From the moment I heard the news to the minute I was actually leaving for the School of the Gifted, it felt like a single heartbeat. I left the next day on a rainy Monday, biting back tears. I was told I would get over it, and at the time, I believed I would. But it was unexpected, and I could hardly process it. My parents were sending me away.
So there I was, outside in front of our house by the road, knelt down with my arms around Travis. It was so hard to say goodbye for nearly an entire year. I cried. Honestly I did. School used to be fun. I was looking forward to my first day of seventh grade. Now, I wished it had never come. I heard the tires of the taxi on the wet pavement as it pulled up. I could only squeeze my eyes shut.
"Josiah, I simply must take Travis now." Percy inquired from behind me. I just ignored him. He heaved a sigh and knelt down in front of me. He continued, "I will make sure he is taken care of. We will all be waiting for you the minute you come back home."
I finally looked up, seeing the sad smile Percy wore. He was old enough to be my grandfather, and sometimes, I thought of him as such. I let go of Travis to wrap my arms around Percy.
"I'll miss you so much..." I cried, out of the thought of loneliness and the fear of the unknown.
"As will I." Percy replied, his voice shaky. He patted me on the back, telling me that it was time to go. Wiping my tears away and standing up straight, I said goodbye to my parents and then hopped into the taxi with my brown leather suitcase. I had to at least attempt to act like grown man. I thought that maybe it would help some. At least it was worth a try.
The school came in sight after a bit of driving. I didn't pay attention to how long it took. My mind was too distant. What snapped me back to reality was being dragged out of the taxi and left in the rain alone. I gripped the handle of my suitcase like a lifeline. It took all the courage within me to walk through the iron gate in front of the large, brick school. It wouldn't have been scary, if not for the dark, thunderous clouds that covered the sky.
I walked up the stone steps to the metal doors, finding that they were unlocked. I stepped inside, soaking wet from the rain. The school was quiet and lit up. It smelled of chlorine and wax. The janitor had to have cleaned up recently. I could tell by the sights and smells. And now, I was dripping all on their floor. I felt embarrassed at that.
I turned my head right and then left, observing what I could. When my head turned straight again, there a tall figure stood, nearly starling me out of my boots.
"H-Hello..." I stammered, hoping to break the awkward silence. My grip on the suitcase tightened even more.
"You must be Josiah Perl." The tall figure replied in a strange, almost pinchy voice. He was a man of at least six and a half feet, with a deadpan stare that made my blood run cold. He was bald with barely visible eyebrows and a large mouth. Maybe I was over exaggerating, but I didn't like what I saw. "My name is Professor Baldi." He continued, "I will be your teacher during your stay. Welcome to my schoolhouse. Please, allow me to show you to your room." A smile etched on his face. It looked everything but real.
I followed Baldi down the white halls of the schoolhouse. I still didn't see any other students. I could only assume they were in their rooms. I was taken to mine and told that classes would begin in half an hour, then commanded to be punctual and obedient. Baldi left me to unpack and get situated until the learning took place. After unpacking my suitcase and observing the room, which was also white with one window, a bed and dresser, I took a deep breath. This was really happening. I was a student at the School of the Gifted. Walking over to the wall closet, I found a fresh black suit and blue checkered tie that was my school uniform. I put it on, looking at myself in the full length mirror beside my bed and smiling. Perhaps the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed. Maybe I would learn and grow to love the school and the people in it. "Maybes" were always in my head. They helped me get through moments I didn't exactly want to live through.
When the clock struck 9:00 AM, I was sure to immediately leave my room. A-1 was the home room I would start in, and that would begin my day. As soon as I walked in, I noticed at least nine students between the ages of six and sixteen. Four girls and five boys. These would be my classmates for the entire year. I took my seat at the desk with my name on it. I was in the front row, just like how it was back at my other school. That made me happy.
"Good morning, class." Baldi began, waving a ruler, "My name is Professor Baldi. Welcome to the School of the Gifted. Because you're here, that means you're smart! So, let's begin with a bit of maaaaath." He was odd in his mannerisms and the way he talked. Just by the way he said it, I could tell he was obsessed over math. The subject was alright. Not my favorite, but I lived with it. Baldi passed out notebooks to each of us students. He even gave one to a young girl that sat all by herself at a desk that was shoved in a corner. I looked away, pointing my attention at the notebook.
"Alright, I want everyone to complete the first three pages of the notebook and turn them in for grading." Baldi commanded and we all obeyed.
I looked at the first problem and immediately grew confused. 5+3. So simple. Too simple! Was he starting the year off that easy? I didn't understand. I wrote down the answer and moved on. 7+4. I jotted down the answer with furrowed brows and sped through the rest. The entire class completed all sixty problems within five minutes. It made Baldi quite proud, but I was disappointed. What would this teach us? I could see the confused looks on the rest of the students' faces. Each one of us rose our hands to ask Baldi, yet he didn't call on a single one of us. We could only move on with our math lesson and pray our teacher was mentally sane.