All My Colours

Big Gold Star

20th September 1996

[][BEEP BEEP BEEP][]

I groggily sat up.

[][BEEP BEEP BEEP][]

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked around the room, my window was cracked open slightly. I could hear the sounds of seagulls flying above me.

[][BEEP BEEP BEEP][]

I swung my legs off of my bed, it creaked as I did so. I winced slightly as I felt how cold the floor was beneath my bare feet.

[][BEEP BEEP BEEP][]

Finally, I hit my alarm clock.

I stood up slowly. I hadn't slept well that night. The mattress was way too lumpy. I was so glad I'd be swapping it out for my old room furniture after school. I stood on the tips of my toes and peered through my window. Off in the distance, I could see boats sailing into the harbour, fishermen coming back to land after a long night of catching fish, and the indicolite waves of the ocean gently crashing against the pale sands of the shoreline. I stood there for what felt like hours, almost in a trance watching the ocean.

I must've been there a while because Mum burst through my door sounding rather annoyed.

"Katie I don't know what you think you're playing at. I shouted to you five minutes ago to get up and you're just standing there letting the bloody heat out!"

"Oh sorry, Mum I didn't hear you-"

She cut me off which was rather rude.

"Whatever. Just be ready for eight. You can't be late for meeting Axel, can you? You've got some smart clothes in the box next to your closet. Get them on and get your arse downstairs."

She stormed out, slamming the door in the process.

After digging through the box of clothes next to the small walk-in closet at the end of my bed I put on a white short-sleeved button-up shirt, some black tights, a plaid skirt, and a black blazer-jacket. I tried to get my hair to look neat in some fashion but all attempts ended up futile. I looked at the clock only to find it was seven forty-five. I stumbled out of my bedroom and down the hall into the bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face before running downstairs.

Upon arriving in the kitchen I noticed the copper smell was still as potent as the day before. Mum was sitting at the kitchen table when I made my brisk entrance. While I was hurriedly getting my stuff together I heard a rather loud knock at the front door. I pulled the toast from the toaster, yanked my schoolbag from the coat hooks next to the front door, and swung the door open.
"Hi, Katie."

"He-" Mum interrupted as she came through from the kitchen.

"Oh hello Axel, I haven't seen you in a while. How've you been my dearie?"

I cringed a bit when she said that. Never in my life had I heard mum say 'dearie' and I wish to never hear it again.

Axel was about to start speaking when I cut him off to avoid any more strange phrases from leaving my mother's mouth.

"Anyway, mum it's probably best if we go now."

"Oh ok bye, then Katie. Have a good first day at school." She said the end of that sentence like she was talking to a toddler just to embarrass me a bit more. I grabbed Axels' hand and quickly dragged him down the street away from the house. As soon as we were around the corner and out of sight we started walking normally. He then informed me I'd dragged him the wrong way and we would in fact have to go back down my street to get to school.