Broken Wings

One-At First Sight

On a regularly day I would usually go to school, after I would play tennis and then go home and watch something on Netflix. On Fridays, I would go to Starbucks with Emily, my best friend, we would drink our regulars, me with my frappe chino and she would have her iced coffee. On Saturdays, I would have sleepovers with my to best and only friends- Emily and Sarah. Sometimes maybe go to a party. On Sundays, I would sit at home and do homework. I loved my life... everything was fine. I was fine. But that was then, this is now.

After a 3-hour's drive, while listening to music and totally avoiding my parents, we'd arrived at the big black iron gate, it had carved out roses and the name Sword & Cross Academy, written in metal. The best school for people like me. The best place my parents could put me. The moment the car stopped in front of the gate, it opened, something I bet it wouldn't do for me in a long time. The fog covered the lawn and made it almost impossible to see the grass. The academy was surrounded by trees and a deep forest. It looked like one of those big, old, spooky houses you see in movies. We took a turn to the left and into a parking lot. There were four other cars parked there, one of them was a police car. I took out my bags without shearing a look with any of my parents, I started walking in the direction of the academy. Plants had grown up against the walls and torn bushes

stretching up to what looked like the third floor. Most of the windows where dark and you couldn't see much of what was inside there. A true horror story. We walked up the entrance and a man came walking towards us.

"Welcome to Sword & Cross Academy, we help young teenagers from age 14 to 21" He shook my hand and smiled wild waiting for me to reply. "Nora" I said short and took out my headphones.

"Follow me and I will show you around, but first we should check you in." he started walking to a room with silver letters saying restricted area. I signed some papers and got a note with my time schedules. I had history, math, English, French, Biology and gym. I had 3 hours with school every day except from Saturday and Sunday. They had a swimming pool, football court and a backyard. Maybe this school wasn't that bad. I said goodbye to my parents and the man followed me to the stairs where some girls around my age where standing and talking. He told them to show me around.

The girls showed me the library first. It was old, like the rest of the academy, but everything was in good order. The stairs were made of white stone and went far up. Every floor from three to six was where we lived. The floor represented what you were here for, one of the girls explained. Third floor was for the people with eating disorders and self-harming. Fourth floor was where alcohol- and drug users lived. Fifth was the criminals, those who were her because the police had given them a last chance. And at last, floor six. Were the psycho's kids lived. I looked at my note and by no surprise I was in room 513. Fifth floor. One of the girls stayed with me after the tour was done. She had dark brown hair, didn't use much makeup, only mascara and eyeliner, however she didn't have wings on the end. She had on a black feather jacked, she had it hanging of one of her shoulders, a pair of black tight jeans and high heels. "You should put on an alarm for 9 am, breakfast is served a bit earlier on Mondays." She gave me a smile and thought it might be comforting, but I wasn't sad nor scared. She started walking, but stopped some meters away, "And hey, what room are you?" she leaned at the banister. "513 ..." I said and smiled a bit and gave a little laugh. She looked kind of shocked, but I got it, I

didn't look like that kind of girl. However, I wasn't like that, not at all. My parents just needed an excuse to send me away.

I walked downstairs to look more around, but when I had got to the last step by the entrance, to police officers and a young boy were heading in. The boy looked like he was around my age, maybe a bit older. He was dressed whit a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans that was kind of used out, and black combat boots. His hair was black like coal, it was a bit long, it covered most his ears. He looked at me while standing with the police officers talking to the man that had checked me in. "Where do you want him this time?" I heard one of them say to the man in the reception. I kept walking, I had gotten close enough that I could see him clearer, his eyes were almost darker than his hair. He gave me a crocked smile right before I had passed him.