The Raven's Vision

Chapter One

                                       "Not all those who wander are lost."

                                                                                         - J.R.R Tolkien

Riverfall Boarding School. Far away from town; isolated on top of a mountain and surrounded by woods. The place where I'm currently attending.

My parents sent me here a couple of years ago, the second I finished elementary. It was my father's idea. We didn't have the best relationship, he and I. My mother still comes to visit me every other weekend. Well, at least she used to.

I haven't been coming home for the holidays. Last time I did was nearly two years ago, now, on a Christmas... got into a fight with my father. We haven't talked since.

I always thought Riverfall looked depressing for a school. The gray stoned building standing tall and proud; the big oak doors being the only thing that isn't entirely made up of stone. Honestly, I'm not sure what the designers were thinking when this building was made. I did once hear that it used to be a mental asylum more than a hundred years ago, so that adds up. I'll just never bring myself to understand why they ended up turning it into a boarding school with possibly the most absurd system ever.

It's also pretty convenient that there's never been a single sunny day, at least since I came here. Always dark and cloudy. Grey and depressing. It barely even rains -- and rainy days have become my personal "sunny" days at this point, because at least the skies are grey and dark for a reason. Sometimes it would give me hope that when the rain is over, the clouds will part away and show the sun, and maybe even a rainbow will pop out. I can't even remember the last time I saw one...

The outsides of the building aren't even as creepy and dull as the insides...

If not, creepier, as most floors are plated black and white tiles, like something you'd see in an old kitchen. There are barely any windows in sight, and the dark hallways are only lit up by these vintage wall lamps.

And then there's the uniforms. The girls have to wear a white shirt with a mini black tank top dress, including black leggings. They can wear whatever footwear they want, as long as it's black.

As for us guys, we have to wear a white dress shirt, tucked in with a belt and black jeans, as well as loafers. With ties, too. Incredibly uncomfortable, I have to say.

In case you're wondering, this place was built back in 1885. I'm still trying to figure out why they thought they could turn this into a school.

When you enter the building, the first room you'll find yourself in is probably the coziest out of the whole school.

We call it the lounge. It's a grand room. At the right, there's a big red sofa that sits in front of a fireplace. A large staircase covered in red carpet sits in the middle of the lounge, which leads to a huge window that overlooks a thin stream of water by the trees, along with two more staircases on each side. The right leads to the Boys Dormitory, and the left leads to the Girls.

The lounge kind of leads to anywhere you need to be, being the center of the school -- there's a couple of hallways you can take to get to where you need. There's the Schooling Wing, where it has all the classes for each grade, including the cafeteria and huge auditorium.

The auditorium is the second largest room here. It used to be a chapel -- it still has its rows of wooden pews, and the floors narrow down to where the stone altar remains standing. Above it, a hanging statue of Jesus on the cross. Not that it bothers me or anything, but I don't see why they kept it that way. Maybe it was too much to change. Although, some kids do go there to pray -- but very few of us are Christian. Or even religious. The auditorium is now used for announcements (long ones, too) and they usually happen about once a month.