Pearl Academy I The Emergence

Chapter 5

~She will strengthen the Four.

Those refused to believe in the impossible;

those who lost faith on a brighter day~

-First stanza of the Moon Pearl Prophesy

*****

The two-hour drive was actually about four hours. In the beginning, Miss Goudman was nice enough to ask questions about me and tell me about herself. I mean really, what more could be said in a four-hour drive before it becomes uncomfortable? I did as I promised and sent Karen a text to let her know we made it to West Virginia. It felt like an eternity passed before we even made it to Ritchie County. We had taken so many winding roads, up stocky mountains, and past a ridiculous expanse of trees. It all looked exactly the same.

I felt it the moment we arrived at Ellenboro. The shiver of familiarity. The cold whisper of a memory that's been suppressed all these years. I knew it then, before Miss Goudman even said, "Welcome back."

We drive through the town that holds so much mystery as to my beginnings and I did my best to avoid looking out of my window. "May I ask you something?" I speak for the first time in over forty-five minutes. Miss Goudman hums quietly. "What should I expect? I haven't been here in almost a decade. And I didn't exactly leave in the best of conditions. I'm sure you already know that." I watch the scenery fly past through her window. Miss Goudman stays quiet for a while as my wandering gaze stays trained on the view on her side. It's all so new yet so familiar. If I had the courage, I would walk the streets and find my old foster home with ease; but I'm not sure I could recognize it now.

"New towns always feel like this," she answers me. "I'm not sure this is the case for you, Kelly. But, nevertheless, new sits the same as change. I won't try to guess what it feels like to come back here for you, but this school does wonders for teenagers like you. With all I've heard about you, I'm sure you'll fit right in."

I think about her words while we disappear right into the thick, dark woods of the North Bend. My eyes close involuntarily for the remainder of the ride. It gets dark early up in the mountains. And not a warm welcome in sight.

After another thirty minutes of winding roads, we finally make it to the school grounds. I don't know how else to describe it but with a single word. "Big," I whisper. "It's so big." Unironically, the school itself looks like the most haunted mansion I have ever seen in my life. The ones that would most likely be written by a classical mystery writer of the 19th century. The entire school was built in brick cement that towers over the rest of the grounds. I've seen what it looks like from above, and it doesn't do it justice.

Miss Goudman pulls up to the front entrance and slows to a stop. What am I getting myself into? I ponder the question as I grab my stuff and hesitantly head up the stone steps. A silhouette of a woman stands in between the double doors of the school. She stays there, simply watching me walk through the heavy-set doors. The sounds of our steps echo from one wall to the other. "Hello," I greet her as quietly as the echoes would let me. "You're late, Miss Goudman." She doesn't even greet us. I see it is a custom at this academy to simply forego the pleasantries. I can't say that I hate it, but it does make me feel irrelevant.

"The traffic got us off schedule." I awkwardly shuffled my suitcase while they had their lovely exchange. My eyes wander to the display cases in the hall and the many frames that decorate the walls. "But, we made it before nightfall-just in time for supper." Miss Goudman gently nudges me forward. The unnamed lady leaves the shadow and finally reveals herself. She's a lot younger than I thought she would be. Her hair is cropped short and shiny with one side tucked behind her ear. Her carefully tailored uniform is modernly set to that of the original headmistress, S. Cerelia Pearl. While Pearl had hers set with a fine coat and skirt, she has decided to wear the coat with a pair of dress pants. She stares at me, intensely. This woman's laser focus scans me from my rugged shoes to my hair. I'm sure that not a single detail will escape her.

When she finally met my eyes, I couldn't help but look at the floor. "Well, in any case, dinner has already been served for the night," she holds her hand for me. "I am Headmistress Lana P. Black. I will give you a quick tour of the school and show you to your dormitory." I hesitantly take her hand. "For tonight, I'll let you eat dinner in your room. Your roommate will meet you there with a plate, does that sound good?" Do I look like a child to her? I guess I do if I continue to stare at the floor like a scared stray. "Yes," I smile politely, "it does, thank you."

Headmistress Black lets my hand go, beckoning me to follow her lead. We stride down a checkerboard tile hall. Her dark heels click against them with each step. "Welcome to S. Cerelia Pearl Academy for the Gifted Girls and Boys. Your room will be in Herschel Hall. You'll see Cannon Hall tomorrow before your first classes of the day begin."

"I thought that Pearl Academy was just a boarding school for girls?" I made sure to research this place. Now I'm wondering how correct all that information I found on Google was.

Headmistress Black's lips curl up in a smile. "A curious mind," she states, not questions. "Yes, Pearl Academy was first established as a school for girls. Our founder Cerelia Pearl found this condemned land and purchased it as a means to preserve the nearly three thousand acres of land that surrounds the school. About twenty years later, she granted boys to attend the school and quickly changed the topics of a finishing school to that of science, mathematics, and the arts."

We walk to the furthest end of the school before turning into a commons area. There are a variety of sofas in the room in mix-match colors and styles. It would be jarring if it weren't for how well it suited the fading colors of the antique wallpaper of beautifully faded flowers. Headmistress Black continues walking ahead of me without giving the chance to truly take it all in. Cedar woods cover every inch of the commons- from floor to ceiling. And the smell! It smells like one of those old libraries with those classic books that carry the scent of old memories. I could almost touch those memories.

I ran after the Headmistress before I lost sight of her. She disappears through a corner that unexpectedly opens to a winding, wooden staircase. I latch onto all my luggage, struggling as I take the steps with caution.

"The remaining occupancy for your dorm is up in the tower." My chest heaves painfully by the time I make it up the stairs. The headmistress was already inside waiting for me. How did she make it up in heels so fast? Beats me. "Your roommate should be here any minute," she checks her watch briefly. "Get yourself settled, Kelly. Curfew is at 10:30 so be free to explore your dormitory until then. Breakfast is at 7. Meet me in my office before your first period tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." Headmistress Black bows her head slightly. Her eyes curiously linger a bit too long on my face. I don't mind those types of looks anymore. Why would I? I've been getting them for so long that I've come to welcome it. Better this than a stone-cold accusation.