ONCE on the island, the guards board us onto long buses, which I assume will take us to the academy. A man with dark skin and dressed in a navy blue suit, stands, then clears his throat.
"My name is Lorenzo and I am the second in command leader of this academy" he folds his arms behind his back. "I would like to clarify a few things,"
I sit up straight. I want answers.
"We will be dividing both boys and girls separately into groups of four. You will be sharing a dorm room with your group" his voice fills the entire bus.
"Girl dormitories are located in the North Wing of the academy, and boy dormitories are located in the South Wing. Listen for your names to see who you will be rooming with," A guard hands Lorenzo a long piece of paper filled with words.
Lorenzo begins reading off the list. When I hear him call my name I pray a silent prayer I won't be stuck with the blonde girl from the ship.
"Raelyn Matthews, Marco Bryant, Dakota Fleamer and Zaida Weston"
My insides recoil.
"Your room number is 327"
Zaida glares at me. I glare back. She doesn't intimidate me. Just annoys the heck out of me.
We arrive at the academy in less than 40 minutes. It's huge. No, it's enormous. Massive fences border around the school. With guards at either sides of the gate entrances.
When we pass the security, Lorenzo stands to his feet, once again.
"After you're completely settled into your dorm, we will announce a meeting in the South Hall where you will hear from Alaina, the head leader of this academy" he says.
"And if we don't show?" A boy with dark hair smirks. His chiseled jaw looks almost too sharp to touch.
Lorenzo narrows his almond eyes, "This meeting is mandatory. For those who wish not to attend, will be brought by force. This meeting is important and we expect no issues"
The boy laughs. Seems close to impossible to use force against him.
"Is there going to be a problem sir?"
"Not as I'm concerned" the boy grins. I can already tell he's trouble.
"Well then, I can't wait to see you there. What's your name sir?"
"Hansel Rivera" the boy answers snugly.
Lorenzo matches his snug tone, resting a hand on Hansel's shoulder. "Well Mr. Rivera, you seem like a very well-built boy. We are lucky to have you on our team."
Team? I thought this was a school.
The dormitories are nothing like I expected. The beds aren't like the wooden bunkers on the ship. And there aren't any strange glass pieces hanging from the ceiling. The beds look cozy and warm. And the dorm feels spacious, not clustered together. There are two enormous windows facing the outdoors, so sunlight reaches all areas of the room. There are four beds for each of us, and one large mirror for us to share. Back at home, my brother Ryan and I shared rooms. We shared everything for that matter. Closets, beds, books, mirrors, bathrooms and even clothing. We were more than sibilings, more than twins, we were best-friends. Now we're 26 hours apart. And there's nothing I can do about it.
"Get outta my way" Zaida hisses, pushing me out of the doorway. She plops on the bed closet to the window. I plop on the one farthest away from her.
A girl with frizzy red hair appears at the door. She has a petit and willowy frame. Zaida groans.
"More company" she huffs.
