the car park. The tallest children with the Malory Towers uniform were walking daintily, elegantly, and talking in hushed voices, hiding their excitement to be back very well, you'd only be able to tell that they were excited if you were good at reading someone, like Nicki.

The older forms took no notice of the lower forms, but the lower forms took notice of the higher forms. The lower form always made space for the higher forms, and, on one occasion, a bunch of girls in their second year were busily talking at the top of their voices, so excited to see each other again, and when the fifth formers walked past, the girls split right down the middle for them.

Nicki couldn't help giggle but stopped immediately as the six formers briskly walked past, and she stepped aside for them, toppling over a pair of feet. One of the six former's noticed Nicki and stopped to help her. While Nicki was stammering thanks to the six formers for helping her, she glanced at the older girls uniform she had a badge on, displaying the words, 'Sports Captain, Daphne Hope.'

Nicki gave a little gasp, still stuttering her thanks to this 'Daphne' girl. Nicki had listened to almost every story Darrel had to tell about Malory Towers, and she listened to the story's that Darrel had heard from her little sister, Felicity. In many story's she'd heard, Daphne Hope was mentioned as a rascal, and although she looks smart and sensible and wears a badge now, she still looks like a rascal, thought Nicki. Just to be sure this was who she thought it was, she asked.

"Are you Sally's sister, Daphne?" Daphne Hope seemed quite taken aback by this question.

"Errr... Yes, yes I am. Please call me Daffy, everybody call's me Daffy."

"My mum knew her well, at Malory Towers."

"Ohh, maybe your mum was a teacher when my sister was here?" Nicki was about to tell her that her mum was Darrel Rivers, Sally's best friend, when one of Daffy's friends called her. " Sorry, I have to go, maybe sometimes this term we can talk? Bye."

"Bye..."

When Nicki, Hermione, and Maddie were reunited again, they realised that they were beginning to feel a little lost, they knew they had to go to the North Tower matron, but they didn't know where she was. Nicki, of course, had a solution for that. She reached down to her shoe, and took out the compass that was embedded in the heal of her sneaker.

"All we have to do is find our way to North Tower, we should find Matron there." The others nodded understanding what the compass was for.

They walked through the school's courtyard, which had rose bushes everywhere, they took delight in smelling the flowers on the way to North Tower, the biggest Tower of the four.

In the middle of the courtyard they found a sunken bit, the girls agreed that it was where they were to perform plays in the summer. Darrel had described it to them as like the inside of a circus tent, with the seats rising up around the lowered part. Now they could see what she meant properly, their mum's description had been a bit confusing for them. They now understood how much it looked a circus ring.

When they found the base of the tower, a grey haired, kind women in her late 60's was standing about sorting a girl out, the young girl seemed confused and was pulling things out of her bag so matron could write on them. Matron sighed,

"Kathleen! Next time please label your belongings correctly, nobody can return something to you if you label your name Cathlin Ate. Your name is Kathleen Eight. If I found this I wouldn't even begin to try and guess who's this was." The girl ( obviously Kathleen ) was muttering her apologies over and over again.