✗✗ Scarlet drove into the staff car park at the school, making sure to rev the engine of her 67’ Mustang Fastback. She was nothing if not a show-off. She grinned as several students looked up. She parked, making sure it was out of general sight. Slipping out of the car, she locked up carefully. She’d gone to this school and so she knew what the students could be like. Pulling the thin strap of her black handbag up over her shoulder, she glanced to the car she was beside.
She couldn’t help the giggle escaping her throat. It was Mr Hill’s car, a man whom she and her friends had nicknamed ‘Hobo-chan’ during highschool. She was glad to know that at least one teacher she knew would be there. Turning on her heel to be met with the scraping sound of gravel, she headed up the hill to admin. Brushing through the small throng of newly arrived eighth graders, she avoided looks. She knew that with her features, she still looked like a teen. Surely the others would think she was just one of those rebellious students trying to stand out on the first day.
She clicked up the stairs of History in her boots, passing the elevator and PAC rooms as she headed for the PAC/History staff room. She found herself frozen, gripping the handle of the orange door. Deep breath, she told herself. Sucking air up through her nose, she pulled it open, walking slowly down the hall, reacquainting herself with the room. Same strangely patterned carpet, she noted. Halfway down, her phone blipped in her bag. She fumbled through it to pull it out, glancing through the text. She giggled at the use of a winking emoticon, a text from her… well, her good friend Isaiah. She texted back when a shoulder bumped hers.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” she cried, turning to see who she’d collided with. She gaped, grinning, when she saw that is was her old Drama teacher Laura Coy. “Hello, you!”
The blonde paused, unsure of the person she was speaking with. Then it dawned on her. “Goodness! Hello Scarlet! What are you doing back here?”
She giggled, pointing down the corridor to the desks. “You see that empty space next to your desk? Yeah, well that’s mine now!” she exclaimed happily. Laura grinned.
She’d known since the girl was in the eleventh grade that she planned on being a drama teacher. But that was nearing six years ago! “Wow! That’s great! Hey, how’d you find Uni?”
Scarlet shook her hand as if to say ‘so-so’. They chuckled together for a moment, before Scarlet launched forwards. “This is what I wanted you know?” she asked, hugging the startled woman. “To work with you. All through senior you were my idol. I’m so glad I can work with you Miss!”
Laura smiled gently, patting Scar’s back. “That’s nice of you to say. But you can call me Laura now. Oh!” she cried, pulling away. “I have to go photocopy these sheets for my grade twelve class!” Scarlet nodded, ushering her on.
Continuing into her seat, she set down her purse, taking the timetable out of her pigeon hole. Monday- okay, and eighth grade class, followed by a spare, then a ninth and tenth. She smiled. This seemed easy enough.

Akira hummed softly, making sure her headphones were secure on her head, though, nothing played through them. They weren't even plugged in! She smiled to herself, stepping out of the old, rusted ute and slammed the door behind her, stretching and staring around the open fields. Nothing seemed different to what she remembered. Shrugging slightly, she turned towards the fence, starting towards it and keeping her eyes fixed to the path below her, it wasn't like she would get lost. This was her old high school after all.

Akira glanced down the narrow gap that ran along the fence line of the school, her mind wondering to what might have changed about Redbank and what teachers might have still been there. In her day dreaming, she had hardly noticed the time passing and the children staring as she just stood there, swaying slightly in the breeze.

✗✗ Placing her things down, she looked around. Mrs Grand, Mr King, Miss Key, even the old goat man. They were all still there. She smiled, walking to Miss Key. "Hello," she offered. "I'm not sure if you remember me, or why you would, but I'm Scarlet. The new drama teacher." She paused, seeing the confused expression on her face. "Ahah, I was the top drama student three years running? Drama extension grade twelve?"
"Oh my!" she cried. "Hello!"
Scarlet laughed, tilting her head to the side. "That's the exact reaction I got from Miss Co- Uh, Laura. This is so wierd, actually, being back. I mean... this place was like my haven. I never liked being away..."
Key smiled, patting her shoulder. "Well, I'm sure we're all glad to see you again. And to work with you!"
She grinned, thanking her and leaving the staff room. She wanted to see how much of the school had changed. Walking out slowly, she glanced up at A Block, reminising about the amount of times she'd sat under there with her friends at lunch, how many times she'd been chased up the steps for being a smart-alec, the amount of times she'd gone in and out of the class rooms. The school was relatively empty as she'd come early. Walking to the right, she headed for the music rooms. Taking out the key that'd been left on her desk, she slipped into the echoing hall, clicking down and opening the guitar room. Smiling at the wall of acoustics, she walked out again, closing it. She then went into her tenth grade class room, sliding her fingers across the keyboards. She couldn't help herself: she began to play a punchy pop song, quietly singing along. It'd been too long since she'd played or sang properly. She stopped after a few short moments, heading towards PAC. She opened up the stage door, findng her way through the thick black curtains to walk out onto the stage. The rapturous grin that spread across her face split into open laughter.
"It's so good to be back!" she shouted into the open space.
A chuckled behind her made her look back. Laura stood there, smiling and shaking her head. "You were always a stage-rat," she grinned. Nodding, she walked out with her old friend, heading for the staff room. She paused, seeing someone standing there.
It took a moment but... "AKIRA!" she shrieked, dashing over and half-tackling her friend.

Akira had barely realised when her friend called her, only reacting once she was tackled and almost tripped. "Eh?" she murmured, trying to get a better look at her attacker. "Oh, hola Scar, long time no see," she murmured, pointing back to where she was staring. "There's a bug on that tree." she giggled, shrugging and hugging her friend. "But anyways, why are you here? I mean, I know you wanted to be a teacher but I would have thought you'd pick a better school than this."

✗✗ "Girl, you cray-cray!" she replied, standing properly and heading into the staffroom, beckoning her friend to follow. "Of course I'd come back! I'd hate to have to meet a million new collegues, figure out a new layout, whatever. And besides, Laura here must have missed me. Isn't that so?"
Laura shrugged. "Nah, not really." Scarlet looked indignant.
"Well that's nice!" she replied, faux huffing and stomping into the staff room, plonking down into her seat.
Ben King looked up, rolling his eyes. "It's a shame to say it, but Scarlet is still the biggest drama queen here." She raised both her hands and spun in her chair, grinning.
"And don't I know it!" she laughed, her dark hair whipping about her head. Laura and Miss Key walked over, hands on hips. "Whoops attack of the blonde squad. Title's mine ladies, soz." She leant back in the chair, inspecting her nails haughtily. Laura shook her head and sat in her seat, pulling out the papers for the day. Scarlet looked back to Akira. "Don't tell me you're actually teaching? That's totes rad!"
"Here I was thinking you would speak like an intelligent person," Miss Coy muttered down to her papers, smiling slightly. Scarlet lightly swatted her shoulder. "Ow! Hey, you can't do that to me! I'm your-."
Scarlet intterupted, raising a finger. "My collegue! Not teacher. I win!" Ben sighed, tossing a pen at her to get her attention again. "Rude!"
"I'm sad to see you aren't teaching history. There's an open spot."
She grinned and tapped her nose. "Ah, but you just wait. I'm sure you'll be glad to see who's a'comin'."

"Did you just notice?" Akira mumbled, following Scarlet into the building and staring around, shivering. "Never liked this building." She shook her head, standing a bit awkwardly as she watched the others talk and muck around among themselves. It was so... Different to see the teachers act this way. The fact that they were now colleagues instead was unsettling. "Did you just say soz?" she asked. "Please go wash your mouth out with soap."

✗✗ "Indeed I did," she replied. Then Akira told her to wash out her mouth. "Well, alright, if you say so." She stood and headed towards the bathroom, before Laura called out. Turning back, she smiled. "Oh, c'mon, you guys didn't think I would actually do it, did you?"
"Yes," Laura replied, grinning.
Mr King didn't even answer, just gave her a look. Her old Ancient History teacher walked past them then, apologising and excusing herself. "Hey, you!" Scar giggled. "'Member me?"
The older woman turned and dropped her jaw. "What are you doing here?"
Scarlet pouted, dropping back into her chair. "Why is it that no one seems excited to see me?" She couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. Turning back on her friend, she raised her eyebrows. "Wait, what are you teaching? And when's Ellie gonna get here?! I wanna see her. And the crazy red-head." She shoved out her bottom lip, but smiling when Akira told her what class she was teaching. "No killing the students," she warned.
The blonde beside her snorted. "That's getting harder and harder."
Ms Clark walked past Akira then, stopping short. "I've gone back in time!"

"Yup," Akira mumbled under her breath, glancing around the seemingly unchanged room. "Well, I'm going to teach science, mainly chemistry. And maybe music, too, if it's needed," she replied, rolling her eyes when Scar started laughing at pretty much nothing. She paused, though, realising what Scarlet had said. "Wait, you mean the others are coming too? Oh jeez, all of Hell is going to break loose."
Akira giggled, turning back to her old teacher. "No, miss, though it doesn't seem like you've aged a bit."

✗✗ "Ew, poor students," she replied, referring to Chemistry. "HEY!" she cried out, leaping to her feet. "I'm going to go get a smoothie."
"Scarlet, inside voice please," Laura said, and the younger woman feigned confusion.
"The hell's an inside voice?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her bag and dashed out the room, skipping like a child, waving at every student who looked her way. Stopping short, however, she looked up as Modra walked past. "CoughSparklepireCough," she spat, pretending to cough. He gave her a strange look, but she continued on. A thin, tall man with dark curly hair past her on the way to the CC. She laughed. "Heeeey, Crooky!" she shouted, and he turned around, his smile fading.
"Oh god, not you."
She huffed. "Rude."

"Well, I should probably get going," Akira murmured, turning to walk out of the staff room. She shivered, having always thought that the performing arts room were to cold. She walked out of the room and our into the open, walking swiftly towards the opposite side of the school, the trip taking less than couple minutes as she swerved between the ever growing number of students. she slowed a bit as she started down the slop, always wary after the various times she used to slip.