Orchids of Rebellion
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The morning after the night before, Tania woke with a start. She’d fallen asleep in her chair and had dreamed that she was back at school again, surrounded by students who were all on their phones or tablets – except for one girl called Amy, whose eyes shone like diamonds as she stared up into space.
The dream felt so real it took several minutes to realize that this wasn’t how things really were anymore; not since last year’s big changes when everyone got new devices that didn’t need charging every day!
She stretched out over the sofa and yawned loudly. It was still dark outside but there was enough light coming through from under the curtains to see clearly. Her mother would be up soon too: she always cooked breakfast on Saturdays because they both liked having time together during the weekend.
That meant Tania could get dressed without worrying about waking her parents if she did it quietly… which made sense anyway, given what had happened yesterday evening. But first, she needed something to eat.
The fridge was full of food, including some leftovers from dinner last night (which she hadn’t eaten), plus eggs and bacon ready-made in the freezer compartment. So once again she found herself making a choice between instant gratification and sensible eating habits.
In the end, she decided to go for the former option. If she waited until later in the day then maybe she wouldn’t feel quite so ravenous? And besides, there might even be a chance that her mum would have something else planned for breakfast instead.
Once she’d finished cooking, Tania went upstairs to find her mobile phone charger plugged in next to the bedside lamp. There was also an old paperback book lying open on top of the covers, which suggested that her mother must have been reading while waiting for Tania to wake up.
Which just goes to show how much I’ve changed since last year, she thought. Then she picked up her phone and checked the date. Today is Saturday 3rd February 2018. Last week marked exactly six months since the event that started everything off, and now we’re almost halfway through the second half of the school term. Time does fly!
It seemed strange to think about how long ago it had already been when she remembered how she used to spend most weekends sitting around watching TV or playing video games. Nowadays, however, she enjoyed being active rather than passive.
After getting dressed, she put on her trainers and headed downstairs. As usual, Mum had laid out the plates and cutlery neatly in front of the kitchen table and there was only one empty seat. “I’ll make us some tea,” said Tania cheerfully.
“That sounds good.” Mum smiled. “But you don’t need to do anything special today – I’m going shopping. We can order whatever we want online and pick it up tomorrow afternoon. How does that sound?”
Tania shrugged. “Whatever works best for you, I suppose.”
Mum laughed. “Well, I know your father likes his coffee strong, so let’s buy some beans to grind ourselves. And he loves chocolate biscuits, so those will definitely come home with me!”
When they arrived at the supermarket, Tania immediately spotted Mr. Smith browsing near the bakery counter. He looked up and saw them approaching. When they reached him, he gave a friendly wave. “Hiya, Tani! Hi, Mrs. Jones…”
Mrs. Jones nodded politely. “Hello, Mr. Smith. Good morning.”
Mr. Smith turned towards Tania. “You look well rested this morning, young lady! Did you sleep okay?”
Tania grinned. “Yeah, thanks. I slept very late. Have you seen my mum anywhere? She should have been here ages ago.”
He shook his head. “Not yet, no. Are you sure she isn’t in the car park somewhere?”
“No, she’s probably inside. Do you mind if I ask why you’re looking for her?”
“Oh, nothing important. Just checking whether she wanted to talk to me. About our meeting last night, perhaps.”
“Yes, that was nice of you to offer, but I don’t think she wants to speak to anyone right away. Let’s hope she joins us eventually though.”
They walked past the fruit and vegetable section and went down another aisle before stopping at the drinks cooler. While Tania picked up two bottles of orange juice, Mr Smith opened the door and spoke through it. “Sorry, Tanya, but I haven’t seen your mum either. Where are you parked?”
“Over there.” She pointed to where the cars were lined up along the far side of the forecourt. “Why do you care?”
He glanced across at her. “Just asking. Maybe she came into the store after all?”
“Maybe. Anyway, I should be going. See you later!”
As she started walking back to the entrance, she heard Mr. Smith call out behind her. “Bye, Tania! Come say hi whenever you like.”
She waved as she continued on her way. I wonder what he means by ‘come see me? Does that mean she knows who I am now? Or has she forgotten about me completely, apart from seeing me in the playground every day? If that’s true, then maybe she doesn’t remember anymore…
But even if that’s not the case, I still wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to someone I don’t recognize. That would be weird. So I guess I won’t bother trying to meet up again until Mum turns up.
After leaving the supermarket, Tania decided to go straight home instead of doing any other shopping. Once there, she opened the fridge and took out the carton of milk. It wasn’t quite full enough to fill the glass, so she poured herself a little extra.
Then she sat down at the kitchen table and switched on the laptop. The first thing she did was check her email account. Her inbox contained several messages, including one from her friend Sophie.
Hey Tania, it says. Hope you’re having fun. I wish I could be there too!
Sophie had sent the message yesterday evening, and Tania replied:
Thanks, Soph! Yes, it’s great here. You should visit sometime soon!
There was a brief pause before she received her reply.
Sounds good! Would love to, just tell me when.
Her next thought was to send an email to her parents, telling them what she’d done that weekend and inviting them round for dinner tonight. However, although she knew their address, she didn’t actually have any idea which part of town they lived in. They hadn’t mentioned it, and neither had any of her friends. I’m sure they must live close though. Right?
With that question lingering in her mind, Tania got ready for school and left the house. As usual, she spent most of the journey thinking about how much she liked living alone, especially since she usually managed to get away with things without getting caught or punished.
After arriving at the bus stop, she waited patiently while number 12 pulled in, climbed aboard, and found a seat. A few minutes later, she stepped off outside the gates leading onto the grounds of the primary school.
The time passed quickly, and before long, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break. She headed over to the canteen and bought herself a sandwich, before returning to her classroom. There, she ate slowly while listening to the teacher explain some new topic.
The lesson ended after only twenty-five minutes, and she put everything away, tidied up her desk, and got ready to leave. But as she stood up, she realized that she couldn’t find her bag. I know I brought it with me earlier today. Maybe I dropped it during the break and forgot about it?
No, that can’t be right. I checked my pockets before coming to class. Unless someone stole it and is keeping it for themselves…?
She looked around the room, hoping to spot the missing item, but saw nobody else except the teachers. With a sinking feeling, she returned to her desk and searched through the contents. At least this time she found the bag, but it was empty. How does something like this happen?! I’ve never lost anything before… Not ever!
Feeling worried, she hurriedly collected her books and made her way toward the exit. Thankfully, none of her classmates noticed that she was carrying the wrong bag, and once outside, she ran across the playground to look for it. Finding nothing, she trudged back to the main building and went inside. In the reception area, she asked for help from one of the secretaries.
“Can you please ask Mrs. Carter if she remembers seeing somebody come in here with an old green rucksack?”
The woman nodded and jotted down the information on a piece of paper. “I’ll let her know,” she said. “Do you want me to keep looking for it?”
Tania shook her head. “It’s probably gone forever. Thanks anyway.”
When she reached the staffroom, she removed her coat and hung it up on its hook. Before taking the opportunity to use the bathroom, however, she walked along the corridor to the office where the headteacher worked. He was sitting at his desk reading a file, and she knocked on the door frame.
“Hello, Miss Rogers? What can I do for you?”
His voice sounded friendly and welcoming. To her surprise, she felt no sense of fear or apprehension as she spoke to him. Although he seemed kind, professional, and intelligent, she still wondered whether it would be safe to trust him. Nevertheless, she explained the situation and showed him the empty bag.
He listened attentively and then smiled. “That really isn’t your fault, young lady. Sometimes these things just happen. Don’t worry – we won’t blame you!”
“Thank you very much.”
As she turned to go, he called out to her. “By the way, are those two boys who were standing by the wall talking to each other?”
Instinct told her not to answer, even though she was curious. Instead, she simply responded with a polite nod.
“Good girl,” he continued. “Now, I understand that you’re going home early because of a family emergency. Is that correct?”
Before answering, she took a moment to think carefully. It wasn’t unusual for people to gossip behind others’ backs. If he wanted to make trouble for her, all he needed to do was spread the story that she’d been involved in stealing another student’s property.
On the other hand, there might be a genuine reason why she was leaving so soon, such as illness in the family. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to play dumb.
“Yes sir,” she replied. “My uncle has died suddenly. We need to travel to London tomorrow morning, and I don’t feel well enough to stay late for lessons.”
The man stared at her for a few seconds, studying every detail of her face. Then he glanced briefly at the clock above his desk and sighed quietly. “Very sorry to hear that, Miss Rogers. May I offer my condolences to your family?”
She nodded again. “Thanks. That’s very nice of you.”
“Okay, then, I guess you should get yourself home, and I wish you luck in dealing with the funeral arrangements.”
Without waiting for a response, he pushed himself out of the chair and started walking toward the door. When Tania followed suit, they both exited into the hallway.
“Excuse me, Mr Williams?” she began hesitantly. “You mentioned that you had some news about the rucksack…”
Puzzled, he stopped and turned back to face her. “Oh yes, of course. Well, after speaking to the teacher whose class you borrowed the bag from, I discovered that one of the pupils left school without permission earlier today. They must have taken it with them when they did.”
Confused, she frowned. “But how could that possibly explain what happened to the bag?”
Mr Williams shrugged his shoulders. “Well, apparently the boy’s mother is quite upset because she thinks the bag contained important documents relating to their business. She also says that she paid good money to buy it, so I’m sure she’ll want it back.”
Although he hadn’t answered her question directly, she decided to ignore it for now. As far as she knew, her own possessions didn’t contain any valuable items, although she supposed it was possible that someone may have hidden something useful somewhere within its depths.
For instance, maybe there was a secret compartment that held a spare key to unlock a safe-deposit box containing cash. Most likely, however, she thought, whoever took the bag was using it to carry around some personal belongings; perhaps a mobile phone or a purse.
These days, most teenagers carried a small amount of spending money too, and this particular thief was probably hoping to sell it for pocket change before anyone realized that the owner couldn’t find it anymore.
Walking through the outer doors, she stepped onto the pavement and waited until she heard the sound of a car approaching. Once it drew level with her, she waved goodbye and watched as the driver pulled away down the road. The vehicle disappeared almost immediately, but she remained standing at the curb until she saw her parents’ house appear through the trees.
From inside the front gate, Tania climbed the steps to her front door, then unlocked the entranceway and opened the wooden double doors. Inside, she placed her handbag next to the telephone table, switched off her shoes, and hung her coat on the rack.
After removing her uniform top and trousers, she folded them neatly and put them in the wardrobe. In the kitchen, she filled the kettle with water and set it to boil while she went upstairs to take a quick shower.
When she emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, she was wearing a white cotton robe tied loosely around her waist. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she removed her hair tie and combed through her wet locks. By now, dinner would already be ready, so she hurried downstairs to help her mum prepare the meal.
After helping her mother clear the plates from the dining room table, Tania returned to her bedroom where she sat reading a magazine. At half past eight, she changed into her nightdress and crawled under the covers. Although she usually read herself to sleep, tonight she found it difficult to concentrate.
Her mind kept wandering to thoughts of the rucksack and the mystery surrounding its disappearance.
For several hours, she lay awake staring up at the ceiling. Eventually, her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.
The End