A small bus pulled off a main highway and drove down a dirt road. It appeared as if the bus was heading into a heavily dense forest. However, the bus was small enough to escape any harm by the hovering branches of the strong oak trees that y along the side of the road. The bus was big enough to fit six people comfortably, although there was only one passenger on this bus ride. The bus continued down the dirt pathway for ten minutes before entering into a clearing, which held a building. It was a U-shape that had what appeared to be a garden in the middle of the building, a small water fountain resting in the middle of the beautiful mini ndscape.

  The dirt road had turned to a roughly paved road, which lead to one of the sides of the building. It stopped in front of two big doors that were connected to one side of the three-sided building, however this had a big square room connected to one side.

  The bus door opened and out came a girl with a blue backpack on her shoulders and a bck suitcase. The young girl appeared to be a pre-teen as her face still held the roundness of a child yet she was beginning to have the body of a woman. She stood at 5 feet even, short for someone her age, even if she was young. She wore a bck skirt that rested just above her knee. She wore no stockings, just a ft comfortable looking bck shoe. She wore a form fitting tank top that was a light green color, making her medium beige skin seem to darken at the bright color. Her eyes were cat like with not only having blue-green eyes but the shape of them as well. Her strawberry blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail, a few strands falling into her face.

  She pushed a few of the strains behind her ear as she dragged her suitcase up onto the curve that lead to the building's sidewalk. As soon as she reached the sidewalk, the bus closed its doors. It made its way down the roughly paved path, until it disappeared back into the dense forest.

  She stood there looking around.

  'Geeze, this pce looks more like a mental institute than a boarding school. This totally sucks.' the girl thought as she looked around.

  She let out a sigh before gripping the handle of the suitcase. She made her way to the doors of the building. A couple of students passed by her, not acknowledging her. She took note of how the student body dressed at this school.

  The guys wore button down dress shirts that were white or a light blue. It was a nice day, warmer even for the beginning of fall. So the dress shirts were short sleeved. They wore a tie that consisted of one solid color of either blue, bck, or mahogany. Even though the weather was nice, they wore khakis that were either navy blue or tan. They even wore bck dress shoes that had bck dress socks, or so the girl could assume. It looked almost cultish at how their hairstyles were simir and short. The hair didn't go past their ears, while some had buzz cuts. They were also clean shaven.

  The girls wore short sleeved blouses that were either white or blue, slightly darker than the guy's dress shirt. They wore pid skirts that were colored with navy blue, mahogany, and gray. Some wore white or navy blue knee highs, while others wore skin tone stockings. Their shoes seemed to have more variety than the boys, but were still all bck shoes with various heights to the heels. Their hair also seemed to have more freedom than the guys. She even saw one girl have her hair tied up in pig tails.

  'Yeah, this isn't a cult at all...' she thought with a grim look.

  Once she got to the doors, she entered the building.

  The room was a decent size. The floor was carpeted with an old periwinkle color. It looked clean but still old fashioned. It was well lit and a bit bright. To the right of the door were two bathrooms, separated by a water fountain between the doors. The closet door was the men's while the other was the woman's room. A long trophy case was located on the left side. It was full of different awards and pictures of former students. The gss seemed to have a shiny glint as if someone cleaned it regurly. The bright ceiling lights seemed to add to the sparkling effect.

  Across the room was two sets of four, a desk separating them. Above the desk was a bulletin board that had events the school would be having. On the desk were brochures for those events or even after school activities. There were small windows on each of the two set of four doors. The girl pursed her lips together before slowly walking up to the doors.

  As she got closer she could hear muffled voices. Once she stood in front of one of the doors, she looked in. It looked to be the gym. Two the left of the room were bleachers that were pushed in, giving the huge room even more space. To the left was a stage. There seemed to be people on the stage fooling around. Or they were practicing for a py, she couldn't tell as they were just standing around talking and ughing. There were huge curtains pulled back but another set that were closed behind the group of teens standing on the stage.

  As the girl looked around, a basket ball hit the window. The girl's eyes widened as she gasped, stepping backwards.

  "Shit!" she gasped out, letting go of her suit case.

  She had filed her arms and had tossed her backpack away. She took another step backwards and fell over her now fallen over suitcase. She yelped before she fell onto her back, her legs resting over her suitcase. She stared up at the ceiling, having to squint at the bright lights.

  "Are you alright?"

  The girl blinked up before turning to her left to see an older gentleman. He looked to be in his te forties. he looked pretty tall, even more that she was sprawled out on the ground. She was lucky her skirt didn't flip up. Although, she was wearing tight shorts underneath. She wasn't much of a skirt kind of girl. However, she was told she had to wear a skirt.

  The gentleman walked over to the girl, holding her backpack. It seemed he had caught it when she tossed it in her fall. The girl slightly blushed in embarrassment as the older but still handsome man stood above her. He gave her a warm smile, causing small crinkles around the edges of his eyes. His light blue eyes seemed to sparkle with a kind yet joyful look in them. His short light brown hair had some slight gray to it. He was wearing what the other men wore, except he also wore a bck jacket that was buttoned up half way.

  He put the backpack on his shoulder before reaching down and easily pulling the girl onto her feet. She gasped in surprise that he was strong enough to pull her up so effortlessly. He was able to steady her on her feet before picking up the fallen suitcase by it's handle; holding it and having the backpack over his right shoulder.

  "Are you alright?" he asked giving a concerned look at her with those kind light blue eyes.

  The girl slightly blushed in embarrassment and quickly nodded.

  "Yeah, thank you." she said with a small smile.

  His smile grew brighter as the worry seem to disappear from his face.

  "I'm happy to hear that..." he said before pausing, "Emily I assume?"

  The girl named Emily blinked at him. She couldn't understand how he knew her name.

  "Ah, yeah."

  The man gave her a smile with a sparkling smile.

  "I was coming to meet you. My name is Mr. Carson. I'm the vice principle. It is a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to PTA." the man said.

  Emily stood there for a moment before the words clicked.

  "Oh! A it's a pleasure to meet you too." she said not sure what else to say or do.

  Mr. Carson's smile grew bigger. She was in awe at him being so handsome and so very nice. He turned his attention towards the door, making Emily also look at it.

  "I see you found the gym. Are you interested in sports or possibly theater?" Mr. Carson asked looking back at his new student.

  "I'm not too sure sir." Emily said.

  Emily wasn't too athletic, confirmed by her accident only a few moments earlier. She was good physically despite the clumsiness, however as she was able to do a couple activities. She was more interested in karate and archery than an actual sport. She was also a bit curious at the theater arts department at this school.

  "Please, call me Mr. Carson." he said with a kind smile.

  Emily couldn't help but smile back. It seemed his smile was contagious and could make you feel better.

  "Okay Mr. Carson."

  Mr. Carson continued to smile.

  "Why don't we get you set up? Just follow me Ms. Cox." he said.

  Emily winched at the name.

  Mr. Carson noticed the wince.

  "I'm sorry. I should have asked if you wanted to be called by your father's st name." he said.

  "It's fine. Thanks anyway." Emily said with a meek smile.

  Mr. Carson gave her a look before giving her a smile.

  "Alright, well follow me." he said, turning around.

  Emily noticed another set of doors that were right after the long trophy case against the left wall. She then noticed that Mr. Carson was carrying her stuff.

  "Oh I can carry my stuff..." she said, reaching for her suit case.

  Mr. Carson turned around with a warm smile.

  "Oh please, let me."

  Emily hesitated for a moment before nodded. He nodded at her before turning back around, pulling her suitcase as he headed towards the new set of doors. Emily followed behind him. Once he opened the door, he went through and held it open for her. She looked at him with surprise.

  'Wow...I hope all the guys are like this.' she thought before nodding politely at him and walking through.

  She found that they were in a long hallway. Some spots were more lit than others. It felt a bit creepy.

  As Emily followed the older gentleman, she noticed there were doors on both sides.

  "This is our elementary part of the school. As you can see, we are a kindergarten thru twelve grade school and dormitory." Mr. Carson said, as he passed the bathrooms and headed towards the end of the hallway.

  Emily nodded in fascination at the cssrooms. She didn't realize this was a full grade school. She couldn't help but feel sorry for those kids who were young and were away from their parents. She felt like she was lucky compared to them.

  Mr. Carson seemed to know what Emily was thinking.

  "Most of the younger ones go home during the holidays. Those that stay here all year round usually have no home to go back to. No matter what their situation, all of the children that dorm and learn here are happy."

  Emily looked at Mr. Carson, now walking besides him. She could tell that he took his job seriously. He seemed to care about the students that attended here. He had come to look for her and took time out of his day and busy schedule to greet her. He even helped her up and didn't make her feel stupid because of her clumsiness.

  Once they reached the end, there was another set of doors to their left. Mr. Carson opened the door and gestured his hand, letting her know she was to go first. Emily nodded thanks before entering into another hallway. However, this one was shorter and had more lights.

  This hallway had four cssrooms to the right of the hallway. On the left side was a big room. It had four gss windows, located in the middle of the hallway. The door to enter the room was to the right of the four windows. To the right of that door was another door. It had a sign that read 'NURSE' on it. Emily made a mental note to remember that bit of information. When she looked back, she found Mr. Carson opening the door. He held it open for her again.

  Emily smiled and nodded.

  "Thanks." she said before entering the room.

  It was spacious for a school office. There were four chairs that sat right by the four gss windows that showed the hallway outside the room. She looked around and noticed six big windows that were right across from her. They showed the outside world.

  Outside the windows was a beautiful garden with some benches and even a small water fountain. There were students walking on the foot paths that lead from one side of this strangely built building to the other. There was another path that lead towards the bus drop off. Emily could see the entire school outline from here. She saw the long hallway that she just walked down in the left window, while the other wing of the school was just as long on the right side.

  The room itself looked like a normal office with cabinets that held student's records, an office pnt, and a copier/fax machine located next to an old style computer on a desk. They were located a little behind a big desk that separated the room in half. The tter half had more room then where Emily stood. To the left of the desk was a door. It had a sign that read 'PRINCIPLE'. To the right of the desk was another door. It had a sign that read 'VICE-PRINCIPAL'. One looked to lead to another room, possibly the nurse's office.

  "Hello Mr. Carson. Is this Ms. Cox?" asked the woman.

  Mr. Carson had parked her suitcase next to one of the four chairs and put her backpack on one of the chairs. He walked over to the desk and went behind it, talking to the secretary.

  Emily refocused her attention to the woman that sat at the over size desk. It was five feet in front of her. Sitting behind it was a short woman, maybe standing around 5'2". She had slightly graying brown hair that was tied back in a low bun. She wore a white blouse and to Emily's guess, a skirt. The woman's eyes were a light brown from what she could make out from behind the woman's huge gsses. They seemed to be swallowing her entire face. However, if she removed them, it would be certain this woman would be a beauty for her age.

  Emily found both the woman and Mr. Carson looking at her. She blinked as she found she must have been staring too long and blushed slightly.

  "Yes, ma'am." she said a bit weakly.

  "Oh please, call me Mrs. Alder. I'm the school's secretary. It's a real pleasure to have Ron Cox's stepdaughter here. We already have your room ready." She said.

  She pulled out a piece of paper out of a folder and handed it to Emily. Emily moved towards the desk and took the piece of paper out of the woman's hand. On it was a list of csses and their times. It also had after school activities and information that a new student would need.

  "Mrs. Alder will get you situated. If you need help with anything, feel free to come and see me anytime. I'll be in my office." Mr. Carson said pointing to the door on the right where the 'VICE-PRINCIPAL' office was located.

  Emily nodded.

  "Thank you."

  Mr. Carson smiled kindly at her before excusing himself to his office. Once he closed the door the woman turned her kind eyes back to the young girl that stood in front of her.

  "So, I guess I should get you situated with your living quarters." Mrs. Alder said as she pulled out another sheet of paper.

  She looked at it while adjusting her gsses.

  "Ah, you seem to be rooming with Ms. Carson. She is in most of your csses. And as you probably can guess, she is Mr. Carson's daughter. She is a nice girl. I'll have her show you around as well as help you settle in." She said before picking up a little microphone and spoke into it.

  "Will Rachiel Carson please report to the main office please? Rachiel Carson to the main office, thank you."

  Mrs. Alder pointed to one of the four empty seats in a suggestion that Emily should sit. Emily nodded before she sat next to where Mr. Carson had pced her backpack. She crossed her legs as she watched Mrs. Alder go back to doing paper work. Emily massaged her hands. She was nervous and didn't know what else to do with them. It felt like hours as she sat there waiting for this Rachiel person to show up. However, it was only ten minutes before the door to the room opened up.

  Emily turned to the door.

  In walked a very beautiful girl. She was tall, standing at 5'6" without heels. With heels on, she stood at 5'8". She wore the standard girl uniform however her skirt was a bit higher than some of the other girl's skirts. One could see that her legs were milky smooth all the way up. Her skirt hung loosely on her slim hips as her shirt was neatly tucked in. The blouse was form fitting as it clung close to the curves of her body.

  She had short midnight bck hair that had ragged bangs. Depending on how the light hit the hair, it appeared to have a dark blue tint. Her hair was cut in a way where it was long in the front and short in the back. It complemented the young girl's face, which was a nice oval shape and seemed to be developing into a woman just like Emily.

  "You wanted to see me, Mrs. Alder?" the girl asked in a singsong like voice.

  To Emily, the girl's voice matched her entire look. She was one-drop-dead gorgeous girl. Emily blushed slightly before shaking her head. She shouldn't think thoughts like that. Rachiel was another girl after all and those kinds of thoughts could get one into trouble.

  "Yes, your roomate is here." Mrs. Alder said, looking up from her work and gesturing to Emily who stood up.

  "This is Emily Cox, Emily this is Rachiel Carson."

  "Hello." Rachiel said with a smile and an outstretched hand.

  "Hey." Emily replied, taking the girl's hand.

  'She doesn't look anything like Mr. Carson...but she does have his friendly personality.'

  "Could you show Ms. Cox to her room. And, if you have time, show her around the campus, please." Mrs. Alder said.

  "Alright then. Let me help you with your bag." Rachiel said with a friendly smile before she picked up Emily's suitcase handle.

  "Oh...thanks." Emily said as she grabbed her backpack.

  "Bye girls."

  "Bye Mrs. Alder." Both girls said.

  scene change

  The two walked out of the office and began to walk down the short hallway towards a set of doors that led to the other end of the building.

  "The dorms are on this side of the building." Rachiel said while she pushed through the doors and entered into another long hallway.

  Instead of walking all the way down that one; she turned to the right. There was a set of doors that led outside and behind the school. The two girls headed out the doors and into the bright sunlight. After Emily's eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself behind the school. The back of the school was covered in trees yet not dense. In the distance there could be seen small little apartment like complexes. They weren't too far from the school building.

  Rachiel turned around and gave Emily a friendly smile. She couldn't help but find the girl's almond shaped emerald green eyes hypnotizing. She shook he head before giving the girl a small smile. Rachiel turned around and headed towards the building. Emily was right on her tail and looking around. The school was located in a beautiful spot. It was a nature lover's fantasy. However, everything seemed to be 'too' surreal. Something just didn't seem right about this pce.

  "This is it." Rachiel said, pulling a card out of her pocket.

  Rachiel slid the card through a machine. There was a beep and then a click. Rachiel pulled the handle and the door opened.

  "Everyone has their own key card. It's so you can find your dorm. Each keycard is a different color." Rachiel said after entering the building and turning around showing Emily her blue card that had a mini picture of Rachiel on it.

  "That's kinda cool." Emily said looking close at the card. "Where do I get one?"

  "Here." Rachiel said walking into the room.

  Emily closed the dormitory door behind her. She finally was able to look around. It looked like a hotel lobby, just not as fancy. There was a front desk, which had a woman sitting behind it reading a magazine. To the left of the desk was the entrance to a staircase and to the right looked to be another room attached.

  "Hey Missy." Rachiel said walking up to the dy at the desk.

  She appeared to be a senior. She had red hair that was cut short and styled up in a spike like look. Her blue eyes looked up from the magazine she was reading and smiled.

  "Yo Ray. I'm guessing this is the 'newbie' eh?" Missy asked nodding her head in Emily's direction, who was now standing next to Rachiel.

  "Yeah, she's also my new roomie."

  Missy took another gnce towards Emily. It seemed like she was trying to size the 'newbie' up. It made Emily feel a bit uncomfortable.

  "Welcome to the Blue Dorm. I'm one of the girls who are in charge. If you need anything or have any questions you can talk to me or anyone else who wears my uniform." Missy said, standing up and twirling around to give Emily a good look at the outfit.

  It was a bck skirt that stopped at the mid thigh. Her shirt was a white blouse however she had a blue sash cross from her right shoulder to her left hip. It also had four red stripes on the shoulder part of the sash. Emily blinked in fascination at the sash, it was something different then what she was use to that was for sure.

  "What do those stripes mean?" she asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

  Missy smiled before sitting back down and reaching into one of the desk's drawers.

  "It's a symbol of a senior who is the president of his/her css. Every grade has a president, one for the girls and one for the boys of each grade. I guess you could say," Missy said as she stood up and handed Emily her blue key card, "I'm in charge of all the girls in my grade."

  Emily made an 'o' shape with her mouth before looking down at the key card. It had her name, css rank, age, grade level, and room number. In the upper corner was a picture that she had to take and send in two weeks before she was shipped there.

  "Well, we better get you situated." Rachiel said, giving Emily a smile before turning back to Missy, "I'll see you ter."

  "Later Ray Ray." Missy said with a small wave before going back to her magazine.

  Emily followed Rachiel up to the third floor, where their dorm was located. She wished there was an elevator, however, it was a school after all. That would be too fancy. When they reached the third floor, it was a long hallway with five doors located on each side of the hallway. Four where actual rooms and the fifth one was a bathroom/shower. The bathroom was located between two of the four rooms.

  Emily followed Rachiel to a room that was on the left side of the hallway, closest to the bathroom. Emily smiled.

  'At least I don't have to go too far if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.'

  Rachiel opened the door, which was unlocked. Emily followed close behind her and was amazed. The room was bigger than she imagined. There were two beds on either side of the room. A window separated the beds. A closet was at the foot of the bed and on either side of the door leading into the room were dressers. A desk was located under the window; big enough to sit two people without being cramped.

  "Wow..." Emily whispered as she looked around.

  The color was an off white. However, Rachiel had a couple of posters of anime and video games on her side; which was the right side of the room. Emily was a bit surprised that Rachiel was a fan of anime, not to mention video games.

  "Wow, I didn't know you liked video games, let alone anime."

  Rachiel gave a side ways smile and scratched the back of her head.

  "I know. I don't seem to be the type of person to like that kind of stuff, but I do." she ughed.

  Emily smiled. She was happy she wasn't the only person that like those kind of things.

  "I like that stuff too." she said, going to her side of the room.

  Emily rested her backpack on her bed, while Rachiel parked her suitcase at the foot of the bed.

  "Really?" Rachiel said with a smile.

  Emily nodded. She sat on her bed, finding it just the right firmness to help her sleep.

  "I'm happy to hear that. It will be much easier." Rachiel said, her smile growing.

  Emily blinked at her and tilted her head, confused.

  Rachiel shook her head.

  "Never mind. Anyway, just get settled in and I'll come back in a bit to show you around." Rachiel said.

  Emily smiled and nodded.

  "Okay...thanks."

  Rachiel smiled before leaving.

  Emily continued to sit on her new bed and take it all in. She just couldn't believe it. She was away from home for the first time ever in her life. She looked over at her suitcase. She didn't want to unpack. It would mean that it really happened. She was here for the next six years; that included the summer time and maybe even the holiday seasons.

  Emily felt a slight sting to her eyes. She closed them. She wasn't going to cry. She promised herself she wasn't going to cry. It was going to be hard. She knew that. However, she had promised her mother that she would be strong and make the best of it. Her step father promised it would be good for her.

  At the time, Emily believed he was trying to just get rid of her so he could have her mother to himself.

  Now that she was at the school, she was beginning to agree with him. She wasn't going to admit it. Besides, she only started. It could change as the day, months or even years went on. The thought of years away from her home and her mother made her want to cry even more.

  Her eyes shut even more as she held in her tears. She took in a couple of deep breaths before opening them. She was finally ready to put her stuff away. She stood up and began to empty her suitcase, which was her clothes. It wasn't much, as the school had an uniform for the school year. It was more so her pjs, weekend clothes, and fancy clothing for any 'fancy' occasions.

  After she was done putting her clothes away, she opened her backpack. She took out her bnket, which had her favorite anime character on it. She took out a stuff animal of a wolf. The bnket was given to her by her mother a couple of years ago, while the stuffed wolf was the st thing her father gave her, before passing away three years prior.

  Emily looked down at her wolf, which she named Joey. He was a grey wolf with brown marble eyes. He was in a ying down position and was starting to become worn from her sleeping with him every night. She plopped down on the bed before falling backwards. She tightly held Joey to her chest. She stared up at the ceiling with a sigh.

  An image of a woman appeared on the ceiling. She looked to be in her mid forties. Long strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She had high cheekbones and on the thinner side. Her skin was smooth with only little bit of wrinkles around her mouth and eyes. She had long eyeshes and was smiling with a brilliant smile.

  'Mom...' Emily thought.

  She closed her eyes and let all the emotions hit her. All the stress and sadness seemed to overwhelm her as she turned onto her side, clinging to Joey. Her sobs were silent as she wasn't usually a crier. Her legs curled as far up to her chest as they could.

  Emily could see her mother even behind her closed eyelids. Her blue eyes sparkled and the lines around her mouth were more obvious at the wide smile. Her white teeth sparkled as she continued to smile. Her long strawberry blond hair was tied up in a high ponytail and she was making the peace sign.

  "You'll be fine! You are your father's daughter after all." came the alto sounding voice of her mother.

  Emily's blue-green eyes teared up from behind her closed eyelids. A few drops of the salty liquid fell down her cheeks. She crushed Joey closer to her body and pulled herself even closer. She sniffled and softly sobbed.

  "Mom..." she whispered. "Why couldn't I come with you..."

  Her mother had moved to Pond with her new husband. They had only been married for a year before the idea of sending Emily to the school which was located in nowhere USA. It was her step-father's idea, even though her mother insisted it was both of their idea. She wouldn't give the reason why but had agreed with her new husband that it would be good for Emily.

  Emily clutched her teeth.

  "Damn it..." she growled before turning onto her back, looking up at the ceiling again

  The st time she cried was when her father passed away three years ago. She promised him she wouldn't cry but here she was breaking her promise, again.

  A knock on the door caused the girl to go stiff.

  "Hey, are you ready?" came Rachiel's voice from behind the door.

  "Ye-" Emily started before clearing her throat as she sat up, "Yeah! I'll be out in a minute."

  There was a pause on the other side of the door.

  "I'll be in the lobby." the girl said.

  Emily could hear the girl leave. That wasn't a good first impression. She let out a sigh before sitting up in her bed, her stuffed wolf still clutched to her chest. She sat there for another minute before wiping her eyes with her hands. Joey rolled onto the bed, nding in the sitting up position and looking up at her; almost with comforting eyes.

  Emily wiped the st couple of tears before letting out another sigh.

  "Okay, stop being a whiny bitch. You got this. You're stronger than this." she said aloud before spping her cheeks.

  The quick pain seemed to clear her head. She moved her neck and rolled her shoulders before standing up.

  "Hey Ray can I borrow..." came a voice as they opened the door.

  Emily stood there like a deer in headlights as a girl walked into the room.

  The two girls stared at each other in a bit of silence.

  "Who the hell are you? And why are you in Ray's room?" the girl asked, opening the door wider.

  She seemed to be looking inside, seeing if her friend was around. At not seeing the girl she had come to find, the girl looked back at Emily.

  "Well?" she asked while folding her arms over his chest.

  "Well, I'm Rachiel's new roommate?" Emily said, a bit of a question to the end of her voice, not meaning to but was still very nervous.

  The girl looked shocked, her mouth open and her hands falling to her sides. It would have been comical to Emily if she wasn't afraid of getting punched in the face by the girl. She looked strong, maybe stronger then her self.

  "That makes no sense. Ray doesn't have a roommate!" the girl growled.

  "I just arrived today..." Emily said, feeling a bit uneasy.

  The girl gred at the 'stranger' in her best friend's room. After a moment, she huffed and left, leaving the door wide open.

  Emily stood there. She was in shock. She shook her head.

  'That was weird...' she thought before deciding to meet up with Rachiel in the lobby.

  Emily made sure she had the key card and her wallet before leaving the room, closing it behind her.