Heavy droplets of rain slammed onto the car window, a surge of water crashing into the glass every time the Range Rover abruptly turned a corner. The early morning sun had been displaced and hidden by a swarm of dark clouds. The girl in the back seat of the car, who lacked significantly in size, was thrown around like a doll, the seat belt offering little comfort.

She listened to the gentle rumble outside as the car drove over a cobbled path, rolling over the stones until it became stationary. The girl peered gingerly out of the window, checking to see her surroundings. Despite the girl’s view being blurred by rain, she could make out the grand manor house ahead. She felt her chest tighten excitedly as the car hummed in response to being turned off.

Taking a modestly sized suitcase from beside her, the girl pushed open the door, gratefully taking the umbrella offered to her by the driver. She picked up the suitcase with shaking hands and dragged it towards the front door, using it to shield her face from the sting of the wind and rain. She paused for just a moment to take in the exterior of the house.

The building was as immaculate and symmetrical as she’d imagined; two turrets stood out from each end of the manor, holding a row of arched windows. The girl guessed that was where the dorms were. The front door was inside a large stone arch, with “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer: Romans 12:12” engraved at the top of it. The girl smiled fondly, recalling the verse in her head.

“Are you ready darling?” Asked the driver, also her father, as he put down the umbrella and placed it outside the door. The girl nodded enthusiastically, earning a hair ruffle from her father. She frowned, smoothing it out with her frozen hands. She was grateful for the sudden gust of warm air as they closed the door behind them, walking into the building.

The interior was just as neat as the exterior, and the girl was almost blinded by the bright white walls. She walked over to the desk, standing on tiptoes so she was able to properly introduce herself. She wouldn’t let her height stop her from having manners.

A woman turned around after the girl announced herself. She looked weary and stern with beady eyes and a tightly drawn lip. She smiled never the less, offering the girl a somewhat hesitant handshake.

“You must be Miss O'Hara?” The woman asked, raising her eyebrow as she waited for the girl to answer. She ran the end of her pen down the paper on her clipboard, checking for her name so she could tick it off. The girl nodded with as much sickly sweet politeness as she could muster.

“Phoebe O'Hara, yeah.” She smiled widely when the woman handed her a schedule and room key.

“You’ll be sharing a room with another new student for the first year, and then moved into the dorms in your second year. If you misbehave, you will be moved to a building of isolation with other delinquents, I suggest never ending up there. An induction will take place in an hour, make sure to have your uniform on and neat.” The woman informed before turning back to her clipboard, silently dismissing Phoebe to leave.

Phoebe skipped over to her father, waving the schedule in front of his face excitedly.

“I’ll see you during the holidays Phoebe, be good until then. I’ll pray for you, dear, make sure you remember your prayers too.” Phoebe’s father gave her a quick, tight hug before hurrying away back into the storm. Phoebe watched him go for a second before turning to the corridor that lead to her room.

“Oh, and Phoebe?” Her father called from the doorway. Phoebe paused and turned. She gulped and nodded.

“You know what happens if you don’t.” He spoke sternly. Phoebe nodded obediently, shying away from her father’s gaze as if he could see the bruises on her arms through the fabric of her clothes. She brushed off the warning as best she could and headed back down the corridor.

She felt the cold key in the palm of her hand, thumb rubbing over the engraved number written on it. Disorientated, Phoebe turned the corner of the corridor in hopes of finding room ‘5’. There, at the end of the row of rooms was number 5. She grinned to herself and placed the key between her fingers. She steadied her hands enough to be able to put it in the keyhole, swinging the door open.

The room was small and square, with only two single beds against opposite walls, two wooden desks and a powder blue carpet. Other pieces of mismatched furniture sat dotted around the room. One circular window decorated the adjacent wall from the door. Phoebe smiled widely at the simplicity of the room, not noticing the figure sitting on one of the beds until they coughed pointedly.

“I didn’t want to interrupt your Disney moment, I was surprised when you didn’t start singing as you span around. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that you didn’t.” The girl stood up from the bed she was perched on and offered a hand to Phoebe. She shook it warily.

Her roommate’s hair was almost as curled as Phoebe’s, but they were much more controlled in comparison to Phoebe’s frizzy ringlets. The other girl’s hair was a dark blonde, and Phoebe imagined it had once been the colour of gold but had since faded with age.

“So princess, what’s your name?” The girl asked, eyes wandering up and down Phoebe’s body as she took in the girl’s appearance. Phoebe suddenly felt incredibly out of place as she compared her pleated skirt and cardigan to the girl’s jeans and 'ouija mom’ t-shirt.

“I’m Phoebe O'hara, you must be my roommate?” She introduced herself, frowning at the girl in front of her.

“I’m Sharon Needles and I don’t like that name.” Sharon stated simply, leaning back into the desk chair she had made herself comfortable in. Phoebe crossed her arms frustratedly. How did she hate a girl that she had quite literally met only ten seconds ago?

“If you have an issue with it, I’d advise taking it up with my parents.” She huffed, angry at the way her new roommate made her feel insecure. Sharon seemed to notice Phoebe’s frustration as she smirked. She was clearly enjoying the reaction she was getting.

“Nah, I think I’ll just change it. I had a friend called Phoebe once, but she put gum in my hair so I don’t want to be reminded of that betrayal. What about Phi Phi? Easy enough?” Sharon rambled, spinning to face Phoebe as she waited for approval.

“Why do you need the extra 'Phi’ on the end?” She questioned, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sharon’s own expression changed to mirror hers. She froze for a moment, a pout on her lips. Sharon’s eyebrows furrowed as she thought.

“Good point, but it’s too late to back down now, I’ve made my decision. So Phi Phi it is. I think it has a nice ring to ir.” Sharon exclaimed enthusiastically.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Phi Phi hated the way she stamped her foot. She also hated the way Sharon looked at her as if she were a spoiled child. In response to her statement, Sharon simply shrugged.

Phi Phi turned away and reached for her suitcase, placing it at the foot of her chosen bed. She unzipped it, conscious of Sharon’s gaze, and took out everything she’d packed. The pile of clothes she’d brought were placed neatly in their shared wardrobe, but Sharon’s pile of clothes stayed in a mess on the floor. Phi Phi’s beloved bible was placed tidily on her bedside table, but there wasn’t a hint of Christianity on Sharon’s side.

“We need to be down in the hall in 10 minutes.” Sharon stated bluntly, watching the way Phi Phi stopped unpacking suddenly and turned around with wide eyes.

“That’s it?” She cried as she pulled the uniform out of the wardrobe and rushed into the bathroom to change. Sharon laughed to herself as she watched the panic and changed into her own uniform.

Phi Phi stared at her reflection in the full length mirror, from the white stockings to her red and green plaid skirt. She tugged at it gently to bring it to a respectable length. She buttoned up the top button of her white shirt and smiled, content that her appearance would suffice. She took a velvety red headband from her bag and pushed back her chestnut curls.

She looked down at her arms, tugging at her sleeves to ensure none of the purple marks were visible. She was ashamed of them because she’d deserved them. Speaking out of turn during a prayer would usually warrant a worse punishment. Phi Phi was lucky her father adored her.

She jumped, pulled from her daze, when she felt Sharon pull her curls down so that they bounced back up to her shoulders. Phi Phi bristled, resisting the urge to jerk away from Sharon. She didn’t like to be touched, but she sure didn’t want to make a scene. Impressions, to Phi Phi’s family, were placed highly on the pyramid of respect.

Sharon’s uniform fitted her perfectly, but she wore it like a delinquent. Her skirt rode up at the thigh and almost revealed everything underneath. The top of her shirt buttons were undone, enough to show the top of a red lace bra.

“Come on then Princess, shall we?” Sharon winked when Phi Phi stared, making the girl blush furiously. She watched Sharon’s expression for a moment and, upon finding no malice, decided that she could forgive her new roommate for all her annoyance. For now at least.