SPITE

Chapter One

Beep! Beep!

Liam jolted awake in surprise. Usually he was used to his alarm clock sounding at this time every morning, but this time it was different. He turned off the alarm sluggishly and stepped into his slippers, dragging himself downstairs wearily. It was only 6 'o'clock in the morning, but apparently it was essential that he was up and ready to leave as early as possible. Despite still being half-asleep, anxiety sparked inside him at the thought that he wasn't just going to any school. He reminded himself that this was a boarding school, and that would mean staying there for the entire year! Being fourteen years old, he wasn't used to leaving his home for such a long period, and he couldn't help but worry about what could happen when he got there.

Who will I go to if I can't make any friends, or if I'm being bullied? He wondered anxiously. I won't be able to go home to talk to my parents about any problems, like tricky homework, or unfair detentions.

Liam headed into the kitchen, a little more awake now, and sat himself down at the kitchen table. He guessed that his parents were taking him to the school earlier than he expected, because his cereal was already laid out for him scruffily. All there was left to do was pour the milk. Glancing towards the front door, he saw his mother sorting through several suitcases that Liam had packed the day before. She was clearly looking through them, checking that Liam had actually packed the stuff he needed to take with him. She lifted her head to face him, a stressed frown on her face as she spoke. "We are setting off in half an hour, make sure to get yourself ready in time." She told him, proceeding to re-fold some of Liam's school shirts busily.

"Why do we have to leave so early?" He complained groggily, spooning his cereal into his mouth faster now that he knew that he was on a harsh time crunch.

"Because it's a five-hour journey, and you have to be at the Academy by twelve so that you can get placed into a dormitory." His mother replied briefly. "I want you to be nice and early so that you don't end up having to go into a dormitory full of boys that you might not like. I want you to have a chance beforehand to get to know a few people and decide who you want to share a dorm with." 

Liam nodded slightly, his bowl of cereal now half-empty as he scoffed it as fast as he could. So there's going to be a bunch of nasty boys he could get put into a dorm with if he wasn't careful? How reassuring. 

"Don't be long, Liam!" His dad called, heading inside the house with car keys grasped in his palm. "I'm just clearing the boot of the car to fit all of your suitcases. Do you really need all of this?" He added, glancing at the bulging cases piled up by the doormat.

"I'm going for an entire year, of course I need a lot." Retorted Liam matter-of-factly, leaving the rest of his cereal so he could get himself changed into the new academy uniform. I really hope I look good in it. He thought paranoidly, hurrying up the stairs two at a time.

Upon reaching his bedroom, he pulled his uniform from a large square cardboard package next to his wardrobe and held it up to himself in front of the mirror. The logo on the black blazer was a long, crimson-brown cobra, slithering up from a hole in a fallen tree. Above the logo in a semi-circle were the letters " WestWood Academy" In a vibrant white font. The uniform came with a plain white school shirt with buttons and a collar. There was also a pair of black trousers and an unpatterned tie, already pre-tied for him. Its colour was a really dark purple-blue. Quickly taking off his pajamas, Liam wore his uniform smartly. He made sure to button up his shirt carefully and make sure he looked as good as he could. Standing up, he admired the new uniform proudly. He thought it looked really posh on him, much better than he could've expected. The blazer sleeves were a bit baggy for his skinny arms, but it didn't really matter. Wearing this, even his scruffy brown hair seemed neat to some extent. Perhaps this won't be such a bad school after all, he thought to himself with a spark of hope.