Chapter 1

Sarah’s family always said that she wasn’t a bad kid at heart she just couldn’t see the train coming till it was two feet from her…

She was the local hottie in a sleepy rural community that barely had enough students to qualify for its own school, despite her parents best efforts she was quite useless at anything practical and her grades left her unqualified for everything in a community where most of the residents were still only a few steps removed from working the land.

Despairingly they arranged a job for her as a secretary but that ended when she accidentally left her panties in her employer’s bed for his wife to find. It was a small town which meant there was practically no one who didn’t hear about the ensuing scandal so for the next six months she had mooned around the house while her parents tried to find someone who would employ her.

‘I’m not doing it’ Sarah announced as she slumped into her usual seat at the breakfast table a childish pout marring her usually attractive features.

‘We can’t afford to support you forever young lady’ her mother replied firmly putting a bowl of cereal down in front of her wayward daughter ‘Your father had to pull some strings to get you this job and it’s not as if anyone else will hire you after all the trouble you caused.’

‘But its farm work I will be useless I hate farming’ she protested

‘You are going and that’s final young lady’ her mother snapped giving her a look that clearly said she considered the argument closed ‘your father said its nothing strenuous now eat up the bus will be here in half an hour.’

Sarah ate her cereal half heartedly knowing it would do no good to push her mother any further, she would just have to suffer through a few days until they fired her although she was outraged that her parents expected her to go work on a farm.

A horn outside announced the arrival of the rickety second hand coach that her new employer had laid on and she made her way outside her slow mournful walk of the condemned somewhat spoiled when she dragged her feet a little too slowly and stumbled over the doorstep.

The bus was half full when she got on board and she was surprised to see that besides a few old farmhands near the front the majority of the passengers were young girls around her own age. Walking down the narrow aisle she passed several girls who glared at her or spread themselves out on the seats making it plain they didn’t want company.

‘Hey over here’ a chubby blonde girl shouted waving at her with a friendly smile and wriggling over in her seat to give her room as the coach began to drive off making Sarah stumble alarmingly making her collapse into the seat next to the big girl. Usually she wouldn’t have associated with a girl her size but at least she seemed nice unlike most of the rest of the girls so Sarah gave her a brief smile.

‘My name's Crystal,’ the big girl shouted over the grumbling roar of the old coach’s engine, ‘don’t mind them most of them are only here because they had no choice.’

‘I’m Sarah,’ she replied, ‘and I’m not exactly here of my own free will myself.’

‘Really?’ the big girl asked surprised, ‘I had to beat like two dozen applicants to get this job.’

‘My parents got me the job and to be honest I don’t even really know what I’m supposed to do yet.’ Sarah confessed.

‘Well you probably have a better job than most of this lot, they got frog marched on board in the last town over by a cop, sounded like they are doing community service or something,’ Crystal said leaning in so she didn’t have to yell so loudly.

‘They hire criminals?’ Sarah hissed back surprised.

‘It’s probably some work scheme they will be digging ditches or cleaning out pens for a few weeks I expect,’ Crystal said rolling her eyes, ‘I doubt they will even let this lot into the building.’

As the decrepit old coach rattled its way past endless fields Sarah sat back and let the big girls chattering fade into the background as she contemplated her current situation.

Most of the dairy produce in the area came from Olsen’s Family Dairy, they were a local success story and since Cindy Olsen had taken over the business from her father a few years ago the farm had ballooned outwards until they owned the majority of the land in the area, practically singlehandedly saving the local farming industry.

Sarah had assumed that her new job would probably be in an office but on a bus surrounded by various assorted lowlifes she had to wonder what the hell her parents had gotten her into.

Her reverie came to an abrupt halt as the coach finally juddered its way around a bend and came in sight of the vast cattle sheds bearing the Olsen logo, up front the farmhands started getting their bags together and Crystal almost knocked her out of her seat in her eager rush to grab her own bag from the overhead rack.

They pulled up in front of a huge ugly grey building pretty much indistinguishable from the half dozen others in sight and the driver got up and announced that everyone needed to get off.