Am I Here, or Am I There?, chapter 1
"And this is going to be your new classroom, Kym!" said the head teacher, smiling down at the small dark girl with anxious eyes. She didn't smile back, just stared in horror at the door handle in front of her eyes. She was so small it was at her eye-level. Taking a deep, courageous breath, the small girl reached up her hand and turned the door knob, opening the classroom, and peered inside.
The classroom was quite small, with drab coloured walls. However the walls had been covered in pictures, drawings and other bits of work put up on display. Suddenly it was all to much for Kym, and she shrank back, wanting to run, run far away, but the head teacher was still standing behind her, continuing to smile but at the same time pushing Kym slightly forward. Kym continued to fight back, determinedly trying to back out the room. Unfortunately for Kym, at that point, the teacher noticed the small girl and the determinedly smiling Head Teacher in the doorway.
"Ah, Ms Roberts! And this is...?"
"Kym," whispered Kym quietly.
"mm?"
"Kym," she repeated, ever-so-slightly louder.
"I'm sorry?" asked the teacher, a little more impatiently. A few sniggers came from the class, all watching from their small, grouped tables. Many pairs of eyes stared at Kym, but she was unaware of this as she was staring at her shoes.
"Her name is Kym," said the Head Teacher, and looking back down at her she added, "Ok, bye Kym. I'll see you soon, I expect." And she left.
"So, Kym," said the teacher, "I'm Ms Harper. So, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? Come out the front." Still staring at her toes, Kym shuffled to the front of the classroom.
"Well, go on hunny." Kym raised her eyes to the expectant faces of her new classmates.
"I'm Kym," she mumbled, "And my mum and dad just moved here from Melbourne." A small hand shot up from a little boy.
"Yes Jamie?"
"Where's Mebun?"
"Melbourne," said Kym quietly, "It's in Australia." This provoked an outcry.
"If you're Austrian, how come you're asian?"
"Is that why you speak weird?"
"Did you have a pet kangaroo?"
"Do you have to walk on your hands in Austrayla?"
"Quiet, quiet everyone!" said Ms Harper, "Now, Kym, why don't you go sit down? There's a space at the blue table." Kyms round, dark eyes scanned the room, resting on a group of desks pushed together with an empty chair, with a big blue circle stuck on the middle part of the table. She took tentative steps towards the vacant spot, sinking into the chair and looking at the other five kids at her desk. They were all staring at her. The one next to her nudged her and whispered in her ear, "You talk funny." Kym blushed.
"No I don't."
"Sssh!" hissed the teacher, "Kym, don't talk! Listen. Now, who can spell..." Kym blushed again, and made herself even smaller. Everyone was watching the teacher spell something out on the board, except for one boy across from her, who seemed to be doing the exact same thing.
They sat there for another forty minutes, and Kym was very bored. It was all really easy. She knew how to spell 'house'. Bor-ing. The boy across from her looked bored too.
The bell rang for recess, and they were let out into the playground. Kym rushed out, as she was used to doing... But then realised she had no idea where to go. All the other kids had run out, pushing and shoving and starting games. Kym stood there, looking around. Then she saw the other boy from her table, the one who hadn't been listening either. He had blonde hair, and raggedy jeans and a faded t-shirt. He was heading across the playground, weaving in and out of hand-clap games, the skipping games and the running kids. He was heading for a small bench, in the corner of the playground. Kym squinted and saw another boy, small for his age, about her height as far as she could tell, waving at the blonde boy from her class, smiling. Without really thinking, Kym followed the boy, and saw him sit down next to the other boy. She walked over, coming to about ten feet from them. Then she stopped. She didn't know exactly what she was doing. But she stood there for a good five minutes, watching the two boys laughing and fooling around on the bench. At one point, the blonde one stood up on the bench, balancing on the back of it like a tight-rope walker, as his friend laughed. Kym smiled. She liked watching people. The blonde boy looked up from staring carefully at his feet, and saw Kym. He stopped, staring at her. Kym flushed. He knew she'd been watching them. The dark, curly haired boy, surprised by his friend's sudden halt, looked at where he was staring. Kym went even redder, and stared at her shoes.
"Hi," she mumbled, "I... I'm Kym." She glanced up. The boys were still staring at her. Finally, the blonde one spoke up.
"I know that. You're at my table."
"Um. Yeah..."
"Well, I'm Mike," he said, adding, "And this is Billie Joe."
"Hi, Kym," smiled Billie Joe warmly. Kym felt relieved.
"Y'wanna be friends?" said Mike. The most perfectly simple words, but they meant everything to Kym. She'd heard those words. Oh yes. But never spoken to her.
"Yes please!" blurted out Kym, almost skipping.
"C'mon," said Billie Joe, patting the bench next to him, "So where're ya from? You don't sound American."
"I'm not," said Kym, "I'm Australian. I used to live in Melbourne. But my Mum's work meant she had to come over here. I don't know for how long..."
"Heh, you say 'Mom' weird," giggled Mike.
"No I don't. You do," said Kym, "You say 'Mum' all wrong."
"Nu-uh."
"Yu-huh."
"Nu-uh!" joined in Billie Joe.
"Yuh-huh!"
"You're out-numbered," said Mike, grinning, "We win."
"If we were in Australia, YOU'D be out-numbered," pouted Kym.
"Well, we aren't. So NYEH," said Billie Joe, sticking his tongue out, but smiling at the same time. Kym stuck hers out further.
"Anyway," said Mike, laughing at the two, "'Bout you, Kym. You got any brothers or sisters?"
"Nah. How about you guys?"
"I have 5 brothers and sisters," said Billie Joe importantly.
"Wow! That must be great!"
"No it isn't," said Billie, "It's too crowded and noisy. And I'm the youngest."
"You're still better off than me," argued Kym.
"Nu-uh."
"Yuh-huh."
"Nu-uh."
Just then, the bell signalling the end of recess rang. They stood up from the bench they'd been sitting at, and were halfway across the playground when Kym realised something.
"This is the first recess I've ever had that hasn't been alone." The other two looked at each her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I just sat somewhere and read..."
"Reading's boring," said Billie Joe, making a face.
"Nuh-uh."
"Yuh-huh."...
The classroom was quite small, with drab coloured walls. However the walls had been covered in pictures, drawings and other bits of work put up on display. Suddenly it was all to much for Kym, and she shrank back, wanting to run, run far away, but the head teacher was still standing behind her, continuing to smile but at the same time pushing Kym slightly forward. Kym continued to fight back, determinedly trying to back out the room. Unfortunately for Kym, at that point, the teacher noticed the small girl and the determinedly smiling Head Teacher in the doorway.
"Ah, Ms Roberts! And this is...?"
"Kym," whispered Kym quietly.
"mm?"
"Kym," she repeated, ever-so-slightly louder.
"I'm sorry?" asked the teacher, a little more impatiently. A few sniggers came from the class, all watching from their small, grouped tables. Many pairs of eyes stared at Kym, but she was unaware of this as she was staring at her shoes.
"Her name is Kym," said the Head Teacher, and looking back down at her she added, "Ok, bye Kym. I'll see you soon, I expect." And she left.
"So, Kym," said the teacher, "I'm Ms Harper. So, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? Come out the front." Still staring at her toes, Kym shuffled to the front of the classroom.
"Well, go on hunny." Kym raised her eyes to the expectant faces of her new classmates.
"I'm Kym," she mumbled, "And my mum and dad just moved here from Melbourne." A small hand shot up from a little boy.
"Yes Jamie?"
"Where's Mebun?"
"Melbourne," said Kym quietly, "It's in Australia." This provoked an outcry.
"If you're Austrian, how come you're asian?"
"Is that why you speak weird?"
"Did you have a pet kangaroo?"
"Do you have to walk on your hands in Austrayla?"
"Quiet, quiet everyone!" said Ms Harper, "Now, Kym, why don't you go sit down? There's a space at the blue table." Kyms round, dark eyes scanned the room, resting on a group of desks pushed together with an empty chair, with a big blue circle stuck on the middle part of the table. She took tentative steps towards the vacant spot, sinking into the chair and looking at the other five kids at her desk. They were all staring at her. The one next to her nudged her and whispered in her ear, "You talk funny." Kym blushed.
"No I don't."
"Sssh!" hissed the teacher, "Kym, don't talk! Listen. Now, who can spell..." Kym blushed again, and made herself even smaller. Everyone was watching the teacher spell something out on the board, except for one boy across from her, who seemed to be doing the exact same thing.
They sat there for another forty minutes, and Kym was very bored. It was all really easy. She knew how to spell 'house'. Bor-ing. The boy across from her looked bored too.
The bell rang for recess, and they were let out into the playground. Kym rushed out, as she was used to doing... But then realised she had no idea where to go. All the other kids had run out, pushing and shoving and starting games. Kym stood there, looking around. Then she saw the other boy from her table, the one who hadn't been listening either. He had blonde hair, and raggedy jeans and a faded t-shirt. He was heading across the playground, weaving in and out of hand-clap games, the skipping games and the running kids. He was heading for a small bench, in the corner of the playground. Kym squinted and saw another boy, small for his age, about her height as far as she could tell, waving at the blonde boy from her class, smiling. Without really thinking, Kym followed the boy, and saw him sit down next to the other boy. She walked over, coming to about ten feet from them. Then she stopped. She didn't know exactly what she was doing. But she stood there for a good five minutes, watching the two boys laughing and fooling around on the bench. At one point, the blonde one stood up on the bench, balancing on the back of it like a tight-rope walker, as his friend laughed. Kym smiled. She liked watching people. The blonde boy looked up from staring carefully at his feet, and saw Kym. He stopped, staring at her. Kym flushed. He knew she'd been watching them. The dark, curly haired boy, surprised by his friend's sudden halt, looked at where he was staring. Kym went even redder, and stared at her shoes.
"Hi," she mumbled, "I... I'm Kym." She glanced up. The boys were still staring at her. Finally, the blonde one spoke up.
"I know that. You're at my table."
"Um. Yeah..."
"Well, I'm Mike," he said, adding, "And this is Billie Joe."
"Hi, Kym," smiled Billie Joe warmly. Kym felt relieved.
"Y'wanna be friends?" said Mike. The most perfectly simple words, but they meant everything to Kym. She'd heard those words. Oh yes. But never spoken to her.
"Yes please!" blurted out Kym, almost skipping.
"C'mon," said Billie Joe, patting the bench next to him, "So where're ya from? You don't sound American."
"I'm not," said Kym, "I'm Australian. I used to live in Melbourne. But my Mum's work meant she had to come over here. I don't know for how long..."
"Heh, you say 'Mom' weird," giggled Mike.
"No I don't. You do," said Kym, "You say 'Mum' all wrong."
"Nu-uh."
"Yu-huh."
"Nu-uh!" joined in Billie Joe.
"Yuh-huh!"
"You're out-numbered," said Mike, grinning, "We win."
"If we were in Australia, YOU'D be out-numbered," pouted Kym.
"Well, we aren't. So NYEH," said Billie Joe, sticking his tongue out, but smiling at the same time. Kym stuck hers out further.
"Anyway," said Mike, laughing at the two, "'Bout you, Kym. You got any brothers or sisters?"
"Nah. How about you guys?"
"I have 5 brothers and sisters," said Billie Joe importantly.
"Wow! That must be great!"
"No it isn't," said Billie, "It's too crowded and noisy. And I'm the youngest."
"You're still better off than me," argued Kym.
"Nu-uh."
"Yuh-huh."
"Nu-uh."
Just then, the bell signalling the end of recess rang. They stood up from the bench they'd been sitting at, and were halfway across the playground when Kym realised something.
"This is the first recess I've ever had that hasn't been alone." The other two looked at each her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I just sat somewhere and read..."
"Reading's boring," said Billie Joe, making a face.
"Nuh-uh."
"Yuh-huh."...
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