Lyre Read Free Page A

her Japanese pop songs.  Except all that really got her was a fast track to weirdo land.  She’d quickly realised that to fit in, she had to pretend to be like everyone else.  Unfortunately none of her classmates had heard of Milli Vanilli so it had ended up been a waste of her time.  All it had really achieved was making them think she was even more weird than ever.
    The woman stuck out her hand.  ‘I’m Mrs. Chibison.  It’s nice to meet you.’  She glanced down at a sheet of paper in her hand. ‘Yuri.’
    Yuri waited for the inevitable.
    ‘That’s an unusual name.’
    Yup, there it was.  She took Mrs. Chibison’s hand and shook it over-effusively so that the teacher was forced to pull away.  She even took an unconscious half step backwards.
    ‘It’s Japanese,’ Yuri answered, stating the bloody obvious.  ‘I’m Japanese.’
    Mrs. Chibison laughed halfheartedly, as if Yuri had made some kind of joke.
    ‘Of course you are.  It’s just that most of our pupils have much more boring names.’
    Yuri eyed her thoughtfully.  ‘So what you’re trying to say is that I’m exotic.’
    ‘Um, well…’
    ‘Different,’ Yuri continued.  ‘Asian.  Oriental.  Yellow.  Slitty eyed.  Not called Elizabeth or Jane or Nicola.’
    Mrs. Chibison’s cheeks coloured ever so slightly.  This time Yuri mentally kicked herself instead of the wall.  She wasn’t trying to be difficult or to get on this woman’s bad side.  She was just tired of everyone always pointing out that she was different to others.  It wouldn’t be so bad in a city where there would be lots of other kids who looked like her. 
    She opened her mouth to apologise, but the teacher was already turning away and dismissing her as yet another troublemaker.  Damn it.  The last thing she needed was to draw even more attention towards herself.
    ‘Follow me.’  There was already a chill in Mrs. Chibison’s voice.  ‘We’ll head to my office where I’ll give you a copy of your timetable and a map.  And I can assure you, Yuri,’ she continued as she walked ahead, ‘I did not mean to insinuate anything at all about your ethnicity.  We are not that kind of school and I’m not that kind of person.’
    Yuri decided to swallow her pride.  It wouldn’t kill her.  ‘I’m sorry.’
    Mrs. Chibison didn’t hear her.  Instead she had stalked up to a couple who were leaning against each other and whispering in a suggestive manner that Yuri doubted was in line with school policy.
    ‘What do you two think you’re doing?  You should be in class by now!  Lessons started ten minutes ago.  You know I simply cannot abide lateness.’
    Yuri had to literally bite her tongue to avoid making any kind of sarcastic remark at that last comment.
    ‘Sorry, Mizz Chibison,’ said the boy, sounding anything but.
    ‘Yeah, sorry, Miss,’ added his girlfriend.
    ‘Well, come on then!’
    The pair stared at her blankly.  She put her hands on her hips and glared.
    ‘Get to class!’
    The girl scooped up her bag, which looked like it contained nothing more than perhaps a lipstick and a hairbrush, then spotted Yuri for the first time and gave a little start.  Her eyes widened and she nudged her boyfriend who turned and gave the small look of surprise.  His eyes travelled up and down her body.  Yuri bunched her fists together and stared back at them.
    The boy made a few hand-chopping motions in the air, along with some sound effects to match.  ‘I know Kung Fu!’ he declared.
    ‘Bryan Jones.  If you don’t get yourself to class right now…’
    ‘Going, Mizz Chib!  Going now!’  He pivoted round.  ‘Come on, Nicky, we don’t want to be late for Geography now, do we?’
    They disappeared down the corridor.  Mrs. Chibison watched them go then turned back to Yuri, who was looking at her expressionlessly.  The teacher’s gaze softened.
    ‘You get that kind of thing a lot, don’t you?’
    Yuri just shrugged.
    ‘I’m sorry.  If anyone