Short Story - Lottie x

Sunday 31st August

Dear Diary,

I've got to be very quiet because everyone else in my dormitory is asleep and I can hear one of the teachers patrolling outside our door. Nevertheless, I thought I had better start recording what happens in my life as who knows what I might forget when I'm older. Adults say your school days are the best of your life. That's a depressing thought. I don't really enjoy school and if it's downhill from here, then I'm snookered. Anyway, I'm Charlotte in case you didn't already know and soon everyone will call me Lottie when I set them straight because that's what I prefer. Charlotte seems awfully long and posh. I'm not either of those things, in fact, the only reason I can come to this prestigious school is because I got a scholarship. I had to audition for the place by performing a dance in front of some daunting teachers because this is a performing arts school and my 'art' is dance. Or if you'd like to be specific, ballet.

I've been doing ballet since I was four years old and I'm eleven now. That means I've just started Year Seven which sounds good until you reflect on the fact that I don't know anyone in this room. That's a worrying thought isn't it? Soon I'll be able to push that worry away though, because I'm going to get to know my dorm over the next year and I'm sure they will all be very nice. Even if they aren't at first, I'm sure I'll be able to win them over. That's the good thing about my personality, people always seem to be nice to me. I hope it's not because they're scared of me. Oh dear, I've started worrying again.

Okay, I'll try and go to sleep now, so that's all for today. Starting from tomorrow though, I will tell you all about what goes on at St Ada's Performing Arts.

With love,

Lottie x

Monday 1st September

Dear Diary,

At St Ada's we have to get up REALLY EARLY! I was just dreaming about pirouetting down the hallway when this terrible ringing sounded in my ears. I looked at my clock and it read 6:30am. I could not believe how soon we had to start our day considering all the learning we were going to have to do later.

There wasn't much I could do about it though, so I hopped out of bed and quickly got ready for breakfast. I wasn't sure what we were supposed to do once we were all set but a girl in our dorm called Lola has an older sister at the school so she took charge and said we had to wait until a teacher came to take us all down to the canteen. I liked the look of Lola until she started ordering us around, pretending she knew all about St Ada's already. I felt it was my duty on behalf of the rest of the dorm to change the subject, so I said I thought it would be nice for us all to get to know each other whilst
we waited. We all sat on the ends of our beds and told the group our name and what our 'art' was.

There's five other people in my dorm and I'm very proud that I've managed to remember all their names. Lola (who I already told you about), Poppy, Martha, Becky and Kat whose real name is Katherine, but like me, isn't fond of her full name. The first two do singing, the next two acting and me and Kat are dancers. I can already feel that Kat and I are going to be best friends.

Breakfast was delicious when the teacher finally came to get us and we didn't do too much learning for the rest of the day which I was pleased about. It was mainly just sorting out timetables, where everyone was going to sit and what we were going to do for the rest of the year.

Each day we will have five lessons which each last an hour. Since my scholarship is for dance, I've got an hour of that every day. I can't wait to get started!

I'll have to say goodbye for now as free period has just ended and we have to go to our after school clubs. Mine is swimming today and I'm really excited to see the pool because my old school was tiny and didn't have anything as fancy as this.

With love,

Lottie x

Tuesday 2nd September

Dear Diary,

Today I had English, Maths, French, Science and Ballet. I was waiting all day for fifth period when I could do the subject I really love. To be honest, I'm not very good at any of the other lessons; dance is my forte. I was very pleased when the ballet teacher, Miss Sharp, complimented my dancing because she seems like the sort of person who can be instantly stern if you don't do what she wants when she wants it. Kat is more academic than me and really shone when we did English and Science, she's going to be a good friend to have when we get loads of homework!

I feel like I'm really starting to settle in here at St Ada's, I haven't missed my parents at all since that first night. My mum told me to text her once a week to let her know that I'm okay but I'm sure she'll relax that rule once the year has properly got going. And if she doesn't, then I will just have to gradually reduce the amount that I text her until I get my way. She won't be any the wiser.

Not much else to report so . . .

With love,

Lottie x

P.S: Swimming was very tiring but the pool was fantastic!

Friday 5th September

Dear Diary,

Sorry I haven't written in ages, I've just been so caught up in boarding school life.

Lots has happened since we last spoke. Firstly, Kat and me have agreed that we will be best friends. It's so nice to have someone to chat to all the time, although Miss Sharp does have to shout at us sometimes to make us quiet. Secondly, tomorrow is my first weekend in Year Seven and we get to go home just this once to see our parents before we come back on Sunday night. Last of all, I have decided that this will be my last entry. I know I only wrote for a very short time and that I was supposed to record all that happened at St Ada's, but I don't feel like I need to any more. Now I have a friend to confide in and I know all the people in my year, I can settle down and just live 'the best years of my life' one moment at a time.

So for the last time.

With love,

Lottie x