The Four Elements by Saychi Tokiwa (the little red hen ebook TXT) 📕

Alexis walked through the tall arch that marked the school gate just as the bell tolled loudly. She wondered where the principal’s office was, but was too shy to ask anyone, as even the teachers looked menacing. Or was that her imagination… not that she didn’t have a lot of that, but it was normally dormant or at least hiding until she could use it in her story writing.

She was lost in thought when a teacher walked up to her. ‘’You’re our new student, correct?’’ Alexis feebly nodded her head. ‘’The principal’s office is that way.’’ he said, pointing in the direction of a small office building. She hurried away nodding her head in thanks.

She fought against the throng of chatting students to go to the office. On the way there, four boys that looked remarkably ugly stopped her. The biggest and ugliest spoke to her ‘’Hey, I ‘avent seen ya before. ‘Ow old ‘r ya?’’. Alexis just stared, dumbstruck - though being silent was normal for her. ‘’I said ‘ow old ‘r ya!’’ he said menacingly, cracking his knuckles. She put up nine fingers. ‘’Ya aint supposed to be ‘a this school it’s for years 7-12, you gotta go to the babies school next door" and with that they clumped off.

With Alexis left wondering what just happened she walked into the office. It was a brightly lit office with a sick bay, staff room and waiting area. An office lady was tip-tapping on a laptop keyboard, and looked up to talk to her. ‘’Welcome to Killocots private school for well brought up young boys and girls, how may I help you?’’

"Oh you must be Miss Secora, the new student - take a seat and Mrs. Oliver will be with you shortly.’’  Alexis walked over to the seats and sat on the first soft, white seat. She pulled out her favourite Skulduggery Pleasant book and started reading from where she left off on the bus that very morning. Five minutes later Mrs. Oliver came out.

 ‘’Miss Secora, how old are you?’’ Alexis put up nine fingers. ‘’Well then, when did you turn nine?’’  'last month' Alexis signed in ozlam (basic australian language for deaf people). ‘’but this school is for years 7-12, Not year three's’’ Alexis shook her head. ‘’What year are you in then?’’ Alexis held up seven fingers. ‘’Well, I must say you must have a surprising intellect to surpass others your age and be in year seven. Your placement test said you had the intellect of a fifteen year old.’’. Alexis blushed and looked at the floor. ‘’Well come on then, no time to dilly-dally.”

Two minutes later Mrs. Oliver had handed her the laptop all students get when they go to year seven, or in this case came later in school like Alexis did. Alexis nervously tugged her grey-white plaits. The rests of her family had blond hair, Alexis was the only one that had grey-white hair.

Then they started walking to Alexis’s new classroom. It was the furthest from the library which was Alexis’s lunch and recess place for most of the time back in her other school. She knew she wouldn't make friends, It was to hard. Her sister used to look after her, until she went off to collage.

They finally arrived at her new classroom for the rest of the year. Mrs. Oliver rapped briskly and loudly on the door. A tall boy with red-blond hair opened the door and told Mrs. Oliver to come in and that a Sir was inside.

Sir was sitting at his desk. He had grey eyes and a white button up shirt, and smiled when he saw Alexis. ‘’Why, hello you must be the new student. Class, say hi to Alexis Secora, our newest student’’. The class didn't even look up to mumble hello gloomily. "Alexis is nine years old" Mrs. Oliver added.  Now Alexis was starting to get some interesting looks from fellow classmates. Two boys that looked quite alike had been looking at her with the tall blond boy. Alexis thought she had seen them before somewhere or other. “Alexis welcome to Siberia” Sir said. Than explained that since they were the furthest classroom from the rest of the school they were called Siberia.

There was a new girl, she seemed nice. But quite strange, a nine year old in year seven. Thought Camron. He nudged Jack, his bestie and whispered "That girl looks so scared!" "She does." was the whispered reply.

Sir kept on sending the class emails with the required worksheets on them to finish and send back. Alexis ended up finishing every thing early so she read on her laptop. The ugly gang from before kept on staring at her and cracking their knuckles, which is actually pretty threatening. Alexis found out that Camron was the eldest at fourteen with Daniel and Jack being thirteen.

Camron had to admit that Alexis was strange. She didn’t laugh at any of his best jokes or stories.  Jack laughed as if he would never stop, Daniel just had his poker face. Even Sir smiled a touch when he got to the gist of his best story, the one with the boy that ate his sister's homework.

She was a small child too, she sat on a chair that she had to  stuggle to sit on and she was just above the table. Her head resting on the desk. She ended up sitting on her school bag to sit comfortably.

The girl was a major nerd as well. He was the oldest and she finished all the work in a quarter of the time he did. She looked so familiar but so strange at the same time. Jack looked like he thought the same because he kept on looking at her strangely and out of the corner of his eye he saw her looking confused and sure as he was a Ranch it wasn't about the work.

Sir asked Alexis to come up and tell the class about herself but she denied shaking her head stubbornly. “That girl is a strange one” Sir  muttered to himself, Camron had to agree that Alexis is a strange one, very strange. She hadn’t said a word for the entire class session and there was still six more periods until home time, and no-one can stay quiet for that long it’s physically impossible to.

He noticed Stupid Sam and the thugs looking at her in disbelief. He thought he heard them say “that’s the young ‘n from earlier’’ ‘’the nine year old’’ ‘’how’d she get in year seven” in broken conversation. Well true the girl is young, five years in difference for age and she is smarter than he is. That was probably the nuttiest thing about her.

Jack passed him a note it read ‘is that girl smart or what!’ He passed back a note that said ‘yep do you think you’ve seen her before because I have somewhere.’ The passed back note said ‘uh-huh but also do ya think Stupid Sam will bully her ‘coz if they do she might need back up we could help her’ Camron passed back a note that read ‘yeah that's sort of our thing' the last passed note read 'i guess'.

Camron saw Alexis pull out a student diary that everyone gets and check the map. He remembered back to kindergarten when Jack helped him find his way to his classes and they had been best friends ever since. Every day Jack and he had plans to do something, today it was homework in the library. Sir had given them an avalanche of homework to do, including Alexis but she was the only one not groaning.

At eating time people normally had a packed lunch like Jack and Daniel. Most of the class did so it was a surprise when Sir had a lunch order as he was a heath food junkie. Only Alexis didn’t seem surprised about that but well she was new and didn’t know Sir. Camron had his once a year lunch order and Alexis had a packed lunch. Alexis’s lunch consisted of a salad sandwich, an apple, some water in a orange water bottle, a few biscuits and a container of carrot slices (She seemed very healthy, although she put away all of the lunch and ate nothing). Jacks was a nutella sandwich, an orange, some chocolate (which he shared with Camron and Daniel, he offered some to Alexis but she shook her head to some)and some water in a black water bottle. Daniels was some pizza, a cheese sandwich, an orange and some water in a red canteen.

Just as the bell rang Jack told him to grab his hoodie so they could leave. He saw Alexis tidy up her desk and grab her laptop. He knew where Daniel was going. Too his tree as always. They left the classroom Alexis hurrying before the rest so she could get a table far away from the rest of the people. Jack walked beside him “c’mon so we can get our table” he said speeding up so that Camron had to speed up too.

 On the way Stupid Sam stopped Alexis “‘ow come ya never ‘old me ya were smart” he said “you’re a nerd, now ya see we beat up smarticuses ’coz youse make us look bad”. He growled making her gulp. The thugs cracked their knuckles and backed Alexis up so her back touched a tree. Daniel’s tree.

Camron saw Alexis needed help and made the sign at the tree. He knew Daniel would be there as he always was. Just on cue a blur flew down and landed just in front of Alexis he got his fists ready and attacked Stupid Sam in a blur of fists. In the middle he saw Daniel flash him a thumbs up. That’s Daniel though, always ready for a fight and he has never lost one yet.

Jack and Camron joined in as they saw the other thugs close in with readied fists. “We’re gonna get in so much trouble.” Jack murmured to him. “Since when has that stopped us Jack.” Camron murmured back. “True” was his reply.  

 Alexis ran straight through the middle of the group making the forth boy move jump out of the way, though she could run straight through his legs. She turned around and