Pernicious

Chapter 3: The First Day

Chapter 3: The First Day

After a long seven-hour plane ride, I woke up to my Mom shaking me. She told me that we were in England. The moment she told me that, I felt wide-awake. We grabbed our luggage, and then we went outside to catch a shuttle. The two-hour shuttle ride after our seven-hour plane flight felt as if I had just been in Mrs. Backstrom’s Calculus class again. I spent the whole shuttle ride observing the English countryside and the small towns of England. England was truly beautiful. In the small villages that we passed through there were many big buildings made of stunning palisade stone they were separated by narrow streets made of brick. The villages of England were very different from the busy cities of New York. These towns here were so much more elegant and sophisticated. When we drove through the towns, it felt like I was stepping back into the medieval times.

After about an hour of cruising through the English villages, there were suddenly no more villages, but plantations, farms, and estates. There was lots of beautiful bright emerald green grass. The towering hills that seemed to go on forever. About every five miles, there were enormous mansions. They were all made of palisade stone. I remember learning about palisade stone in geology class. 

“We are almost there.” my Mother informed me.

“Good, I can’t wait.” I replied to my Mom.

I looked out of the window and there it was; Shergold Academy was standing before me. Shergold was larger than I expected. It had too many windows and doors to count. I felt as if I was looking at a British prep school that you see in the movies. Except it was even fancier. In front of the school stood a big, black, iron gate that was just long enough to give you a small peek at the front of the school. Attached to the iron gate was a thick and ten-foot-high brick wall. The brick wall was surrounding the rest of the school. Directly to the left of the school was a forest. The woods expanded as far as I could see. This forest seemed as if it came directly out of my scariest nightmare because the trees seemed larger than life. There was a shady fog underneath the leaves of the oak trees hovering above to the ground.

Behind the gate stood a man who looked like a guard.

“Why is there only one guard standing behind the gate?” I inquired.

"That's not a guard. It is the Headmaster, Philip Humphrey-- Be very respectful in his presence.” my Dad responded as his voice got quieter. 

Philip looked about sixty years old. He was wise looking and muscular but frangible at the same time.

“Why hello Mr. and Mrs. Hemmingway. How are you? I haven’t seen you since Pernicious encountered us last.”

“Splendid. Thanks for asking. And yes, I was just thinking about how I haven’t been to the English headquarters in so long.” said my Mother.

“You must be exhausted from your long flight. Would you like to come inside?”

“That would be ideal.” my Father said.

Now my parents were talking as if they were born in England, without the accents. As if they were in a play or something.  

“Hello Taylor, it is nice to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you. You look exactly like your Mother when she was your age. Would it be ok if took you on your tour now?” Mr. Humphrey asked me.

I nodded. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Hemmingway, you’re of course welcome as well.”

“Okay, I’m so excited to see the new renovations!” my Mother beamed.

As we walked into Shergold, the inside looked just as fancy if not fancier than the outside. In contrast to the old looking outside, the inside was modern and exquisite.