welcome
1161 Words
“It’s time my girl,” dad says as he twists the two halves of the small, baseball sized, globe that accompanied my acceptance letter. The most beautiful white light shoots from the globe the moment it touches the floor. WOW! With a glowing dome forming all around it, it reaches as high as the ceiling, almost filling the entire floor space of our modest dining room. I look up at my father whose eyes are filled with an emotion I had never seen reflected in them before... is it fear? Fear of what? Does he know something I don’t? Will I be exiling myself to another world where I will meet my end... or suffer enough to wish for it? Surely the fear I see reflected in my father’s eyes are unsubstantiated, it has to be, why else would he still allow me to go. GULP!
You’re being silly, it’s only childish insecurities, I tell myself as I swallow at the ever present lump in my throat. I do my best in avoiding my mom’s gaze which undoubtedly would cause all my pent up tears I am working hard at concealing deep inside to flow unhindered down my face.
Don’t cry, don’t cry... I tell myself, commanding control over my emotions. It will be selfish to cry and make my family sad because of it. I have the privilege to save my pack, a privilege a young girl like me hardly every received, a privilege that feels more like a death sentence. Suffering instead of my Pack, the family I love, should bring me peace... I tell myself. Right?
“Bye...” I say softly as my voice cracks under the heavy weight of its emotion, and I slowly step into the globe’s porthole.
“Wait! Don’t go!” I hear a voice call out to me with urgency, his feet hitting the ground like a drum as they approach. I turn around to search for him and see his bewildered expression, dirty from his hard work in clearing alien plants from the forest bed. I turn only to see my best friend, Thorne, disappear into a blinding white light and the sound of his voice lost in that of rushing wind.
I’m sorry, I whisper as a tear spills over my lashes. I thought by avoiding our goodbye I’d be dodging the pain that accompanied it, but I fear that I have only added guilt to the mix. Great job Ceana! Real clever! What a start to the year... I sigh, closing my eyes.
In an instant the loud rushing sound of the wind dies down and a few rebellious strands of my long blond spirals fall across my face. I open my eyes to see dove grey cobble paving beneath my feet, something I had always pictured in the books I read as the forest had no need for fancy paving. Wow.
“Welcome to the Full Moon Academy,” A friendly voice greets me, “My name is Stephanie, I can show you around if you want?” she says pushing back her glasses.
“Yes... please...” I answer wearily, feeling completely out of place as I stand in the middle of the large courtyard surrounded by gigantic buildings with their gargantuan pillars. I literally have to look up to the heavens in order to see the roof, which stood taller than the tallest trees in the forest. My modest upbringing never prepared me for this. “My name is Oceania Burns,” I introduce myself.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she smiles. Her gentle demeanor makes me feel comfortable, like my time here might not be as bad as I had imagined after all.
“That big building over there is where the classrooms are...” she says gesturing to my right, “that’s the cafeteria,” she points to a smaller single story building next to it, “Library and study hall...” a slightly bigger building straight ahead, “Girls dorms...” next to the library, “Gym... we don’t like gym,” to my left, “and finally, the boys dorms. They are next to the gym and sports grounds for their entertainment. They tend to cause trouble if not otherwise occupied,” she laughs softly at some type of inside joke.
We continue walking across the courtyard when we pass a group of girls, neatly dressed in their pleated skirts and white button down shirts, the uniforms that we are meant to wear, although theirs were at least two sizes too small and it showed way too much skin than what I assume was permitted. Their lips shone from their religiously applied lip-gloss and their hair was perfectly styled. As we pass their loud giggling and laughing, I self-consciously tuck my stray strands of hair behind my ears, feeling intensely aware that I stand out like a sore thumb. An ugly thumb! If only I looked like them, tall, tanned and toned... but here I was... Short and pale in comparison, and although I am not fat, I am soft and clearly not athletic as one would expect a shewolf to be. I never experienced a need to fit in before, but here I am, desperate to find a rock to crawl under.
“That’s Jessica Rademacher and the terrible two,” she says softly, rolling her eyes, “they are mean and stupid. Their comprehension stretching only as far as their manicured finger nails.”
The sun was shining brightly on my face, a sensation I rarely had the chance to fully experience back home. AH! I close my eyes for a second, enjoying the wonderful warm feeling as I follow close behind Stephanie. If I concentrate really hard I am almost sure I can hear the gentle roar of waves in the background, and smell the salt of the ocean in the air. Unexpectedly my foot strikes the bottom step leading to the girl’s dorms, but I manage to save myself from embarrassment by grabbing hold of her shoulder. That was close!
“Sorry,” I say softly as my cheeks burn like embers pulled from the fire.
“No worries,” she laughs softly, as she leads me to the school clothing department inside the lobby.
“You’ll need a uniform,” she turns to smile at me, “three skirts, three shirts, three pairs of knee high socks, a jersey, a blazer, sportswear and shoes,” she counts down on her fingers.
“But... how do I pay?” I ask as I feel my cheeks heat up again, I hadn’t thought to bring any money, and even if I had thought of it, I wouldn’t have any to bring... we were the definition of dirt poor, especially in comparison to my peers.
“It’s billed to your tuition,” she winks, as if reading my mind. I can see us becoming friends, best friends.
- Writer
