Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny Read Free Page B

children’s
education had surprised her.  “How many complained?”
    Jane
smiled.  “You are wise beyond your years, Robyn Darrow.”  She placed
a hand on Robyn’s shoulder.  “Five, nothing I couldn’t handle.  You
go ahead and push those kids and leave the senior staff to manage the
fallout.  Porthmollek has nothing to offer those
kids anymore and they need to realise that sooner rather than later.”
    Jane
was right.  Porthmollek was on its knees. 
Shop fronts lay empty, the town was in a state of disrepair and the fishing
fleet was permanently docked.  If you weren’t in pig farming, the main
industry, then you weren’t in work.
    At
least Robyn’s next lessons went well.  Year 7 were new enough that they
still had a healthy dose of fear for their teachers and year 13 were a small
studious bunch of individuals who had actually chosen to continue education and
better themselves, so needed less pushing.  When the bell rang for lunch,
Robyn felt much better.
    “So,
spill.”  Kat demanded as she stepped through the door with a lithe grace
borne of much physical training.  “What is this I hear about break?”
    They
always spent lunch in the lab, Derek’s animosity having driven them both from
the staffroom and Robyn’s lunchtime detention commitments meaning she had to
stay in her room.
    “Uh, Derek again.”
    Kat
deftly propped herself on a chair and unwrapped a sandwich.  “What did he
do this time?” She took a large bite and stared at Robyn with open eyes. 
She was, Robyn thought, about as blonde bombshell as you could get.  Tall,
with long, long legs, she had big eyes, a light tan and thick waves of pale
hair.  When Kat entered a room, men were struck dumb.  Robyn, in
contrast, was short, pale skinned and brown.  Her hair had unruly waves
that best suited a ponytail and her eyes were light brown and way too big for
her face.  Her body was comparably curvy, too curvy for the outfits that
Kat favoured.
    “The usual threats to get me to give up
and leave.”
    Kat
nodded.  She too was having problems with Derek.  They stared at each
other in solidarity for a moment, the agreement that neither would budge
unspoken but nevertheless understood, before Kat changed the subject.
    “So,
have you seen the new guy?”  Kat’s eyes glinted as she bit into her
sandwich again.
    “Uh,”
Robyn was momentarily confused.  Kat’s mind was like a whirlwind, her thoughts
constantly spinning from one topic to the next, but one thing was always true,
she talked, walked and dreamed, men, usually in large quantity.  “What new
guy?”
    “Mr Andrew Obursen ,
history teacher extraordinaire and major hottie !”
    Kat’s
lip quirked as her eyes glazed over even as she chewed.  Yes, the poor man
had probably been in the building all of five minutes before Kat’s sensors had
tripped and she’d sought him out.  Anyone over eighteen and under fifty had to take immense care around the bombshell.
    “I
guess you have all the information on him then.”
    She
smiled.  “Of course.”   Crossing one lithe
limb over the other she leaned one elbow on the bench and continued. 
“He’s twenty five and has family in town.  Turns out he’s been away
forever but has returned to look after said family.  Single with a
penchant for fast cars, he has his own place out of town and
. . ,” her pause was accompanied by a dramatic fluttering of the eyes,
“I saw him first.”
    It
was a comment that need not have been said.  They never fought over
men.  Kat wanted them and Robyn simply didn’t, so there was no fighting to
be had.  Kat had to stake claim however, as she just couldn’t understand
Robyn’s reluctance to entangle herself in a
relationship.
    Robyn
often wondered if Kat’s need for the opposite sex was a result of her
upbringing.  Kat’s parents were both modern hippies.  Having met and
married while travelling in some out of the way foreign clime, they had settled
back in England until Kat