Chapter Four

Guatemala, the edge of a forest, a large military school building

Alex stared up at the building in awe and horror. "But Mom, I haven't done anything!" Alex cried, backing away from the building.

"You need discipline, Alex." Theresa told her sternly. "And this is the perfect place to get it."

"But I didn't do anything!" Alex exclaimed, feeling in her gut that something was deeply wrong with the place.

"You caused trouble, Alex and so, we're dropping you off here."

Alex turned to her parents with a pout, but they stayed firm and marched her to the entrance of the building. They went to a room that seemed to be the main office and Alex sat in a chair while Jerry and Theresa filled in paperwork.

As she was sitting, Alex watched other girls pass the door and she didn't like the looks in their eyes. All of them just screamed, "Danger! Danger! Don't let them leave you here!"

Alex felt a shudder run down her back and turned away from the door. Her parents were just finishing the paperwork and they smiled at the receptionist. "Come on, Alex. Bring your bag."

Alex gulped and accompanied her parents out of the office and down a series of halls to the dormitory area. They stopped at a metal door with the number three-fifteen on it and Theresa ushered Alex inside.

"Well, we'll be seeing you in a few years, honey."

Alex spun around at Jerry's words, her eyes wide. "A few years?" she asked, her voice high. "I'm not coming home?"

"Not until your training here is finished." Theresa told her. "Don't forget to call home and make sure to always clean up before you go to bed. Bye sweetie."

When she left, Jerry held out his hand and said, "Wand."

Alex stared at him incredulously for a moment before reluctantly sliding her wand out of her boot and handing it over. Jerry snapped it in two and slid the pieces into his pockets.

"Dad!" Alex breathed in horror. "That was my wand."

"I know. You won't need it until the competition so there's no point in you having it." Alex stared at her parents in horrified shock as they both kissed her goodbye and waved as they left the room.

Alex shuddered as the door closed and she felt like she was a caged animal. She immediately knew something was wrong and so she left the room and was about to move down the hallway when another family bumped into her. Looking up, Alex found a girl with brown eyes and brown hair looking at her with an apology on her lips. They both seemed to sigh in relief when they found that their eyes weren't dead.

"Hi," Alex said softly. "I'm Alex."

"Mitchie." The girl replied, shaking the hand Alex offered her.

"See honey, you've already met a new friend."

Mitchie looked at her father in utter incredulity. "No, I'm still mad at you." Mitchie grumbled.

"It's not our fault you-."

"I didn't do it?" Mitchie spat. "Why don't you ask Dallas? She might have done it, but I didn't do it. I thought you guys trusted me."

Her mother took her hands in her own and looked down at her sadly. "Well, there didn't seem to be any other explanation for what happened."

Mitchie snorted and turned away. "Please, if you're going to leave me here, just go."

"We do love you honey." Her mother murmured as the two parents left.

Mitchie rolled her eyes and turned to see Alex looking at her curiously. "What are you in for?"

"Being falsely accused of smoking on school grounds and setting the forest behind the school on fire. What about you?"

"Being falsely accused of failing a grade AND stealing money from the family register." Alex replied as they began walking. "I don't steal… well, no. I'm a pickpocket, but I haven't done that in ages. Plus, if I took the money, where is it? My parents searched my room and couldn't find any money and I hadn't left the house for awhile, so I couldn't have gone out and bought something. Plus, my teachers told me that I had passed all of my classes, so there's no way I could have failed."

Mitchie shrugged. "I don't smoke. I usually just go behind the school to think and write my songs, but I don't smoke. It could have been one of the biker kids or my older sister Dallas, but it definitely wasn't me."

Alex sighed. "Parents just don't trust teenagers and I don't understand it."

"No teen does." Mitchie chuckled, nudging Alex in the side. They had been walking around for awhile when a kind of siren went off and they froze as they were suddenly surrounded by men in camouflage outfits.

"Whoa, whoa!" Alex said as the men pointed dart-shooters at them. "We come in peace?" she tried.

"What are you doing in the restricted area?" a deep voice demanded as a tall, muscular, bronze-skinned man stepped from the crowd.

"We're new here." Mitchie explained, turning one way as Alex turned the other, mutually agreeing to have each others' backs.

"We didn't know where we were, we just started walking." Alex added.

"Well, follow me. I'll give you the tour."

Something in Alex's stomach didn't sit well with this guy either; he was too creepy for her liking, looking at her and Mitchie like they were treats and he was the dog. Slowly, the girls began following him around the school.

Yeah, I know weird. Anyway. Review or, like I said, I won't post anything after chapter five.