The Overlooked

Chapter 1: Welcome Back

September 5th 1998

Lanton Academy was exactly how Frin had pictured it. It was an impossibly large, dark building with lancet windows and spires that got lost in the fog, silhouetted in the evening light. In some places, the brickwork looked newer than in others, which was a result of the school being partly rebuilt on multiple occasions. It was to be expected, having been founded during the 15th century. 

Frin adjusted the straw boater on her head, which had slid backwards merely from looking up at the building. The hat had a brown ribbon round the middle, to match the pleated skirt that she and the other girls wore. The rest of her uniform consisted of a chestnut, pinstriped blazer (which Frin found to be remarkably itchy on the inside), a plain white button-up and an obnoxiously mustard-coloured tie.

Frin sighed as her father's car rattled over a hill and out of sight. "Is this really what you want?" he had asked a month prior, clutching her acceptance letter. Frin had nodded vigorously and spent the next week trying to convince him to let her attend. "It'll be good for me," she had pleaded. Her father had chuckled defeatedly, "I'm supposed to be telling you that."

And there she was, huddled in a mob of fidgeting school children, gawking at the great building before her. Lanton Academy; a place that prided itself on being traditional. That meant, as Frin's mother had so eloquently put it, "a much needed break from the toils of the modern world". 

What Mrs. Gill had neglected to mention was that the modern world brought upon Frin many luxuries, such as trousers. 

"Girls, this way please!" A red-headed lady, wielding a potent air of importance, called to the group. She looked to be rather young, somewhere in the midst of her 30's, which made one wonder how she had come to work at a place such as Lanton. Her eyes skimmed the clipboard in her hands as the girls flocked towards her like sheep. She had a no-nonsense look about her, the kind that magicked away any thoughts of disobedience. 

Frin followed suit, hoisting her suitcase from the ground and into her arms. She was rather fond of the thing, being lined with velvet and possessing a beautifully ornate clasp.

A set of cobbled stairs led up to the school entrance, at the base of which the students gathered. "We've no time for dillydallying, girls," the woman scolded, smoothing out her frock. Her fiery locks barely grazed her shoulders, curling up at the ends; which only succeeded in making her look even younger.

"For all of our new arrivals, I am the caretaker of the girls dormitories," she said. "You are to address me as 'Miss Annie' and nothing else, as I am inclined to care very much about formalities. It is my duty to insure your well-being, and so any concerns you may have should be brought to me," Miss Annie's tone sounded rehearsed, droning almost. Frin tried very hard not to laugh at her dull expression.

"I do hope you're all here," Miss Annie mumbled, scanning the crowd halfheartedly. She then began to call out the names on her list, to which the corresponding child would raise a timid hand.

"Beca Morris?"

A girl, who appeared to be perfectly prim and proper with long, dark plaits wrapped around her head, shot her hand into the air with astute confidence.

"Present, Miss Annie. Although, by now I'd have hoped that wouldn't be a question," she added.

Miss Annie nodded and fixed the girl with a kind smile, "It is simply protocol, Beca." She then returned to her clipboard, tracing her finger down the page to find her place.

"Cyfrin Gill?" She called, looking out over the sea of heads.

Frin waved the hand that wasn't clutching her trunk, a number of girls turning to inspect her. Their eyes glinted with curiosity, and Frin wouldn't have been surprised if one of them reached out and poked her, like some science experiment. She smiled sheepishly, despite feeling rather like a new doll displayed in a toy shop.