Lyra's Big Change

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Conflict

"Hello Mr. Danley, can you send Lyra down to the office with all of her things, there's someone here to see her."

"No problem, she will be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Lyra, you can go, do pages 85-87, sections 1-12 for homework."

"Ok, no problem."

I wonder what's going on, I never get into trouble, why are they sending me down to the office with all of my things? Well, at least I'm getting out of the rest of the day, its only second period. Two hours of school, now that's the best way to do it! When I got down to the office, there was a dingy, proper looking woman who came to greet me.

"Lyra?"

"Yeah, that's me, what's going on? Why was I called down to the office?"

The front office woman, Mrs. Rivers, nodded as the dingy lady said: "I'm going to need you to come with me."

"What the hell?!? I'm not going with you, I don't even know you, I need to call my dad!"

"Lyra, calm down, I have some very bad news but I would like to discuss it in my office, where you will be more comfortable."

"I'm comfortable right here thank you very much, now let me call my dad!"

"I'm afraid there has been an accident, and your father didn't make it, I'm so sorry."

I couldn't believe my ears, what the hell did I just hear? Not my father, it can't be.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!?"

"Lyra, please, come with me to my office, and we will discuss it there."

I felt so defeated, what was I supposed to say to the news she just gave me? I followed her to her car, a nice new black Lexus, its interiors smelled of vanilla. The car ride felt like it took years, but really took only moments. She stopped at a big white building with a sign that read "Children's Aid Society", she parked in a spot that was reserved for 'Rivers' only a few feet from the main doors. I silently followed her through the double doors, up an elevator, and to a room marked "Rivers". I trailed behind her through the doorway and was issued to seat myself in a big swivel chair opposite of hers.

"Lyra, as I already told you, your father has been in an accident and unfortunately died instantly from impact. I am so sorry about the news but we will have to get right down to business as soon as possible. I believe that your father will be easier to talk about now rather than it will later once the news has sunk in. I have already looked through your father's files and he has left an accidental life insurance policy that you can claim when you are 21. Seeing as how you are only 14 and cannot live on your own, we have some details to work out. Do you have any family that you can stay with?"

"No."

"None at all dear? I'm sure you have someone, aunts, uncles, cousins?"

"No one at all, my father doesn't really have any friends that I know of and its always been just him and I since my mother died when I was 2, we never visited anyone, and he has never said anything about relatives."

"Okay, thank you Lyra. There is a couch in the next room over from here, and it has a TV. You can go in there and hang out until I come get you."

I got up and walked into the next room and flopped onto a big blue squishy couch. I found the remote and turned on the TV. The daily news program was on and that was the last thing I wanted to watch right now with how depressing the news always is. So I clicked through the channels and found that this early in the day, there isn't anything interesting to watch. I wasn't in the mood and ended up staring into space for almost 3 hours, when I heard the door open.