Chapter 7 (post one)

Pre-note: Before reading this section, please note that I just cut a huge section out of it. I think it still flows ok, but it may need more work. And to report, I have a very rough start on my flash fiction, although it is terribly cheesy and underdeveloped at the moment! At least it's something, though. Gremikin: Thanks again for the helpful info! And you have been too busy with art to write, which is totally understandable, so don't be hard on yourself! Anyways, thanks to everyone who read this :)

Chapter seven (or the new Chapter six in my updated version), section one:

Jake arrived the next day, at one in the afternoon.

I was buzzing with excitement, more over seeing him again than anything. I already packed all my new belongings into the suitcases, and was sitting, dressed and ready to leave, when he walked into my room.

“Jake!”

“New Wings,” he responded with a smile, “How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks.” I replied, standing up and fixing my skirt.

“You all packed?”

“Yep!” I said, motioning to the bags by the door.

“Great.” He picked them all up before I could even try to help, and when I attempted to take a bag from him, he shooed me away.

“I have my car waiting,” he said.

He packed my bags into his trunk and then we were on our way again, past all the shiny buildings to the suburbs with perfect houses.

We didn’t talk much. When I asked where he’d been the past couple of days, he said he was busy and quickly changed the subject to the weather.

I sat thinking about what I had learned last night. I wanted so badly to just say, “Jake, have you read my folder?” but that would’ve completely given away what I’d done. Although no one had ever come right out and said, “No sneaking into nurses' filing rooms,” I assumed what was behind locked doors was off limits. They would never even know I was there, since I had left no evidence and had placed the nurse’s keys on the floor by the desk. It would all look like a simple mix-up today when the janitor discovered his keys were missing and the nurse noticed the keys she had weren’t hers.

We pulled up in front of the long dark building. Leaving my bags in the car, we went through the school to the office, where a lady greeted me. She gave a box containing my uniform to Jake, and then pointed towards a door behind her, speaking to him.

 I didn’t hear a word.

My heart was pounding a million times a second. My stomach twisted in knots.

We were lead into the room by the secretary, where she announced to an older man who we were. He stood up and shook Jake’s hand as I read the sign on his desk, “Mr. Nowasad, Principle.”

He then turned to me, reaching out his hand, and said, “Nice to meet you.”

I had no choice but to take his hand in mine. His grip was firm.

“Please sit.” He asked, so we did.

The laptop on his desk was black, shiny, and made loud clicking noises as he tapped at the key board.

“I see you come from the hospital, right from the New Wings department. How was that?”

“Good,” I responded. His eyes were piercing blue.

“Well, we best go over the rules.” He handed me an envelope of papers, some of which I recognized, as I had gotten them at my last visit. “One of those is your timetable. Each day is the same; you attend all your classes, are punctual and prepared for each, and behave in a respectable manner. Lunch you must remain on the school property, but you may go where you want on it. We have a wonderful library as well as cafeteria. You are vegetarian?”

“Yes,” I said.

“We always have vegetarian options, so there is no need to worry about that. After school you must also remain on school property unless you have permission from your guardian, who Jake will be acting as, to go elsewhere. You must be back in the residence building by nine pm if you leave and lights must be off by ten every weekday. Clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“As for weekends, you are allowed off school property. Many students go home for the weekend, but some stay. You may go where you like on weekends, but if you stay here, you must be back in residence by ten. The lights go out at eleven on Saturday and Friday nights. You will be visiting Jake, I assume?”

“Yes, she will,” Jake said before I opened my mouth.

“Then you will have lots to do on weekends. Our school offers many clubs and events for our students to get involved in. They are mostly after school on weekdays, but some events are held on weekends. I’m pretty sure I gave you a sheet outlining them all and their times?”

“Yes,” I said, finding the paper in the envelope.

“Well you know what you want to do, just go to the meeting. They will have a sheet for you to sign up on there.”

He read something on his screen, and then looked at Jake, “Do you have her transfer file?”

I wondered if this was the same file I read last night as Jake said, “Oh, I must have left it in the car.”

“That’s fine; just give them to me at some point today. Do you have your student card in that envelope I gave you?” He asked me.

I found a credit card like card with the name of the school, my name, my student number, grade and the year printed on it. It was simple, blue and white, with a blank white box where a picture was supposed to be. A chip and swipe line were on the other side.

“You can take that to the secretary and she can take your photo for that now. I have to have Jake sign some papers. He’ll be out in a few minutes.”

I thanked him and left the room, closing the door quietly behind me.

A few minutes turned out to be one and a half hours. The secretary took my picture and printed it onto the card within half an hour, so I spent a long time going through my envelope while sitting in the reception area. I memorized my room number, as well as all my classrooms, teachers and courses. I had just gotten my student number down when Jake finally returned from the principal’s office, carrying the box that contained my uniform.

“On we go,” he said.