By the time I made it to the eating hall, I was alone as I entered the building but soon found Neil as he was coming late to dinner. He led me in, lessening my anxiety.

Everyone was already seated. The teachers and administration up at white draped tables on a high dais, while the students sat at neat rows of long wooden slabs. We were two of the last to enter and did so, thankfully, as discreetly as possible. I didn't feel like being noticed very much tonight.

They had already said grace and now were chatting and eating very casually. It reminded me a little of the T.C dining room, and I relaxed a bit.

"Neil! Over here!" A voice called.

I looked over to see a very tall, dark haired boy waving us over. Charlie sat by him and smiled at me when he noticed I was there.

"Dolls! You decided to come!" Charlie said as we sat down at the table.

I felt nervous all over again, though, as I was seated. They were all watching me. I tried to ignore them by fidgeting with my napkin.

"Guys, this is my kid sister, Rachael." Charlie said.

I cringed at the title 'kid sister', but they didn't seem to notice it.

"Rachael this is Pitts," Charlie said introducing the tall, dark boy that had motioned to us as we had entered, "It his last name, but that's just what we call him."

"I'm Steven Meeks," Said the blonde boy next to Pitts, glasses perched on the end of his nose, He had a sweet smile.

"Knox Overstreet," introduced the next boy, with hazel eyes and a funny grin that made me beam back.

"Over there is Cameron," Continued Neil pointing to a boy with vibrant red hair at the other end of the table who waved a greeting.

"And this is Todd Anderson," Neil said leaning back so I could meet to silent brunette next to him. He grinned quietly, so quickly that it you almost missed it.

"And that's about it, oh and you've already met Neil." Said Charlie leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, the one who actually remembered me at the train depot this afternoon." I quipped to my older brother, with a sideways grin to Perry.

"When are you going to get off that horse Dolls?" Charlie inquired dipping his bread into his stew.

I smiled and arched an eyebrow

"Why are you visiting Wellton?" Meeks asked, resting an elbow on the table.

"Well, our father is in Europe at the moment, so I couldn't go home for the holidays, and I didn't want to stay at Traster-Collins, so I decided to come here for the two weeks." I replied, feeling a little bit more comfortable.

"You mean, you guys at T.C are already out for vacation?" Knox said in surprise.

I nodded as I trailed my spoon around my bowl. I had always felt awkward eating in public and around boys the feeling was magnified.

Thinking about this made me realize that I still had my coat on, half buttoned. Taking it off, I glanced up at the teacher's table. They were all old, and bald, and dressed in cardigans and ties. All except for one. He was younger, which surprised me. There were rarely young teachers at schools like these.

"Who's that teacher up there?" I asked, "The one on the far left?"

"Oh him?" Pitts said turning around and looking, "That's the captain."

The boys chuckled at that as I sat sort of confused and feeling very much like an outsider.

"Mr. Keating," Neil said, brushing his hands of bread crumbs, "He's the new English teacher. A little eccentric, but excellent."

"Carpe Diem." Muttered Charlie, "Hey, Dolls, is that the sweater grandma gave you?"

"Seize the day?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"It was a lesson the captain taught us." Replied Cameron down the table.

"Why do you call him the captain?"

"Jeez, you're full of questions tonight." Charlie commented.

"It was something he told us at the beginning of the year. Do you know the poem 'Oh Captain, My Captain' by Walt Whitman?" Neil said.

I nodded.

"Well that's where he got it from. He's a pretty funny guy." He continued, "You should meet him, you know."

"Yah, two loonies together, can't go wrong." Charlie mumbled carelessly.

"Are you having enough fun over there?" I sneered. Charlie smirked back annoyingly.

"Are you two always this bad at home?" Meeks asked with a grin.

"When we are home," Charlie replied, "At the same time."

"How far apart are you two? In years I mean," inquired Cameron.

"He's 18, I'm 15,"

A bell then rang, signifying the end of dinner. I hadn't managed to consume much, but I wasn't bothered. I stood and gathered my coat in my arms, the others standing as well.

"Well, its getting late and I guess I might want to make a run across the courtyard before it starts to rain again." I said.

"Late? Its 6:30." Charlie said with a tilt in his voice that irked me once again.

"Do you want to meet Mr. Keating?" Neil asked, "I can introduce you, if you want. Or maybe you would rather Charlie did,"

Deep down, I wanted Neil to, but I had been ignoring Charlie all night so I felt as though it was his job to show me around. I shrugged, "Either ways fine with me."

"Go ahead, Perry," Charlie said, "Cameron was going to help me out with something in Latin anyway,"

"Alright," Neil replied, "Come on then, he's just right up here."

I followed his tall figure up to the dais where the teachers were just dispersing.

"Mr. Keating," called Neil, but the man seemed to ignore him deliberately, "Captain,"

At that he looked up with a grin, his blue eyes smiling along with his mouth.

"Yes, Mr. Perry?"

"Captain, this is Charlie's sister, Rachael." He said pushing me forward, his hand lingering on my arm, "Don't worry, she's nothing like her brother."

"Well, that's too bad; I'm rather fond of your loudmouth brother." Keating said taking my hand in a strong shake.

I smiled back, "Me too, sometimes."

"What school do you go to, Miss Dalton? And what brings you here?" He inquired.

I replied as I had all the other times. He didn't seem like too much of an oddball, maybe it was just my brother's cynical opinions that had given me the impression I first got.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Rachael, and I hope to see more of you later on."

"Same here, Mr. Keating." I said, and meant it.

As Neil and I walked out of the hall, I studied the paintings on the walls, like how Neil would examine faces. They were of boys in the Wellton uniform, all stony, pious and serious. It made me depressed to see them like that. I could never blow out the spark of Charlie's joy and banish his smile forever, Neil as well. I was beginning to like his smile a lot. I shook the thoughts from my mind and saw that four of them were holding banners declaring 'honor', 'tradition', 'discipline', and 'excellence'.

"You like art?" Neil asked, standing next to me.

"Yes," I replied, "But not this kind."

I began to walk toward the door, pulling my coat on and buttoning it up. I was feeling very stifled all of the sudden, in that ancient hall.

"Well, thank you for escorting me in back there," I said with a grin.

"I'll walk you back to the guest house," Neil said opening the door for me, "And you're welcome."

The air outside was frigid and trembling with mist. The shapes in the fog reminded me of lovers, hands pressed against each other as if in fervent want and need, passion in their feathery white figures. Why was I thinking like this tonight? The quick walk was dusted with quiet and peace. The dark and dankness of the air seemed to make neither of us in the mood for discussion.

He stopped at the guest house door and turned to me, "I hope you enjoyed dinner, Rachael." He said, his lips parting in the smile I was growing so fond of.

"I did very much so, thanks." I said holding out my hand for a shake. He, in turn, gave it an abrupt jerk.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" He asked, and I prayed to God I didn't just imagine a tilt of hope in his voice.

"Sure, do you have a library around here?" I asked.

"Yes we do, would you like me to show you?"

"Why not, if you don't mind."

"Nah, not at all," he said with a grin, and started backing up, "Tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow." I concluded.

And with a final nod, he turned and ran back to the dormitory, leaving me to my thoughts and the mist.