Alana Oakley by Poppy Inkwell

Alana shook off the feeling they were in a dungeon. “Do you hear that, children? That is Peace And Quiet. So soothing when you have a migraine. No noises of planes flying overhead. Or trains pounding underground. Just us and a little friend I like to call ‘Silence’. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?” And with a grin that displayed too many false teeth, Mrs Snell waddled to her seat and sat down. They watched her put two mysterious pills in her mouth. With a toad-like swallow, they were gone.
    Before long they could hear the familiar creak, creak, creak of the chair as the teacher rocked back and forth; the click, clack of her knitting needles; and the smacking of her dentures. Alana, who was good at noticing things, saw that the knitting project had overly long arms.
    Like it was meant for an orangutan.
    The students found it difficult to sit still. It wasn’t long before Colin Johnson began to doodle, Chris Kruger found something to eat, and Miller White – next to Alana – began to read. The seniors were seated too far away to know what they were up to. Alana scribbled on a piece of paper and folded it into a tiny, origami frog. With infinite care – for she had to time its launch with a creak , a click , a clack or a smack – she aimed carefully and stroked the paper frog’s back. Its legs shot forwards and up, so that it landed on Miller White’s desk.
    Wot u in 4? Miller read.
    Miller checked Mrs Snell wasn’t watching and then leaned over to borrow one of the many pens wedged behind Colin Johnson’s ears to answer. With care, he re-folded the frog and flicked it back with equal accuracy.
    Miller: Chris thot gud idea 2 make lite sabre.
    Alana: So?
    Miller took a pen in a different colour.
    Miller: Lab cot fire.
    Alana: (@@)
    Miller shrugged and went back to reading his book.
    Alana thought hard. She had really misjudged Miller. He wasn’t slow at all, but really, really smart. Possibly even crazy.
    He was perfect for her plan!
    She bit her lip and wrote furiously.
    Alana: ?4U. Can u hack in2 skool comp?
    Miller looked furtive before writing his answer.
    Miller: MayB.
    Alana: 911.
    Alana turned on her Puppy Dog Eyes to show this was a Real Emergency. Miller looked uncomfortable.
    Miller: OK.
    Alana could barely contain her excitement.
    She had one last idea she wanted to try on her own, but if that didn’t work, at least now she had Miller. Finally, she might find out who Flynn really was: whether he was a Second-Chancer, and what, if anything, was his crime.
    Alana: Orsm! Details l8r dude.
    Back and forth the little frog had hopped – written on and re-folded, as silent as a moth and yet …
    The two students were so engrossed in their private dialogue they failed to notice the absence of a creak , click, clack or smack . Or the sudden appearance of Mrs Snell’s little friend ‘Silence’.
    â€œPeace And Quiet. Not too much to ask, I would have thought. And some people still find it hard!” the old woman said to Alana, shaking her head.
    The paper frog, scribbled over and over with different-coloured pens, had made its final journey, but was nowhere to be seen. Alana sat with all the stillness of a rabbit deciding its next move against a snake. Where could the paper frog have gone?
    Mrs Snell broke eye contact with Alana and whipped her head to face Miller. “Isn’t that right, Mr White?” she whispered with a nasty gleam to her eye.
    The teenager, cheeks bulging suspiciously, let out a croak.
    â€œ Ribbit ?”
    With a roll of her eyes and a muttered, “Fool!”
    Mrs Snell shuffled closer … and closer … and then past their desks until she reached the two seniors, who were so caught up in each other they didn’t notice her approach.
    â€œSo cosy. So cute. Young Love,” she sneered. “I was young once.” Mrs Snell sighed with real regret.
    â€œYes, but which century?” Miller