Jealousy | A Rosewood Chronicles FanFiction

Part 2 - Back to Rosewood

As the car passed through the gates to Rosewood, it was already afternoon, and many students had already started to arrive. The entrance to the school was crammed with nervous-but-excited-looking year 7s and bored-looking older years, either walking aimlessly inside or hanging around, waiting for friends by the gates.

Kate and Aric had split off from the others at the airport as the three of them went off to Cornwall. Jamie had texted saying that they wouldn't be too long and should be at Rosewood by that evening. Aric insisted on hauling both their luggage up the stairs and loaded it onto the golf buggy which would take it to their rooms.

At registration, they gave in their names and a prefect looked through the basket with all the welcome booklets inside. He handed Kate hers, then kept looking for the other. "Are you sure you're in Ivy House?"

"Yes, I'm sure. My um," he coughed, "parents requested it especially."

The Prefect looked at him for a moment, then walked off to check another basket.

"Aric Kennedy?" He asked, coming back with a different coloured welcome pack: a red one. "You're in Conch house."

"No," Kate said, giving back the red booklet. "He's in Ivy, with me."

The Prefect sighed. "Look, it doesn't really matter what house you're in, you'll still get to see each other in lessons and..."

"You think this is about us seeing each other?!" Kate said in bewilderment. Her parents had said they'd spoken to the school especially to have Aric in Ivy house with her. How could he be her Partizan if they weren't even in the same building half the time?

"Leave it, Kate. It's not a big deal." He said, walking off into the school, Kate following hurriedly. "I mean, it is a big deal," he said, once they were out of earshot of the Registration desk, "but I'm not going to give that Prefect the satisfaction of thinking we're two love-struck teens who can't bear to be apart."

"But what about you being, y'know, my Partizan?" She said, the words still felt strange on her lips, like she couldn't really believe she had one.

"I'll talk to the headmaster when I can, it's probably just a mixup, OK?" He said reassuringly.

Kate took him through the school until they reached Conch house, where they stood at the entrance. "I'm not really allowed in, so this is where we say goodbye for now. I'll meet you at the welcoming tonight?"

He nodded, before adding, "Now I've got to meet my new roommate." He said with a smirk.

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Once Kate unpacked, it was late afternoon, nearly evening, and she decided to see if Ellie had got in yet.

Once she was outside the door, she heard voices inside and familiar music playing, and she opened it slowly to see Lottie, unpacking her things in her chest of draws, and Ellie lounging on her bed reading a magazine, her suitcases untouched.

"Well hello there." Kate said with a smile, shutting the door behind her. "How did Cornwall go?"

"Good, I think." Lottie said. "I told Ollie about Portmans, and he took it...pretty well."

"You'll never guess what we saw on TV though Kate." Ellie said, suddenly sitting up. "Lola and Micky's father's company is merging with the Butter Company." She said bluntly, and Kate wondered if she'd missed something.

"So?"

"So, apparently they've been negotiating for a while but they had to stop. They've only just merged recently because the children of the Butter Company were found." Ellie explained, but it was rushed and Kate did not understand.

"What do you mean found? Where were they?"

"They were kidnapped." Ellie said bluntly.

"By Leviathan?!"

Ellie opened her mouth but Lottie cut in, anticipating what her friend would say.

"Ellie, we don't know that." She said reassuringly. "Anyway, I'm just glad that their children are home safe." She turned to Kate. "Where's Aric?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "They put him in Conch house. I'm guessing Jamie's in his room?"

"Yeah," Ellie smirked, "With his new roommate."

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