Highcliffe Academy

Chapter 2

September 5th I stand awkwardly in the main reception in my new uniform. The other girls looked at me and kept giving me odd smiles, like they knew something I didn't. They probably did, a lot more. Neither mum or dad could take the time to drop me off on my first day so I had taken a taxi. As I walked in I had been told to wait, so wait I did. The head girl seemed to be taking an awfully long time to get here...

"Hullo there! You must be Charlotte." A load voice came from behind making me scream and jump at least 5feet in the air.

"Oops, sorry there, didn't mean to startle you." She said laughing. She looked more like a rugby player then a school girl, absolutely huge! "Though I must say, your a lot less skittish then most of the girls here."

"Are you the Head Girl?" I said, trying to compose myself though I was still feeling rather rattled.

"You bet ya'! My names Georgia. Here let me take your bag." And she picked up my suitcase as if it weighed less then a sandwich. I remembered the taxi driver heaving it up the front steps.

"How did you..."

"Time for questions later, come on, let's introduce you to the headmistress. The other first years are already up there." And with that she started up the stairs, each one of her strides equally 3 of my steps. After walking up 2 flights of stairs we arrived at a large wooden door with 'Headmistress' written on it.

"Right, I'll put you bag with the others and you just go on in." Georgia said and she walked off. I swallowed and knocked on the door.

"Come in." A voice said. I peered round the door and around 20 others girls were standing awkwardly in a room that looked more like a library or museum then an office.

"Hello girls, now I'm sure that's everyone." A woman with brown hair in a ponytail and a black suit said. "I'm Mrs McHenry, the headmistress of this school and I hope you'll all be very happy here." Then she paused and looked us all over. One girl coughed but otherwise there was silence. "Now, what I have to say next can not be repeated to anybody outside of this building, your best friend since nursery, your parents, a brother or sister. Absolutely no one." She said. We all nodded, wandering what could be the brilliant secret.

"Highcliffe isn't just an ordinary school, we do not accept applications, we review the grades of girls all over the country to pick those with the highest intelligance. We moniter you to see your personality's, your friendships, anything that could be of use. Highcliffe's main aim is to train girls to become under cover agent's. Of course, you are still open to any career you may decide on, an have the choice between research and lab work or field work. At Highcliffe you get the opurtunities to learn 8 different languages, the art of being unseen, learn different martial arts along with other skills. Any Questions?" A few girls raised their hands.

"Why wasn't this in the brochure?" One asked

"We couldn't exactly put it in a brochure, all of your identities would be blown before you'd even set foot on the campus." Mrs McHenry said with a smile

"Do we get to kill people?"

"Not in the building but if you choose field work you may encounter situations where you may need to."

"Cool!" A girl with dark skin and her hair in a ponytail said. Killing people was far from 'cool' in my book, but I guess each to their own A few more girls asked about things like calling home (allowed) food (cooked on campus from fresh ingredients, medicine (hand to a teacher) and boarding (dormitories of 4 girls in each room). Once we were finished with questions we were given a slip of paper with our room numbers and the names of our room mates.

"Your bags are already there. Remember, work hard and you will be rewarded, make Highcliffe proud of you." I looked at the paper, room 16, Columbus Block. A school for undercover agent's, this school was getting weirder and more exiting by the hour. It also explained all the funny looks I'd been given as I arrived. Now my only worry was my roommates, Jessica Albright and Alice Norfolk. At least we were only a room of 3, not to many names and faces to learn. I couldn't wait for tomorrow to see what kind of lessons I would be studying.

I walked into the room and saw my suitcase on a bed near the window. Above my bed there was a cork board and next to it a bedside table with a blue lamp on it and then a wardrobe. Just as I was starting to unpack the girl who thought killing people was 'cool' walked in.

"Hi there!" She said with a huge grin. She dumped herself on the bed oppisite mine and began to shove her uniform onto the shelves in her wardrobe. I glanced at my unifrom hanging neatly in the wardrobe and neatly folded.

"I'm Jessica, but everyone calls me Jess." She said.

"Oh, I'm Charlotte." I said, a bit more quietly then I meant to. I wasn't used to loud people noticing me.

"Can I call you Lottie?" She asked

"Umm..if you like. No one's ever called me Lottie before."

"Really? Wow, no offence, you must have been a real loner, Charlotte's sounds seriously uptight."

"No one really noticed me at my last school." I said, and I started setting my draws in order. Suddenly a girl with blonde hair in 2 short plaits.

"SorryI'mlateIgotlostandcouldn'tfindtheroomandIcouldn'tfindanyonetoask!" She said in a huge rush.

"Say what?" Said Jess

The girl with the blonde hair took a deep breath "Sorry, I'm late I got lost and couldn't find the room and I couldn't find anyone to ask." She said a lot more slowly

"You must be Alice." Said Jess "I'm Jess, and miss silence over in the corner is Charlotte."

"Awsome! Isn't this place the coolest? It's just like something from a book!" Alice said and she began unpacking her case.

"I know right! We get to learn all sorts of awsome stuff like karate! I hope we learn how to use guns. What are you most exited?" Asked Jess

"Oh the library! I saw it on the website, it's huge! I wonder if I can read my whole way around before I leave...What about you Charlotte?"

"I think the science lessons could be quite interesting..." I mumbled, hoping I didn't sound to dull. By the sound of Jess' exaggerated yawn, I did.

"Your at a school for spies..." She started

"Undercover agents." I corrected

"Whatever, it's the same thing. Mrs McHenry just wanted to sound posh. Anyone normal would be exited by the cool stuff, but your exited by the stuff you can find anywhere."

"I highly doubt anything we find in this school will be like anything from a normal school." I mumbled, starting to dislike Jess.

"Dibs the extra bed!" Jess yelled and she threw her empty bag onto it.

"Why do we have an extra bed?" Alice asked

"Umm..I dunno? Maybe because there are 3 of us instead of the usual 4." Jess said, horribly sarcastic. I pulled out my book, determined to block them out, but keeping a close eye on them all the same. I didn't trust girl's like Jess, they are the kind of people who laugh at you and poke fun at everything you do. I saw Jess walking towards me, thinking she was all sneaky and set to slam her hand down on my book. I quickly turned my back on her. She'd get bored soon enough.

"Wow, someone's feelings anti social." She joked "You know, first impression's really count, and your's isn't that good. Don't you even want to get to know the people your sharing a room with?" I gave her one of those look's that let her know my feeling's on that topic.

"Well sorry for trying to be friendly." She said all huffy. Then there was a knock at the door and a girl with short curly red hair peered round.

"Dinner, follow me." She said with a smile

"All right!" Jess yelled and I winced. "What Lottie? Are you such a sourpuss you don't get hungry?"

"Of course I get hungry." I said

"Jess don't pick on her, let's just go eat!" Said Alice with a few little skips "I wonder what the food is like here?"

"Probably the same as everyother school in the country, it's always jacket potatoes first meal back." Said the red haired girl "Can't wait, nothing beats potatoes and candy sprickles!" She looked at our puzzled faces "Just kidding, I'm a cheese girl." And she laughed as she left the room, with all of us following her.