International Affairs

Senior Year

Chapter 2: Senior Year

“Home sweet home?” Katelyn asked, nudging Susan as they got out of taxi.

“Yup,” Susan agreed, slamming the taxi door.

They got their things and walked up to the large wire gate. Katelyn pried off a cover that was made to look like a stone on the wall. Under the cover was a metal disk. Katelyn pressed her hand against it and waited for the sensors to match her to her student ID.

“Katelyn Hathaway, senior. Welcome back,” the automatic voice said.

Susan pressed her hand on the disk too and then the gates opened.

The campus was massive. It was bigger than any college campus in the world. The main school building itself was old fashioned looking, built with gray stones, complete with a clock tower. There were many open fields for physical activities and along the border of the campus were dense woods.

The inside of the school wasn’t old fashioned in the least though. It was as up to date as it could possibly be. Fast high tech computers and a security system were just the beginning. There were several gymnasiums on each of the seven floors. What rich academy wouldn't be complete without a dining hall, ballroom, small hospital, indoor pool, and science labs?

Katelyn could still remember her first day of school like it was yesterday. She was going to be a senior this year and had never been closer to her dream.

Reflecting on all her years at the academy, Katelyn felt a sense of pride. Her mom had merely explained, tight lipped, that she was going away to a special school where she would be taken care of but over the course of over a decade, Katelyn learned the secrets of the world. The girls who graduated from the Academy worked in a program called the IA, the International Affairs. Each country around the world had spies from the academy to “keep the peace.”

Katelyn always knew she wasn’t going to be living a normal life. As a toddler, her parents never even muttered the word “spy” around her but when her dad went away and never came back, she often heard the word from her mom’s mouth.

This school was her mom’s alma mater and that was all Katelyn really knew about her mom’s past. At home, Katelyn never heard one story about the academy or missions. Of course, her mom had legends told about her but Katelyn secretly wanted to know what kind person her mom really was.  

Back to the present, Katelyn entered her dorm room. It was three girls a room. Katelyn shared a room with her best friends Sammy and Jane. Each girls got a bed and a wooden wardrobe. The white walls were covered with posters and drawings to their liking.

Katelyn sorted through her boxes that had been shipped in and made up her bed. Sheets, pillows and blankets in sky blue, white and silver. The empty wardrobe was also quickly filled with clothes on the rack and shoes cluttering the bottom. The little shelves on the doors of the wardrobe held things like toiletries, a jewelry box, a few lip glosses and other random things.

A smile touched Katelyn’s lips as she found her uniform hanging behind the door. The uniform consisted of a brown and gold pleated skirt and a sleeveless white collared button down made of a very stretchy fabric that allowed lots of movement. The girls also has a light pink bow tie as well as olive green jacket embroidered with a badge with “GM” on it. Every student was also given a vest, long socks and dress shoes but those were optional.

The door suddenly flew open.

“Hello Grace Marshall!” Sammy exclaimed. “Oh, hi to you too, Katelyn.”

Katelyn laughed and ran over to hug her friend. “Hey,” she greeted. “How was your summer?” she asked.

Sammy shook her finger. “The deep night conversations with juicy gossip will take place tonight with Jane but for now, you can know that my summer went very well.”