Arrival

My summer had been ruined and I was not at all happy as I walked onto the campus of Oak Mountain Preparatory. I had spent the last month and a half rushing to finish summer assignments and getting ready to move halfway across the country. This was not where I had thought I would be for my senior year.

As I got closer to the school, I could feel an electrical undercurrent in the atmosphere. There was nobody here yet just me and the staff. It didn't feel like emotion and reaching out I couldn't feel anyone close by, so I wasn't sure what the feeling I had stopped to investigate was. It had a protective undercurrent that made my skin goosebump at its presence. Scratching the back of my neck to relieve some of the strange feeling; I decided it was one of those things I would never figure out, which was pretty much the story of my life. I continued forward only frowning more when the feeling snapped away like a rubber band being stretched too far. With the strange sensation now gone, there wasn't really a point in thinking too hard on it. Having strange things occur without any understanding of them was normal for me so the unknowing didn't bother me too much anymore.

I had to arrive a week before classes to fill out paperwork and take tests to make sure I was in the correct classes. I hadn't known I would be here at the beginning of summer. A surprise from the executor of my trust letting me know of my father's last condition before I would get full control over it. He had passed away when I was ten leaving everything to me in a trust. All his assets were liquidized and added to it. My parents had never been married so my mother was paid child support from the trust throughout my childhood which was helpful considering how sick she had been in the last few years. Now that I was no longer in the house, she wouldn't be receiving that money anymore and my trust allowance didn't allow for me to give money to my mother. The amount paid for necessary things and incidentals but couldn't pay for much past that. Considering that it was only meant for me with the expectation that I would be housed and fed while I receive the allowance it made sense. My first goal after putting everything in my room was to apply for jobs just to send some money to help her out.

I trudged up to the main office with my overstuffed suitcase in tow. A pigeon-like old woman behind the desk looked up at me as I entered the room. "Sage Fleur?" She asked without any emotion.

I smiled in a socially awkward and stinted way before nodding. Her brows furrowed a bit before she scrutinized me from head to toe. "In this folder, you have your schedule for the week as well as your dorm assignment and student ID. Your room already has your uniforms, and you will know your schedule at the end of the week. You must be in uniform for all school functions besides certain circumstances so please do wear it for all your tests and meetings this week. Your student ID also doubles as your dorm key and dining pass, so it is important to not lose it." The woman spoke as she searched for the folder before holding it out for me.

I nodded to her and looked around for a moment before remembering to speak, "Which way are the dorms?"

A long sigh escaped her like I had asked her to cure cancer before lunchtime. Begrudgingly she graced me with an answer, "Out this building and to the right it's hard to miss. Look for the sign that says, Willow Hall."

Nodding I turned and left the building before incurring any of the woman's wraith. While the campus wasn't extremely large it wasn't tiny either. It took five minutes to get to the dorm building. They were all single occupancy which allows for the school to make them co-ed. Mostly the rooms were assigned by who was willing to pay the most. I assumed I got one of the more affordable dorms since it was on the top floor. I mean why would anyone want to pay more to need to travel a further distance, but I was surprised when I arrived at my room. The electronic lock worked much like a hotel-style lock where I just had to wave my ID in front of the sensor before it unlocked flashing green.

Pushing the door open I was greeted by a queen-sized bed with a small sitting area before a moderate-sized television. Against one wall were a desk and comfortable-looking chair. I walked in feeling the plush carpet sinking under my feet. I looked through the only other door in the room expecting to see a closet but found a bathroom with a shower stall, toilet, and vanity. While on the small side I had expected to have to share. Through a door in the bathroom was an attached closet with built-in drawers. A full set of uniforms was already put away with enough to get me through a week of classes maybe a little more. A pair of comfortable-looking soft leather oxfords were already set on the rack for shoes.

Before exploring anymore, I lugged my suitcase into the bathroom and put away all my clothes before taking out my personal items and finding the proper place to put them in the room. Photos were set on my desk. One of me and my mother at a Christmas market in her home country of France when I was fourteen, A photo of my father and me when I was eight on his yacht both of us wearing matching captain's hats, and finally, a photo with Cara this summer on the pier our arms around each other's waists as we looked off into the distance her hand half raised as she went to sign something to me that I couldn't quite remember anymore.

With my room unpacked I closed my suitcase and pushed it under the bed to store it. I opened the folder to find a map of the campus where it showed three coffee shops and two restaurants. I was relieved to have employment options close as well as having easy access since we were thirty minutes away from the closest town. I threw on a pair of comfortable black flowy pants my black ballet flats and a white blouse before making my way to each establishment to fill out applications. In the end two of the coffee shops and one of the restaurants were hiring so I filled out applications for each of them before heading back to the dining hall for the bagged dinner they prepared for the first week for teachers and staff to take and eat. I sat at one of the tables and ate my food before cleaning up after myself. For the next week, I would be taking two placement tests a day to be sure I got put in the right classes. In my old school, I was ahead in all my AP classes so I had hoped to be in the higher classes but was worried their curriculum would be much more stringent than what I was used to. Plus, they had a bunch of classes that I hadn't taken before like mythology, politics, and something called species traits.

I tried to relax in my dorm room for the rest of the night without thinking of all the tests. It would be a long week followed by my first week of class. I was so not looking forward to it. When I finally closed my eyes that night I slept better than I had thought I would in such a strange place.