It was the first proper day of school. Grace was awoken by the familiar buzzing of Megan’s phone alarm. Today it was more than slightly irritating for some reason; it was probably because she hadn't gotten up at this ridiculous time for two months. She groaned opening her crusty eyes. "Meg, turn the bloody alarm off." brook called from across the room. Grace stretched lazily before rolling out of her was snug bed and into the brisk morning air that felt like little knives stabbing her bare skin. The woollen carpet beneath her feet took away some of the cold but not much. The alarm was still going, I’m ten seconds away from going insane, grace thought to herself. Just as she thought that Megan turned the alarm off. Grace shared a dorm with three other girls, three other girls that happened to be her best friends. There was Megan, the responsible one, Brook, the one you didn't want to get on the wrong side of, and Leila, the dippy one. The four girls all attended 'Country High Boarding School for Women' and had done for the past five years; this would be their sixth and their last. All the girls are sixteen going on seventeen. The school was a grand manor house from the 17th century that's grounds were 4 acres of fields along with an ache of woodland however no one was aloud in there. The manor house had four floors; the top two were for bed rooms, even though half the rooms weren't filled. The bottom floor held a reception, lounge, dining room and many class rooms though the hole of the second floor was classrooms. The school wasn't very strict the pupils had a uniform that they had to wear but apart from that and the no boys rule, and the obvious rules that every school had it was rather relaxed.
Grace, Megan and Brook were up and out of bed, however Leila wasn't. Leila was always the one everyone had to get up and it usually took about half an hour until she was moving and awake. The three girls were familiar with the drill of getting Leila out of bed. They took their positions. On the silent count of three the girls began to get to work. Grace tugged the covers off and onto the floor while brook got her pillow as Megan put a bottle of freaking tap water by her feet. Leila squeaked wriggling around eyes still tightly shut searching for any warmth. She opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. "Guys really the first day back, I was going to get up" Leila said looking around at all three girls that were trying to restrain themselves from laughing.
"Yeah sure you would have and Mrs Dale let boys into the school" Brook said sarcastically. There was a strict no boys rule that wasn't even necessary considering the school was miles from the nearest village. Leila gave a joking scowl before getting up out of bed. Breakfast was always at 7:00 exactly along with lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 6:00. All four girls proceeded in their pyjamas down to breakfast as normal. the halls were full with half asleep students all bustling along to get to breakfast each trying to get them self’s more awake so they wouldn't fall down the stone steps. The decent to breakfast was rather slow as there were so many people walking so slowly. Grace was alarmed at the array of food laid out, the first proper day of term the kitchen went all out on the food, and Grace had forgotten the extent of this. She sat down on one of the ten long wooden tables set out, only half of them were ever full, it was odd but you got use to it.
"Welcome back ladies, I hope you all had a lovely and refreshing holiday. Today before dinner there will be a new addition to the school. I will not say any more until then but I hope you enjoy you first day back" Mrs Dales the head teacher who always wore her greying hair pinned back in a bun with a pencil skirt, today she was wearing a purple blouse that made her green eyes look menacing. She sat down at her seat on the staff table and the hall was filled with an uproar of voices. Grace began to fill her plate with fruit and pancakes.
"What do you think it is?" Brook asked referring to the surprise.
"I have no idea" Leila said. Listening into the conversation in the hall the surprise was the hot topic of the day, even more than Genny Willows nose job what was a tremendous surprise. Grace thought about what it could be as she tucked into the stack of fruit drizzled pancakes on her plate, she could rule only one thing out it wasn't going to be boys. It would bug her all day, a little nag at the back of her mind that wouldn't leave her alone, Grace hated things like this where there was no guidance.
