Pacifier

Chapter 1

Sleeping was never usually a problem for me but the anxiety of the first day in a new school had kept my tired eyes wide open.

When my alarm rang at 6am I reluctantly got up and jumped into the shower. Not too long later was pulling on my chosen outfit and fixing the imperfections on my face.

Thank God this school didn't have a uniform policy. The itchy layers of fabric from my previous school still gave me nightmares till this day.

"You're up." My mother spoke, practically making me jump out of my skin.

The woman that stood before me was unrecognisable. Her usual tan skin was milk bottle white, her eyes that could once light up any room were dull and lifeless and her long brown hair was greased up and matted down to her head.

They say that's what happens when a once very love-filled marriage, shatters and breaks. But that was over a year ago.

"I take it I'm walking?" I bit my lip already knowing the answer.

She was in no position to drive, I could still smell the permanent stench of cigarettes and alcohol that has stuck to her ever since my father walked out.

Without another word, she nodded and left.

I was used to her being like this. There was nothing I could do to help her, I tried to get her to talk to her friends or even sit in the back garden but it was no use. She would just snap and leave.

Sighing, I grabbed my backpack and my phone with my earphones still dangling from them.

Llandudno wasn't overly warm, however I wasn't really expecting it to be considering it's a seaside town. Normally my walks to school would consist of building sites and adults in suits, here it was just the sea and warm faces.

I finally arrived at the heavily rusted gates guarding a moderately sized school building. Taking a deep breath, I turned off my music and entered the premises .

The letter that I had received prior to attending this school, stated that upon entering I must head straight to reception to grab a timetable. If only it was that easy.

"Hey, are you new?" A girl of medium height with short red hair smiled.

Interacting with others was not something I was necessarily good at.

"Yeah." I bit my lip, was it really that obvious?

Her smile grew bigger as she linked her arm with my own and took off in the direction of what I hoped was the reception.

"My name Harper by the way, I'm going to be a famous artist when I leave this place."

She looked like a Harper. Her shoulder length hair sat perfectly and she was really pulling off the whole grunge-indie outfit vibe. I myself was a fan of that style which was probably already noticeable through my choice of outfit today. You could never go wrong with black skinny jeans, a cropped t-shirt, white converse and a denim jacket.

However grunge and indie seemed to be catching on again lately.

"I'm Eleanor and I honestly don't know what I want to do when I leave school." I chuckled.