Found Souls

Annalise

My alarm goes off.

Ugh.

My first day of junior year is tomorrow, but I need to leave for school now to get my dorm ready.

"Annalise!" My mom calls from outside my door.

"I'm getting up mom." I say slowly rolling out of bed.

"Okay honey, don't be late. I don't want to miss our train."

"Got it."

My mom works at a diner here in Brooklyn, she always takes the day off to take me to Staten Island, where the boarding school I go to is.

It's one of those rich private schools where everyone's a spoiled twat. No one there breaks the rules or steps out of line. Seriously no one there looks different, we all wear uniforms, no makeup, no jewelry, no nail polish, all hair that passes our shoulders must be up.

I accidentally left my nose ring in one day, luckily I noticed it quickly enough to take it out, but my friend Kayla noticed and it seemed like she had a heart attack.

The only reason I can go to Eliza Hamilton's School for Children, (I know such a creative name. Founder plus school plus children.) is because I scored so high on my state exams in 5th grade. So the school offered me a full scholarship. Ensuring I keep my grades up and stay out of trouble.

No students knows I'm there on a scholarship. If they did I know they would treat me differently. The teachers do, they look at me like I might mess up their perfect little fantasy world. That maybe I'll be the one student who steps outside the line. Secretly I always wanted to be that student. But I refuse to prove them right.

I already spend less when I'm invited out to dinner or shopping with kids from school. I get money from my mom monthly, probably more then she can afford to give me. The rest of the money I make working at the bookstore in the summer.

We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment, the amount of times I've seen her sit over the counter stressing over bills is way to many. I know all she has ever wanted is to be an artist. She sells some of her paintings on Etsy but she never really has time to paint. Between work and work, she doesn't have down time.

I throw on a powder blue puff sleeve top and a brown linen skirt with a brown twine belt. I take my blonde curls and twist them into a low bun, might as well get used to it. I pull out some pieces of hair to frame my face.

I look in the mirror, I still have my nose ring in. I think I'll keep it in until we get there. I already took off my necklaces and rings which I packed in my suitcase. For whenever I need to feel like a human and not a robot. I put white sneakers on, my school regulated ones are already packed.

My suitcase is already by the door, I just grab two more things. A plain white tote bag, which I wanted to paint but never had time for, and a brown leather messengers bag. Which is my school bag. The messengers bag has my school computer, folders, notebooks, and books. The tote bag has my books I like to read for fun.

A lot of those books were given to me by Mrs.Rossi, she's my boss at the bookstore in the summer. She always gives me the ones that aren't selling as well before I go to school so I have plenty to read.

Even though I still make daily trips to the school library. Which is my favorite place in the whole school.

The bag also has my sketchbook and colored pencils and paints.

Another one of my favorite rooms in the school is the art room, no one really uses it. There is only a couple art classes and I don't have time for art in my schedule, it's mainly for seniors, but anyone can take it, (As long as they don't have a regulated schedule by the school since they have a scholarship.), no one does though.