Stranger

Chapter 10: Sophie

"AckPec?" Sophie tilted her head to the side as the plane started to pick up speed. She could have sworn she heard Will stifle a growl.

"AckPec," Ethan repeated. "The Academy for Peculiars."

* * *

By the time they landed at the incredibly small airport on Catalina Island, Sophie was actually looking forward to exploring the academy. After they got off the plane, Will seemed much more confident once his booted feet were securely back on solid ground and Jared led the group to a small lot nearby instead of into the airport. This surprised Sophie to the point where she kept looking back for the security guards she was certain were about to arrest them for just plain leaving.

"Did you forget something?" Will asked, looking down at Sophie. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his motorcycle jacket.

"Aren't we supposed to go through the building before we leave?" she asked. "Isn't that what people do?"

Will's smile was smug. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the Catalina airport is small," he said. "It's not used commercially anymore, except when supplies and mail from the mainland are delivered. The only reason Ethan uses it is because, well, he's incredibly influential, if you know what I mean." At Sophie's questioning look, he heaved a sigh, tilted his head downward so his nose nearly brushed her ear, and whispered, "He's rich. And not just rich, but rich-rich."

Sophie was about to say that she didn't understand the difference, about to ask the many questions dancing on the tip of her tongue, but stopped herself from doing so. She was currently distracted by the vehicle that both Jared and Ethan stopped at; the one she now assumed would be taking them to the academy.

A golf cart.

It was a golf cart.

She had ridden in a town car and flown on a private jet. Now, she would be making the conclusion of her journey in a yellow and black golf cart.

Will must have seen the confused look on her face because he asked, "What? Expecting a limo or something?"

Sophie shot him a look but didn't respond. She took a seat in the back of the cart—facing backward—and Will took the vacant seat next to her.

"All right back there?" Jared asked as he slid into the driver's seat, Ethan sitting next to him. Sophie noticed that Jared was wearing a Chicago Bears baseball cap.

"Go ahead," Will replied.

Sophie's heart jumped in her throat as the cart started unexpectedly, but she calmed down once they turned on the main road. She still didn't understand why they were riding in a golf cart as opposed to a regular car. However, as Jared drove them to the school, it began to make more sense to Sophie. Even if Ethan owned regular cars—and Sophie had a feeling he did—it seemed to be more common for the people that resided here to use golf carts instead of actual cars. In fact, the cars that were used were taxis, ferrying tourists around the island. Maybe this was another way for the residents to spot the tourists. It probably amused them in the same way it amused her.

The island itself was small, and as a result, it didn't take them very long to arrive at Ethan's school. She tried to get a good glimpse of the island since they were so far up, but all she could see were clusters of houses down below and slews of people around the beach area. It didn't surprise her to see so many people despite it being September; it was Southern California after all. She would have to do more exploring of the island later on. The one thing that remained true no matter where she went, though, was how gorgeous the Pacific Ocean sparkled under the sun. Hopefully her room would have an amazing view.

The school itself was a large mansion that had a black metal gate in front, blocking potential tourists from entering. Besides that, the school was surrounded by a wall that encompassed a good portion of land so people couldn't look in. If it was true that there were peculiars here who shifted into animals and then back into humans and students who moved inanimate objects with merely their minds, then it was probably a good thing. The world didn't need to know about peculiars just yet, in Sophie's opinion, and in a way, the wall offered them protection. But just as it kept people out, it also kept people in.

"Can people leave when they want?" Sophie turned her attention to Ethan, who was sitting up front next to Jared.

"Absolutely," he said with a nod. "What we offer here is education and training, and save for a select few, peculiars can't live here forever. They need to learn how to make it on their own too. But if they are ever in need of a place to stay, they are always welcome. There is an enforced curfew, of course, but students have the freedom to explore the island on their own time."

She leaned back in the cushy seat and allowed herself some time to process what Ethan had said. She felt as though this was still going to turn out to be some cruel joke. Ethan seemed too nice, too compassionate to be real, and even though he still wanted to run some tests on her, she felt like that wasn't asking for a lot. Not for what he was giving her. A home. She hadn't had a home in so long. It made her wary and hopeful at the same time. She desperately wanted to believe that this was real, but it felt like a dream. Could a person as nice as Ethan Curtis truly exist? She hoped so. God, did she want this to be permanent?

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