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Maya was shaking all over. Her knees felt weak, her stomach doing somersaults and she could hear her heart beating so fast it was hard to breathe. A teacher she didn't recognise lined all the students at the front. He was smiling. Was he enjoying the dread and horror on the students' faces? Then slowly, one by one, he began to welcome children inside the examination hall. The exam was about to begin.
She answered the best she could, hoping, praying that she would get a good mark in the exam. She was almost finished and that's when she saw something, or rather someone, outside the window.
It was Matt. The new neighbour's son. He was running, sprinting towards Kiss and Drop. She was instantly intrigued. She finished the last few questions of the exam and then excused herself to the bathroom. Except instead of going to the bathroom, she followed Matt. She ran after him and spotted him climbing inside his car. His whole family were there and they looked as if they were going on vacation. "MATT! You can't leave right now, are you insane? It's your yearly exam!" She screamed at him but all he did was smile and wave. With a sigh she gave up trying to stop him and dragged herself back to the examination hall. 'Well he's the one who's gonna fail.' she thought bitterly, wishing she got to escape to Hawaii or wherever the hell he was going.
Next week, Matt's family returned, with souvenirs from Hawaii and a present for Maya, Diana and Haley's families.
"You're saying they got us soap?" Maya asked her dad, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yes it may not be the best gift but it's better than what you got for Christmas!" He patted her on the back and went back to making dinner. He was right, it was better than what she got for Christmas. She accidentally got a pair of used boxers from her grandad who thought they were scrunchies.
She got up from the chair and got a bowl from the cabinet drawer and a fork. Noodles for dinner, her dad's specialty. Really it was just Ramen with some 'secret' ingredient but she had to admit it was pretty tasty.
She could hear police sirens from a distance. She groaned for the third time today. Ever since they got back from Hawaii, police sirens constantly surrounded their street. She was walking the dog once and she looked up and saw a sea of blue, a swarm of police cars rushing by her. What was most irritating is that she wasn't able to sleep with the noise and went to school half-asleep, barely focusing on what her geography teacher was babbling about. And worst of all, Matt's younger brother Tim would scream in the middle of the night, waking up from the same nightmare. He would shout for all to hear "THE POLICE! The police are coming to take us away!" She was sick of it.
She climbed into bed after dinner, not bothering to brush her teeth. She was too tired. The police sirens were so irritating and then Tim screamed again. She checked the time on her phone and angrily stormed out of her bedroom. It was one o'clock in the night and she couldn't take it. Grabbing her slippers she marched towards Matt's house, still in her pyjamas. She swung the door open, stomped up the stairs and into Tim's bedroom and froze. The whole family was leaning over a safe. And not just any safe; it contained her brother's iPhone, her teacher's missing Rolex, Diana's 'priceless' earrings and Harley's famous gold necklace and so much more. "I can explain!" spluttered Matt's dad. "I promise you I'm not a thief!" he protested, holding his hands above his head as if Maya was a cop. "Explain then!" Maya asked, clearly shocked. "Your family, I mean everyone in this town, did-”
“Shhh!” His wife slapped his hand to silence him.
“We found them and thought we’d return them and that’s why they’re here.” said his wife, being a little bit aggressive, shoved the iPad into Maya’s hand. Something was clearly off.
She had to find out why they were stealing from their own neighbourhood before the police found out. She barely had two days before the police started investigating Matt’s family. She felt weird. Almost as if she wasn’t angry at them for stealing. Almost as if she felt pity for them. But why? She shook it off and walked back, slowly, to her house.
She answered the best she could, hoping, praying that she would get a good mark in the exam. She was almost finished and that's when she saw something, or rather someone, outside the window.
It was Matt. The new neighbour's son. He was running, sprinting towards Kiss and Drop. She was instantly intrigued. She finished the last few questions of the exam and then excused herself to the bathroom. Except instead of going to the bathroom, she followed Matt. She ran after him and spotted him climbing inside his car. His whole family were there and they looked as if they were going on vacation. "MATT! You can't leave right now, are you insane? It's your yearly exam!" She screamed at him but all he did was smile and wave. With a sigh she gave up trying to stop him and dragged herself back to the examination hall. 'Well he's the one who's gonna fail.' she thought bitterly, wishing she got to escape to Hawaii or wherever the hell he was going.
Next week, Matt's family returned, with souvenirs from Hawaii and a present for Maya, Diana and Haley's families.
"You're saying they got us soap?" Maya asked her dad, raising an eyebrow. "Well, yes it may not be the best gift but it's better than what you got for Christmas!" He patted her on the back and went back to making dinner. He was right, it was better than what she got for Christmas. She accidentally got a pair of used boxers from her grandad who thought they were scrunchies.
She got up from the chair and got a bowl from the cabinet drawer and a fork. Noodles for dinner, her dad's specialty. Really it was just Ramen with some 'secret' ingredient but she had to admit it was pretty tasty.
She could hear police sirens from a distance. She groaned for the third time today. Ever since they got back from Hawaii, police sirens constantly surrounded their street. She was walking the dog once and she looked up and saw a sea of blue, a swarm of police cars rushing by her. What was most irritating is that she wasn't able to sleep with the noise and went to school half-asleep, barely focusing on what her geography teacher was babbling about. And worst of all, Matt's younger brother Tim would scream in the middle of the night, waking up from the same nightmare. He would shout for all to hear "THE POLICE! The police are coming to take us away!" She was sick of it.
She climbed into bed after dinner, not bothering to brush her teeth. She was too tired. The police sirens were so irritating and then Tim screamed again. She checked the time on her phone and angrily stormed out of her bedroom. It was one o'clock in the night and she couldn't take it. Grabbing her slippers she marched towards Matt's house, still in her pyjamas. She swung the door open, stomped up the stairs and into Tim's bedroom and froze. The whole family was leaning over a safe. And not just any safe; it contained her brother's iPhone, her teacher's missing Rolex, Diana's 'priceless' earrings and Harley's famous gold necklace and so much more. "I can explain!" spluttered Matt's dad. "I promise you I'm not a thief!" he protested, holding his hands above his head as if Maya was a cop. "Explain then!" Maya asked, clearly shocked. "Your family, I mean everyone in this town, did-”
“Shhh!” His wife slapped his hand to silence him.
“We found them and thought we’d return them and that’s why they’re here.” said his wife, being a little bit aggressive, shoved the iPad into Maya’s hand. Something was clearly off.
She had to find out why they were stealing from their own neighbourhood before the police found out. She barely had two days before the police started investigating Matt’s family. She felt weird. Almost as if she wasn’t angry at them for stealing. Almost as if she felt pity for them. But why? She shook it off and walked back, slowly, to her house.