The School On The Hill, chapter 1

It had been there for nearly a hundred years, since Mr Charles Twine had decided that the tiny village of Stoneston needed a school.Nobody had argued, as Mr Twine could be a very frightening man.Needless to say, the children in the area had not been thrilled when thier fun-filled days of racing through the woods were interupted.Mr Twine, who was payed a great deal of money through winning 'education awards' could have retired allmost as soon as the school started running.But he never left.He stayed for over fifty years, until he was allmost ninety years old, when he died peacefully in his sleep.In time, Stoneston grew more and more isolated from neighbouring towns, untill only a hundred or so people remained in the village, with just forty children attending Longview Lane.It became more and more difficult to appoint teachers, leaving poor Mrs Gilly and Miss Nesser to teach all the children together.Miss Nesser, who was perticularly mysterious, was rumored to have came from a vibrent, lively city far far away. "But why" wondered the children "Would she leave that place and come here?"

It was a question nobody could answer, the only time she had ever talked about her background was during an R.E lesson. As the children began to read aloud from the bible, Miss Nesser was heard mttering "Billie would be making sick noises if he was here"

The class instantly became silent, eager to hear more about this 'Billie'

Wiping tears from her eyes, Miss Nesser had said, "Thats enough for now, you may go outside.It's a beatiful day".It was not, as Miss Nesser put it, a beatiful day.Rain was pelting the ground and thunder rumbled over the village.subdued, the children had shuffled from the classroom, closing the door quitely behind them.

"I wonder who he is" young Kiera Hamilton pondered, as the class stood shivering, huddled together under the shelter.
"Mabye she killed him" Davey White spoke up "And his body's hidden nder the playground.No body payed any attension to him, he was famous for his overactive imagination.
"He could be her little boy" one girl said slowly, "Mabye she doesn't get to see him anymore"
The class murmered in agreement, it certainly made more seanse than Davey's theory.
"Allright", a teary Miss Nesser had called from the window, "You can come back in now, just remember to wipe you feet"

And so, life continued as normal for Miss Nesser, the children in Longview Lane School and the residants of Stoneston, untill one Autumn morning.

Fridays, were a day the children of Miss Nesser's class greatly looked forward to.Providing they worked hard in the morning, they were read to from a book in the afternoons.That afternoon was no differnt, and Miss Nesser began to read to the children from a book the kids in the citys were all reading, named Harry Potter.

"I don't really know if you'll like it" she warned, "but we can try it and see how we get on.My son loved these books" She gasped, allthough she had let some awful word slip out.The class leaned in to hear more about this boy. "That's who Billie is, isn't it Miss?" Kiera asked gently, "Your little boy's called Billie"
Miss Nesser, wiped her eyes.
"No dear" she said " My son's name is Jakob. But let's just focus on the book"
The class glanced wildly around the room, sending each other furious eye signals.
"Do you think he's dead?" Kiera whispered to her friend Jen.Miss Nesser continued to read, ignoring the chatter around her.
"Shh", she said finaly."It doesn't matter who Billie or Jakob are, because I'm never going to see them again."

It was only when she was in bed that night, in her small cottage beside the school, that Miss Nesser, or Adrienne, could cry in peace.Her eyes fell to 'Blue', the guitar Billie should have used to soothe thier son to sleep. "Billie" she whispered, "I miss you so much"