Chapter ONE
âIâm here! Iâm actually at Yew Lodge!â Olivia Goddard whispered excitedly to herself, as she entered the changing rooms.
Everywhere she looked, there were unfamiliar girls in gray skirts, white blouses, and blue cardigans. Olivia found a space and started taking her things out of her bag. She had just changed into her new, pink leotard when a group of girls walked in, giggling and whispering to each other. They looked about ten years old, the same as Olivia.
A small girl with silver-blond hair and blue eyes stood nearest to Olivia.
Olivia smiled. âHi, Iâm new here. I think Iâm in your class,â she said.
âSo what?â the blond girl said rudely. She looked up at Olivia and smirked. âWhatâs the weather like up there?â
There were more muffled giggles and whispers from the other girls.
Olivia was used to being teased about her height. âI donât know. My headâs in the clouds,â she joked. âWhatâs it like down there?â
âShe told you, Lucy!â one of the other girls said with a chuckle as Lucy scowled and turned away.
The door banged as a girl with a mop of bright red hair came running into the changing room. She dumped her bag on the bench next to Olivia. âPhew! Just made it. The bus was late,â she puffed. She gave Olivia a big grin. âServes me right, for not living here like everyone else, I guess! Hi, Iâm Tamsin!â
âHi, Iâm Olivia,â Olivia said, smiling.
Tamsin was thin with pale skin and freckles. She smelled of fresh air and spearmint chewing gum.
âWelcome to Yew Lodge!â Tamsin dragged a creased leotard and a pair of wrinkled, white ankle socks out of her bag. âAre you a day girl, like me?â
âNo, Iâm boarding,â Olivia replied. âMy momâs just dropped me off. I havenât even had time to unpack properly, but I didnât want to miss my first class. It feels a little weird to be starting midterm.â
âI bet it does,â Tamsin agreed. âHave you met any of the others yet?â
âOnly Lucy, but she wasnât exactly friendly,â Olivia said quietly.
Tamsin rolled her eyes. âWhat a surprise. Not!â she whispered back. âLucy Castor thinks sheâs Miss Perfect. Donât pay any attention to her.â
Olivia laughed, happy to see that not everyone was so unfriendly.
Unfortunately, Lucy chose that moment to walk by on her way to the studio.
âOoh, look, Mariko!â she said to the pretty girl with high cheekbones and almond eyes by her side. âBeanpole and Frizz are friends.â
Oliviaâs heart sank as she noticed Tamsinâs face flush before she twisted her mass of curly, red hair into a bun.
âI think youâve got amazing hair,â Olivia said, hoping that Lucyâs mean comment hadnât scared off the only girl to be friendly to her so far.
âThanks, Olivia,â Tamsin said with a wry chuckle. âI guess it is a bit of a frizzâI have to use tons of this gel stuff to stop bits of it from popping out and hanging in my eyes.â
Olivia, relieved to see that Tamsin hadnât been too bothered by Lucy, groaned in sympathy. âMy hair does that, too.â
Tamsin held out the tube of hair gel. âTry some of this.â
âThanks.â Olivia squeezed some out and smoothed it on to her thick brown hair. In no time at all, she had coiled it around and pinned it into a neat bun. She sat down to tie her shoelaces.
Tamsin was tying hers, too. âDonât forget to tuck in the ends. Miss Frances hates flapping laces. She calls them pigâs ears!â she said. A few minutes later, she jumped up. âIâm done. Ready?â
Olivia nodded.
As she followed Tamsin into the large, light studio with its shiny, wooden floor, Olivia felt her stomach clench with nerves. Three entire walls were mirrored and a
Learning to Kill: Stories