Free Sky the Unwanted Kitten by Holly Webb Page A

left out .
    The school secretary buzzed them in and took them over to Lucy’s classroom. The school was actually much newer and smarter than the one Lucy had been going to until three days before, but she wished she was back at her scruffy old school. She stayed silent as her mum and the secretary chatted about the new computer suite. Her mouth was drooping sadly as they arrived at class 5W, and the secretary showed them in. 
    Her new teacher, Mrs Walker, smiled kindly at her, then announced, “Class, I’d like you to meet Lucy. She’s just moved here, and I want you all to make her feel very welcome.”

    Lucy blushed and didn’t know where to look. She hated everyone staring at her. Mrs Walker then took Lucy to one side, and said the class had really been looking forward to having her and she knew Lucy would be very happy once she’d settled in.
    Lucy wasn’t sure how she was supposed to do that – she’d never had to settle in anywhere before. She’d been to the same school since nursery, and she had known everyone .
    “You sit here, Lucy, and Orla and Katie will look after you,” Mrs Walker said. “You’ll show Lucy where everything is, won’t you, girls?”
    Orla and Katie nodded and smiled. “Hi, Lucy!” they chorused.
    “Hello,” Lucy muttered, and sat down as quickly as she could.
    Orla and Katie tried their best, but Lucy was too shy to give more than yes or no answers to their polite questions. Eventually they gave up, and although they stayed with her all through the lunch hour, they stopped bothering to talk to her. They don’t like me , Lucy told herself unhappily, as she listened silently to Orla telling Katie all about her ballet exam. No one’s even talking to me .
    Class 5W were actually quite a friendly group, but they couldn’t do much faced with a silent Lucy, and she was so unhappy that she couldn’t see that she needed to make an effort, too. Lucy was in the cloakroom putting on her coat to go home, when she heard some of the girls talking about her. She stayed frozen where she was, hidden behind a coat-rack, and listened.
    “That new girl is a bit strange,” someone said, giggling.
    “Yeah, she hardly said a word all day.” Lucy recognized the voice of Orla, one of her minders. “I hope Mrs Walker doesn’t make us look after her tomorrow as well.”
    “Perhaps she thinks she’s too good for us,” another voice suggested. “I’m glad I didn’t have to talk to her.”
    “Yeah, she does seem a bit stuck-up,” Orla agreed.
    Another girl from Lucy’s class who was on the same side of the cloakroom as her gave Lucy a worried look, and coughed loudly. There was a sudden silence, then Orla’s head popped round the coats, and her eyes went saucer-wide . She shot back again, and there was a burst of embarrassed giggling.
    Lucy stood up and stalked out, blinking back tears. So what if they didn’t like her? She certainly didn’t like them . She heard the girls start whispering very fast, worrying about her telling Mrs Walker what they’d said. I hate this school , she thought, as she brushed her sleeve across her face angrily, trying to pretend to herself and everybody else that she wasn’t crying.
    “So how was your first day? Did you have a good time?” her mum asked eagerly as she met Lucy at the school gate. 
    “No. It was horrible, and I want to go home.”
    “Oh, Lucy, I’m sorry.” Her mum looked at her anxiously. “I’m sure it’ll get better, honestly. You just need to take a few days to get used to everything.” She sighed, and then said in a cheerful voice, “I thought we’d walk back, it’s not far. Kieran wanted to go by himself, so you and I can see if we spot any nice parks on the way home.”
    “Not there, home . I want to go back to our old house, and my proper school. I hate it here! No one likes me!” Lucy wailed. “I miss Ellie, and all my friends!”
    Mum sighed again. “Lucy, your dad and I have explained this. We had to move.