The Hyde Academy

I

8/5/18
oh the places you'll go!

~*~

How do letters get sent?

First of course, they're written. Or typed, seeing as we're in the age of technology.

Then a stamp is placed on it, and the flap of the envelope is licked to seal it. 

The next step is finding a post office, so the letter can be dropped into a mailbox. 

Then you wait.

You wait however long it takes for the person to receive the letter. 

Then you wait again, for them to read the letter. 

Then you wait once more, for them to respond to the letter.

And the last step is, you guessed it, waiting... waiting to receive your letter. 

Or maybe it's not that dramatic anymore seeing as it's the 21st century...

But for some odd reason those were the steps it took for Nile to receive her acceptance letter into London University. The place that would change her life forever, or at least she assumed it would seeing as it's in a whole different continent.

Of course Nile didn't want  to go. But she was being forced by her not-so-accepting Grandmother. Nile wasn't a bad child, yet she had a hard childhood, most which stemmed from her poor decisions, so in a way she was a bad child. Emphasis on was.

After the worst year of her life, tenth grade, Nile had changed her life for the better. He grades became immaculate and she became interested in the medical field. Now she was only 18 years old and already going into her junior year of college.

College, though incredibly stressful for her, was her only source of peace. It distracted her from her memories, memories of the past. Memories of her bad decisions. Memories of the pain she suffered and only had herself to blame. 

But now, college wouldn't be her safe haven. It would be her worst nightmare. Meeting new people, living in a new dorm, having to experience life in a whole new continent, she wasn't ready. But what could she do? Argue against her Nana? Who had been with her and stuck by her side through everything?

One could say having to go to a new university in England as a favor for your Nana was a bit extreme, but Nile was too weak to even attempt to defend herself.

So she didn't. And the acceptance letter in her hand was a reminder of her lack of strength. Of a voice, to her family, to her past. A reminder of her weakness.

Nile stared down at the letter, reading the fine print to herself. "Oh the places you'll go!" She read unenthusiastically. 

She skimmed the rest of the letter all the way down to where her name was written in bold. 

Congrats Nile Alana River, you were one of the fifteen  people to be chosen for the Hyde Academy, a special academy for the most excellent students attending London University. We are anticipating your arrival.

"Hyde Academy? What the hell is that?" She mumbled to herself before opening her MacBook Pro. She typed in the name in the Google search bar but could found no significant information. There wasn't even a website for the academy. 

She grabbed her phone from kitchen counter, and unlocked it with her fingerprint. She went straight to her contacts and searched for her Nana's name which didn't take long seeing as she only had about 15 contacts, 5 of which is for work.

Her Nana picked up on the second ring and immediately spoke into the phone. "Nile I-"

"Nana what is the Hyde Academy?" Nile asked cutting her grandmother off. 

"A hello or good morning would be nice, seeing as it's five o'clock in the morning!" Her grandmother yelled. 

Nile rolled her eyes. "Hello Nana, WHAT is the Hyde Academy?" 

"Why does it matter to you?" Her grandma responded, confused. 

"It matters because I've been accepted into it. I just want to know what I'm getting into before I accept the invitation. If it's some sorority type of thing I'm not-"

"I-it's not a sorority." Nana stuttered, the authority of her voice gone. It sounded as if she had seen a ghost. He novice was light, almost a whisper. "And you can't just decline the invitation."

Nile squinted her eyes. "Why not? And what's wrong with your voice Nana, you sound scared."

Her Nana sighed before responding. "I'm not scared," she mumbled. "I'm just concerned. You know your father was in that program. It made him the man he was."

Nile's voice mirrored her grandmothers. "D-dad was in it?"

"Yes."

"So what does this mean for me? I mean, should I accept?" 

He grandmother sighed once more. "Like I said before, you can't just decline. So of course, you're going to have to accept, its not much of a choice anyways." She responded, muttering the last part to herself, yet loud enough for Nile to hear.

"I do have a choice and I'm not going to accept Nana. The whole program sounds sketchy, and I just want to get through these last two years of college stress-free." 

"No you're going to do it." Her grandmother replied, the authority in her voice present. 

Nile's eyes widened. She couldn't believe how oblivious her Nana was. This 'Academy' was obviously some sort of cult. "You can't possibly be serious, Nana. Are you trying to have me killed?"

"You won't get killed, I just told you your father was in it," Nana replied, and Nile could just feel her eyes rolling through the phone as she spoke. " And he turned out just fine now didn't he? A millionaire, a husband, and a father to a beautiful girl. It sounds like the Academy knows what it's doing, right?

"That all happened after the Academy. I don't trust it Nana, I honestly don't. I can't even find one single article of what goes on in the Academy, why the hell would I want to go? Again, I might die!"

"You're going and thats final!" Her Nana yelled through the phone. 

Nile sighed in defeat. That's the Nana she knew and loved. She was surprised that her Nana only yelled once throughout the entire conversation actually. Those anger management classes must really be working.

"Fine.. I'll go." She mumbled softly. There was no doubt Nile was an incredibly strong and independent woman, yet when it came to her Nana, it was as if she was that same little girl from Minnesota who was always reprimanded by her Nana for stealing cookies from a jar.

"Thank you for being compliant, I promise you you'll be fine. Nana always knows what's best, right honey?"

Nile could feel her smug smile. That bitch. "Yes Nana, you do always know what's best. I'll call you when I land okay?"

"Okay, always remember that I love you."

Nile replied with a simple "I love you too" before hanging up. 

"Well that was useless." She said to herself, before picking up the paper she had dropped when calling her Nana. 

Oh the places you'll g-

Nile couldn't even finish reading the rest of the words before she ripped the paper into shreds while screaming. 

Maybe she needed anger management too. 

End of Chapter 

starting this book over AGAIN! but this time it's a new plot with new characters and I'm just so excited for you guys to read it! toodaloo!