Far From Normal, More Than Special

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

                I stared out the window, wondering what my new life would be like.  I had not realized we were late until Lawrence got up and ran on his squeaky wheel. I glanced at the clock in the middle of the dashboard. Great, we only have a few minutes to get there. 

My mom turned the car down a random dirt road. There were trees, bushes, and various other pieces of nature that hid the trail’s path. I was beginning to think that the directions I gave my mom were copied down wrong, and we were heading to some sort of nature preserve by accident. But then, after twenty more minutes of driving, a huge beige building came into view. As we got closer, I saw the gates that blocked the entrance to the massive buildings that were surrounded by trees and forest. The whole school seemed to be surrounded by big black gates.

Mom pulled up slowly to the front gates and rolled down her window. There was a guard box with a man sitting behind a counter, waiting for us. It was like the ones that led to a fancy gated community. He asked for my identification, which she provided for after moments of punching in things to the computer, he printed out a form and handed it back along with my I.D.  The form he had printed contained a few things I needed to know, like my dorm room number, and my student number.

            “Sorry if we are late,” Mom apologized.

“It’s alright Madam,” he said. “You may enter.”

The gates clicked and slowly started to open. My mom put the car in drive and started to enter a massive parking lot.

 “Oh my, this school looks like a prison…” she said in horror as we parked. I could care less how it looked; being at this prison being at heaven.

I got out of the car and viewed my surroundings. There were tons of other families and students unpacking their cars and starting to carry suitcases to the building in the front. It must have been the dorms. There was a man in colorful clothes standing near the pathway to the building talking to parents. He seemed to be the person in charge of the move in. He was holding clipboards and papers in his arms, and talking animatedly with his hands. If I was him, I’d be stressed out.

            Mom got out of the car slowly. After glancing around, she opened the trunk. I had packed my bed sheets, towels, and other things from my room in bags.  She started to get some out before she abruptly turned to me.

“Don’t you think we should have bought you new towels, or at least a bed set?” She asked.

I had felt guilty, Mom barely made enough for us to live in our home, I couldn’t have asked her to go out and buy me extra stuff that I didn’t need. “No mom, everything I have is fine.”

She nodded and stood with my stuff in her arms, unmoving.

“I guess I’ll just go sign in…” I said. I walked away while she impersonated a statue.

I walked to the colorful man, a group of people who had just finished talking to him walked away and headed towards the dorms. I decided to ask for a tour, I felt it was embarrassing, but I needed to learn my way around. He saw me approaching and made a wary smile.

“Hello Miss,” he said, a high pitched voice came from his mouth. I smiled back at him.

“Hi, uh is there any way I can get a tour?” I asked.

“Ha! You are so funny! That’s the funniest thing I heard all day!  Name and form please?”

I blushed and told him my name, wondering how I could tell him that I wasn’t really joking. I handed him the sheet the guard gave me. He marked off something on his clipboard and then studied me with curious eyes.