Finding Allies

Chapter 1

BEEP BEEP BEEPPPP!!!!

I wake up to my alarm clock screaming in my ear.

"Wake up Celeste, we need to get to the dining hall for breakfast." I hear the gentle voice of Kate Sanders, my roommate, prod me.

"I'm up." I replied, and pushed my covers back, standing up on the cold wood floor. I shuffle into our bathroom, run a brush through my dirty blonde hair and put it into my signature side braid. I reach into our closet and pull out my uniform. I'm only three weeks into school at Briar Preparatory Academy and I already hate to wear it. I finish up in the restroom and come out to find Kate putting all her books in her backpack, already finished getting ready.

"Lets go."

We climb down the stairs and walk out of the dorm building, where Seth is waiting for us. Seth Ashford is my other friend here at Briar. He has curly black hair and a funny lopsided grin. He's a freshman just like Kate and I.

"Hey Seth." I say, trying to be polite, which is hard this early in the morning.

"Hey Blackwood." He replies. Seth always calls me by my last name. I don't really know why.

We turn and walk in silence to the mess hall, none of us used to getting up so early. I look around at the BPA grounds while we walk. On our first day they gave us a crash course in the school's history. Apparently, this used to be a military base, but then it was abandoned and the school rebuilt it. It worked out nicely, because the property already had a rifle range, a sniper range, and lots of other things that would be hard to explain to the builders.

I snap back to reality when we enter the dining hall, and I get in line to grab my food. After going through the line, Kate, Seth, and I all go to our usual table near the back window. We make small talk until breakfast is over and we are dismissed for class.