Deity Academy

Chapter 1: Moving Away

 Chapter 1: Moving Away

"Students, I need you all to go to the Assembly Hall immediately." Mrs Sharp said briskly, in her no-nonsense voice. She waved to the door, and confused chatter quickly filled the room. I packed my things away, and turned to my closest friend Alissa to confirm my suspicions.

 "Liss, this could the important thing we overheard them talking about," I whispered surreptitiously, as we walked towards the opposite end of the school.

 She gave me an excited look, "It could be something HUGE! Maybe we're going aboard, on a exotic trip to Spain or Mexico, or Portugal. How cool would that be?" I nodded eagerly as we giggled in anticipation and took our seats in the back row of the hall.

 The vast room was soon filled with the students of Cressfield Secondary. Once we were all seated, the head teacher, Ms. McLemon, stood at the front. She cleared her throat for our attention, before executing the traditional morning greetings. She went on to talk about the recent announcements of the new year, and I soon found my mind wandering off into la-la land. I was in the middle of my fantasy where Channing Tatum asked me if I wanted to go for a swim, and just as I was abut to scream 'Yes!', I was rudely pulled out of my fantasy by a nudge from Alissa.

 I glared at her for the interruption in my date with my celebrity crush Channing. She pointed her finger ahead, where Ms. McLemon was reading off names. I furrowed my brows when she read out my name, and looked to Liss for an explanation.

 "It's the names of students that have to stay behind for a special announcement. It could be that exclusive trip," she murmured in a rush. I sat up straighter in attention, now fully focussed on the short, smartly dressed woman standing poised and regal at the front.

 "Thank you all for listening, any announcements from the other teachers?" They all shook their heads, and then she dismissed the students whose names weren't called out, followed by the teachers.

 One by one they filed out, glancing back several times to shoot the remaining thirty or so of us with curious looks. It seemed to be quite a random bunch of us left back, and I had no idea what this could be about. Little did I know that what Ms. McLemon said next would change my life, for ever.

"Students, settle down and listen up." She ordered as silence descended, enveloping the room as its prisoner. I held my breath is a mixture of curiosity and apprehension as she continued to speak: "I know you must all be confused, but rest assured as I have exciting news for you. It is an honour to announce that you will all be enrolling in Cressfield's partnered secondary school, Deity Academy."

 Uproar fuelled the room, as outraged and shocked students drowned out Ms. McLemon's voice. My jaw was hanging open, but I couldn't bring myself to care how comical I probably looked. We were getting kicked out and sent to this other school? I thought back to my time here at Cressfield, and couldn't think about anything I could have done that's was so out of order I'd be sent away. I turned to Alissa, and her facial expression was one mirroring my own. Surprise flitted across her delicate features, before it was soon replaced with enthusiasm.

 "Why are you so happy? We could be moving to a training camp, a military school, or worse - a juvenile detention school?" My hands shook uncontrollably as I contemplated my dark and dreary future.

 Alissa shook me gently, and in a cool, calm and collected manner said, "Get a hold of yourself. Now is not the time to be panicking, but celebrating. I overheard some of the students talking about it last year, and apparently it's a really high-class, private school, and only the best of the best go there. I heard it was so grand, that they spent over 3/4 of the school's funding on it." My eyes widened in stunned relief as she shot me a smug smirk. I playfully pushed her as Ms. McLemon tried to futilely get the student's focus back on her.

 "Do you think there will be any cute guys there?" I asked with a waggle of my eyebrows.

 "I hope so. I mean look around us, the boys here are all so ordinary and boring. I think we're deserving of much more interesting men that these boys." She said mock haughtily, looking down her nose at the unremarkable males around us.

 "I think you're absolutely right," I agreed in my terrible, British accent, and we burst into a fit of laughter.

 "Silence!" Ms. McLemon shouted. I jumped from the sudden sound, and all conversations died instantly. "That's better. Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, you will all be starting exclusively at Deity Academy as of next week. Once you get there the head teacher, Mr Zenon Astrapaios, will be guiding you through the transaction. It is a wonderful school where many students have excelled, and I expect you to live up to and exceed our expectations. I don't want to give away all the surprises of this beneficial change, so that will be all. Any questions?" She said, watching us attentively.

 Amy, a well-liked and bright girl, raised her hand. "What if we refuse to jeopardise our education with this change?" She questioned, and murmurs of agreement went through the crowd.

 "This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and the school is a great institution for intelligent young minds such as yourself. I expect no more arguments about this, as this will not only enhance your education in a new and stimulating environment, but a chance for new experiences," Ms McLemon finished with a proud, knowing smile. I was impressed by her answer, but I still felt a little uneasy about this sudden shift in my life. The last time I underwent such a drastic adjustment was when I moved away from my hometown to live here at Cressfield Secondary, and despite meeting Alissa, I still struggled with the move for quite a while.

 "Are we going to live there? Where is it? How long are we staying there for? Can we still come back here?" A nervous looking student inquired.

 "Please Seth, calm down. Yes, all your belongings will be moved there this evening, and you will arriving at the Academy tomorrow for your tour day and then a day to settle in and meet the people there, so that you can start classes on Monday. It's in a remote island that is not far from here, and it's about a 2 hour journey via plane. You will all be living in the dormitories there, and I can assure you that you will all love it there. You may visit here during the holidays if you so wish to, but from now on you will be living at Deity Academy." She explained smoothly, and I saw Seth's face relax the slightest bit.

 "Any other questions? No, well feel free to see me at any point if you have anything else to ask. Keep in mind, when one door closes, another door of opportunity opens. You are all dismissed to your rooms to pack and ponder." With that, she walked away with a swish of her floral skirts.

 I turned to Alissa and she was staring at me as if she was going to start dancing on the spot. I gave her a huge smile, trying to cover my worries for her sake.

 I hope this new school is as 'amazing' as it sounds.

 ****************************

 A/N Hi there, thanks for reading, I really hope you liked it so far :) If you did, pretty please leave me a Comment on what you thought, and maybe, just maybe even Vote? Thank you! Much love,   

 Sim x

P.S. Dedication to my awesome friend who gave me the gentle nudge I needed to post this. :)