taking
care of little kids at a nursery school. She appeared to be
young.
“ Hello there ,” she said chirpily. “What can I do for
you?”
“ I…I’m not
sure .” Jared stammered,
handing her the piece of paper.
“ Let’s have a look ,” she said, squinting at the page and then said excitedly.
“AHA! So you’re the special guest. OK we need to get you something
to eat.” Reaching down she took his hand and with her other closed
the door behind her. “We’ll get you to the dining room. I bet
you’re hungry.”
“ Just a bit ,” Jared said, his stomach rumbling.
She led him down the corridor,
her shoes squeaking on the hard marble floor. “The boys will be so
pleased to see you. We’ve had no one new for a while now. By the
way my name’s Challandra .”
They
came across two large red double door, arched like all the others.
Jared could hear laughter and the clattering noises that a busy
school dining room made at lunch. “Here we are” she said brightly,
pushing the doors open with both hands.
As they entered the room every
head turned in their direction and the conversations instantly
ground to a halt. Jared was facing two long, wooden tables with
about six boys on each. All were dressed in green shirts like he’d
seen as he came in to the place. Their trousers and shorts were in
varying states of repair and most boys were wearing leather slip on
shoes with no laces. He looked at them blankly feeling embarrassed
as the silence hung in the air. Behind the two tables was a hatch
in the wall where a fierce looking woman with a face like a rhino
stood holding a ladle and wearing a green apron. The
feroci ous expression was
softened somewhat by the cap she was wearing on her head. At waist
level were several large metal containers of
food.
Challandra smiled and as the
boys stared at Jared with mute curiosity she beamed at them
brightly and clapped her hands together. “Hi there everyone, this
is Jared. He’s going to be staying with us. Can you please make him
welcome .”
There
was another long pause and then suddenly a rush of excited voices
began babbling.
“ What’s
he got on his feet. Never seen shoes like that before.”
“ Where’s he from? Don’t recognise the clothes. You think he’s
from Coulen?”
“ Strange hair cut. How come we can’t get ours like
that?”
They continued to talk amongst
themselves like Jared was a species of interesting monkey in a zoo.
While he was standing there feeling like an ant under a magnifying
glass he looked up and saw the boy that had been outside the
classroom earlier stand up from halfway down the left hand table
and walk towards him and Challandra. He smil ed at her. “It’s alright Miss, I’ll look after
him.”
“ Good lad Bue and thank
you .” She turned to Jared and
put her hand on his arm. “Now Jared if you need anything please
come to me or Madame Veer ok? You are safe here provided you stay
within the confines.”
“ I’ll be
fine ,” Jared said smiling but
still feeling incredibly nervous.
“ Come on mate you can sit by
me ,” Bue said smiling his
crooked smile and taking Jared by the arm as Challandra left the
room, the double doors banging a few times as she went
through.
Bue moved back to his original
seat while the excited buzz of conversation continued. All the boys
were looking at Jared, the ones on the other table craning their
necks to get a look at the newcomer in their midst. Jared
noticed there was only one
chair and paused but Bue slapped the boy to him on the back of the
head. “Beevor, where’s your manners? Get our guest a
seat.”
The
other lad complied and scurried off to a stack of chairs against
the wall of the large hall they were in. He pulled the top one free
with a grunt and tottered back, setting it down between Bue’s chair
and indicating Jared should sit before squeezing back into his own
seat. Bue looked at the boy opposite and jerked his
care of little kids at a nursery school. She appeared to be
young.
“ Hello there ,” she said chirpily. “What can I do for
you?”
“ I…I’m not
sure .” Jared stammered,
handing her the piece of paper.
“ Let’s have a look ,” she said, squinting at the page and then said excitedly.
“AHA! So you’re the special guest. OK we need to get you something
to eat.” Reaching down she took his hand and with her other closed
the door behind her. “We’ll get you to the dining room. I bet
you’re hungry.”
“ Just a bit ,” Jared said, his stomach rumbling.
She led him down the corridor,
her shoes squeaking on the hard marble floor. “The boys will be so
pleased to see you. We’ve had no one new for a while now. By the
way my name’s Challandra .”
They
came across two large red double door, arched like all the others.
Jared could hear laughter and the clattering noises that a busy
school dining room made at lunch. “Here we are” she said brightly,
pushing the doors open with both hands.
As they entered the room every
head turned in their direction and the conversations instantly
ground to a halt. Jared was facing two long, wooden tables with
about six boys on each. All were dressed in green shirts like he’d
seen as he came in to the place. Their trousers and shorts were in
varying states of repair and most boys were wearing leather slip on
shoes with no laces. He looked at them blankly feeling embarrassed
as the silence hung in the air. Behind the two tables was a hatch
in the wall where a fierce looking woman with a face like a rhino
stood holding a ladle and wearing a green apron. The
feroci ous expression was
softened somewhat by the cap she was wearing on her head. At waist
level were several large metal containers of
food.
Challandra smiled and as the
boys stared at Jared with mute curiosity she beamed at them
brightly and clapped her hands together. “Hi there everyone, this
is Jared. He’s going to be staying with us. Can you please make him
welcome .”
There
was another long pause and then suddenly a rush of excited voices
began babbling.
“ What’s
he got on his feet. Never seen shoes like that before.”
“ Where’s he from? Don’t recognise the clothes. You think he’s
from Coulen?”
“ Strange hair cut. How come we can’t get ours like
that?”
They continued to talk amongst
themselves like Jared was a species of interesting monkey in a zoo.
While he was standing there feeling like an ant under a magnifying
glass he looked up and saw the boy that had been outside the
classroom earlier stand up from halfway down the left hand table
and walk towards him and Challandra. He smil ed at her. “It’s alright Miss, I’ll look after
him.”
“ Good lad Bue and thank
you .” She turned to Jared and
put her hand on his arm. “Now Jared if you need anything please
come to me or Madame Veer ok? You are safe here provided you stay
within the confines.”
“ I’ll be
fine ,” Jared said smiling but
still feeling incredibly nervous.
“ Come on mate you can sit by
me ,” Bue said smiling his
crooked smile and taking Jared by the arm as Challandra left the
room, the double doors banging a few times as she went
through.
Bue moved back to his original
seat while the excited buzz of conversation continued. All the boys
were looking at Jared, the ones on the other table craning their
necks to get a look at the newcomer in their midst. Jared
noticed there was only one
chair and paused but Bue slapped the boy to him on the back of the
head. “Beevor, where’s your manners? Get our guest a
seat.”
The
other lad complied and scurried off to a stack of chairs against
the wall of the large hall they were in. He pulled the top one free
with a grunt and tottered back, setting it down between Bue’s chair
and indicating Jared should sit before squeezing back into his own
seat. Bue looked at the boy opposite and jerked his
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