Chapter Five 
SCHOOL
On Monday morning, Ava sat on her bed, dressed in her new school uniform. Bella and Jasmine had given her some of their spares to wear for the time she was there, and it made Ava happy to know that the green cardigan and grey skirt were theirs. Tom had given her his extra tie, a green, grey and gold striped one that she’d tied with shaky fingers a few moments earlier. She took a deep breath, trying to steady the swirl of emotions inside her. She was a little nervous, but having made friends already brought a sense of excitement too. She hadn’t looked forward to school this much for ages. Ava liked school back home, but didn’t have that many friends there. She was always so busy after school and on weekends that there wasn’t much time for anything else. Having Tom, Jasmine, Bella, Jack and Rav as friends already made her really happy.
A loud knock on her door brought Ava out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Tom in his unform and couldn’t help but giggle.
‘What?’ said Tom defensively.
‘Nothing,’ Ava said, giggling again.
‘Go on, spit it out.’
‘I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never seen you look that smart, let alone wearing a tie!’
Tom pulled at the stripy tie around his neck.
‘Yeah, well, I’d be in overalls if I could, but Dragon-Breath Dalton would put me on lunch-clearing duty for a week!’
‘Who?’ asked Ava, her eyes wide in surprise.
‘Mr Dalton, our head teacher. He’s all right, really… most of the time. Stickler for being neat and tidy though. Forget your tie, and that’s when the dragon is unleashed. His favourite punishment is getting you to help the dinner ladies clear up after lunch. It’s well boring when you could be outside instead.’
Ava’s stomach squeezed. The balance of emotions inside her had tipped in favour of nerves at the thought of dragon head teachers.
Tom and Ava pulled up at school in the farm truck. Both Uncle John and Aunt Kitty had taken them to school, and Ava hadn’t missed the look in Aunt Kitty’s eyes, which threatened to release a few tears.
‘Make sure you look after Ava, Tom,’ said Aunt Kitty, turning round in the passenger seat to face them. ‘And don’t worry if you don’t like the lunch. I’ve got a big dinner planned for when you get home. There’ll be sticky toffee pudding and chocolate brownies.’
Tom and Ava exchanged glances.
‘And if you need anything at all, Ava, love, I’m only ten minutes away. Okay?’
Tom leaned towards Ava. ‘She was like this with me when I first started school. I was about five then though!’
Ava smiled at her aunt. ‘Thanks, Aunt Kitty. I’m sure I’ll be fine.’
‘I’m here if you need me. Just get Mrs Harrison on reception to give me a call. I’ll have my phone with me all day.’
Ava could just make out Tom rolling his eyes in the seat next to her.
‘Time to go, or you’ll be late!’ said Uncle John brightly.
Tom opened the truck door and hopped out, pulling Ava behind him.
‘Have fun!’ called Uncle John.
Ava glanced back, catching Aunt Kitty dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
‘She always gets like that,’ said Tom, pacing to the playground. ‘She can sort out everything on the farm – storms, escaped animals, life, death, whatever – but when it comes to this sort of thing, she just gets so emotional.’
‘Shows she cares though,’ said Ava, hoisting her new rucksack onto her back.
‘That’s what Dad says. Gets embarrassing at school plays and stuff though. Mum’s always the first to well up.’
Ava laughed.
‘Ava!’
Ava turned in the direction of the shout. A tall, dark-haired girl ran towards her, and Ava instantly recognized Jasmine. She smiled and flung her arms around Ava, giving her a tight squeeze.
‘I’m so pleased you’re back, Ava!’
‘Me too, Jasmine,’ said Ava, returning her warm smile.
‘Call me Jas. All my friends do.’
Ava felt her cheeks flush. Jas had called her a friend and it made Ava’s heart soar.
‘Year Six is going to be so much better with you here,’ said Bella.
‘Thanks,’ said Tom, sounding hurt.
‘You know what she means,’ said Jas with a grin.
‘You remember this lot, don’t you?’ Tom nodded to the group that had formed around her.
The rest of Tom’s friends said hello to Ava. She hadn’t seen them for a few months, but Tom had filled her in on their comings and goings and had even given her a reminder of what each of his friends were like on the way to school that morning. She remembered he’d said that Bella, who was the mousey-haired girl with freckles, was the cleverest kid in their class by a long shot. If you needed an answer to anything, Bella would usually know it.
Rav, who seemed to have grown a bit since the last time Ava had seen him, was mad about the natural world and geography. His absolute love was rocks and fossils, although he was constantly disappointed by the lack of fossils to be found around Amblewick.
Lastly, there was Jack. Ava hadn’t known what to make of Jack when she’d first met him at Easter. He hadn’t seemed the friendliest of people, but Tom said he just came across that way. Jack was Tom’s best friend and came from a large farming family, and just like Tom, he loved being outdoors whatever the weather. Whereas Whistledown had livestock, Jack’s farm was arable, growing crops like wheat and barley along with fruit and vegetables.
A whistle sounded and the buzz and movement of the playground instantly stopped. A second whistle blew and the children began lining up. Jas took Ava’s hand and led her to a line at the far end of the playground next to a wooden shed and vegetable patch. There was also a chicken coop and a handful of chickens scratching about in a run next to the shed.
‘They’re Whistledown chickens,’ said Tom from behind her in the line. ‘We bring eggs in every year for the classes to incubate and hatch. We usually take some back and leave a few here. We won’t do it again until spring, so you’ll be back home by then, but I guess you’ve done it already on the farm.’
Ava smiled to herself. She knew all about hatching eggs from her stay over Easter.
Suddenly Ava was shoved forward as she felt someone barge into her back.
‘Hey,’ said Ava, turning to face whoever it was.
A girl the same height as Ava with sleek blonde hair glared at her.
‘Watch what you’re doing,’ hissed the girl. ‘I don’t know what they do back in your own school, but you can’t just stand right in front of someone. You could have made me fall over.’
‘But I…’ began Ava.
She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Tom. The girl flicked her long hair over her shoulder and strode towards the front of the line.
‘That’s Melody Marchant,’ whispered Tom. ‘It’s best if you keep your head down around her for a bit. If you stay out of her way, she’ll stay out of yours.’
‘Oh,’ said Ava, peering along the line of children to see Melody laughing with a group of girls at the front.
‘She thinks a lot of herself, that one,’ said Tom.
Ava nodded, deciding she’d give Melody a wide berth for now.
‘Morning, Year Six!’
Ava peered around the line of children again to get a look at the tall, smiling woman who was standing at the front wearing an orange flowery blouse tucked into brown corduroy trousers. Ava guessed she must be their teacher. She seemed a little younger than Ava’s mum and Aunt Kitty and had light brown hair piled up on top of her head in a messy bun.
‘That’s Miss Harper,’ whispered Tom. ‘She only started at the end of last year, so none of us really know what she’s like.’
‘Okay, Year Six, head into the classroom. Bags and coats in the cloakroom, please, and pencil cases out on the desk ready to begin!’
The line of children obediently started to file into school. As Ava reached Miss Harper, she felt the teacher gently take her hand and pull her out of the line. Ava watched the rest of her new class disappear inside. Rav paused and looked over his shoulder before following the others in.
‘Ava, isn’t it?’ said Miss Harper softly.
Ava nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. Miss Harper smiled warmly at Ava.
‘We’re both quite new here, but I’m sure we’ll settle in quickly. If you need anything at all, just ask.’
Ava’s shoulders relaxed. ‘Thanks, miss,’ she whispered.
‘I’m going to introduce myself to the class and thought it would be nice for you to do the same. What do you think?’
Ava’s heart pounded at the thought of standing up in front of the whole class. She’d hoped she could just get her first day over and done with without being noticed too much.
‘I think it’s like ripping off a plaster,’ said Miss Harper with a grin. ‘The quicker you do it, the better. This way, you only have to introduce yourself once and you won’t have all your classmates coming up to you one by one for the rest of the week asking the same questions.’
Ava sighed. As much as she didn’t want to be the focus of the class’s attention, she had a feeling Miss Harper was right. Besides, she already knew five friendly faces that would be there in front of her, and that made her feel much better already.
Ava followed Miss Harper inside, stopping in the cloakroom. She hung her bag and coat on a peg that had her name written above it in bright neon-coloured letters. The corridor outside the classroom was quiet as the rest of the class had gone in while Ava had been talking to Miss Harper. She could hear them laughing and chatting, obviously excited to see each other again on the first day of a new school year. She paused outside the classroom door, reading the sign tacked to it.
Year Six – Oaks
Ava smiled. It was her last year at primary school, and she decided there and then she’d make the most of it. She made a promise to herself to make as many new friends as possible. Ava took a deep breath and pushed open the classroom door.
