Imperial High

The School

ZACH

I couldn't stop gawking. It was embarrassing and my dad said I looked like a drugged seal when I did, but I couldn't help it. The bus wasn't the bus. or... the bus inside wasn't the bus outside? I'm not sure how to describe it exactly.

From the outside, the bus had looked like a normal school bus, albeit an expensive one. The inside was something else entirely. Firstly, unless my eyes were playing some sort of trick on me, the inside was almost double the size of the bus from the outside. Things that a bus shouldn't have been able to hold were all around me. In a glance, I spotted a bar that served tea, coffee and some other drinks, an arcade game (yes, an arcade game) and a bakery. I stared. An actual stall with windows displaying the most delicious scones, rolls and even upside down cakes I had ever seen in my life was stationed at the very back, and unless I was dreaming (which I wasn't too sure I wasn't), I spotted a back door that seemed to lead to a full pantry which ovens and the like.

I craned my neck, trying to take in everything at once.

"Your neck's soon going to break if you keep on stretching it like that."

I looked at the speaker. It was a girl with auburn bangs, a freckled face and the most startling green eyes I had ever seen. She wore her uniform but had on a plain black sweater as well.

She laughed. "And your eyes might soon fall out if you keep staring at everything like that." She nodded at the bakery. "You keep staring at it like you've never seen pastries before."

I blushed. "I have seen pastries before. It's just that..." How did I put this without sounding like I was crazy? "The bus seemed a lot smaller from the outside."

She laughed again. "It was a bit of surprise. I'm sure it's something to do with Principal Harris's abilities."

I wasn't sure I heard her well. "Abilities?"

She frowned. "What Gen are you?"

Now I was sure the problem wasn't with me. She was speaking total nonsense. She looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. Then her eyes widened.

"Oh my god, you're new, aren't you?"

I nodded. I had assumed everyone on the bus was new, but it seemed that wasn't the case. She stiffened and her eyes darkened then she walked away. I looked at her retreating back confused, then I shrugged; she must be mental. I locked eyes with a boy who was sitting down about five seats away. There was another boy beside him, reading a novel. There was an empty seat opposite them.

I approached them, wondering whether they were also mental and I was about to go through a similarly weird experience with them.

I stretched out my hand to the boy I had locked eyes with. "Hey. My name's Zach. Nice to meet you."

He shook my hand. He had a very firm grip. "My name's Oberon." And a deep voice.

I gestured at the empty seat. "Is there anyone here?"

He shook his head. "You can sit there if you want."

I sat down and nearly sunk in. The chair was super soft, and it took some time before I got used to it. I looked around properly, mainly at the students this time. Everyone looked my age. Something seemed weird but I couldn't quite figure out what. As I looked around again, I realized. There seemed to be a subtle difference in about half of the students. Half of them looked around in amazement, seemingly as mystified as I was about the bus. Those half were mostly alone. The other half, on the other hand, seemed at home in the bus. Some were playing Pac-Man on the arcade machine while others hung out in groups of four and five chatting animatedly.