Wailmouth

I, Ways Away

Wailmouth College

Also known as WMC, Wailmouth College is an independent, co-educational secondary boarding school for students of ages 13–17. Constructed in the early 1900s on Seagle Island, the college boasts 156 acres of student and teaching facilities, making it one of the largest boarding schools in the northern states.

Since its founding, Wailmouth has annually granted over $3 million in financial aid to approximately 27% of its students. Notable alumni include entrepreneurs John and Jane Doyle and the current Minister of Education, Din Athari. As of 2001, the school's acceptance rate is—

"WATCH OUT!"

The small red car swerved to the side of the road and came to a screeching halt. Everything that wasn't bound down in the car flew to the front, including the phone that was in Adima's hand a few moments ago.

"Evan? Evan! Are you okay?!"

Still dazed, the driver gave her a nod and stared through the windshield. By some miracle, he managed to avoid the shadowy blur in the middle of the road, and stop the car from crashing into the tree in front of them. He drew a sigh of relief.

"Fern? You good?"

Evan glanced into the rear mirror. A young girl was rubbing her forehead with a slight frown.

"Just bumped my head a little," the dark-haired teen muttered, "but I think the soup's spilled..."

"What?!" Adima fumed as she turned to see the mess that was the backseat. A tissue box rested awkwardly on Fern's lap. Her shower caddy, once filled to the brim, now laid bare among scattered toiletries. In a similar predicament, a small container swam in its own content in a transparent plastic bag by Fern's feet. She watched the younger girl lean down and prod at the soupy bag with a finger.

"I'll eat it out of the bag," Fern muttered, much to the disgust of the older girl. She sensed an icy glare from Adima's obsidian eyes and quickly changed her mind. "O-Or not."

The engine sputtered and came to a purr as Evan put the car on idle, hand brake pulled. He loosened his seatbelt and turned all the way back to scan the road behind them. It was empty.

"Hey, what was it you saw just now?"

"Some animal," Adima shrugged. "Probably a civet."

"A civet!" the boy chuckled while shaking his head. "Fern, are you sure this isn't some safari route? Because all we've seen for the past ten minutes are wild animals and not a single human being."

Evan was right; they were completely surrounded by tall, thin trees with no building in sight. When they arrived at the fork earlier, the makeshift sign on the left read "WMC" in big painted letters. It was the only reason they took the uneven dirt road in the first place. In hindsight, Evan thought it to be quite suspicious: a wooden plaque with the letters haphazardly painted on it, then nailed to a pole that was stuck into the ground.

If alarm bells weren't ringing before, they certainly were now.

"We can always turn back," Adima reassured, her anger dissipating at the realization. "Find another way in. Or we can just go straight home if you want, Fern. Evan has to drive 300 miles again but that means we can stop by that snack bar you liked so mu—"

"Look," Fern's voice cut her off, a finger pointing at something hanging from a tree branch, "just a few more minutes away."

Both the guardians turned to follow her finger. True to her words, a tattered banner for a previous school event hung neglected a few feet away from them. Most of the graphics were already illegible, save for the school's logo and letterings that read "100 yards" below it. Shrugging, Evan shifted back into gear and pushed the car forward. "Might as well cross the finish line."