The Academy of Darkness

Chapter 10 - Dawns Awakening

10. Dawns Awakening

I woke up to music playing, Blink 182's loud bass and steady drums. The clock read ten twenty. I looked across the room, Evelyn's bed was empty. She must be in the shower.

When she came back out she was dressed and dried, her hair tumbled over her shoulders in soft waves, the sun hitting all her natural high and low lights.

Today she wore a black long sleaved top with her red and black plaid skirt and stripey stockings, slipping the purple Converse on. She put on a long dangly necklace and applied some matching make up, the usual red lipstick and some red eye shadow. Pretty in punk.

After a shower and the usual morning rituals, I chucked on what I had worn yesterday - after all it was clean and no one had seen me in it except Evelyn. I put on a little make up and brushed my hair. All set.

We made our beds and cleaned up the room a bit. I looked myself over in the mirror, feeling nervous and insecure about my first day at boarding school. There would be no escaping these people. My straight dark hair fell obediently like curtains around my face.

Then Evelyn sided up by me, admiring us both and linking arms with me.

"I know exactly how you feel, I was new here once. Relax you're gonna fit in with us perfectly. And by the way you look great! Come on lovely!" she chimed.

 I took one last look at our new room - or mine I should say, it wasn't new to her - before she whisked me out the door and down the now brightly lit corridor. It was sunny here.

 We passed numerous girls along the way on our adventure to the cafeteria - or dining hall I guess I should say, since that's what they called it here.

Evelyn greeted a few with a smile and a 'morning'. Some smiled at me in welcome, while others just stared. I was the new kid, the unknown and latest addition to this Hamilton family. But as Evelyn emanated confidence I seemed to soak some up from her, and so I held my head high. We shared a knowing look. It was odd; I felt as if I've known her for ages, that we were on contented terms - that I didn't just meet her yesterday, as if we had always been close friends.

Though the school was modern and homey looking, there were still some remains from its previous owners. I saw at least three portraits.

One was an old black and white photograph of the school back when it was an ‘all girls’. Everyone was prim and proper, unsmiling and wearing white gloves. Another was a painting of the vivid landscape around us where as the last was an old painting of a family, a man and a woman and their three sons and two daughters. The oldest daughter had fiery red hair like you wouldn’t believe but not pale skinned and freckled like you’d expect, she had a perfect creamy colour, even a light tan – and her body language hinted at impatience. Upon her lips she held many an opinion. She gave off sort of a wild, free-willed feel – who clearly couldn’t sit still for long, she looked at her younger sister adoringly at the side of her eye. The younger sister also looked much like her; she must have been about six. The oldest looked about seventeen perhaps. This simple photo seemed to exude meaning, though I wasn’t quite sure why.

Looking out the window, I could almost imagine her bounding from meadow to meadow, an outdoors person then. Like another Elizabeth Bennet straight out of a Jane Austen.

 I've always found the eighteenth century and its ways to be quite intriguing.

I was pulled from my revere by the smell of at least five different foods, all fighting for their place with one another. The essence of bacon and scrambled eggs, pancakes or waffles, freshly made blueberry muffins, apple pie and potato hash browns filled my nose. We rounded the corner and I spied wooden tables fitting at least six per, in orderly rows among comfy chairs with red cushions and the sound of adolescence talking and laughing, playful banter and flirtation, loud babbles as well as yawns encompassing the great halls - echoing off the stone structure. This looked more classic, traditional. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Coffee and hot chocolate filled the air.