Aerianas Academy- School for the Especially Unique

Chapter 1

Gwen sits high in the large oak tree, peering through the leaves into the star-sprinkled sky. I suppose she could be wishing she were elsewhere. Home, maybe. But likely not. Gwen hates being home, she tells me. Can you be homesick for a place you hate? I'm not sure. Either way, she's out past curfew and if Ms. Monica's about to do her sweep, we'll both be in trouble.
I push myself up from the squatting position and freeze. On second thought, maybe I should leave her. Part of me is scared to disrupt her while she's so deep in thought. I fall back into a squat and try to put myself in Gwen's shoes. If she's even wearing any. I'm temporarily distracted by the shoes my friend may or may not be wearing. Not that that has anything to do with the situation. I suddenly find myself creeping across the lawn and over to the tree.
I suppose Gwen would want to be saved from expulsion since she so badly hates being at home. With that thought, I grab the lowest branch and swing myself up onto it, rustling the leaves.
"Gwen?" I whisper, before she can respond to the noise.
"Hi, Alex." She whispers back.
I climb higher until I can make out the shape of her feet dangling over the edge of a branch. She is wearing shoes, then.
"How'd you know it was me?" I ask, settling on a branch only a few feet under the one she sits on.
"Because you're the only one who cares." She responds quietly, after a long pause.
I do not know what to say to this.
Instead of answering, I blow a wisp of wavy brown hair out of my face. It will be useless to tell her that actually, I can think of more people who care about her, but she won't believe it. I don't think you can convince someone that something they're hurting them self over isn't actually as bad as they think it is.
"Ms. Monica's gonna sweep soon." I say quietly.
"I know." Gwen answers, her tone void of feeling. "It's okay."
"You should come back with me." I tell her, but she offers no response. I'm not getting anywhere with this, so I try begging.
"Please, Gwen. I need you to come back with me. I don't know what I'll do without you if you get expelled."
A light flashes somewhere on the North end of campus. My heart hits my stomach.
"Please, Alex. I'm not gonna get expelled for staying out past curfew." She chuckles a little.
Good, I think. Emotion is good.
"But what if you do?" I push, because I don't have a better response.
"I won't."
"She's coming!" I hiss. The lights on the North end shine brighter and closer now.
"Okay, okay, we can go back. But I'm not going back because of Ms. Monica. I'm not scared of her, you know." Gwen emphasizes the fact that she's not afraid. She does this a lot, and I'm quite certain she's not afraid of anything. Even the idea of death doesn't seem to scare her.
"Yeah, yeah." I whisper. "Let's go."
I scramble down the tree as fast as I can while Gwen follows.
"You're louder than Abby on pancake day." She mumbles, swinging from the lowest branch onto the ground.
I ignore her and run back across the lawn and towards Lily Hollow- our dormitory. The damp grass feels good under my bare feet, but I hardly have the mind to notice it. Gwen runs along behind me, having only the smallest motivation for actually making it back to Lily Hollow. I reach the door first and stumble for my key card. But when I slide it, the light blinks red. I try again.
Red.
"What's wrong?" Gwen asks, catching up to me.
"My card won't work." I mutter. "Stupid thing."
I try again with no luck.
"Let me try." Gwen takes my card, but it won't work for her either. She yanks on the door handle, then kicks the door. "What the heck?"
We try Gwen's card. Red light again.
Suddenly a bright light that can only be from a security flashlight shines on the door.
"Wha-"
I spin around just in time to see Ms. Monica. She does not look happy.
"Sorry, ladies. New security. Key cards don't work past curfew."
Gwen turns and raises an amused eyebrow at me. I, however, am not amused. Frankly, I am a bit annoyed at her for not showing up at Lily earlier- when she should have been there. Because if she had, then we wouldn't actually be getting in trouble right now.
I hate getting in trouble.
In fact, I don't feel so good right now. Guilt, I suppose.
Whatever.
"Come to my office, ladies. I think we need to have a talk." She picks up the small radio around her neck.
"Smith, can you cover the rest of the North end? I have two troublemakers here that I'm taking back to my office." She casts a frustrated glance in mine and Gwen's direction.
Troublemaker? Grrr...
"Copy that, Monica. Can and will." A staticky voice comes from the radio around her neck. I don't know why she doesn't just use a modern AerPad like the students...
She doesn't bother to thank "Smith"- whoever that is.
"I suggest you follow me." Ms. Monica begins to walk down the North end, towards her office, a place where I definitely don't want to go.
But Gwen and I don't actually have a choice.
The walk from Lily to Ms. Monica's office takes about ten minutes. Nobody speaks; probably out of fear. It's out of fear for me at least. Gwen isn't afraid of anything, and Ms. Monica probably isn't either, now that I think about it. So I guess it's more likely out of anger than fear. Either way, it's a long and silent walk, and when we arrive at the office, I'm certain she's going to call our parents and ship us back home.
I wonder what my parents will think now.
I don't think I want to know.