A New Style of Education

by Karen Page

Part 49

Life can be full of unexpected events

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Part 49

I couldn't believe it. Not only had I found out more about myself, but in doing so I'd nearly missed lunch. I didn't like being sick, but I thought this time had been worth it. After changing, I rushed to the dining room, arriving just as the rest of the year were finishing.

"You've changed," Helen stated with obvious concern. "Are you okay?"

"I threw up at the end of the session," stating the obvious to Helen. "I'm okay now."

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Helen, sounding worried and concerned at the same time. She made no attempt to suggest I see the nurse.

Nobody else at the table said anything, but I could tell they were all taking it in.

"I'm okay. Let me go get my meal, and we can discuss it later."

I'm sure I saw Paula's face fall when she realised I wasn't going to tell more.

In the kitchen, I bumped into Stacy. "I'm sorry I made you sick," she said tentatively.

"As I said earlier, it's okay. You've apologised too many times already. Anyway, you didn't do anything doctors don't do. When I was younger, I remember falling over and hurting my arm. My mum took me to see the doctor, who then started to press the area and to tell him when it hurt. He pressed in just the wrong place and it felt worse than when I fell. Just like he found what the problem was, so did you."

"Do you still want me there tomorrow morning?"

"Of course. Anyway, Edith is expecting us both. I'm sure she'll want to ask you more."

Stacy laughed nervously, "I'm sure she will."

Even though the others in the year had finished, they stayed while I quickly caught up. When Emma and Paula took back the dirty plates, they found trays full of ice cream. It was a nice treat for everyone and it seemed to help me feel a lot better.

"Good luck this afternoon," I said to Helen, when we'd all finished eating.

"Thanks." She gave me one of her special smiles, and my heart rate increased.

"Don't forget, tonight we are going to watch that film Wesley mentioned; The Cutting Edge. So don't be too late back."

"I hope I'm not that late," Helen responded. "I'll be worried if I'm still there for the evening meal."

I was feeling quite apprehensive and kept glancing at the time. It seemed Helen was jittery most of the morning, and had gone through most of the arrangements for tomorrow night's sleepover. I felt at a loose end. I took part in some games, but my heart wasn't in it. Perhaps I should have taken Rachel up on her offer to discuss me being sick, but my heart wasn't in it. I had an appointment to discuss it on Saturday, after the Americans had gone home.

"Have any of you ever tried to walk along the boundary?" asked Tina, as she bowed out of another game of monopoly.

The nine of us from Hayfield all glanced at each other and we all shook our heads. I'd never thought about doing it and had no idea how much ground the school sat on.

"I just thought it would be fun to see a bit more before we went home."

"Sounds great," said Emma. "I've not had a good hike since coming here."

"You used to go hiking a lot?" asked Mel.

"My parents are tenant farmers and I used to help out. It was quite fun really. Well apart from the early getups when I was helping with milking. Some fields weren't that close to the house, and were quite a walk."

"How early did you have to get up for the milking?"

"Five, but I only did that in the holidays. My parents wouldn't let me do it during school time. Our school didn't start until half-eight, so normally I didn't get up until seven. It always took time to get from the farm to the school. If we're going to do this, I think it might be a good idea for us to put on something sturdier than these." She pointed to our trainers. "I think I've seen some walking boots in my wardrobe, so I presume you all have them too."

I couldn't say I'd noticed any walking boots, but I'm sure Emma was right. All the wardrobes appeared to have very similar content, so if she had them, I'm sure I did too.

Jill and Anna accompanied me to my room. "Give us a shout when you're ready," said Jill.

Her comments made me realise that today I'd walked alone twice and not really had any issues. Surely I couldn't be cured. "Thanks," I replied, not wanting to be ungrateful, and slipped into my room.

I decided that the pair of wellies might not be good for going too far, so I opted for a pair of sturdy hiking boots. I'd seen them in the shops, but never thought I would need a pair. When I lived with my parents, such items were outside my parents buying power. I put on some warmer clothes since it was only three Celsius outside.

Just as I was about to leave the room, I remembered what had happened with Jessica and the issues caused by leaving the grounds. Since I wasn't sure how close we could get to the boundary without setting off the alarms, I sent Mr Hobson a message letting him what we were doing. I didn't get a response until we were all about to leave.

Thank you for the warning. As long as you stay on our side of the wall or fence, all will be okay. Please notify me promptly if there are any accidental crossings, so not to cause any issues.

We walked down the drive to the gate and turned right along the boundary. I watched the security camera at the top of the high wall, wondering if it was going to follow us, but it didn't. Where the boundary followed the road, the wall was quite high. However, once the road and wall separated and we were working alongside the adjacent property, the wall lowered and most of us could just about see over.

"Wow," breathed in Martha as she took in the view. All you could see was fields and fields. There was a row of trees a few miles away that seemed to block us seeing further.

"Don't you have views like this at the Manor?"

"No. Well, not exactly like this. We are remote, but it is a lot more mountainous and wild. This just looks like a postcard of the British countryside."

"But isn't this the same view you have from your bedroom window?"

"Yes, but there is nothing like seeing it in person, with the wind blowing through your hair and the smell of the land sparking my imagination."

We all stopped and looked at Martha in amazement. She'd never talked like this before.

"If you think this is good, then you should see some of the views from the beacons," said Sam.

"What are they?"

"Dotted across the country is what are referred to as beacons. Before telephones, if the country was being invaded, the beacon had a large bonfire, which would be lit. This would be spotted at the next beacon, which would light theirs. The message could then spread quickly across the country. Since they are high up, the views from them are amazing. I remember one near where I lived; you had a view right down the Severn valley."

"It's a bit sad that we didn't see more of Britain," sighed Tina, as we continued our walk.

"Hey, you got to see a lot more than some Americans do," Anna reminded her. "Anyway, you can think of this as a teaser and come back when you've finished at school. I bet there are lots of other countries you've visited that you want to go back to see more of, too."

"Yeah," Tina sighed, rather dramatically. There were lots of nods from the American students.

I wonder if we will get bitten by the travel bug when we go to more counties. We hardly touched Moscow, let alone the rest of Russia, though perhaps a visit when it is warmer might be a better idea.

The walk was a great time for us to chat and let the worries from the fieldtrip fade into the background. Perhaps we should have done something like this when the Manor first arrived. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk.

As we finished going up a small slope I suddenly heard "Hi guys."

Where is she? I looked wildly around, and eventually spotted her, behind a small clump of high bushes, sitting on the side of a quad bike with Andrea.

"Thanks for the lift," Helen thanked Andrea as she hopped off.

"Hey, no probs. Have fun." With that Andrea started the engine and headed back towards the school.

"How did it go?" I asked, as Helen got close.

"It was okay," she replied, giving a small shudder. Her eyes were still slightly red and I presumed it had been a heavy session. "Did I miss much on the walk?"

"Oh, just fields and great scenery."

"Fantastic scenery," corrected Martha.

"Quiet!" Emma, who had stopped, called suddenly.

Surprised at Emma's sudden request, we all came to a halt and stopped our conversations.

"What is it?" whispered Paula.

"I thought I heard-" she broke off as we all heard a faint bleat. "I didn't know they did early lambing here."

"Lambing?" asked Mel. The American students all looked puzzled.

"When sheep give birth to their baby lambs," explained Emma. "Lambing normally starts later in the year, around spring time. However, supermarkets are always after meat all year, so some farms have started the breeding process earlier, so they can provide lambs earlier in the year and get a higher price. It saves the supermarkets shipping lamb in from New Zealand. See that building there? That is the lambing shed."

"Can we go and see?" asked Paula getting excited.

"NO!" Emma shrieked, just as Paula looked like she was going to scale the wall. I was about to shout no myself, but Emma was quicker off the mark. "You can't just enter a farm. Farmers are still paranoid about foot and mouth disease."

I hadn't got the foggiest what Emma was talking about, but it certainly stopped Paula, which saved me having to remind them we shouldn't leave the school grounds without permission.

A farmer came out of the shed and Emma shouted out, "Are you lambing?"

The farmer must have heard as he turned, saw us all at the wall and ambled across. "That's right. I take it you heard the young ones?"

Emma nodded in acknowledgement. "You didn't have any issues tupping so early?"

I hadn't any idea what Emma was talking about, and by the puzzled faces nor did anybody else, apart from the farmer who smiled. "Not anymore."

The conversation went on for a few minutes, and was obviously not just about lambing, but other farming issues. Emma certainly seemed in her element and we gave her the time she needed. Over the months she'd been at Hayfield, she, like the rest of us had all come out of our shells. This was something else though; her eyes were shining with some sort of excitement and passion.

"I wish we could visit," said Paula as we again continued our walk. At the rate we were going, we wouldn't finish the complete circuit before it started getting dark.

"I miss the farm," sighed Emma. "I know I can never see my family after we finish school, but it might be nice if I can join a farm somewhere."

Glancing around, I noticed that Erika and Martha had slipped behind and it occurred to me that Emma's innocent remark must have struck home with Erika. She was shaking slightly and it looked like Martha was comforting her. I slowed down so Mel could catch up. I flicked my head back and she saw the situation, as did Jamie and Helen.

"We'll go on with the others and meet you inside later," Mel said quietly so not to draw attention to the two stationary students.

The school might not have been doing the switch until Friday, but Mel had just confirmed what I'd felt earlier; Martha and Erika were now year-one, not year-D. Helen and I going back to Erika and Martha wasn't unnoticed, but no big show was made of it. In fact, Jamie had picked up the pace and they would soon be out of sight.

Helen linked up next to Erika. "Why don't we go back inside?" she suggested. "Standing out here in the freezing cold isn't going to do you much good."

"Dad must hate me," sobbed Erika, as we slowly trudged back to the main building.

"Why?" asked Martha, sounding rather perplexed.

"Because he must know that after Friday he'll never see me again."

"I think your Dad wants the best for you," I said. "Did you know that he'd already discussed with Mr Hobson that you were likely to request staying here at Hayfield?"

"WHAT?" Erika demanded, grinding to a halt.

"He wasn't in the meeting the other night, as he said it wouldn't have been fair to discuss his own child, but he'd remembered how unhappy you were going back to America last year, so had thought you might bring it up. Anyway, what about you? You've had the privilege of seeing your Dad over the last year, which others haven't. Aren't you going to miss him?"

"Yes, but I've been missing him all year. It's like he's no longer is my Dad, but just the school principle. Does that make any sense? I mean, I would see him around the school, but I couldn't just go to him like I used to."

"Jill said the same thing," Helen added.

"As did Matilda, but you already know that, as you discussed it with her," I added.

Martha, who had been quiet, piped up, "Well, do you want to stay here, or not?"

"Yes. I'm not forcing you, am I?"

"You know I like to travel. My parents were always moving around, and now I am too. Either go or stay, I would do anything to remain with you."

Erika blushed and we just grinned.

We soon got moving again, after Helen's, "Come on you two. Let's get back before your tears freeze on your face."

"I think we're both going to need to clean up when we get back," said Erika, trying to wipe all the tears away.

* * *

"So how was your walk around the schools perimeter?" asked Mr Hobson, who was sitting at our table for the evening meal.

"It started getting dark before we finished," lamented Tina.

"We met a nice farmer from your neighbouring farm," said Paula.

"So he said," said Mr Hobson, his eyes twinkling. "He said it was refreshing how someone so young knew so much about farming. He also wondered, if you were still around, if you would like to see the lambing."

"Oh, could we?" asked Paula getting excited.

"Would tomorrow after lunch be okay?" asked Mr Hobson.

"I'm seeing Mrs Covington again then," sighed Helen.

"I spoke with Mrs Covington just before we came in to eat. She said the visit would be good for you and that she would see you next at eleven on Friday." Then he turned to me, "Sorry, Jayne, but no reprieve for you. She said your meeting with her tomorrow morning really couldn't be postponed."

"The farmer is called Mr Grant," Helen pointed unnecessarily to me. "He could be a distant relative."

Yeah, yeah, here we go again. Didn't they get enough laughter earlier?

Mr Hobson smiled. "I hadn't thought about it before, but his first name is David."

My jaw dropped in surprised, and there was general laughter. At first I thought Mr Hobson was having me on, but looking at his face he seemed serious. He nodded to confirm his earlier statement. I wasn't going to ask Mr Hobson if David Grant the farmer was a relative, as it seemed not everyone knew the detailed checks the school performed. A few weeks ago when Emma got the dollhouse, she seemed surprised that Mr Hobson knew her niece's name.

"Does he have a wife called Helen?" Tina joked.

"No, his wife's called Ruth."

"Don't tell me, he has a daughter called Pip," said Emma, facetiously.

"How did you know?" asked Mr Hobson, sounding surprised. "Have you met them before?"

"No, but from everyone's puzzled faces it looks like nobody else had parents sad enough to listen to The Archers."

"What's The Archers?" asked Wesley. "We studied lots to do with the UK, but I don't remember seeing any mention of that."

"It is the longest running radio serial on UK radio," explained Emma. "It's about a farming community where the main characters are from a family whose surname is Archer. Mum always had it on the radio while we were eating in the evenings. Anyway, in it there is a farmer called David, who has a wife, Ruth, and a daughter, Pip."

"I'll ring Mr Grant later to confirm the visit. Please remember to be on your best behaviour."

"Yes, sir," we chorused.

That night, Helen woke up very upset. I don't remember hearing a scream, but the sound of her sobbing did wake me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, switching on the little lamp on my side of the bed and turning over to face her. I silently cursed the fact my nightie had got slightly twisted, and I didn't turn as easily as I would normally have.

Helen just shook her head and turned away. It wasn't like Helen to bottle things up, so I slid across the bed and put my arm around her. I didn't say anything for a bit, hoping that being close might help. As the crying continued, I began to wonder if I should contact Rachel. All I could murmur was "I'm here," and "It'll be okay". I just hoped that being there would lead to it being okay.

With no improvement, I moved to get my PDA. "No," Helen sobbed barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Then tell me," I demanded, putting my hand on her side, but not snuggling up. I wanted to be able to get to my PDA quickly if I needed. It wasn't like Helen to be like this.

"You died," she eventually blurted out, her crying diminishing.

I died? What is Helen talking about?

"I'm not dead," I said with totally certainty.

"No, in my dream you died."

I didn't say anything, but gently stroked her, waiting for her to continue. "I know it was a dream, but you could have died. The guard could have shot you."

"Yes, he could have," I admitted, hoping that I didn't make things worse. "You could also have died, when you went with Andy to rescue Skip. In fact there were several times any of us could have been arrested, hurt or even killed."

"But I love you," said Helen, turning round. "I don't want you to die. I want us to spend our lives together."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Perhaps I was jumping to conclusions. "Are you-"

"No, this isn't right," Helen continued. "You need to go and get changed."

"Helen, it's nearly three o'clock."

"We'll probably feel crap tomorrow, but will you please go and get changed? I need you to be David."

"You freaked the last time you saw me as David," I pointed out. "You are only just getting used to Andy."

"I'll be okay," said Helen, only a tinge of doubt in her voice. "I so want this to be right."

As quickly as I could, I used the solvent to remove the attached breast forms, and cleaned my chest. I found a pair of pyjamas and left the nightie on the floor, just in case Helen freaked. On returning to Helen's room, I found she had been busy changing too. I looked away as I felt a bit green, but managed to keep control. I made a mental note to thank Stacy in the morning. Without her revealing what was causing my problem, I would certainly have been sick by now.

Helen must have noticed my discomfort, as when I looked up again, she was donning a dressing gown. She took my hands into hers, and fell onto one knee.

"David, will you marry me?"

My eyes widened as Helen popped the question I'd suspected she was building up to ask. I couldn't help myself, but burst into tears.