Chapter One: Journey

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The sun rose above the far line of the horizon, bathing the world in a flood of gold. Dark clouds turned crimson, before fleeing away from the blinding light. Tiredly, I blinked against the light that suddenly infiltrated the dimness that had occupied the car. I lifted my head from the pillow I’d lain against the window and stared outside. Taxi seats just weren’t made for comfort, the pain in my back and neck proved it.

‘’We’re almost here, miss,’’ said the taxi driver, Herbert, in his creaky voice. 

I nodded, too sleepy to do much more, and hoped that he’d seen me in the mirror. I rummaged in my bag for my water bottle and gulped down the remaining water. My throat felt a little less parched, but the almost warm fluid hadn’t helped much with the thirst. 

‘’Excuse me,’’ I croaked. I cleared my throat and went on. ‘’Is there any café we could stop at? I’d like to buy some water.’’

Herbert nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. I almost threw up when my eyes fell on his beard, which was filled with crumbs from his breakfast. I sat back quickly, and tried to keep looking out of the window. I felt nauseous, and the bad air in the car didn’t exactly help. I had to admit, it was my own fault. My father had tried to get me to ride to school in one of his limousines here in England, but I hadn’t wanted to arrive at the school in one of those. Arriving in a limousine just screamed ‘stuck-up’, and I wanted my new classmates to like me. 

We’d been driving almost a day now, and finally we had arrived in Cherysford, my mother’s hometown. My grandparents had long since passed away, which explained my never having been here. Though the reason I was here was enough to make me want to smash things, I was still glad to see the town at last. It was a small town with pretty small houses, cute little gardens and a bumpy, twisted brick road. I opened the car door when it stopped and rushed out. I breathed in the fresh morning air, and I never was so glad to be outdoors as in that moment. Herbert stuck his head out of the window and pointed to a little brick house, standing away from the other houses. 

‘’You can buy something to eat and drink there, miss. Just walk right in.’’

I nodded and started walking towards the little shop. A small bell rung as I opened the door and a woman appeared behind the counter, busily wiping her hands on her apron. She was a pretty little plump lady, with her dark hair put up in a quick knot at the top of her head. She looked up at me, her eyes twinkling.

‘’And what can I get you, miss?’’ she asked, with a thick accent. I couldn’t place the accent, but I was in England, a land I knew nothing about. 

‘’Could I buy a bottle of water, please?’’ I asked, feeling a trifle ashamed of my heavy American accent. It seemed so out of place in this dainty, pastel coloured teahouse. The woman looked up at me with a curious expression on her face.

‘’You are Rilla’s child, aren’t you?’’ she asked, a kind smile adorning her face.

Surprised and a little cautious, I nodded. ‘’You knew my mother?’’ 

‘’Yes, of course I knew your mother, dear. Did I ever! Such a pretty little lass she was, too. Always traipsing around helping people wherever she could. Apple of her parent’s eye, she was. You look a mighty lot like her, you do,’’ the woman exclaimed, taking a glass bottle of water from what must have been a fridge under the counter and handing it to me.

‘’So I’ve been told,’’ I answered, giving her the amount that appeared on the small screen.

‘’With that bonnie pixie face and that smooth chestnut hair, she was the beauty of Cherysford. You could have been her twin. Now, what’s this pretty little lass doing in her ma’s hometown?’’

‘’I’m going to be attending Cherysford Elite Boarding School, ma’am,’’ I answered respectfully, putting the bottle and the change in my bag. 

‘’Good school, that is. My very own sister is the cook there, and a mighty fair cook she is, too. You’ll enjoy your meals there. Very distinguished teachers and very rich students. If you don’t mind me asking, did your father bring you?’’

‘’My father is very busy with the companies. I decided to come on my own. It was a wish of my mother’s that I would be schooled here,’’ I told her. I didn’t mind staying in this dainty little place, it was warm and it delayed my arrival at the school. I wanted to respect my mother’s wish, but on the other side, I didn’t want to go to some stupid boarding school. The plus side was, it had both boys and girls, so that would make living there more interesting.

Herbert, however, had other plans. Outside, the taxi horn tooted so loudly that I was sure even my dad in the USA would be able to hear it. I said goodbye to the friendly lady and headed outside, back to the stuffy old taxi. I hadn’t bought anything to eat, for the simple reason that I wasn’t hungry. My stomach seemed to be filled with butterflies, and there was no room for anything else. I was sure that if I even attempted to eat something, I’d throw up for sure.

‘’Come on, miss,’’ said Herbert, impatiently. ‘’Or else we’ll be late.’’

‘’Coming,’’ I muttered, getting back into the car. All the windows were open, and the car was well aired, so I didn’t mind it as much as driving here. I rather liked this England country air, it was much cleaner and fresher than the city air in New York. That air was filled with smoke, pollution and all kinds of unhealthy fumes. 

We drove for a little while longer, before arriving at a large building surrounded with a long brick wall, with black iron gate doors attached to it. The doors swung open when Herbert tooted the horn, and I leaned forward eagerly to see the school. I might not have liked coming here, but I was curious all the same.

The school was impressive, to say the least. Made out of dark brick, it seemed more like a castle than a boarding school. The windows had a rounded top, and there were hundreds of them, with elegant black iron frames. The doors were heavy mahogany, and had black iron doorknobs. Herbert drove the taxi up the seemingly endless drive, and then stopped. He opened the door, letting me out, and then we stood in silence.

‘’Well miss. Good luck,’’ was all he said, before getting back into the taxi and driving away. The black gateway doors swung shut behind him. I was alone, and I was about to enter a new life, one of which I was uncertain if I’d like it or not.

Author's Note

Please tell me what you think!

Reviews

[Mister T.]

Very well-written first chapter, I have to say. It gives some background information indeed. Hopefully your writer's block won't stop you from writing more stuff like this ;)

[Cass Morgan]

Thank you very much! I'll try not to let it stop me. Writer's block is every writer's worst nightmare, whether the writer is good or not. :D

[Lavorther]

The first paragraph immediately grabbed my attention, and you kept it throughout the whole chapter. It's a good first chapter, giving a bit of background on the protagonist while setting the scene for the rest of the book. A boarding school can be an interesting setting for a book, and I'm curious to see in which direction you are going to take this story.

This was really well written, and I had a hard time finding anything to critique. There was only one little thing:

"We drove for a little while longer, before arriving at a large building surrounded with a long brick wall/gate, ..."
The "wall/gate" part feels a bit off, but that might just be me.

[Cass Morgan]

My first chapter is usually my best chapter. I can't help it- but I guess it has to do with my interest. I lose interest in a book somewhere around the third chapter, and if I get to somewhere around the fifth, I pick up interest again. If I have a case of writer's block it's severe... :(
I thought the wall/gate part felt a little off as well, but I didn't exactly know how to describe it. I guess I'll just use wall :D
Thank you for your review!