Longview School of Elegance and Espionage

Chapter 2

Westbarry, after scolding Phillip for his tardiness and commending him for his acrobatic prowess, gave him his red item.

"These are your Global Location and Identifcation Devices. The students like to call them Glaids. On your watches, which I presume you all have, there should be a small compartment, located near the clasp. Open it, and place your Glaids into them," she said. She said it like she had said it a hundred times before, and for all Oliver knew she just might have.

"Global location and identification?" Tasha asked, looking at her Glaid suspiciously, "You're gonna spy on me?"

For the first time since Oliver had seen her at the train station, Westbarry smiled. It was barely a smile, more like a crease in the mouth that curved slightly upward. Oliver got the feeling this was as close to smiling as Miss Westbarry ever came.

"No. The Glaids have no recording or broadcasting equipment other than their sonar emitters. We at Longview value the privacy of our students. In fact, it's a key value of our school," Westbarry said, "Speaking of which, I suppose it's time I told you about Longview. Since you'll be attending, you will need to know a number of things. First things first: This is not Longview School for Gifted Individuals. That name is a falsity, so that people we are less than fortunate to become the enemies of do not know the truth. The actual name of this school is Longview School of Elegance and Espionage." She paused, allowing what she had just said to sink into the students minds. Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. Elegance and Espionage?

"Espionage? Like, the C.I.A?" Phillip said, one thick eyebrow raised. Westbarry scoffed, her mouth crease disappearing.

"Oh, please. Amateurs, all of them. It takes more than a gun and a badge to do what we do," she said, letting her clipboard fall to her side. "Follow me, children, and I will show you the grounds. Please hold your questions until the end."

She then began to walk at a faster pace than Oliver thought her little legs could move. Her heels clacked on the cobblestone path the winded up to the castle-like school, and she had covered several yards before she stopped to look at the four students, frozen in place. She waved them on impatiently, and they all jogged up to join her. Richard nearly fell over from the jostling of his enormous backpack.

For a few moments, all the children could see was the path and the well groomed hedges on either side of it. Flowers and birds poked out from it, but despite this, Oliver felt very walled in. Sandwiched between Miss Westbarry, the hedge walls and the other transfer students, he had no way of turning back. He was here, now, at Longview, and he was discovering it was not just a regular boarding school. Simply by being here, he now had enemies that could not find about him. Shaking these troublesome thoughts away, he kept his eyes ahead, following Westbarry on the winding path.

Eventually, they broke free of the hedges, and found themselves in a sort of courtyard. A fountain, complete with a stone carving of a man holding a strange staff, dominated the center. The man was in Greek or Roman clothing, Oliver couldn't tell, and his sandals were winged. The staff was short and stout, with two wings sprouting from the top and a pair of snakes winding around it, attached at the tails. Water sprayed from each of the snakes mouths, splashing into the pool below. Surrounding the fountain were park benches and picnic tables. Oliver assumed this was some sort of hang-out spot for the students. The beautiful space was painfully empty, however. Most likely because it was the first day of the year.

"This is the Yard. If you have any free periods, you may spend them here or in your dormitories. I will ask that you do not disturb any of the other classes during such times," Westbarry said, barely slowing as she marched past the fountain.

"Who's that dude?" Phillip asked, peering up at the large stone man, "Hercules?"

Westbarry stopped, turning to face the quartet of transfers. Her face was stony and blank, and her eyes stabbed directly up into Phillip's. Oliver got chills down his spine, and began to get the feeling that Phillip's assumption was not correct.

"No, Mister Zhao. That is the likeness of Hermes, Greek god of roads, messengers and thieves," she said the last word with what Oliver thought was the faintest hint of malice. Phillip scratched the back of his neck, and Westbarry nodded, as if satisfied. Her high heels once again taking up their rhythmic clatter. From the Yard there were three pathways. The first was the one that they had just came from, the narrow hedged path. A second, far off to the left, was crowned by a marble archway, and led to something Oliver couldn't see beyond the tall hedges and stone walls lining the Yard. The third path, which Westbarry was leading them towards, was wide and well kept, and went directly towards the towering shape of Longview.