CHAPTER1
SIX MONTHS AGO
Sighing heavily,I moved towards the kitchen to see my mum and dad standing by the breakfast bar, their smiles growing on their faces as their eyes met mine.
“You ready for your next adventure?” my mum sipped on her tea out of her pretentious china cup.
“Oh yeah,” I rolled my eyes with sarcasm thick on my tongue, “looking forward to spending the next two years in a boarding school.”
I heard my dad tsk.
“It’s for your own good, a higher education leads to better opportunities once you step out of those gates as a nearly nineteen-year-old.”
I shook my head, a small laugh escaping me.
“Why you decided that now was a good idea to up and move to the coast with two years left of my education is beyond me.”
“You know why, your father has been elected as deputy Mayor.” My mum turned to look at my dad with adoring eyes as her hand brushed across the top of his shoulders.
“Fucking gross.” I muttered, grabbing an apple and turning back for my bedroom.
“Where do you think you’re going Ivy?” My father’s voice bellowed around our large, stately home that came with his poncy job title.
“To get my suitcases…. Duh.” I huffed, climbing the stairs and stomping hard as I did. I was over this already.
Sitting in the blacked-out Mercedes,I spent most of the journey looking out the window. My mum was making idle chit chat, but her voice was just a hum that swam through my veins. I was bored of them. They weren’t shit parents; they were the perfect kind. To the outside world. But not to me. Always striving for me to do my best, the piano lessons, the private tutor, no sleepovers, no parties…
I saw the white cliffs as we approached West Coast Cove. My heart jumped before falling deep into my chest. I didn’t have many friends growing up, so it wasn’t like I wasn’t used to being alone. I have also attended private grammar schools, but never a boarding school. The only bonus is we have longer holidays between terms, but it’ll be different for me. I will be alone at boarding school, like I was always alone at home.
I would most likely stay at the school, what was the point of going home to an empty house? Mum was a well-known designer, my dad working in the Mayor’s office. I am alone most of the time anyway so what is the difference in being alone at boarding school?
“Here we are darling,” my mum’s voice snapped me away from my inner thoughts. My eyes widened at the large building that we were fast approaching. The black iron gates opened slowly as the tyres of my dad’s car crunched over the gravel of the long driveway. A heavy mist sat over the gothic style, castle like building. It was kind of enchanting in a way.
“Well, isn’t this something.” My dad beamed as he looked ahead, slowing as he pulled into a car parking space.
“If you like it that much, why don’t you stay here?” I snapped, unplugging myself and storming out the back of the car.
“Ivy!” my mum called out as she followed me, grabbing my wrist and tugging me back to her. “Don’t you dare act like this and show me and your father up. Any little thing could mess up his chance in the Mayor’s office. Everything needs to stay clean, and I do not need you and your stroppy, childish antics to ruin this for anyone!”
Pulling my arm from hers, a scowl etched onto my face as I spat back at her with a venomous tone, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I was shownaround by a snooty woman who had a broom shoved a little too far up her arse. She showed me around the halls, we were to attend breakfast at seven thirty, classes started at eight-thirty. We had to do school on Saturday mornings nine-thirty to twelve and then church on a Sunday morning for two hours. I would rather be in a prison than here. Lights off at nine, dinners with the madams and sirs of the boarding school… and to top it off, having to sit with stuck up, pretentious, silver spoon-fed teenagers made me nauseous.
I said goodbye to my parents, waving them off before turning on my heel and heading for my bedroom, where I would be spending most of the next two years.
Pushing the door open in my new home, it smelt musky and old. Who was I kidding, it was old.
I looked at my suitcases and boxes that sat on the hardwood floor and sighed. I don’t know why I thought that my parents would be here helping me unpack. Silly me. I kicked one of the boxes with my heavy boot then dived onto my bed, face down. I just couldn’t be fucked.