Companions at the Chalet School

Art by mad_jaks (LJ | e-mail | comment | notes) and mizz_destiny (LJ | comment)

Chapter 2. Arrivals

Sarah and her aunt had arrived a week early. This was so unlike Sarah's scatterbrained aunt's usual methods, that Sarah suspected that this was due to her aunt's eagerness to get settled and get on with her own work. She planned to take advantage of the freedom this granted her and didn't worry over much about her aunt's motives.

They settled in a pretty, little cottage that was split into two flats, Aunt Lavinia stating that since Sarah would be boarding at the school and she would be spending most of her time at the San, there was no need for much space. Still, there were five rooms plus the kitchen and that meant that Sarah could have her own room during the hols, even if it was small. The cubie she would be assigned at the school would probably be smaller.

The day after they'd arrived, when they'd finished unpacking- or at least as much as Aunt Lavinia deemed necessary, Sarah was sent out to explore whilst her aunt organised her study. She had to admit that if they had moved for a change of scenery, they had been very successful. The mountains were rather awe inspiring as long as she looked up. Looking down still brought memories of Andrea dangling beneath her, so she avoided that as much as possible. She was standing in the garden admiring the Jungfrau, when a girl darted out of the other flat and ran straight into her.

"Oi. Watch where you're going." Sarah snapped automatically, then suddenly wondered if she should have spoken in French or German. But she was too startled to construct a proper sentence and she couldn't remember which one was spoken here.

"Sorry. Just trying to get to the shop before it closes. I'm Ace McShane, by the way. Let me give you a hand." She stood up and grabbed Sarah's hand to pull her up none too gently.

"Sarah Jane Smith. Do you go to the Chalet School?" She stood with Ace's help, dusted herself off and, deciding it would be silly to storm off in a huff, started walking alongside the other girl instead.

"Starting next term. You?" The other girl seemed a bit too nice, but Ace needed to start her investigation somewhere and the fact that she was wearing jeans rather than a prissy dress was reassuring. Somehow she'd got the impression that boarding school girls of this era were always perfectly put together in dainty frocks, even when not at school.

"The same. My aunt just got a position at the San." Sarah studied the other girl, admiring her forthrightness and determined stride. She tried to match it and, not for the first time, cursed her short legs. The two girls continued their conversation as they walked towards town and to their surprise, by the time they walked back they were well on the way to becoming friends.

When they got back, Sarah took a quick glance inside the flat and surveyed the disaster that surrounded Aunt Lavinia, before deciding it was too early to go back in. Ace ended up inviting Sarah to tea, where the Doctor gave her a bemused glance, played the spoons on her knee and made her laugh with his absurdities.

By the time Sarah went back home, Aunt Lavinia's study was tidy and she was curled up in a chair with a cup of tea and a scholarly tome. Knowing what her aunt would like to hear, Sarah made a point of detailing her day with Ace.

"So you've made a friend from the school. That's good." Lavinia wouldn't have admitted it to her niece, but she had worried about Sarah's inability to connect with her classmates since Andrea's death.

"I think so. It's early days, though," Sarah replied cautiously.

After Sarah left, the Doctor turned to Ace and said, "If you must be friends with Sarah, promise me that the two of you won't burn down the school. It would be a bit awkward." The Doctor grinned at her, as though he wasn't too upset.

"I promise. No fires. No explosives. Unless they're necessary to save the world." They would be. Ace was certain of that. Even if she had to arrange things personally. And if she could blow up the school in the process, that might be an added bonus.

"I'm not sure I trust either of you not to cause trouble." Sticking Ace and Sarah in the same form had made him wary, but the two of them working together was intrinsic to his plan.

But for the moment, Ace and Sarah indulged in more acceptable pursuits and their friendship grew quickly, as they commiserated over the lameness of the school uniform and traded chemical recipes which might be useful in future pranks. Ace was very thankful to have found a kindred spirit so quickly. Sarah might make boarding school bearable after all. At least she'd have someone to talk to who wasn't all "up the school". By the time the week was up they had explored up and down the Görnetz Platz despite almost constant drizzle punctuated by thunderstorms, getting into mild mischief and even peeking in at the school (not that they would have admitted it to the Doctor or Aunt Lavinia), and they were both almost reconciled to having to go to boarding school.

Sarah still had nightmares about Andrea's death, but she kept those to herself. In Ace, perhaps, she had found a friend like Andrea- who would pull her into mad adventures when left to her own devices she would have been boringly obedient. But she was more adventurous now- as if she was daring death to come back and get her.

Dr Smith was too busy settling in to her new job at the Sanatorium to pay much attention to Sarah and her new friend. And they didn't actually do anything that would cause the denizens of the Platz to draw her attention to their activities. Both understood the value of lying low and staying out of the sort of trouble that would draw the attention of their guardians and the school. They both understood the value of starting out at school without that hanging over their heads.

The Doctor, as far as Ace could tell, was idling his days away, working in the garden of the flat they had rented and reading a strange assortment of books. Ace hadn't been able to resist teasing him when she discovered that he'd acquired a few of the local celebrity author's novels from the hotel's gift shop.

"You can't possibly be interested in those, Professor." Of all the things that she would have expected to appeal to him, books centred around teenage girls at school would have been the last on the list.

"They're a delightful portrait of school life... the sort of life you're about to embark on. Perhaps you should read them. Useful research and all that. Presumably she's writing about the school she's attached to, which you will be attending." There was still so much he didn't know about humans, even after all these years, and this was an experience he would never have. Even if the books were meant to be wholesome, there was still some truth to them.

"I read those when I was in infant school," Ace scorned, though she filched one of the novels and brought it over to Sarah's later that day.

"I've read that one, I think. I prefer SF stories. Boarding school's so boring, all studies and sport and midnight feasts. Give me something with some adventure."

"I know what you mean. But still, the Professor had a point. If she's writing about a school, it's probably the one she's most familiar with."

"True, let's see." Sarah proceeded to read aloud from the first chapter with critical commentary. "I think we're both going to be the girls who don't fit in."

"We'll have each other. So where does she describe the rubbish school uniform?"

"Here we go, tan and lavender."

"God, the Chalet School's uniform's colours are better than that. At least blue's a decent colour."

"Better than my last uniform too. Brown with a yellow check blouse. I don't think anyone looked good in it. And I like their idea of summer frocks in the same pattern, but whatever colour you choose."

"I do too. Though the Professor put his foot down, when I said I wanted one in black." As Ace had known he would. She had felt obliged to try, though.

"I don't blame you in the slightest." Sarah turned back to the book. "Let's see what else we can find to be sarky about. Best to get it out of our system now."

"Sounds like a plan." Ace leaned over and they continued through the book making snide comments about what they expected the school would be like and becoming close friends in the process.

Jo hesitated before entering the carriage. Such a large group of unknown girls all chattering happily. She wasn't shy usually, but she felt overwhelmed. So she stood in the doorway, studying the girls and tried to work up her courage to interrupt one of the conversations to introduce herself. Instead she admired the colourful uniform frocks, unconsciously attempting to straighten her own, which had gone somewhat askew in the rush to the train.

To her relief, one of the mistresses noticed her, and introduced herself as Miss Wilmot. Jo couldn't help but like how her blue eyes danced as she led Jo over to a chattering group of girls. "These are Althea Glenyon, Robina McQueen and Samaris Davies. Girls, this is Josephine Grant, who will probably also be in your form."

Althea grinned up at her with an engaging smile as she started moving magazines, chocolates and brollies off the unused seat, gesturing at the other two to help her. They made quick work of clearing up and Althea turned to Jo and asked, "aisle or window?".

"Aisle is fine with me," Jo replied, shoving her case up with the others in the rack. She'd much rather talk than watch the scenery.

Jo studied the other girls wondering if they'd end up being friends. She herself was a bit of a chatterbox. But she'd read enough boarding school stories to know better than to try to stick her oar in yet. Best to wait until the other girls knew her better and the other girls had accepted her as one of their own. She didn't doubt it would happen. She'd been well-liked at her old school for her good nature and generous heart, and was accustomed to being on friendly terms with her classmates.

Althea and the others didn't give her a chance to be shy though.

"So we've got another Josephine. Do you have a short or must we use the whole thing?" Robina sounded so mournful at the thought that Jo had to laugh.

"I'm Jo mostly, except to teachers."

"The teachers here will call you Jo if you want. If they ever had a rule about no nicknames, they don't any more. You weren't named after Joey Maynard, were you?" Althea brought out a box of chocs and passed them around as she spoke.

"No, mum's quite specific about the fact that I'm named after her mother. Though she said that other former pupils had done so." Jo remembered the packet of biscuits, her mum had shoved in her case at the last moment and stood up to get it, but slipped and ended up in an awkward heap in the aisle with her case on top of her.

"Are you hurt?"

"Not at all." Jo stuck the case on her seat and dusted herself off, thankful to see she hadn't ripped her dress. "I'm afraid you'll find that I'm horribly clumsy. Mum said she hoped the school could knock some poise into my head, since she'd never been able to."

"Your back's rather dusty. Shall I brush you off?"

"Thank you."

Robina offered to stick the case back up for her, and after Jo retrieved the biscuits, she agreed, thankfully. Opening the pack, she passed it around and they returned to their conversation.

The other three were quick to offer up tidbits about the school and its most famous pupil.

"Does she really come and visit the school? Isn't she very busy with her writing?" Jo had never met a real author before and the thought that she might meet her very favourite one filled her with joy.

"She likes to keep her oar in. And she'll probably invite you to tea. She does that for all the new girls," Sam explained.

Jo wasn't sure the girls weren't playing a prank on the new girl, but being a good sport about such things, she nodded and played along.

Soon enough, the conversation shifted to other things. Robina asked Jo. "What sport do you play? We usually do cricket and tennis during summer term and, of course, swimming, but that's scheduled separately as we don't have a bath and it's a bit of a trip."

Jo grinned and said, "Tennis. Are there teams or do you just mess about? Or do you compete by forms or something?"

The girls were amused by that. "Teams. We've quite a few fixtures with neighbouring schools. And matches between forms as well."

"Oh, are there other schools around? I thought you were more isolated." Geography was not Jo's strong suit.

"There's St. Hilda's and St. Cecile's. They're the closest," Althea explained. "Plus the Millies- St. Mildred's, our finishing school. We get in some good games this term. And we should be going down for swimming regularly, especially if there's a heat wave. Plus we've got the fête to look forward to."

"We have a fête every summer term to support the poor parish in Innsbruck, where the Chalet School started," Robina explained. "We sell the things we make during the year in our hobbies club and many of the old girls contribute too."

"I'm not very good at making things," Jo couldn't help saying. She couldn't imagine making anything that someone else would want to buy.

"Oh, we'll find something," Sam reassured her. "The school has had lots of experience at this."

"It does sound smashing," Jo admitted. She hoped she would be able to live up to the standard of the rest of the school.

"'Ware." Althea said. "Smashing's strictly verboten here. They're strict about slang, and if you're not careful fines will eat up your spending money. It should be fine now, since term hasn't started and you're new, but watch out."

"I'll try. At least on French and German days, I won't have to worry about that. But I'm terrified about having to speak those languages all day." Her mother had assured her that people would help her out, but she still didn't know how she would manage.

"We'll all help, and if you ask the staff they'll give you phrases to repeat back to them. And after hearing it all day, twice a week, before long you'll be chattering in French and German like the rest of us," Robina was quick to reply. "We'll all help you, I promise."

"Thanks. I appreciate this." Her mum hadn't lied when she'd said that the school put a premium on making new girls feel welcome.

The girls' talk turned to their holidays, and their plans for the term and Jo listened eagerly with a bright grin on her face. This was even better than she had expected.

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