The Secret of Lentra High: Freshman Year

Getting to Lentra: Naomi

Have you ever experienced the fear that comes along with changing schools and entering into a completely unknown and strange world? The fear that comes when you are going to a place where you will know absolutely no one and absolutely no one will know you? To be honest, it’s a sort of unexplainable fear. Either you know it or you don’t, but most everyone knows it. It was that very unexplainable fear that I felt as I rode in the passenger seat of my mom’s blue minivan, heading to Lentra High for the first time.

I’d spent four hours sitting in nearly the same position, staring at nearly the same scenery and finally Mom and I were almost to Lentra. Four hours ago I stood in the familiar driveway of a familiar house in a familiar neighborhood surrounded by familiar people - namely my mom, my dad, my best friend Kat, and my boyfriend Addison - saying goodbye. I missed them already. I felt afraid because I didn’t know who I was going to be meeting, what they would be like, or if I would fit in. I almost wanted to turn around and just go home, but I knew it was far too late for that - by this point, I could already see Lentra. There was no turning back. The familiarity of my home was gone, and I wouldn’t be getting it back - until Christmas break, that is.

Lentra is a boarding school set up by the government for kids who have really good chances of being really famous for discovering something amazing, doing something great or something like that. I really don’t get it, but it’s supposedly a really good experience and just getting in gets an applicant an automatic scholarship to not only Lentra, but to pretty much any Ivy League school there is. It’s an offer that is just too good to refuse - or so I thought.

You see - and I found this out during the freshman orientation after my mom had already left - Lentra isn’t just a good opportunity. Apparently, Lentra is way more complicated than that. It was explained it the orientation that Lentra is a school that has been in existence in the U.S.A. since public schools were first created. That Lentra was founded for a very important purpose and without Lentra it is quite possible that the entire universe would fall apart. Yeah, that caught my attention.

It was at this point in the orientation that the speaker told us if we didn’t leave now, we wouldn’t be allowed to; that, by staying in our seats, we pledged not to leave Lentra until the end of senior year. In an auditorium of 200 people, about 30 got up and left after this announcement. I wasn’t one of those 30. I loved and missed my friends and family back home, but I had already decided that I would make the best of this experience; I wasn’t about to back out. At that point I thought I was ready for anything they threw at me.

And then, they threw it at me. After the 30 left, leaving 170 students, the speaker started talking again. He told us that the purpose for which Lentra had been founded was to join 126 other schools from around the world in protecting Earth and keeping peace in the galaxy. In short, Lentra was founded to fight and cooperate with aliens.

I was not expecting that. When I found heard that I immediately wished I had walked out. Cooperate with aliens!? I didn’t even believe in aliens! Shocked and surprised whispers could be heard around the room. A few students actually cheered. Nerds, I thought. I knew I couldn’t do anything about it though; I hadn’t left when I had the chance. Despite the fact that I now thought of everyone in the school as crazy nut-jobs, I had made my pledge and I couldn’t run away now.

Before long, the speaker began again. “Now, now, everyone, calm down,” he said. “I know this is very surprising, but it is imperative that you hear the next thing I have to say. Please, stop your whispering and listen."

Everyone quieted and looked at the speaker. The atmosphere of the room had changed, though. Some students had their arms crossed, and almost all of them weren’t just looking at the speaker - they were glaring at him. It was like all the students were saying, “Okay. I’ll listen. But you had better start explaining yourself, because we all hate being lied to and we’re not going to let you off that easy. So, come on. Speak.”

The speaker began, “I must express to you how crucial it is that you tell no one - absolutely no one - about the true purpose of this school. I understand that that means lying to everyone you know and love, but you must understand the risks of allowing this so well-kept secret to be told. If you mention to anyone the true purpose of this school, there will be nothing we can do. The school will be forced to shut down, possibly bringing all other similar schools down with it. Once this school and others like it are gone, there will be no hope. The E.T.s will invade this planet and the life you currently know and love will be gone forever. There will be no going back. So, if you don’t want to be responsible for an alien invasion of Earth, then I suggest you do not tell anyone what we do here. The next four years of your life will be an amazing experience if you let it. You will be doing things here that other kids wouldn’t dream of. You are special. You have been chosen for this.

“Now, it has been quite a day for all of you, I am sure. Tomorrow class will begin bright and early in the morning, but for now please head to your dorms and sleep. Any questions you have can be answered tomorrow by your homeroom teachers. Welcome to the strangest year of your life.”