The Host of Hyperion

Prolougue

PROLOGUE 

Two girls walk down separate halls. Both clutch bags and suitcases tightly in their hands. The walls loom over them menacingly, as they make their way to the head office. Both see the mahogany door up ahead, with a feeling of dread settling in their heads. Both girls glance at each other, taking in each others presences, then turn their gazes back towards the mahogany doors. Elisabeth Askeland and Kennedy Jane Wyrene are two girls with troubled pasts, and uncertain futures.

Elisabeth's pov

    I bit my lip in apprehension, my stomach knitting itself into knots as I walked down the hallway. As I walked closer to the ending of the hallway, I noticed a girl walking down the hallway opposite to mine in my direction. As we walked closer each other, I was able to see her more clearly. Her shoulder length brown and purple ombre swayed with her movements and her brown and gold eyes darting around the hallways, as if trying to drink in every tiny detail, not wanting to miss a thing. Her pale skin glowing in the lamp light, illuminating the freckles that dusted across her cheeks. I quickly glanced away, so she wouldn't notice my staring. My gaze fastened on the beautifully carved ceiling. My mouth hung open as I looked at the rich chocolate coloured walls and the exquisite rose coloured carpets. My hand tightened around the small suitcase I was carrying. Seeing all of these magnificent objects made my nervousness multiply.I turned my gaze back in front of me and found myself at the end of the hallway, the girl already turning to walk down the next hallway. I turned right into the next hallway, following behind the girl. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a nervous habit that I had picked up from my older brother, and glanced around the hallway looking at all the paintings that lined the walls. I was so engrossed in the paintings that i hadn't noticed that we had reached the end of the hallway. I stopped abruptly to keep myself from running into the girl. Then the girl reached her hand up and knocked on the door.

Kennedy's pov.

    My hands clenched the weathered suitcase that belonged to my brother years before. I stared at the illuminated hallway, its magnificence burning my eyes. The hallway was empty, except for a girl walking in the hallway across mine, holding a suitcase as well. Her platinum blonde hair was visible from across the corridor. Her pale blue eyes met mine. My eyes were still hurting from the glowing hallway, so they fell to the rich red carpet, designed with gold characters, breaking our contact. My eyes lifted up, to get another glimpse of  her thick hair that  stood out amidst the hallways' walls. Her eyes reminded me of alaskan ice that hadn't melted yet. Her fair milky skin shone brightly, illuminated by the glowing lights above us. I forced my eyes to look elsewhere, not wanting to awkwardly keep staring at this girl. They fastened onto a ridiculous painting of a woman dressed in white with a haughty expression on her face. I jammed my free hand into my pocket, and turned left into the next hallway, the girl right behind me. I could hear her light footsteps, clicking after me. I did not want to turn around. The intricately decorated mahogany doors are a stone's throw away. Stained glass windows create patterns on the floor. Red, blue turquoise, made steps like a pathway on the floor as I walked. They gleamed brightly at me, but my eyes are too sensitive for their beauty. The door slowly approached me closer and closer. Terror seized me, and my spine shivered as the door slowly got closer. I finally noticed voices emerging from the room behind the doors. My hand, trembling, reached up and knocked on the shimmering door. My knuckles barely rapped the fine door when it was thrown open by a man in a black suit. He wore pearly white gloves and shiny leather shoes that gleam like everything inside this place.

    "Enrolling in reform school?" His voice was pleasant.

I nodded.

    "Come inside, and wait outside the third door, alright?"

    "Yes, sir."

My feet found feeling, just enough to walk down to the third door, this one made of ebony with brass knobs, with two lone chairs of birch with plush cushions facing each other just outside. The shouting seemed to come from the ebony door. I sat down in one of the chairs, just to realize the blonde girl had followed right behind me. She sat down in the chair opposite of me. I set my suitcase down gently, and set my leather messenger bag atop it. I crossed my legs, and stared down at my old jeans.

    Open, door open, please, I thought nervously, not wanting to be in silence with this random girl.

The yelling ceased, but the door did not open. I could feel the girl's eyes on me every occasion. My hands laced tightly into my lap, and I stared at my oval shaped fingernails.

    Good lord, what could be taking this long?  I thought nervously. My purple highlighted hair fell into my eyes, and my hand rushed up to tuck it back into place. The door stubbornly refused to open. The girl's fingers continuously keep tucking the falling strands of hair behind her ears.

"It's pretty hot in here huh?"

My eyes snapped up to her. She smiled at me with a genuine gleam in her eyes.

"Yeah...a bit warm...yeah" I managed. The girl laughed slightly and held out her hand.

"My name is Elisabeth Askeland. What's yours?" she said with a lopsided smile, a slight accent revealing itself.

"Kennedy. Kennedy Jane Wyrene." I tried to tone down my accent, "Are you foreign?"

"Yeah, I'm Norwegian," she said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

I tried to think of something to say, but the only thing that came out was,

"So you're from....Norwygia?"

The girl blinked and furrowed her eyebrows, "You mean Norway right?"

My face burned with the intensity of the sun.

"Right." I murmured weakly, glancing again at the door that refused to open.The girl laughed and shook her head.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about that it was an honest mistake," she said grinning.

I thought there is  a reason, but all I said was,

"That's what we Brits do, Elisabeth."

"I'm Danish also. From Denmark,"

My face burned again furiously.

The ebony door swung open so ferociously we both jumped. Out swept a bone white man with a long black duster with silver fastenings. His face was red with fury. He spun around.

"I will be back, Arthur!" he roared furiously, "And I expect more-"

He stopped when he saw the two of us, pressed back into our seats, surveying him with horror. He cleared his throat, and pressed his dark hair smoothly back onto his head.

The headmaster strode out of the doorframe. His hair was salt-and-pepper, black with streaks of white, that was neatly cut and smoothed onto his head. He had regal and strong features, with dark gray eyes that gleamed under the bright light. He had a small handlebar mustache that, like his hair, was neatly cut and shone as much as a mustache can shine. He wore a neat gray suit and a blue tie with gold trimmings. His hands were clasped behind his back as he stepped out of the doorframe.

"I know you will be back, Gregor." he said calmly, "I daresay this new wave of student enrollments will tempt you, yes? Like we discussed?"

He spread his hands in both of our directions. Elisabeth looked at me in surprise.

The man called Gregor looked at us shrewdly. I wanted to sink into the chair's birch frame.

"Of course" he said shortly, and turned to sweep quickly down the hall.

The headmaster sighs. His eyes looked at both of us, and my hands dug into the chair's handle.

"Right." He says, "Which one of you two is Kennedy Jane Wyrene?"

My heart skipped two beats.

"Me, sir." I said.

"Come with me." He turned sharply into his office. I swallowed.

Elisabeth gave me a nervous thumbs up.

I picked up my suitcase, my bag and all my courage, and followed him into his office, the ebony door closing behind me.

End of Prologue