Chapter 12: The Invisible Girl in Room Thirteen by Stephen Simpson
When I stepped off the bus, I looked across the flat, calm
surface of the lake and saw the school building on the other side, a darker
shade of grey than the surrounding clouds. I was mesmerized by the image.
“Alison?”
I turned around to his voice. “Hey, Oliver.”
“Scary, isn’t it?” He asked as he came to stand next to me.
“What’s scary?” I forced a soft laugh.
“The school from all the way over here.”
I looked back at the building in the distance. “Yeah. At
least it’s far from here. I’m looking forward to this break, that’s for sure.”
The weak sun shone high above the surrounding trees as the
other girls from my year group disembarked the bus. Behind that, the boys leapt
with raucous pushing and shoving from a navy and white bus. Not long after,
bags were scattered on the ground and the two buses pulled away from the
campsite.
Mrs Scott’s voice boomed, sending birds scattering from the
treetops. “Girls get your bags and move them to the pod you were allocated to
yesterday. If you weren’t paying attention, wait by the picnic tables until I
get to you.”
I turned away from Oliver. “Better get going.”
“See you later,” he said as he walked away to find his own
bag and to get settled in his allocated pod.
The pods were built close together and the campsite could
accommodate thirty-six students, six per pod and then the four staff members
each had their own pod. The toilet and shower facilities were immediately
adjacent to the pods and were shared. There was a strict schedule with boy/girl
time slots stuck to the door of each pod.
Evelyn called me over. “I’ve saved you a bed. Top or bottom?”
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