Hakuna Manota

From inside the muggy classroom I could barely hear the arising storm outside. Mr. Caprot was trying to hold everyone's attention with his uninteresting monolouge on the roman empire. He wasn't doing a very good job. Savannah, a girl that I have known since kindergarten was drooling over herself in a mirror. Michael Black, who I'd known since fourth grade was drawing depressing pictures on the corner of his desk. Sofia, who I had known since first grade was the only one who seemed interesting in learning why people were mummified. I rested my head against my hand staring down the clock. Just 10 minutes to go and I would be free. A knock at the classroom door snapped me out of my daze. I saw Mr. Caprot open it. He stepped out into the hallway for about 30 seconds. When he stepped back in he had a worried look on his face. "Tessa Cabanna, gather your things and then go and clean out your locker. Take everything, you're expelled." Mr. Caprot dropped his head. "What? No? I didn't do anything! Seriously, the gum wasn't me. And I only-" he held up his hands. "Do as I say, now." he frowned motioning to the door. I grabbed my things and angrily left the classroom, embarrassed and confused.

When I walked to my locker I saw my mom standing there holding everything inside. "Mom, I swear! I did nothing! I have no clue why this is happening." I told her. "It's okay Tessa, the expolsion was so none of your friends got suspicious. Your father has gotten in some funky business with some guys that he works with. We aren't safe here, and we need to leave now!" she explained. "Hold on a second! My idiotic dad got in trouble again and we're running away. Plus, the expolsion really wasn't nessicary. It's not like I have any friends, so it's no one's business!" I shouted. "Quiet down honey. I will explain everything in the car." she told me brushing my hair out of my face. We rushed out to the car where there was a tall man waiting. "Who is he?" I asked pausing. "I said that I would explain in the car, come on!" she pushed me into the car. Right as we started to pull out, a white van with rusted paint pulled in behind us. I heard my mother breathe slowly.

"I'd like an explanation now," I persisted. "Oh right, you see your father had just taken this new job with that Brett guy. Well turns out he got your father to deliver something that wasn't the something that he said it was. The person that was supposed to be recieving the thing that the guy hid in the thing he gave your father wasn't the entire thing that the other person wanted. So the person ended up killing your fathers boss and is now looking for your father. Your father ran away, we don't know where he is, so now they are looking for us, his family to be bait for your father. So the courts are sending us to a protected place where we will dress different and act different and have different names. Although we can't tell anybody who we really are and we can't invite anyone to our house." she explained. "Okay mom, what you just said made me sense at all. Although I'm used to being cut out so I somewhat get it. Who's the dude? And dad just left us?" I asked her. "The dude is my fake husband who is really a person from the FBI protecting us. Yes your father left us without a prior warning or anything." my mother answered. "I'm sorry sweetie." she smiled. "Listen mom, don't apologize. I just want to know where we are going and what or who I am supposed to be other than myself." I told her. She hugged me tightly and pulled out a folder.

"Greetings Mr. and Mrs. Croak." a lady with dyed blond hair greeted us. "My name is Sally Linker, and I'm the landowner. It's a pleasure to welcome yet another family to my complex. Your daughter, Emma Linker, she will be a junior at Austria high?" Sally asked. My mouth dropped. "SENIOR! Mom I'm not even a-" my mom threw her hand over my mouth and dragged me out of the office. "What are you doing?" she asked me. "Question is, what are you thinking? I just became a freshman! I can't just skip to a junior. I'm going to fail everything!" I exclaimed. "You'll be fine. But while we're discussing, you are now Emma Croak, 16 year old new student at Austria High School. Who happens to be a star track athelete and loves motorbikes." my mother smiled. "I hate track. Running makes me sick! And we're in Australia!" I shouted. "Shhhh! Take it down a notch. This is very important that our true identities stay on the hush." She turned her back to me to walk back into Sally's office. "Oh yeah, we're not in Australia, we are in Austria. Get used to it," she smiled and trekked back into the office. I groaned and followed her in.

"Righto, welcome back. I just finished explaining to your lovely husband about house maintance standards and what to do if anything goes wrong. He's a great listener, you're a lucky woman. Anyways I think that this whole thing you have going on is quite a predicament. Let me know if I can do anything to help." she smiled. My mother looked blankly at Sally. "Honey, remember.We were concerned about the neighbors and if there were any little children that liked to wander into other peoples backyards." the stranger smiled hinting to my mother about the issue they had talked about. "Yes, I told him that there are a few children around the neighborhood but they are all angels." she smiled. "Nice to meet you, have fun living in your development." she stood up and held out her hand. "Richard, Marygold, and Emma Croak. Nice to meet you," she lifted a set of keys out to us.