Gaia

Chapter 1

Gaia got out of bed on Monday morning wondering why school has to exist. School isn't all that bad but on dark, miserable mornings like this, she'd make an exception. It's that time of the year when winter is just around the corner and the sun doesn't want to come out until 7:30am. New Zealand is often a dreary place, especially New Plymouth. New Plymouth is a small city in Taranaki, New Zealand that rains much more than it needs to.

Many people assume that New Zealand is all sheep and farms and gumboots. This isn't quite true. Some people even dare to believe New Zealand either similar or part of Australia. This is even more not true. Gaia is seventeen. Although she is seventeen, she's not sweet. Quite grumpy actually. When people first meet her, they choose to mistakenly assume that she's a goody-two-shoes and very shy. Well, she is shy but only when you first meet her.

Gaia was born in George, South Africa and lived there for two years until her family suddenly decided to move to New Zealand which is 4 airplane flights away. Gaia has obviously lived in New Zealand most of her life but has been back to South Africa many times and prefers it over NZ. Sure, you can have your car hijacked at the traffic lights and you need electric fences around your house, but South Africa just feels more like home.

Gaia rolled out of bed and opened her blinds. Yep, still dark. No point in even opening them. She started to make her bed then went into the bathroom to take a shower. Looking in the mirror, she stared at her reflection with a frown on her face. Gaia has light brown hair, just below her shoulders. Her skin, ghostly pale and she has big round green eyes with flecks of hazel and brown. Gaia isn't skinny. She's slightly overweight but she's not fat. Her parents want her to loose weight but she can't. She likes chocolate too much.

Gaia has never had a boyfriend. She's never been kissed and is completely inexperienced. This sad fact makes her insecure and jealous of other girls in her school who tell sickeningly sweet stories of their boyfriends and happy relationship activities. Maybe the fact that she goes to an all-girls high school can be listed to one of the reasons why she's still single. Or just the fact that she's rather anti-social. Don't get her wrong, she isn't a complete loner loser. She does have friends and she likes to have fun. But she also loves to lock herself in her room, watching 'Riverdale' and binging out on chocolate and chips. Not such a great pass time.

After showering and getting dressed, Gaia begrudgingly put on some makeup and ate breakfast. Her dad, a busy doctor left for work. Gaia's parents Katia and Tom, own a successful medical practise that her mother manages and her father is the doctor of. This, and the fact that her parents and brother Leon, are all fit and healthy should probably motivate Gaia to work harder in life. It doesn't, to be honest. Gaia does ok in school and is fairly happy with the way she is even if she doesn't like the way she looks. She does wish people thought she was smarter though. Just because she sucks at maths, doesn't mean she's stupid overall.

After a yuck breakfast off egg on toast, a hasty goodbye to her parents, Gaia got on her scooter and scootered off to school in the cold.