A/N: I've had this idea for a while now but has never had the energy to sit down and write it. I'll try and persevere with this, and it'll help to motivate me if I get reviews. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and constructive criticism is welcomed, but please bare in mind that I have no beta at the moment. So... read on!

Forever Young

by Jess

Chapter One: Change

Change v 1. to make or become different 2. to give, leave or subsitute one thing for another. n 1. the process of changing or an instance of it. 2. the replacement of one thing for another; the leaving of one thing for another.


It seems like a whole other country, a whole new way of life. It's not. This small village in the south of England is only 50 miles away from where we used to live, but it feels like a thousand times that. We're moving for a fresh start, a new life away from ghosts of the past and new opportunities. That's what my Aunt told me, but the truth is, we moved so my Aunt didn't have to see my Uncle living across the street with some 20 year old money grabber every morning of her life.

I grabbed another cardboard box from the back of the removal van which and carried it up stairs to my room. Not without difficulty though as the box was heavy, probably full of my CDs and DVDs which I had insisted to bring them all with us. I laid it down on the floor just as my phone beeped. I dug into the pocket of my jeans and brought it out, groaning as I realised the battery was dead and I'd packed it the charger up the day before.

'AJ!' I made my way downstairs, to where my Aunt Jane sat in the kitchen unpacking the pans. I called her AJ for short - only I called it her and I had done for as long as I could remember.

'Yes Faye?' She said, looking up from her crouched position on the floor as she put a saucepan in the cupboard.

'Where's my charger? Phone's dead.' I asked her.

'Luckily I've just unpacked it. It's in the box over there.' She jerked her head over to a drawer on the other side of the room, which I pulled open to find my charger. I found a socket and plugged it into the wall.

'Thanks.'

'No problem. There's only about 5 more boxes left and then we're done.' My Aunt looked happy that we were somewhere close to having the house in order and I attempted to look the same. The truth was, unpacking had kept my mind off the big day tomorrow: School.

I'd never been to a new school, and the thought frightened me. I'd read books and watched movies about how the new kid always turned out to be insanely popular but that was fiction, nothing more. This was real life and I doubted the reality was as happy as that. The new kids at my old school had a rough time, most of them transferring after a few months. Inside, I was sad to have left my best friends Anne and Jade, their bubbly personalities and eagerness to make friends astounded me, and I wished I could do the same, but on the other hand I was happy to have left the chavs and slags behind. The local school that I was starting at tomorrow was advertised as a boarding school, but most of the students were just there for the day, like I would be. It surprised me that the school only had 80 kids in each year, whereas the one back home had had over 300. I supposed the small size was something to be expected when moving to a village.


I awoke the next morning to the smell of pancakes, my favourite breakfast food. My favourite food was Tacos, and I adored most Mexican cuisine. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and got up to go downstairs and eat my treat.

'Good morning, I've made the pancakes to get you through the day ahead.' That was one of the benefits of having a psychotherapist for a guardian - she knew I had been worrying greatly about today.

'I think I'll need it.' I muttered, already halfway through my first pancake. My Aunt made the best pancakes I'd ever tasted and I managed the finish the lot in five minutes. What can I say? I liked them.

After I'd gone through my morning routine of showering, brushing my teeth and trying and straightening her hair, my Aunt knocked on the door.

'Uniform's outside the door.' She knew not to come into my room, as it was my space, something just for me. Even I cleaned it. I opened my door to find a neatly folded pile of garments. I groaned; it has a black blazer and I hated the shoulder pads in them, i'd have to get AJ to take them out sometimes. There was a crisp white shirt - shortsleeved as I hated my arms being fully covered - a black and gold striped tie, a black skirt, black tights and black ballet pump shoes. It certainly did look like boarding school attire. I put them on and glanced at myself in the mirror. My hair, which was a deep dark brown colour with a fringe and cut a few inches below my shoulders, needed brushing. I grabbed the brush off my table and managed to tame it down to it's normal straight style. I looked myself in the eye, the other me looking back too. But I noticed something, my usually green eyes were a vivid, bright blue. I gasped, jumping away from the mirror. What the hell? Composing my self, I glanced back, but found my eyes were green again. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, I thought.

I ambled down the stairs, trying to delay having to go to school. I was walking, it being a mere 10 minutes from where I lived and I really wasn't looking forward to it. AJ was waiting for me, the door already open and my bag, a brown and white over the shoulder bag, in her hand.

'Chop chop, you'd better get going. You're running late already.' I grabbed my bag and glumly put it over my shoulder.

''K' I mumbled, walking out of the door and into the garden.

'You'll be fine, I promise.' She said, and I looked at her. She was thirty seven, but looked like she was in her mid-twenties, and not a wrinkle in sight. Her hair was a light natural blonde, and her skin slightly tanned still from our holiday to Spain months ago. Secretly, I envied her appearance. On that thought, I waved her a goodbye and set off down the path. I hope she'll be right.


A/N: Sorry it's so short and uneventful, but Fayre needed a normal introduction. Look out for a few hints for what's to come in future chapters. And at maybe 2 reviews I'll post the next chapter, where she starts at the school.