The Prodigies [First Draft]

Twelve

  After lunch had ended and everyone filed out of the cafeteria, Miss Kaylee took Kenny for a walk around the school campus. The grounds were full of activity, for a free period was in progress. The afternoon's light warmed Kenny in her thin fall coat. Voices and laughter ricocheted off the smooth buildings that made up AGC, and Kenny felt as if thousands of people were surrounding her rather than just the few loud students that passed the two on their leisurely stroll.

Miss Kaylee was the first to speak. "I see you've made a few friends. Color, Fins, and Clay, yes?"

Kenny nodded in response. She took her index cards out to use them to communicate further with Miss Kaylee. The woman seemed to pause for a moment, but soon went on.

"So you know what Gifted means now? In the Academy of Gifted Children," Miss Kaylee added, just to clarify.

Kind of. Kenny pulled another card out of the stack. It's kind of confusing.

"What? The definition of Gifted or the Gifts themselves?"

Kenny already had the next card prepared. Both.

Miss Kaylee chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll explain everything tomorrow."

Why tomorrow? Kenny wondered, frustrated. Why not now? But she stayed quiet and kept walking.

Kenny followed Miss Kaylee to a building that sat next to the Main Office. Groups of girls milled around the large brick structure, sitting in the grass, squealing at each other's jokes, whispering about other girls behind their backs. A plaque next to the door told Kenny it was the Girls' Dormitories. Miss Kaylee put her ID card up to a black scanner underneath the plaque, and the door opened.

Inside the Dormitories were long carpeted hallways and white walls that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Only a few inconsistently spaced blue doors and paintings interrupted the bleakness. Potted flowers occasionally showed up throughout the hallway, using their colors to adorn the dormitory. Kenny noticed a few of the pots were filled with soil, but no flowers. She watched as a girl proceeded to put her hand in a small pot and scrunch her face up in concentration. A single white rose protruded from the dark earth underneath the girl's fingers.

Kenny audibly gasped.

"The roses are beautiful, Flower!" Miss Kaylee grinned at a girl as they walked past her. The girl smiled back smugly and replied, "I know!" She began to grow more flowers with nothing but her palm. Kenny had a hard time pulling her gaze away from the legerdemain.

"Come, Kendall! You're room's over here."

Kenny hurried to Miss Kaylee's side as the woman walked up to a door and swiped her card on the scanner to open it. The digits ND19 were in gold lettering on the blue plywood. What does ND stand for? Kenny speculated as she picked up one of her suitcases to bring it inside the room. She had enough questions to fill a whole notebook, and she was considering dedicating a pack of index cards solely to the unanswered queries.

"You'll only stay here for a day or two," Miss Kaylee explained as she pushed the door open, "so I apologize if the room is kind of small."

Kenny looked around her living space in wonder. A twin bed sat in the corner covered in blue and white—the school colors, Kenny realized—sheets. Next to the bed sat a small wooden bookshelf with a navy blue backpack leaned up against it. The letters AGC were embroidered on the front pouch, and the bag was full of books and files. Miss Kaylee promptly picked up the backpack upon entry.

"Sorry about that! Just school files and papers that I need to review...," Miss Kayee trailed off when she realized Kenny wasn't listening to her. The young girl's attention was focused on something else.