Maddox Academy: Grievous Beginnings - Wattys 2022 Shortlister

Chapter Eighteen - Geese Have Too Many Teeth

I awoke the next morning before the sun had even risen.

The sky was painted in a pale yellow and pink colour with clouds dotted about and the sun just started to peek over the top of the trees. Birds tweeted in the trees and the soft sound of snoring from the other girls filled the room. I pushed the blankets off my legs and grabbed my running stuff, changing in the bathroom and shoving my pyjamas under the pillow. After slipping my shoes on, I crept across the dormitory and down the stairs.

A table had been left in the entranceway overnight and a banner had been half-pinned in front of the stairs. It dangled down beside the phone and had been draped over the bannister, so I had to push it out of my way to walk down. The clock in the entranceway ticked but I didn't look at it, I didn't know how early I had woken up and how much time I had before spending the entire day with Katie's family.

Outside, there was a cold chill in the air, but it seemed to get warmer as the sun popped up from behind the trees. With everyone still in bed, including Katie and Jo, I returned to the two trees in front of the school and stretched. Once stretched, I started to jog between the trees but got faster as time went on. Within a few minutes, I was sprinting as fast as my body would let me.

Although I appreciated Katie's offer and somewhat glad that I wouldn't be spending the entire day on my own, I was still nervous. People had never been my strong suit and I often favoured being alone if I could help it. I didn't want to go into this first introduction and end up saying or doing the wrong thing so that they would dislike me. That was the dear I had lived with my entire life. Victoria had hated me from the moment she laid eyes on me, I didn't want this to be the same.

I came to a stop beside one of the trees, bending over and placing my hands on my thighs to try and catch my breath. My heart pounded in my chest and breath was heavy, causing my chest to squeeze a little. The run did very little to help clear the thoughts that clouded my head and they only seemed to get faster once I had stopped running.

After spending a little bit of time catching my breath, I stood up. The sun had peeked its way over the trees and the air had grown warmer in the sunlight. Sweat dribbled down the side of my face and onto the top of my blouse, causing me to wipe my hand over the back of my forehead and heading back into school.

The school had started to come alive during my time outside with some of the teachers already walking around and setting up for the parent's arrival later in the day. None of them paid me any mind as I made my way back up the stairs and into the dormitory. Most of the girls were still asleep, with one or two of them milling around and deciding which outfit to wear for the parent's arrival.

"Ew, you're all sweaty," Emma said, watching me walk past her to my own bed.

"Running can do that to a person," I replied.

"Are your parents coming today?"

"Mum has to work so I'm spending the day with Katie's family."

"Oh. That's a shame." She paused. "That they can't come, I mean."

"It can't be helped. Mum said she'd try and make it to the presentations. What about your parents?" I looked at her as I pulled out a red and white chequered dress from my trunk.

"I live with my Grandmother. She arrived yesterday and stayed in the village."

I nodded my head, trying not to show the look of surprise that threatened to appear on my face. Emma had never mentioned her parents, now I knew why.

Emma returned to thumbing through her trunk for something to wear whilst I walked to the bathroom to change. I wiped a damp cloth over my face to remove any lingering swear and dropped my running clothes into the laundry basket. After returning to the dormitory, Perched on the edge of the bed.