One Month Later...

Meg collapsed on her bed with a sigh. Just like everyday that she's been at The Smith House, she didn't get any visitors. Meg couldn't help feeling a little sad about this. Her parents had promised to visit her, but so far hadn't. It wasn't like her parents not to keep a promise... Although, it wasn't like them to send their daughter away, either.

Meg rolled over and that was when she noticed Cinderella was rummaging through their closet. She was taking all of her clothes off the hangers and draping them over her arm. When Cinderella walked out of the closet, Meg sat up.

"What are you doing?" Meg asked her.

Cinderella set her clothes down and then pulled her suitcase out from under her bed. "Maleficent told me my step mother is picking me up tomorrow."

"Really?"

Cinderella nodded as she unzipped her suitcase. "I guess she and my step sisters miss having a servant."

Meg watched Cinderella neatly fold her clothes. "At least you're getting out of here."

Cinderella put a shirt in her suitcase, then looked up at Meg. "I don't know, Meg. It seems kind of weird to me. My step mom couldn't wait to get rid of me and now all of sudden she's taking me back before my time here has ended. It doesn't feel right."

"I think you're reading too much into this," Meg said.

Cinderella nodded slowly as she continued to pack her clothes. "Maybe."

A long, awkward silence fell over them and Meg started to feel uncomfortable.

Meg cleared her throat as she stood up. "I think I'm gonna go for a swim before lights out."

"Have fun, Meg," Cinderella told her.

Meg quickly changed into her bikini, then made her way down to the pool. When she got there, she saw two other students had the same idea she did. A muscular boy with dreadlocks was sitting on the edge of the pool while a girl with tan skin and long black hair was standing in the pool, talking to him. She recognized them from her small group, but they had never talked during the meetings, so she didn't know their names. Meg grabbed a towel off the rack and dropped it on a nearby chair. She then slowly walked down the steps into the pool. The water was cold, but it felt good after being stuck in the stuffy building all day. The other two students looked over at Meg and the girl smiled at her.

"Hello," the girl said. She had a little bit of an accent, but Meg couldn't tell what it was.

"Hi," Meg responded.

"My name is Pocahontas and this is my brother, Tarzan."

"Meg."

Pocahontas nodded. "You're in our small group. The Satan worshipper, right?"

Meg laughed. "Right. At least, ya know, that's what my parents say."

Pocahontas smiled at her, but Tarzan remained stern and expressionless.

"Am I interrupting?" Meg asked, after she noticed Tarzan's look.

"No, of course not," Pocahontas said. "Don't mind my brother. It's just that none of the other students have been very friendly towards us, so Tarzan is always on his guard."

Meg ran her hand over the surface of the water. "Do you mind if I ask why?"

Pocahontas glanced up at Tarzan, then looked back at Meg. "Well, our parents were both biologists and we spent a few months living in a jungle. But, our parents died of some disease while were there. Tarzan and I were able to pull our money, plus some cash our parents had on them, and get back home. Since we were underage orphans, we were immediately taken from our home and put into the foster system. However, when they learned we had been living in the jungle, they automatically assumed we were uncivilized and sent us here instead."

"I'm sorry," Meg said, quietly. She didn't really know what else to say.

"It's okay," Pocahontas said. "We'll be eighteen by the time we leave here and we'll be on our own."

"If it makes you feel any better, you don't seem uncivilized to me," Meg said.

"Haven't you heard any of the rumors going around about us?" Tarzan asked.

Meg was slightly surprised to hear Tarzan speak. "Actually, no; I don't really socialize with anyone."

"Some of them are saying we're cannibals," Tarzan said. "Some say we have an incest relationship and others think we go out every night and hunt animals down with our teeth."

"That one's my favorite," Pocahontas said with a small laugh.

Meg couldn't help but laugh, too. "People are ridiculous."

Pocahontas nodded. "Well, it's almost time for lights out; we're gonna head to our rooms."

"It was nice meeting you two," Meg said.

"You, too," Pocahontas said.

After they left, Meg glanced up at the clock hanging on the tiled wall; it was nine-thirty. She decided to give herself a couple more minutes before heading back to her room. She rested her head back on the edge of the pool and let her legs float out in front of her. She closed her eyes and focused on moving her arms to keep herself afloat. It didn't take long for her to start daydreaming. Mostly she thought about Gaston and the affair they had been keeping up for the last month. Meg had to admit she was having fun with Gaston, but she didn't particularly like him. He was rude and conceited and just an all-around jerk. But, damn, did he make her feel good.

Someone cleared their throat, startling Meg. She slipped under the water, then quickly pulled herself back up to the surface. She wiped the water off her face with her hands, then blinked up at the man standing above her. He was tall with blonde hair and the most vivid blue eyes she had ever seen. He was very handsome and looked like he belonged in a movie or in a magazine. Meg had never seen him before, so she was pretty sure he wasn't a student there. He crouched down and continued to give her an expressionless look.

"Shouldn't you be heading back to your room?" he asked.

Meg looked behind her at the clock and then back at the man. "I still have twenty minutes until lights out."

The man just stared at Meg and she nervously ran her hand over her hair.

"Who are you, anyway?" she asked.

"John Smith. My father owns this place," he replied.

"Of course he does." Meg pulled herself out of the pool and picked up her towel. She quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around herself. "I guess I'll see you around, John Smith."

John nodded and Meg gave him a small smile before hurrying back to her room.