Dissension

Chapter Two

The headmaster gave a slow smile, before turning and walking into the building without further comment. We remained in silence for several more minutes until the women at the head of each line turned as one toward the entrance, as if receiving an invisible signal. We had to wait for the other lines on our left to file into the building before we were instructed to follow on. It felt more like a prison than an educational establishment as we were marched in. We approached the doors and for a brief moment I imagined trying to do a runner; I imagined turning on my heel and just sprinting for the exit as fast as I could. Even in my head it didn't work.

I entered the centre, gazing up at the great archway as we passed under it and through the double oak doors, trying to ignore the instinct to shrink. The entryway was large but not quite enough to permit all the teenagers at once. One-by-one we trouped forward after our leader and my eyes widened at the ornate marble staircase that slowly came into focus. It led up to a second floor, and the intricately carved banisters provided a partial view of the upstairs foyer. The entrance hall was almost bare. Despite being beautifully designed with its glass chandeliers and marble floors, there were no pictures, no flowers, and it was devoid of ornaments in a way that made me think of the place as devoid of character. Whilst it was intended to be our home for the next two years it was not supposed to become familiar to us. Its purpose was not to make us feel comfortable but to remind us that we were here to achieve; to strive to do our best and nothing less.

The line didn't pause, and we shuffled on through another huge archway to the left which opened into the largest room I had ever seen. What caught my attention immediately was the fact that two of the walls and the above ceiling were made entirely of glass. The room was filled with light, filtering down through the great shimmering panels overhead. The glass walls gave way to a less impressive view of a patch of neatly trimmed emerald grass and the looming boundary fence; where beyond its topping of barbed wire, the tips of the tallest city towers could just about be seen. The room was filled with tables, plastic chairs cluttered around them in an organised manner, six apiece. Kids were already slipping into seats, and as Evan took a seat near-by I quickly followed suit, not wanting to be stuck with people I didn't know.

I sank back against the cool of the chair, glad that my legs were allowed a reprieve from their shaking. Glancing to my right, Jynx slid into another seat at the table, followed by three other people. Zeke had bee-lined a little way across the room toward where his friends appeared to have saved him a space. I fiddled nervously with the hem of my cotton t-shirt as the last of the teenagers settled. Only now did I notice that the man who had welcomed us outside stood up front blocking the archway through which we had just come. From this shorter distance, I could see his features more clearly. His eyes were slanted, indicating a different heritage to my own, and his hair, streaked with silver, was long enough to be tucked behind his ears. He was clean cut and well presented, but his looks were slowly giving in to the wear and tear of age. I was surprised, having imagined the headmaster of the centre to be younger for some reason.

"Welcome, young students. I thank you for your cooperation this morning." Like we had a choice. The man smiled that clinical smile again; there was nothing friendly about it, and I clasped my hands in my lap as he continued. "No doubt you are all feeling rather anxious, particularly those of you without older siblings who may not have been slipped hints about what you are to face... so allow me to enlighten you just a little." There was a faint chuckle that rippled across the room, and Evan beside me half smiled, evidentially one of the aforementioned younger siblings who'd been given titbits. "There will be no short-cuts to take here and no 'easy way out' of the training you are about to endure. The students who work hard will be rewarded well at the end of your two years. You will not be mollycoddled; your Professors will not sugar-coat the truth and it will serve you well to remember that misconduct and laziness will have consequences. Those of you who strive to achieve, who work hard and have the ability to preserve will be given much better opportunities than those of you who don't." He paused and his gaze swept over the room, touching individual faces in order to enforce his words before once again attempting a friendly smile. "Good luck to each and every one of you." And with those final words he abruptly turned and left the room, his footsteps echoing in the quiet that remained.