When I made you smile

Meg

'Ciara Grey I presume.' A warm voice commands my attention. Standing perfectly still in the centre of the stairs is a girl with hair that falls to the middle of her back in the shade of autumn red. Her uniform pristine with buttons artfully left undone to give her a casual air. 'My name is Meghan Kelly. I'm your guide for the next few days. You have a few hours to get settled before your meeting with the Head this evening.' She joins me at ground level and picks up my duffel bag, 'Our house is this way. Dorms are called houses with different years on different floors. Lower classes share two to a room, but seniors are given singles.' Absorbing the information silently I follow Meghan at a distance. Automatically adjusting her stride so that she can walk beside me she gives me a small smile, 'The best part about being a senior is our rooms are on the first floor. Not too many stairs.'

'They told me there would be an elevator.' Speaking up as she uses a card to tap into the building she waits until we're in the foyer, 'they told me to remind you to use it. Also, whenever you enter the building you have to sign in by tapping your card at the counter. Same in reverse when you're leaving. Just so they can keep track of your movements, make sure you're attending class and if you're sleeping at bed check they won't disturb you because you've already checked into the building.' 

Continuing into the garden she leads me down a short pathway to what can only be described as a yurt.  'The dorms are full.' her tone is apologetic but Meg's eyes sparkle with a sense of adventure, 'The Professors have allotted you the overflow dorm.  One of the boys built it last year as his eco project.' Tapping my card against the pad outside the door sends it sliding open.  A new addition of an entry way that doubles as a mudroom or so it seemed.  'I'll come back for you in a little while to take you to meet with the Head.  Uniforms are on your bed.  Everything is labelled for your convenience.  You can wear a combo as long as its the sanctioned items.'  

Her eyes search my face making sure I'm okay to be left on my own.  Deciding that I was calm and had internalised all her information she turns away leaving me to explore on my own.

Closing the door softly behind her I turned to investigate my new space. Used to sharing a room with three others for a long time I had been expecting at the very least one roommate. However, it seemed they had adapted a school project into a new disability friendly space. It was a round room with floor to ceiling windows covering the east facing part of the room. A single bed was pushed back towards the back of the room. A dresser, a desk and a cupboard comprised the rest of my furniture before my eyes spied the door that led into an ensuite bathroom. Peeking around it, I found a walk-in tub with a shower over. Everything that could be provided to make my life comfortable had been.

The walls had that freshly painted look and had been coated with a light silvery grey to match in with my bedding from home. My three boxes stood in the centre of the room alongside my suitcase, duffel and schoolbag. Standing in the corner for a moment before diving in and decorating. I pictured the belongings I had brought with me and where it would all go. It was a technique that had worked well for me in the past. I was just tweaking the final parts of my appearance while trying to forget the ballet shoes I had stored in a crate deep under my bed along with my iPod when Meghan tapped on my door.

She took in the minimalist look of my room in silence. I had put up no pictures on the walls and displayed no personal memories. I didn't want them to remind me of what I had lost. I had to focus on going forward with my life and find a plan B. that wasn't my mother's dream for me. 'Least you won't get busted for being cluttered and messy.' she commented drily before adding, 'It's ok to remember where you've come from. Sometimes it does help remind you what you're fighting for.'

'Maybe when my past isn't so raw. They gave you some file to read on me, right?' Throwing my damp hair up into a messy bun I see the expressions fleeting across her face in my mirror. 'Actually, they don't do that at Waterways. The Head prefers that everyone be given a chance to start over fresh when they arrive.' Meghan admits, 'My mother is your English Professor slash guidance counsellor, so I know that you were a ballerina and had a bad fall.' She doesn't dig for any details respecting my privacy. Checking her wrist watch she yelps, 'If we don't leave, we're going to be late for dinner.' Dragging me across campus as fast as I can move my crutches, she brings me to a huge dining hall.

'Pick up what you want and tap your id card to pay. Your parents will have loaded it up with enough to cover food and snacks for the year.' Meghan gestures at the different food bars and tray bay. Looking down at my crutches, I wonder when she would realise that unless I planned to carry the tray with my teeth, I wasn't going to be able to get my own food. 'You choose. I'll carry it.' A masculine voice speaks directly into my ear. Craning my neck up a little to see who had offered his help. He gives me an open smile, 'Atticus Echo, I saw you arrive with the rest of the Neanderthals.' Picking up a tray he follows me over to the Asian bar. 'I'm Ciara Grey.' I offer my name in return. Picking up a small bowl of rice I move on perusing the options on display. 'Stingrays actually.' he adds a couple of items to the tray, 'I'm a Junior.' 

Sensing she's been abandoned; Meghan shoots me a grin then points to Atticus and gives me two thumbs up in approval. 'Anything else?' His amused tone alerts me to the fact that he's caught Meghan's show. 'Not at the moment thanks.' blushing in embarrassment I concentrate on not tripping myself up or knocking someone else over. Adding a few more items to my tray, before I can protest his action Atticus has already paid for my food. 'You can sit with me tonight. Meghan will come get you after dinner.'