Chapter 1 - Friends

“My turn!” I cried picking up the dice and shaking it in my clenched fist.

We were playing snakes and ladders. I released the dice and waited for it to stop.

1, as usual. I moved my blue counter and waited for Leah to roll. “Yes!” she hissed and moved her yellow counter six places. Leah was one of my best friends. I’ve known her since primary school and now we have both gone to secondary school together. We always went round together and now we have three other people hanging round with us. Everyone seems to have their own job in the group. Leah is the socialiser, a really important part of friendship. She is the one who finds loads of fun idea’s and is up for a good laugh and party. She is loyal and far as she’s concerned the more the merrier. My other friend Erin is the listener. She is really shy and listens to all you’re problems. She gives out great advice and supports the rest of the group. She always agrees with people and goes with the flow rather them causing trouble or attention to herself. Savannah is the leader of the pack (like a lion.) Sometimes she can be really bossy and annoying but we like her for her confidence and determination. Erica is the creative person. Erica is very creative but sensitive. She loves nothing better then creating new, exciting games and activities for her friends and can do anything from poetry to sculpturing. Although she seems confident enough she sometimes needs a time out where she can just sit back and make great presents for all of us which is something we adore her for. I’m Zoë and my part in this group is the negotiator. I’m the peace maker and I keep all our friendships going smoothly. I hate fights so I like to keep everyone happy. I’m a bit of an organiser so my friends always rely on me to sort out events. I like to be open minded but still I don’t judge people when things go wrong. So when there’s an organised group like us who are always prepared for trouble what can possibly go wrong???? Well the answer to that is everything…

I opened my locker and got out my books ready for 1st lesson. “I hate Mondays” I moaned wiping my eyes. I yawned and slammed my locker shut. My blue cardigan got trapped. I walked away only to be slung back. I yelped in surprise as I fell back and felt a hard jolt from where my cardigan held me up. I grabbed on to it and trying not to rip it and pulled myself up. The bell had already rang and I fiddled with my locker for a minute trying my best to unlock it quickly and stumbled across the hall to RE.

I creaked open the door and looked round. My teacher Mr Kane was standing by the window pushing open the glass with his wrinkled palms. I crouched down and began to tiptoe to the empty desk next to Leah on the second row, when I hesitated to slide my bag along the hard glossy floor under my desk, and continued head down towards my desk. I was almost there when my head bumped something that seemed like two lanky pipes reaching up to a withered roof. My prediction was nearly right, for stood before me (or should I say on top of me) was Mr Kane (pea brain)

“And what may I ask is a 14 year old girl doing crawling along my newly waxed floor?” he boomed.

“W-Well um I-I erm I-I was sort of…”

“Well?” He asked.

“I-I erm I don’t know” I stammered.

“Neither do I” he smirked “NOW, get to your desk”

I slumped to my seat and mumbled hopelessly to Leah. “Mr Pea brain is insane”

“WHAT WAS THAT!!!” he screamed….

Chapter 2 – The cause

I jumped up seeing that Mr Kane was behind me the whole time. I was stunned for words, my mouth went dry, I had never seen him so angry before. I spun round in surprise seeing the evil glare in his eyes (not a good way to start knowing that I have him in Geography as well).

“I-I-I didn’t mean it , really, it just came out” I stuttered knowing that a long trip to the principles office is on its way!

Great now just beg for mercy and we’ll be alright, I thought desperately.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT JUST CAME OUT” his voice boomed once more but even louder.

My legs felt out of control, I gasped them together with my sweaty hands and tried to stop myself from crying. It was no use my eyes were leaking without control and my lips were trembling.

“STOP YOU’RE CRYING GIRL AND ACT YOU’RE AGE! WHAT ARE YOU 4??!!” He yelled, his voice sounded like bells being bashed and clashed wildly by vicious and unstoppable wolves. My mind ran through millions of explanations but not one came out my mouth. I was just sat there crying.

“Sir! It wasn’t her it was me!” Leah cried.

“WHAT!” he snarled looking viciously at his new prey. “I heard her from her own mouth. She called me Mr Pea Brain!”

The whole class giggled and chuckled at his words.

“QUIET!” He yelled “OR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU WILL ANSWER TO THE HEAD!” Mr Kane yelled.

They shut up and carried on working.

“Now Miss Gates” He said quietly to me. I wiped my tears away with my sleeve and sat up moodily. “I’ll be calling you’re parents.”

“WHAT!” I cried out loud.

“You can’t do that!” Leah protested. The whole class surprisingly broke out in ruthless swear words and words of pure hatred. I hate arguing as I may have told you but this was too much.

“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!” I cried shaking. Everyone shut up and stared. That was when it went I could hear nothing yet lips were moving. Their voices. So muffled. So far away. Then colours flashed before my eyes like some strange firework display that never ended then black. I thought my life had ended. Although it had pretty much began…

Chapter 3 – The illness

I finally woke up to all my friends surrounding me like a flock of pigeons all trying to get at one piece of bread. But that was not all I could smell the awful sickly smell of the HOSPITAL! I tried to pull myself up but a sharp and dire pain travelled through my legs sabotaging everything it passed. It didn’t feel as though I had any feet, they were numb and so were my ankles. What was this? Was it a side affect or something more serious? One thing was for sure, I was not prepared for what lay ahead of me on this long journey through life…

“What happened?” I asked my friends

None of them answered. A very tall and big built nurse walked up to the bed I laid in and answered my question.

“Zoë, it’s OK. I’m Nurse Helen and I can tell you something you’re very lucky! But sadly with good news there’s always bad news” She announced

I gulped.

“Zoë, a big shut down on a part of the brain has indeed damaged you’re brain cells” she continued.

“Meaning?” I asked.

“Zoë, this shut down is huge and it will keep growing and growing. It’s already started to take you’re legs” She warned “This can spread so fast you won’t have time to get to a wheelchair. This shut down will spread up wards to you’re abdominal area and all the way up you’re head damaging memories, intelligence and much much more…”

“WHAT” I screamed…

The look on some of my friend’s faces was enough to tell me this was serious without anyone telling me. I didn’t know what to say. Then suddenly I realised what was happening. “B-But this can’t be happening, not yet, I’m too young” I burst out in tears, I needed my mum.

“N-N-NO!” I sobbed tossing over beating my pillow with my fist. “Why? Why me?” I sniffed and hid under my blankets. “Where is my mum?” I whimpered then it all went silent and everyone exchanged awful looks of despair. Had something happened to them?

“Your mum can’t see you right now honey she’s badly hurt and can’t move much but she will get better” nurse Helen spoke softly

I was losing my grip and I had an even worse pain in my body now! The nurse showed everyone out knowing I was upset. I pulled over the covers and prayed. An hour later Erin peeped her head round the corner of the door.

“Zoë, can you still hear me?” She asked.

“Yeah, I still have one ear left” I said sarcastically.

“You want to talk?” She asked me.

I tried to hold back the tears. I nodded my head and she ran to give me a big hug.

“Erin, I’m going to die!” I exclaimed.

“NO! Don’t say that!” She wailed.

“But it’s true” I cried.

“No we’re going to save you!” She assured me.

“But you heard Helen… It’s hopeless!” I sobbed.

“Well raise money for the operation you need to get rid of this awful thing” she sounded so confident

“Really you’ll do that for me but think of how long it’s going to take”

“Don’t worry savannah will get it sorted and we’ll help I’ got to go now bye”

So I was sat in the hospital on my own with a sharp pain in the back of my legs …

Chapter 4 – Fund Raiser idea

I spent one whole day without any company except the nurse which I hated so much anyway the fund raising went on at school. It started as a small stall at break time where we sold cakes and drinks. In one morning (on good mornings) we made £5.25 which wasn’t enough to keep us going on because the operation was drawing closer everyday. Then one day the principle asked us to stay behind after school. We thought we were getting told off but we went into the creepy large office at the end of a 43 classroom corridor anyway. As we entered we saw the oak desk and the huge portrait of him hanging behind him. “so I see you have been trying to raise money so your friend can have an operation eh well I see that as a very wise thing to do but you don’t seem to be getting many customers so I decided to spend the whole of Thursday as a carnival day for Zoë. Their will be stalls shows and advice on teen problems but I would like you four to organize it and make it happen. You have one week to do so thank you and I hope to see how it is coming along now toodledoo. This carnival was going to be awesome. We were going to use the school field for it all. Erin was in charge of and agony aunt thingy. This is where she would talk to people and help with their problems. Savannah was having fun telling everyone which stall they were on and making shows. Leah being as social as she is invited people to the big carnival and sorted out the DJ and the dance competitions, ECT. Erica designed the invitations and the decoration around the stalls and banners and helped out on the stalls. I since I could not move ordered the bouncy castles and everything else on the phone. We needed someone to work the stalls so Erica’s two twin sisters, Lily and Lola and brother Logan helped. Erica even decorated my horrible grey wheelchair with pink and purple flowers and toys. The whole school donated their old toys and books for the car boot sale. And Leah’s mum made us loads of cakes and muffins to sell. The principle ordered a caterer to set out some food in a huge buffet. On the stalls are like those fair stalls like hook a duck, ect. Everything was going much better than we had planned…