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I keep my hands on the straps of my backpack as I head toward the entrance. Opening the front door, I grunt once I realize how heavy the wood is. Once I step into the hallway, I notice it's completely silent. No kids, no hall monitors. Nothing.
Shit.
This place.
This place is unlike anything. A literal castle sits in front of me. Large brick stairs, twelve feet in length, lead to a second level. The railing is made of stone, a solid gray that’s sculpturedwith the sharpest edges. Theentirebuilding is stone. Not the painted white bricks at my old school, with school mascots and posters littering each wall. No, there is noschoolanything on these walls.
It’s all religion.
Crosses and paintings of Jesus Christ sit elegantly on the walls, but there are only a few, the rest is bare. The ancient, Gothic structure so tall and ominous I wonder how this could be a school at all. It feels like I stepped into another time, another world. It doesn’t feel real.
How could a place like this be up to code for schooling kids? It’s not even bright enough in the building. It’s dim, the dark gray walls feel like they swallow me as the door shuts and clicks behind me.
What the hell did my mom get me into?
I glance left, seeing a small window that looks somewhat like a main office. I step toward it with a stomach full of lead, opening the door.
Holy shit.
Emphasis on holy.
She's decked out in the nun dress. Her black dress covers every inch of her body. The white fabric around her neck is stark white, with a heavy crucifix placed in the center.
"May I help you?" she asks. She doesn't seem friendly. But no one in this town seems to be.
"Uh. It's my first day here."
She looks me up and down, a heavy frown taking over her features. "You must be Vera Lowell." She doesn't seem pleased by this fact.
"I am."
She grabs a piece of paper, placing it on the counter in front of me. "Here's your schedule. You're already late to your first period. I'll give you a pass because it's your first day, but we do not allow tardiness, Ms. Lowell."
"My ride left without me," I deadpan.
She stares at me, her face stiff with thick lines around her eyes and mouth. "Like I said, I'll give you a pass because it's your first day. Tomorrow we will expect you on time."
I grab the piece of paper from the counter, sliding it off and letting it crumple beneath my palm. "I heard you."
I start walking toward the door when she calls my name.
My body stiffens with my hand against the handle of the door. I barely glance over my shoulder, but just enough for her to address me. "We have strict guidelines with dress code here. I think you're violating just about every policy we have. I also expect you to come to school tomorrow without those tights on your legs and some suitable shoes, and please, lower your skirt to its appropriate length."
I walk out, letting the door slam behind me.
No. No, I will not.
She doesn't call my name again, so I walk off, heading down the hall. I glance at the paper in my hand, searching for my locker number. The hallway is dark, like there aren’t enough lights in this place. It smells like a church, like the air is covered in a mixture of holy water and Bible pages.
I find my locker, the metal dinged and dented along the door. The paint is chipped on the corners.
I open it after two tries, shivers racking my body from the cool air. A puff of dust slaps me in the face when the hinges creak open. I close it, not sure why I went there anyway. It's not like I have anything to get out of it. Maybe it's just habit. I slam it closed, glancing down at the sheet of paper to find my first class.
History.
I walk down the hall, my shoes squeaking on the black-and-white checkered tiles. My heart rate speeds up once I reach my classroom. I hate this. I've been going to the same school forever, with the same kids and the same teachers. Going here, now, to some weird-ass place with some creepy people, my entire body screams with unease.
I don't know whether to walk in or knock, but I decide to walk in at the last second, interrupting the class as every single eye in the room turns to stare at me.
