Rosa was just an ordinary teenage, Latina girl. Well she was ordinary enough. She had a loving family, went to school and if you ignored the first six years of her life she was like every other girl in her school, during two thousand and eight. She hated homework, Loved a little gossip, and she’d even tried to speak to a boy she fancied once. It failed miserably and she swore never again.

It was Tuesday morning and the days first light was reaching across the sky. Rosa released a chilly breath as she embraced the cold day. She tucked her long black hair back and wrapped herself in her thick coat before leaving her house and roaming the streets of Aldock. A neighbourhood found on the outskirts of Liverpool a little before Huyton.

Like the rest of the city the air and winds had grown icy as they approached winter and Rosa had to add a little more caution in every step she took. Unless she wanted fall flat on her backside or on her face again. It was days like this when she would reminisce about her younger years in Mexico. In the winter, despite being cooler there, the temperatures would be considered summer worthy here in Liverpool. Snow was also very rare if it did ever happen and you’d have to live up north which she never did. She much preferred winters here. The only similarity they shared was they both knew how to properly celebrate Christmas.

Pulling her backpack tightly she made her way across roads and down streets, towards her school. She was now in year nine or her third year of secondary and it was going well. She hadn’t butted heads with any teacher so far, had a thriving social life, and her grades were increasing with every test. If she kept it up she may be able to match the record her older sister left behind in the family records. The top grade in every GCSE she took. She also got perfect grades in four A-Levels but that was an issue for Rosa’s later years.

Her school wasn’t far from her home. After twenty minutes of walking she arrived. It was a grand and old structure that showed aspects of gothic architecture. It looked like something that should belong in the city’s centre by the docks that out here in Aldock. Like every school morning she entered under the arched school gateway and into the courtyard. A bland open space with little vegetation and benches scattered around its edges. She’d came to school earlier today and as a result the courtyard was completely empty. She entered the school’s main body and wandered down refurbished and modern looking corridors that didn’t match the school’s exterior, they reminded her of a hospital. Rosa made her way to the west side of the school where its library sat. The library was one of the few places in the school that kept its ancient interior and Rosa felt like she was transported into the past every time she entered.

It was a massive one floor, red carpeted room, decorated with tables, chairs, some computers, and not to mention the rows and rows of towering bookcases. It contained knowledge and information so vast that Rosa had never failed to find out what she wanted while here.

Rosa headed straight to their usual spot. Hidden away between bookcases was an isolated table. Sitting at the table was a golden-haired girl, Rosa’s friend Sam. She was working in a mathematics workbook and scribbling on the paper furiously. Sam struggled a little with her academics, so for the past month Rosa met her here early every morning to help.

“So what are we covering today” Rosa asked while taking a seat across from Sam and placing her backpack on the chair beside her.

“Trigonometry again” Sam grumbled, “No matter how many times we do it, I keep messing up”. Sam finished up the question she was working on and then jumped to the back of her workbook to check her answer. She cursed under her breath.

“Now worries” Rosa claimed as she dragged the workbook towards her and analysed Sam’s work. “Ah this is an easy fix. You’re just making a simple mistake” Rosa said happily.

Sam’s face lit up. “Where?” she asked and leaned over the table to see the book. Rosa quickly explained her friends mistake and they spent the next thirty minutes working through the booklet and thankfully Sam got every question correct.

The first school bell rang, calling them to their form rooms. Rosa said her goodbyes and left the library, she wasn’t in Sam’s form nor any classes with her so wouldn’t see her until break and lunch.

Rosa’s school day went as normal as any other. She attended form, spoke with some friends, then went to all her morning classes which she was able to easily breeze through thanks to the extra revision she’d been doing at home.

One good thing about having a super genius sister was when you got stuck you could always count on her to help.

Lunch came and Rosa socialised with Sam and the rest of their friends while eating the lunch her mother made her. After was her afternoon classes which went the same as the morning classes, if not more boring. She always had English in the afternoon and Rosa hated it, essays were the bane of her teenage existence. The one thing she could never figure out how to do. Thankfully essays were also the one thing Same excelled at, so she never asked for Rosa’s help.

‘Maybe I should ask for her help’ Rosa realised ‘Trade knowledge’.

At three o clock the last school bell rang, the final class finished and the school day was over. Rosa had no extracurricular activities today and was thankfully free to head straight home. A place were her days always found themselves a little less normal.

As she headed home there was an extra bounce in step. That same morning her family had told they had some exciting news.