Chapter 5

Pre-note: I think that there's not enough tie-in (or any) with the last section, so Chapters 4, 5 and 6 may be moved around eventually. What do you think? Please comment here or on the FB link. Thanks :)

Chapter 5:

He didn’t take me back to the hospital, for which I was silently thankful. We drove through picture-perfect neighbourhoods of white houses with blue and red doors. They were like the suburbs that had surrounded the city I’d come from, but worse; they didn’t look real. It was as though we kept driving past the same image again and again; white house, blue house, brown house.

Then we came to the school.

It was a large, institutional building in the modern black material I’d seen so many times already. The doors were open wide, as though they’d known I was coming, and my stomach twisted as Jake pulled up and parked right in front of them.

Above the entrance read the words: “Soleres’ West End Secondary School.”

“Surprise!” Jake said, with a huge smile on his face, as though he was announcing I could go home rather than into this dark building.

“What?” I said.

“We’re here.” He opened his door, adding, “C’mon.”

I had little choice but to follow him as he walked up the path and through those open doors. It felt like kindergarten all over again; following someone through bright hallways to go somewhere you really don’t want to go. There was a feeling of dread and anticipation on my part, but Jake still smiled as though we’d walked into his own home and he wanted to give me a tour.

The heavy doors closed behind us, trapping me inside.

“Since you haven’t been asking questions, I’ve decided it’d be best to just explain.” Jake started, our flip flops making slapping noises as we walked down empty white hallways with pale blue lockers. “This is West End high school. I know you probably didn’t realize it, but minors in Heaven still have to go school. You’ll be coming here.”

He turned down a corridor, opening double doors and leading me through halls of lockers. “I’ll give you a full tour of the school today, since it’s a Saturday and no one else is here.

“This is a boarding school for only girls. The boys go to the East and North schools while the girls have the South and this school. There’s a separate residence building behind this one, as well as a football field. This school has about eight hundred students in grades nine through twelve. You’ll soon be one of them.

“Uniforms are required to be worn throughout the school day, as well as athletic uniforms for participating in school sports, but otherwise you can wear jeans on weekends and after three. The uniforms are black with the school’s name sewn in light blue, which as you can see by these halls, is the school colour.

“Many students return home to their parents on the weekends, but you’ll be staying here full time. On the weekends, I’ll show you around the city.

“The classes offered are much the same as what you might remember. Since you’ll be entered in grade twelve, you’ll be taking Biology, English, Math, Chemistry, Physics and Business.”                                

As we walked, Jake pointed out Biology and Chemistry classrooms, and I finally gathered my voice back together.

 “This is another Chemistry room. They’re all well equipped with the latest supplies. Here is –” 

“Jake?”

Startled by the actual sound of my full voice, Jake missed a beat but responded, “Yeah?”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen, why?”

“Are you in high school?”

“Oh, no, I’m not. My job is a Guider. I’ve already completed high school and the training I need.”

We fell into silence, but this time I felt more in control. Our footsteps matched one another, and I watched them. As we approached the office, I smiled. This silence was no longer strained but rather strong and solid, a comfort.

In the office, Jake handed me an envelope with a timetable and flyers about clubs. “You start Monday.”