Pearl Academy I The Emergence

Chapter 7

First came the Sunistral,

The First Light of the Moon.

His power rivaled the three.

He held the strands of hope in his hands;

Strands of which rightfully belong to another.

-Second stanza of the Moon Pearl Prophecy

*****

I woke up extremely early in the morning. My nerves were through the roof. I had never experienced first-day jitters before. I've always had them whenever I moved to a different foster home. Nothing like this, though. I slick my hair as perfectly as I can, tying off the pieces at the base of my neck. Some of my strands are frizzy beyond repair, and I don't particularly wish to spend ten minutes on it. I brush off my face carefully, doing my best to hide my noticeable eye bags. My eyes watch over the movements of my hands. I find myself doing that a lot these days.

Sadie is still peacefully sleeping in her own bed. I envy her. She doesn't have to be haunted day in and day out by her nightmares. Silently, I walk across our room and venture down the steps. After dinner, Sadie and I went up without meeting the other girls in the dormitory. I thought it would be best to meet everyone after my meeting with the Headmistress. Truthfully, I have no idea where I am going, and I didn't even bother to ask before bed.

The commons room is empty and silent. The other girls do not seem to be awake yet either.

I decide to take advantage and snoop around. There are a lot of pictures of the girls that live here on the small tables pushed against the wall. They all wear the same uniforms that I am currently adorned in. Sadie is in most of them. She appears to be the social butterfly of the dormitory, if not the entire school. I'll have to remember to be careful around her. I move on to the frames on the wall. More specifically, the painting of S. Cerelia Pearl. I didn't get a good look at her pendant last night, and it has bothered me since. My eyes land on it immediately.

Initials. SC. Is it just her own initials? That was a letdown. I step back, meeting the woman's wandering eyes. She smiles as if she knows something that I am missing. I glare back at the know-it-all face. Goosebumps rise along my arms, shivering at the sudden draft that swarms the room. I stumble towards the closest sofa, leaning my entire weight on it. I mentally go down the list. The room is not dim. The details are real. I woke up this morning and I know how I got here. I count the fingers of my hands as my heart runs a marathon inside my ribcage. This is real. This is real.

Voices begin to arise from somewhere in one of the four hidden passageways, forcing me to get my act together. I practically sprint out of there.

The school is bigger on the inside. It's absolutely ridiculous. Crazy amounts of stairs and crazy amounts of hallways. I don't even remember the way here. Headmistress Black made it hard with the amount of turns she took to get to my dormitory. Just outside my door are three possibilities. I have one hallway straight ahead and two choices of direction from the main hall. Left, right or straight ahead? I haven't moved an inch and I am already lost. Good start, Kelly.

*****

Five minutes to the bell and I have yet to find the Headmistress' office. I think I wandered too far. I found the cafeteria, and the student halls- although, I have no clue if it's the girls' or the boys'- and  I think I found doors that lead outside. I retrace my steps quickly, but it has become exceeding harder once the other students file out of their dorms for the school day. Nobody notices my deep distress. I bump into a few people as I round into a crowded hall. The noise has multiplied. The tiles create this infuriating echo that might actually drive me insane.

"There you are! I was wonderin' where you got to." Sadie suddenly appears and loops her arm around mine, effortlessly leading me across. "You are my responsibility from here on out. I was told to show you to the Headmistress' office. And after your placement test, I will give you a tour. Tomorrow, your schedule will be given to you. That will give you your classes and electives. It will also tell you what Class you are a part of for your extracurriculars. I hope you're a part of my Class. I desperately need a new voice."

Sadie was walking and talking too fast for my still mind to catch up properly. I tried to memorize hallmarks to help me remember the way later, but they would go by so fast. I give up and turn my attention to her instead. "Okay? What do you mean by 'Class'? As in junior, senior?" We make a sharp turn to a hall with glass offices. Sadie giggles. "No, we define each Class by the level of comprehension, creativity, and IQ. She'll explain it better once you go in." She pulls on a glass door. "This is the Staff Hall. Counselors, admins, teacher's lounge." She points at each room as she lists them out to me. "Headmistress Black's office is up ahead. Good luck, roomie! And don't be nervous. You can fail the test and you can always advance later!" Before I can even ask what she meant by that, she's off. All I see is a blur of blond hair leaving me alone with the hundred questions that have been left unanswered.

Hesitantly, I walk towards the front desk. There's no one behind it so I sit down on a chair in the corner. It's a chain. It's plush and green and the only welcoming thing here. The walls aren't bare, but they aren't decorated either. They have schedules. They have rules. And some upcoming activity reminders. I have so many possibilities here. I could do anything. I can hear Karen now. See, I told you you'd like it! I roll my eyes at her silent words in my head.

"Good morning..."

I turn at the voice but...there's no one there. "H-hello?" No answer. I scoot to the edge of my seat, looking around the desk for the person the voice belonged to. Just when I'm about to give up, voices burst from within the walls. They talk to each other. An inaudible conversation ensues. A silent interaction that only exists to drive me insane. I lean back into my chair and breathe deeply. This isn't real. I close my eyes, willing my body to relax. This isn't real. My head feels like it's about to implode! My fists clench tightly. This isn't real. This isn't real!

"Kelly Foster?" I start at the sound of my name. Miss Goudman stands in front of me with a packed folder in her hands. "Good morning," she smiles. "Did you sleep alright? You look a bit pale." I get up quickly, shaking my hands. "No, I'm okay. Just first-day jitters." Miss Goudman nods in understanding, her eyes never leaving my face. Her tight ponytail bounces a little with the movement. "Well, that always goes away quickly. Come on, the bell is just about to ring, and the Headmistress is waiting for you." She checks her watch over the big load of papers.

She ticks her tongue. And the bells ring.

Ding.

Ding.

Dong.

Dong.