My new attic bedroom is a strange, strange place. It always feels as though there's someone else in the room. Maybe it's the various odds and ends that mum and I found, that make you feel as tough the person who used to live here still does, I don't know. I've decided that over the next week I'll paint my room, see if maybe that will get rid of the strange feeling someone's watching me. But for now, getting to know the town is a priority.
"Well it's a small town isn't it?" Mum asks me as we drive down what I assume is the Main Street of the busier area.
"Yeah, but it's nice don't you think?"
"It is. See here, this is the bank I'll be working in, I've already secured a job." Mum points out a Westpac at the top corner of the street on the left, across from the post office. "Hang on in here for a moment Evie, I just have to drop something off." Mum takes a thick paper folder out of the car with her and walks into the bank, leaving me in the car. A group of six boys, some that look younger and others that look older than me, skate down the opposite paved walking path and stop at a shop. At a closer glance I see it's a small fast good place called Oscar's. they leave their skateboards outside and walk in.
On the right hand side of the street, three girls round the bend in black leotards with a small pink rose printed above the heart. 'Rose Studio' is printed in cursive below the rose. They walk, chatting and laughing down the street and disappear into an alleyway.
"Okay, well, I guess we check out the beach?" Mum gets back into the car and starts the engine, pulling out onto the road.
"Hey watch it lady!" A voice booms from the drivers seat of a car that hadn't payed a speck of attention to the Give Way sign of his side of the road.
"Moron." Mum mutters and swerves around his car. Another lot of skateboarding boys rides past, jumping off the gutter and shooting across the pedestrian crossing.
"It's a lively little town don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess." So I'm not really used to the whole small town feel. I know mum grew up in a beach town, and I spent the first five or so years of my life there with her, but I haven't really had any experience. It's the same with cities. Sure, my old town was biggish, it had two high schools, four primary schools and a Lutheran college, so it was farely large.
"How many primary schools are there?"
"Three. One's Catholic, the other two are state." So I guess it isn't your cliche town with a butcher, baker, candlestick maker and a barber, it's got a good amount of shops. "It'll take a but of getting used to but honey, it's probably a good thing to have a wider variety of places you've been to."
"I know." It doesn't mean I have to like it though. So this wil be my third school. I did the whole of Primary, well, up until grade five, at one school, then moved to our last town, did year six there and then went into high school. And now I'm starting year eleven here.
"Evie look!" Mum points to a Chinese food store. "The Palace." Atleast they have take away.
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So I discovered something this morning, while setting up the guest room which most likely will never get used. The people across the street are just moving in as well. Or they're coming back from a crazy long camping trip in which they brought three armchairs with them. I think the latter is more likely.
There are a few kids that live in my street. No I haven't met them or their parents haven't done the cliche neighbour thing and brought over a freshly microwaved store bought pie claiming they 'whipped it up this morning'. But you can hear them. And see them. There's a family with four boys at the end, who play very loudly in the street with rocks and Nerf guns. They all seem to be between five and twelve.
Next door is a grouchy old man who, at dusk every afternoon, goes out to chase the boys away with his walking stick as they 'weed his garden'. Suffice to say there are more weeds than actual garden anyway. Across from the Brady Bunch's house is an elegant three storey home owned by a woman who looks to be around forty. I have my doubts though. She's one of those women who could be Dumbledore's older sister and still look like she just rolled out of high school. She has a daughter who's about nine or ten. A real brat from what I can tell by the jeering an boo-ing the Brady Bunch make when the Brat walks her English mongrel of a dog. Yes, it's a chihuahua.
As far as I can tell, our other next door neighbours have a fairly young baby. Well, they don't need to tell us. I'll never have to set an alarm again. Every morning at around 5:17, yes, I kept track, a strangulatory cry echoes through the silent street and about a minute later a light comes on. I think they also have a young boy about four, judging by the cute face I've caught staring at me throughout the day. There are a few others, but the one that catches my interest the most is the new-bies across the street. A girl, who looks to be my age with fiery red hair and pale skin lived across the street. I'd go into more details but the truth is I haven't actually met her, so no I know neither her eye colour nor shoe size.
"Evie-Jane! Come downstairs we have a visitor!" Since there isn't a mirror in my room just yet, I take a quick glimpse at myself in the bathroom mirror, standing on the edge of the bath to get a proper look. I look okay, casual, but tidy. The town seems pretty layed back, from what I can see of the kids in my street shorts and tshirts are the norm.
When I get downstairs I'm actually quite shocked to see the next door neighbours with the baby laughing away with my mum.
"Oh, Evie, meet Alisha and Lela, they live next door." I assume Alisha, the woman, comes over and gives me a small hug, while Lela, I presume pokes my nose repeatedly.
"Hi, Evie I'm Alisha and this is baby Lela. We live next door." I take back everything I said about no cliche neighbourhood crap.
"Hi, I'm Evie." I smile at her and tickle Lela's foot.
"Well, I just wanted to come and say hello. New people in this old town is a rarity, so I hope you're settling in well." And then, as though the cliche gods are on a particularly intoxicating line of crack, Alisha produces a metal Thomas the Tank Engine tin with a latch on the side of it.
"I was baking some cookies for my son's birthday and thought it might be a nice welcome to Arrondale gift." She hands the tin to my mum, who smiles warmly and takes it.
"Thank you! That's so kind. I'd invite you for lunch but we have no furniture yet, and I can hear quite a commotion next door." The yelling and general small children partying noises from next door are getting louder by the minute. A sudden cry for 'let's play hide and seek' is responded to with maniacal cries resembling those you would expect from an ostrich high on speed in a tutu. And no, incase you were wondering, that is not something I have experienced.
"Oh! Yeah I should probably go and control the beasts, some of Lionel's friends are quite a handful." With resonate 'bye's and 'thankyou's mum and I are left in the front hall with a Thomas the Tank Engine tin box and a new best friend. Well, as far as I can tell by the expression on mum's face.
"What a lovely woman."
"She was very uppity wasn't she."
"Very spritely." Mum walks off, presumably to do someting of benefit and I decide I may aswell enjoy the cookies. Taking the tin off of the bookshelf in the hall, one of the only items of furniture we managed to stuff into the car, I sit on the front step and enjoy what could most possibly be the delicious-est tasting food I have ever tasted.
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Woohoo! Who's excited for September holidays? I know I'm freaking pumped!
So I don't know where you guys are from, let alone if you're in Australia or not. I can tell you though that September holidays are one of the most awesome times of year. Excluding the fact it was my birthday on Friday the 19th and that I got a new guitar, these holidays are shaping up to be great!
Comment what country you live in and your favourite holiday past times, I want to get to know you lovelie's better!
Love you all~
Maia
YOU ARE READING
Looking For Lacey
Teen FictionI heard rumours about this town. I didn't believe them though. I mean, who would right? When my mum and I moved I was faced with the usual new-school issues. New teachers, classes, peers. And most importantly making new friends. I don't see him un...
