Three days and what seemed like a million goodbyes later, I stood at my front door squinting at the road from behind the mesh screen. My rolling luggage slouched against my knees. I had managed to put my entire life inside one little carryon. Well, besides my laptop. Mom had argued that if I brought any electronics, the school staff might get offended from me not using their own technology.
Welp.
Instead of the laptop, I had filled my carryon with other things that were extremely meaningful but at the same time potentially useless. Such as my lifetime stock of plastic lanyard, for example. I had also packed several balls of yarn and my favorite blue knitting needles, a necklace with Girl Scout badges pinned to it, and an obscene amount of art supplies. This included three sketchbooks in my 'art bin', two folders of paper and references, a clipboard, and an array of pencils, lead, and Sharpies. I had even brought along Snowflake, my first stuffed toy when I when I was a baby. It seemed stupid to bring her along, but the company of the plush white cat was comforting.
Possibly the only remotely useful thing in there was an extra pair of shoes. The list from the USB stick had mentioned that the Suburban High School would provide custom clothing and undergarments, but hadn't pointed out what I was supposed to wear on my feet. To be on the safe side, Mom had made me pack an extra pair. But despite her persistent nagging, I wore my combat boots. (Trust me, buy a pair of these babies and you will never need another pair of shoes in your life.) I also wore a plain white T-shirt and jeans, with my usual bushy brown hair tamed down into a neat braid.
Finally deciding to sit down on the chair outside, I began to ponder my situation. My little mind wandered off to the conversation Mom had with Dr. Scratche.
"But why does she have to start preparing right away?"
"Oh, I see."
"Really? You can pick her up?"
"That would be great!"
"Can I send her letters?"
"A day or two, uh-huh."
"So, tell me again on the dorm's security system…"
Then came the long, complicated process of withdrawing from my current school. Many calls to my teachers were made, and I even had to go to the school on Saturday to fill out some paperwork. My teachers said they would miss me, but the authenticity of some of their well-wishes could be questioned. After that, Mom drove me around Broward County, visiting each of my friend's houses to say goodbye to every one of them. I must've cried at least five times.
The memories spiraled down to the present moment. It was nearly noon, which was time the SHS bus was supposed to arrive. Every time a car approached, I watched anxiously as it drove down the street.
From inside, I heard the clock strike 12 o'clock.
A deep rumbling noise filled the air. The SHS vehicle pulled over onto the front yard, leaving tracks in the grass. The Suburban High School's transportation was either a large car, a half-size bus, or a very small tank with the school logo skinned on it in lime green.
The door popped up on the…bus's side that was facing me. Mind you, by 'popped' I mean like the friggin' Back to the Future literal Hot Wheels. What was odd about the car was that it seemed to be armored, and even odder was the person who stepped out from behind the door. It was a man in a white suit, and instead of a head there was a spherical white dome that completely covered his head. If he even had a head. I cautiously took a step backward, inching towards my front door.
The man reached up, grabbing the orb on his head and pulled up. It came off with a clean pop, revealing a (thankfully) normal human face. His skin was extremely pale, and had a scruff of mouse-brown hair that was streaked with gray. At the sight of me, he managed a smile.
"Oh! Sorry to spook you there! As you can see, I was just testing the Data Sphere. Excellent sort of device for hands-free communication, telephoning and such. You must the new te-, I mean, student! Lexi, is it? I'm Principal Jacob Scratche, the one who sent you the letter. You can call me Doctor Scratche."
I exhaled deeply. Phew. "Yeah, that's me."
"Good. I assume you're all packed and ready to go?" He fished a green handkerchief out of his pocket and pulled out a pair of half-moon glasses, wiping them clean before delicately setting them on the bridge of his nose.
"Um, yes. Let me go get-"
Before I could finish my sentence, a wild Mom appeared. "LEXI FLEURY! Why on EARTH didn't you tell me the bus arrived? Don't even THINK of leaving before saying goodbye!"
"Um," I mumbled, embarrassed. On the other hand, the Doctor seemed pleased. "I suppose this is the lady I spoke to on the telephone?"
"Oh, hello," said Mom, "You must be Jacob. I'm Ellie, Lexi's mom." She reached out to shake his hand.
The principal shook. "Pleased to meet you. Now, as you know, your daughter will be away for quite some time. Is she packed sufficiently?"
"It was hard enough getting her not to pack. I hope it fits on the plane." Mom handed me the handle of the carryon, and I dutifully took it and rolled it beside me.
"That's perfectly fine. I'm sure the attendants on our private jet will be excellent hosts."
Mom and I exchanged a wide-eyed look. Private jet? Neither of us had ever been on a private jet before. We were just an ordinary, middle-class family living in the outskirts of Hollywood, Florida. Dad's boss was a multimillionare, but Dad had never exactly gotten a share of his wealth.
"W-well then! Yes, I'm sure she'll be in safe hands with you," Mom flustered, "Er…when shall I be seeing Lexi again?"
"Oh, around the start of the summer term," the Doctor replied jovially.
By then, I had noticed Mom was giving me a really sappy look. "What?!" Without warning, she burst into tears and had me clutched in a suffocating bear hug.
"Oh, honey! Just know that Mommy and Daddy are here for you, you can call us any time you'd like, and
always, always remember that we love you-"
"Okay, geroff-" I broke out of my mother's embrace, and got in the SHS vehicle, followed by a certainly bemused Dr. Scratche. Before stepping in, I turned around and uttered a final, "Goodbye."
As the doors closed downward, I looked around the leather interior of the car. The first thing I noticed was the woman sitting across from me. She was tall, dark-skinned with pale, inquisitive eyes, and most shockingly of all, did not seem to have a mouth. The skin flowed smoothly over where her lips were supposed to be, an effect that was mildly unpleasant. The woman wore an outfit of midnight black, complete with one of those giant floppy hats and a trench coat.
"Ah, I see you've just met Ms. Snow Manline," said the Doctor as she slid into the seat next to me. "She is head of the Human Resources Department at the Suburban High School."
Ms. Manline gave me a curt nod, I gave a weak "hi" in reply. I admit, she scared me a little. Maybe it was her eyes, or just the feeling that she was not a woman to be crossed.
The doors of the SHS vehicle locked shut with a loud click, and the motor revved as it drove off towards the Fort Lauderdale Airport. I wondered who was driving this thing.
We spent the ride to the airport in silence. I think I was too intimidated by both of them. Dr. Scratche was kind enough to make a few comments about the weather, but I stayed quiet. I passed the time by gazing through the tinted window and lodging the current images in my mind so I had at least some memories of home to take with me.
Passing through the Fort Lauderdale Airport sercurity check-in was fairly uneventful, not counting the one instance where Dr. Scratche's 'DataOrb' or whatever the heck it was set off a bunch of alarms in the x-ray machine. Ms. Manline and I stood and watched an extremely flustered Doctor attempt to explain to the burly security guards that it was indeed not a bomb. I glanced upwards and was surprised to see the Head of HR's eyes twinkling with amusement. I'm sure if she had lips, she would be grinning.
After half an hour, Airport Security let us go, though I could feel the dirty looks they cast on my back as my motley entourage trooped to the Commuter Terminal. We passed a whole other set of scanners before we stepped out onto the hot tarmac. The Doctor's Learjet was waiting for us in the hanger, engine running and ready to go. The door was already open, and I ascended the steps feeling like the Queen of England.
I gasped. The interior of the plane was all white leather, with little sidetables and a flatscreen TV smack dab in the middle of the wall. It was like the jet Donald Trump owned that I had seen on The Celebrity Apprentice, only better.
I immediately chose a window seat, and like the Doctor had predicted, my carryon had more than enough room. A female flight attendant stood near the cockpit, clad in an outfit much like Ms. Manline's. She gave me a wink as my two companions boarded the plane after me.
The Doctor informed me that he would be flying the plane, so that left me sitting across from Ms. Manline. A few minutes after takeoff, I noticed she was gesturing with her hands to the attendant. Sign Language.
Her and the flight attendant seemed to exchange a few words, and the attendant abruptly left. A few second later, she came back with drinks on a rolling cart. This raised my curiosity. "How does she-" I cut myself off, realizing that that comment was rude.
The attendant shook her head. "No, that's okay," she said in a surprisingly hoarse voice. "She eats via stomach tube. You can watch the process, if you want."
I politely declined and swiveled my chair around. A kid in a wheelchair had once visited my kindergarten class during lunch, and 'burping' was not necessarily the most enjoyable thing to see. I pulled out my clipboard and began to doodle with a Sharpie Pen.
The flight was only around two hours, and as soon as the plane touched down on the tarmac of the Dallas Airport I was up out of my seat and bouncing on my heels. When the Doctor saw me, he gave a hearty chuckle. "Someone's excited, aren't they?"
I nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"
There was another SHS vehicle waiting for us outside (How many of these things are there?), and in fifteen minutes we were braking to a stop outside of the Suburban High School itself.
As soon as I set my eyes on the sprawling, pristine complex, I couldn't help but wonder how on Earth we managed to get so far from the city in such a small amount of time.
A shining metal grate slid open to allow us into a contemporary courtyard, tastefully decorated with abstract sculptures and flowerbeds. The door opened, and I stepped out onto the white pavement. I must've had my mouth wide open, because Dr. Scratche cleared his throat loudly and motioned for me to keep walking.
Each building we walked past had a green tarp on its roof that stretched across the walkway, so that no matter what, you were always shielded from the sun. This seemed a bit odd, but the way the sun caught the fabric was quite pleasant.
We turned a corner, and the Doctor started talking again. "The next few buildings you see are the dorms. If you walk right this way-" (I obliged to do so) "-this one right here is all yours."
I looked up. It was white, like the other buildings, and two stories tall. "Wait, I get the whole thing to myself?"
"Indeed you do. Now, if you would just open that door so we can continue our tour…"
The door was steel-plated, and it was with some difficulty that I pulled it open. Inside was a dimly lit room the size of a broom cupboard. "Um, Sir? I think this is the wrong building-"
I felt Dr. Scratche push me in the room, and the door slammed shut behind me, drenching me in darkness. I couldn't see a thing. What is going on? What kind of school imprisons their students-
A dim roar of a distant engine interrupted my thoughts, and I felt my little cage slide slowly downwards along with my spirits.