My story (edited by advice)

My name is Scarlett. I have honeycomb ringlets, to my waist, and cat green eyes.

I can never sleep the night before my birthday. Not really from exitment, more from anxiousty. I will lie awake, staring into space, as soon as I hear a knock on my door, I call, “Come in”, wipe imaginary sleep from my eyes, and smile. Dad walks in with a tray, piles high with my birthday treats. Golden syrup on toast, a chocolate milkshake and a tube of pink smarties. Yum. I scoff the lot and pad downstairs to see the post has been deliverd, I scan thorugh, looking for that one card, letter or postcard. Nothing. Nothing from mum, why am I suprised? I get changed and drag my self to school. 6 hours later, me Chloe, and the twins Cici and Cara, are all climbing aboard the minibus, “Sontana’s Cafe, here we come” Calles Cici. We arive and Chloe saunters over to the counter. “Four cokes please” she says to Laura, the waitress, wafting a fiver in her face.

“Oh, my, four, why the occaision?” she askes, in mock suprise, I roll my eyes, we usually buy two, with four straws, and make them last at least two hours. I laugh, when I see mine, topped with fresh cream, strawberries and grapes, in a cool sea of brown fizz. We slurp happily as I open my presants from my mates. “Love the posters, Chloe, and the twin rings, Cici and Cara” I say. They blush. “We didn’t mean for them to be twins” They said together. I roll my eyes, and they know their forgiven. “Bye, I call, as I reach my house, cake is calling” We all wave, and I stroll up my drive. I recall a aluminous red van, on the road, but take no notice. “I am home, Dad” I call. Their is a sound like talking, “Mmmm, Scarlett, can you come in here for a minute?” He calls back. Rather suprised, I walk into the sitting room. Dad is standing next to a woman. I can see without asking she is the owner of the van. I stare. She has honeycomb coloured hair, curly, and shoulder length, her eyes are an amazing blue-green, and she was as tall as a tweleve year old. She waves. I look blankly at Dad. I am aware of her suddenly talking. “Oh, my you’ve grown, happy birthday, darling” I stare.

“M-mum?” I stammer. She gives me a warm hug. “It is really you?” She smiles, after dinner, she asks me to leave the room for a second. I leave, and am aware of her talking, I only catch the words, holiday, festival and a few weeks. Their is silance. I am called back in. Then dad is shouting. “No, no, no and no!” he yells. “Scarlett can not come with you! You come wafting back into our lives, after ten years, and want to whisk her away on holiday, no way!” He finishes, by walking out of the room, and going to bed. She sighs. “Ah, Scarlett, babe, you should get some rest.”

“OK, mum”

“Oh, and I am Star now” she calls as I slope off to bed.


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“Scarlett, wake up”, I am aware of my mum calling

“Quick, pack” I stumble up, hardly awake. I ask,

“What? You got dad to change his mind?” She winks at me. I stumble out of bed, and start packing. OK, I think in my head, hairbrush, hairbands, shampoo, camera, clean clothes, jeans… I eventually, finish, after musing over if I should bring my hairdryer or not. I settle with not. I drag the case downstairs, and pop to say goodbye to dad. My mum is raiding the fridge for travel snacks. Eventually, we get in the van, and rumble off down the road. I fall asleep, and wake to Mum, I mean Star, shaking me. We clamber out. A chubby woman is ready to greet us. “Ah, Star, Scarlett, you are here, I suppose you don’t remember Jaden?” She asks me. She points to a boy, with cat green eyes, and dark brown dreadlocks, to his shoulders. He is covered in mud, and his jeans are ragged at the bottom, over the clearing. His gaze fixes onto mine. I recognise him. I recall spending my first four years in the festivals, but it doesn’t feel like a long lost friend, met again. I realise, he is thinking the same thing. His green cat eyes search mine for clues, but find nothing. I turn back to the woman, whos name appears to be Lilia, her jet black hair swished around her waist. “We have camped down their” she says, pointing down a hill. Star winks at her and grabs our cases, wantering off, so fast I have to sprint to catch up. Our tent is already pitched, So I dump my stuff, and go for a wander. Star has gone already. I sigh and wander around.

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After a few hours. Once darkness has smothered the campsite, the party really starts. People crowd into a massive tepee, I spot, the woman, and a little puppy, I try to get to them, but I lose them by the time I get to mum. The party lasts till way past midnight before everyone crashes. I suddenly wake up. It is around 5 in the morning, and I know better than to wake Star up. I creep past everyone, and out of the tepee, into the woods. I spot a little river, and sit on a rock, my legs dangling. Suddenly, I slip, and splutter in the water. “I bet that woke you up” A voice says. I spot Jaden, sitting in a treetop. I splutter again. He slips down and offers me his hand to climb out. I climb out, dripping and cold. He laughs, but it is gental, and warm. He sticks his foot in, “Oh, c’mon, it’s not that cold!” I spot he has bare feet. Owch, I think, barefoot, in the woods? He spots me staring, and rases an eyebrow. I stop looking. I spot his cat eyes again, looking into mine, searching, searching for a fact, that I do not own, and probably never will. How do I remember him? Then I hear a rustle of leaves, and a skinny figure runs past, I spot brunette hair, to her waist, so straight, so it looked like it had been ironed, though their were millions of knots.. “Missi” Jaden says. I nod, with no reply. Suddenly, he jumps up, “I am starved.” He declares. We wander down to the campsite, where people are starting to stir. We find his tent, and find Missi, scoffing beans and bread. We slowly eat ours, and walk away, hand in  hand, which felt odd. I say nothing. Suddenly, out of nowhere he said “Are you thinking the same as me? That you recognise me, but can’t quite put your finger on it?” I stare.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself”, I grin. Later on, Star wanders over to me. “Scarlett, babe” she said, dreamily, before floating off. I sigh. Jaden looks at me with pity. His matted dreadlocks, float in the breeze, whipping him in the face. I see him wince.

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I once remember being told, that you can’t choose your family. Right now I wish I could. Me and Jaden have gone back to the stream, I sit in silance, watching Missi run around, we are hidden in the trees, and she couldn’t hear, or see us-well not until I fell out of the tree anyhow. Jaden sighs, and jumps down. I spot Missi scowling, as she scampers down the sandy path. Later, that night, I can’t bear the crowded tepee, and go for a stroll. Unbelieveably, I spot Jaden again. We all gather around the bonfire later. Hundreds of hippies, gather round, the kids toasting marshmallows. I remember, I don’t know how old Jaden is, I turn to him.

“Not to be rude, but how old are you?” he smiles. And lauging, he replys.

“Fourteen. Just turned it. You?” My breath stops.

“Fourteen too. Thats funny, guess what, I just turned it.” Then I turn away. He looks at me.

“I am sorry, I upset you” I hold back tears. “Very.” he says. I can’t hold it. I rush off, into the darkness of the night. Back to the little stream, and up the tree. I heart footsteps, faintly first, then getting closer. Jaden lifts himself up to the tree. He says nothing, just puts his arm around my shoulder. The next morning, I get up. Star is awake. She glances at me, gives me a wave over, and sits down.

“I need you to look after Missi, y’know, keep her on track” She says. Anger floods me. Is that all she wanted me to do? Stay here just to look after Missi? I say nothing. I think she took it as a yes. I suddenly stand up, my legs shaking. I ran. I don’t know where to, just somewhere. Then someone gets hold of my shoulder, and wurls me back round. I don’t need to look. I try to shrug Jaden off, but he is stronger than he looks. Then, I stop struggling, and tears spring into my eyes.

“Don’t think Mum wants me here. She doesn’t care. I thought she would want to know more about, well me, am I being ungreatful?” I watch Jaden closely.

“Nah, your life has been turned upside down, that is all.” she says. Suddenly I hug him.

“It will be alright, Scarlett, I promise” he whispers into my hair.