Among The Sane
A "Higher Ground" Fan Fic
By MissKate
A/N...Yes, a new chapter!! Aren't you excited? I am sure you are!! Just kidding...I hope that you like the way this story is going to go, and I can't wait to use the ideas that are bouncing around inside my head. I feel that this is my best idea yet, and I hope that you all feel the same way!! Please give me your input by reviewing!!! THANKS BUNCHES!!!!
Chapter 2: Getting A Second Chance
The later hours of the day were upon Horizon, sending the students to the cafeteria for dinner. Horizon "food" was notorious among the students, and the root of many jokes. The only good thing about it was that it was somewhat filling, as the quality was not its greatest attribute, and made those with eating disorders want to disregard food even more.
As the Cliffhangers were getting their trays, Peter walked in, and started meandering through the tables where students had already sat. He tried to talk to a few, complimenting them on how well they had been doing lately, and casually watched others. The afternoon had put him in good spirits, and he thought he might as well share his happiness with those who were still having a difficult time achieving that.
"Hey, Ryan, how's it going?" Peter asked, heedlessly to a boy in Trackers.
"Pretty good," was his reply. Ryan was a veteran student, on the verge of graduating. After coming to the school while being high on drugs, he was making progress beyond belief, and nobody could quite tell that he was the same person he had been two years before.
Venturing on, Peter circulated through the other tables, picking up gossip and making sure that the kids in the school were following the rules. Sometimes he found out about someone's secret stash while unceremoniously walking from group to group.
"Looks like Peter is already making the rounds," Shelby said, holding her tray while waiting for Scott to finish going through the line. "Wonder what he wants this time. Probably knows that the Ridgerunners heard about our afternoon," she finished, laughing.
The group sat down at their table, one by one, and waited for Peter to arrive. It was not long before he spotted them, and walked over nonchalantly. "I have some news for you, so we are going to have group in the lodge in a half-hour," he told them smiling.
As he strode away, they smirked behind his back, hoping that he did not hear them, and still wondering what it was that he wanted to say to them. With Peter, they always had to make inferences. He never acted the same twice, so each time he said something like that to them, it left them guessing, with millions of separate thoughts flew through their heads.
The dinner progressed, each Cliffhanger thinking about the possibilities of what Peter's news could be of. "So, what do you think Peter wants, huh Shel?" Scott asked Shelby as he poked at the food on his plate.
"Oh, you know. He's probably just going to tell us that we are getting a new member or something. I mean, we are short one person, now that Kat graduated," she replied, not looking up.
"Well, I hope it's nothing bad," Juliette said to nobody in particular, after eavesdropping on their short conversation.
Shelby looked up, with a smirk on her face. "Oh, the little princess can't take any more bad news?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that I feel happy right now, and want to stay that way."
Everyone started laughing, and Daisy spoke up. "When don't you feel happy?"
"Haha, very funny," she replied, before half-concentrating on her dinner again. She still was not over her disorder completely, and sometimes needed an extra push to finish her meal, especially when it was Horizon food.
When the Cliffhangers finished, they began to rise from their seats and put their trays away. They waited for each other near the door before continuing on to the lodge for their meeting with Peter. In a strange way, they all felt a sense of curiosity, and wanted to get there in a hurry.
Walking through the door, Auggie was the first to spot Peter sitting by the fire, waiting for them to arrive. One at a time, they filed through the door and took their places around him. Juliette sat in a chair, with Auggie at her feet, while Scott and Shelby cuddled on the couch, though not too obviously. Ezra sat next to them, and Daisy took her place on the floor in front of him, with David to her right.
Once they were all settled, Peter began. "I have some exciting news." It did not take long before he had their attention. "I talked with the principal of Agnes High School this morning, and we had an idea. In two days, on Monday, your group will be taking a sort of...field trip, and you all will become students there for a week." He looked around and saw some of their eyes light up. Others just sat there like they had been doing since they walked into the room. "You will participate in class and be expected to behave as if you were here. All the same rules apply. You will be at this school for one week, until Friday. In that time, I want you to interact with the students there, getting their point of view on high school and on other topics. If I find out about any inappropriate conversations, you will be put on shuns." They all sighed, knowing that he would say that eventually. "I expect you to use the tools you've learned here. Don't let those kids pressure you to do things that you know are wrong, and don't let their words hurt you. It is possible to make friends outside of these woods."
"So, do we have to do the homework and stuff," David asked smugly.
"Yes, you will. And I will be there with you to kind of supervise, so don't try to pull anything, got it?" They all nodded, with smiles on their faces, but then Peter shot them a look and they straightened up. "So, are there any more questions?" he asked, looking around the kids around him.
"What about me?" Auggie asked, feeling a bit nervous because of his dyslexia. At Horizon, they adapted to him after they found out, but when he was in public school, they did not even notice.
Peter gave him a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, Aug. I told them, and they are already prepared for that. There are a couple others with dyslexia there as well."
Feeling reassured, Auggie leaned back and allowed Juliette to massage his shoulders from her seat above him, waiting for Peter to dismiss them.
"Okay, before I let you go, tell me how you feel in one word, starting with Juliette." Peter knew they hated this exercise, but he thought that after he told them about the trip that he would get some interesting answers, and wanted their peers to know how they were feeling about the whole ordeal.
"Excited, Aug?"
"Relieved."
Scott was next and everyone turned to him. "Uh, pumped, I guess."
Sitting next to him, Shelby realized that it was her turn. "I feel...slightly nervous. Ez?"
"Uneasy..." he confided. He was not good with first impressions, but hoped that after being at Horizon for so long, that he would have a little more confidence.
"Let me think," Daisy said in her sarcastic tone. "I feel idyllic. And you, David?"
Putting on his pondering look, David finally said, "Dandy."
"Good job, guys. You're free to go, but think about how you are going to be behaving next week," Peter told them as they started to rise and head for the door. He hoped that they would take advantage of this opportunity to remember what it is like to go to a real high school, without so many restrictions, but to use what they had learned in their time at Horizon and not get into any trouble. Whether that would happen or not, he did not know.
****
Okay, I hope that you guys liked that chapter and where the story is going. I have lots of ideas and I can't wait to see how they will turn out when I write them down!! Please review and tell me what you think!!
A "Higher Ground" Fan Fic
By MissKate
A/N...Yes, a new chapter!! Aren't you excited? I am sure you are!! Just kidding...I hope that you like the way this story is going to go, and I can't wait to use the ideas that are bouncing around inside my head. I feel that this is my best idea yet, and I hope that you all feel the same way!! Please give me your input by reviewing!!! THANKS BUNCHES!!!!
Chapter 2: Getting A Second Chance
The later hours of the day were upon Horizon, sending the students to the cafeteria for dinner. Horizon "food" was notorious among the students, and the root of many jokes. The only good thing about it was that it was somewhat filling, as the quality was not its greatest attribute, and made those with eating disorders want to disregard food even more.
As the Cliffhangers were getting their trays, Peter walked in, and started meandering through the tables where students had already sat. He tried to talk to a few, complimenting them on how well they had been doing lately, and casually watched others. The afternoon had put him in good spirits, and he thought he might as well share his happiness with those who were still having a difficult time achieving that.
"Hey, Ryan, how's it going?" Peter asked, heedlessly to a boy in Trackers.
"Pretty good," was his reply. Ryan was a veteran student, on the verge of graduating. After coming to the school while being high on drugs, he was making progress beyond belief, and nobody could quite tell that he was the same person he had been two years before.
Venturing on, Peter circulated through the other tables, picking up gossip and making sure that the kids in the school were following the rules. Sometimes he found out about someone's secret stash while unceremoniously walking from group to group.
"Looks like Peter is already making the rounds," Shelby said, holding her tray while waiting for Scott to finish going through the line. "Wonder what he wants this time. Probably knows that the Ridgerunners heard about our afternoon," she finished, laughing.
The group sat down at their table, one by one, and waited for Peter to arrive. It was not long before he spotted them, and walked over nonchalantly. "I have some news for you, so we are going to have group in the lodge in a half-hour," he told them smiling.
As he strode away, they smirked behind his back, hoping that he did not hear them, and still wondering what it was that he wanted to say to them. With Peter, they always had to make inferences. He never acted the same twice, so each time he said something like that to them, it left them guessing, with millions of separate thoughts flew through their heads.
The dinner progressed, each Cliffhanger thinking about the possibilities of what Peter's news could be of. "So, what do you think Peter wants, huh Shel?" Scott asked Shelby as he poked at the food on his plate.
"Oh, you know. He's probably just going to tell us that we are getting a new member or something. I mean, we are short one person, now that Kat graduated," she replied, not looking up.
"Well, I hope it's nothing bad," Juliette said to nobody in particular, after eavesdropping on their short conversation.
Shelby looked up, with a smirk on her face. "Oh, the little princess can't take any more bad news?"
"No, it's not that. It's just that I feel happy right now, and want to stay that way."
Everyone started laughing, and Daisy spoke up. "When don't you feel happy?"
"Haha, very funny," she replied, before half-concentrating on her dinner again. She still was not over her disorder completely, and sometimes needed an extra push to finish her meal, especially when it was Horizon food.
When the Cliffhangers finished, they began to rise from their seats and put their trays away. They waited for each other near the door before continuing on to the lodge for their meeting with Peter. In a strange way, they all felt a sense of curiosity, and wanted to get there in a hurry.
Walking through the door, Auggie was the first to spot Peter sitting by the fire, waiting for them to arrive. One at a time, they filed through the door and took their places around him. Juliette sat in a chair, with Auggie at her feet, while Scott and Shelby cuddled on the couch, though not too obviously. Ezra sat next to them, and Daisy took her place on the floor in front of him, with David to her right.
Once they were all settled, Peter began. "I have some exciting news." It did not take long before he had their attention. "I talked with the principal of Agnes High School this morning, and we had an idea. In two days, on Monday, your group will be taking a sort of...field trip, and you all will become students there for a week." He looked around and saw some of their eyes light up. Others just sat there like they had been doing since they walked into the room. "You will participate in class and be expected to behave as if you were here. All the same rules apply. You will be at this school for one week, until Friday. In that time, I want you to interact with the students there, getting their point of view on high school and on other topics. If I find out about any inappropriate conversations, you will be put on shuns." They all sighed, knowing that he would say that eventually. "I expect you to use the tools you've learned here. Don't let those kids pressure you to do things that you know are wrong, and don't let their words hurt you. It is possible to make friends outside of these woods."
"So, do we have to do the homework and stuff," David asked smugly.
"Yes, you will. And I will be there with you to kind of supervise, so don't try to pull anything, got it?" They all nodded, with smiles on their faces, but then Peter shot them a look and they straightened up. "So, are there any more questions?" he asked, looking around the kids around him.
"What about me?" Auggie asked, feeling a bit nervous because of his dyslexia. At Horizon, they adapted to him after they found out, but when he was in public school, they did not even notice.
Peter gave him a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, Aug. I told them, and they are already prepared for that. There are a couple others with dyslexia there as well."
Feeling reassured, Auggie leaned back and allowed Juliette to massage his shoulders from her seat above him, waiting for Peter to dismiss them.
"Okay, before I let you go, tell me how you feel in one word, starting with Juliette." Peter knew they hated this exercise, but he thought that after he told them about the trip that he would get some interesting answers, and wanted their peers to know how they were feeling about the whole ordeal.
"Excited, Aug?"
"Relieved."
Scott was next and everyone turned to him. "Uh, pumped, I guess."
Sitting next to him, Shelby realized that it was her turn. "I feel...slightly nervous. Ez?"
"Uneasy..." he confided. He was not good with first impressions, but hoped that after being at Horizon for so long, that he would have a little more confidence.
"Let me think," Daisy said in her sarcastic tone. "I feel idyllic. And you, David?"
Putting on his pondering look, David finally said, "Dandy."
"Good job, guys. You're free to go, but think about how you are going to be behaving next week," Peter told them as they started to rise and head for the door. He hoped that they would take advantage of this opportunity to remember what it is like to go to a real high school, without so many restrictions, but to use what they had learned in their time at Horizon and not get into any trouble. Whether that would happen or not, he did not know.
****
Okay, I hope that you guys liked that chapter and where the story is going. I have lots of ideas and I can't wait to see how they will turn out when I write them down!! Please review and tell me what you think!!