Thank you guys so, so, so much for the reviews. It's awesome to wake up in the morning and read them. Makes me want to continue on the story immediately :)

Chapter 9

"And this," said Cindra, pointing towards the building in front of them, "Is the The School."

"The School? It doesn't have a name?" Isabel asked, disbelief audible in her voice.

"It doesn't need a name. It's the greatest school in the universe."

Isabel stared at the building and had to admit that it indeed looked great. She was sure to have seen the kind of architecture before, it definitely seemed earthly, although the surroundings really weren't. The planet's climate was a bit cooler than that of earth, but not cold. The surface, though covered in a grass-like substance, had a rusty colour to it. There were no trees or even bushes. Just grass, looking like iron that had been left out in the rain for too long.

"For our school we built a replica of Hampton Court Palace, with a few modifications of course," Cindra explained.

So that was why it had seemed familiar to Isabel. She remembered visiting that place with Jenny years ago.

"Seems an odd choice," Isabel remarked, "Amongst all the buildings in the universe you could have copied."

"Well, it fits our needs for a school. And most of the students are not from earth, so it does have an alien look to it for most of them. Also the colour pattern fits."

Cindra led Isabel inside, through endless corridors made of red stone. She was feeling like she had just entered a magical place.

"What do you teach people here?" Isabel found herself asking. She hadn't really been keen on seeing this place, being sure she wouldn't want to go. But now that she was here, it did have a certain charm to it.

"All sorts of things, depending on the talent of the individual, "Cindra told her, "Since you belong to the psychic category, you would be taught how to control and use your powers thoroughly, practice them, maybe even discover hidden talents you never knew you had. We have several teachers who are experts in this specific field. Also you would undergo a basic training in self defence and the operation of different space crafts currently at our disposal."

Isabel caught Cindra looking at her, as if expecting to make her decision right away. But she was not ready yet. She had to admit that it all sounded amazing and very tempting, but a part of her was still looking for a catch.

"I want to see the classes," Isabel demanded.

Cindra smiled. "As you wish. Right here behind this door is where we teach young women and men of your own age different techniques of self defence. Does that interest you?"

Isabel nodded and was lead into a room that didn't fit at all into the renaissance exterior. The room looked like a futuristic gym, equipped with everything even remotely related to sports. They hadn't stopped at weapons, although they seemed to have everything of that, too, but she could also make out basketball hoops and goals probably meant for soccer and hockey.

The students, a group of maybe a dozen teenagers, some of them indeed alien looking, were practising what looked like kung fu or another Asian martial art. And Isabel had to admit that they were all pretty good at it. She would probably get a good beating at first should she decided to join this school. An older woman, who was likely to be the teacher, spotted them both and made an approach.

"New student?" she asked Cindra. Her tone of voice was matter-of-factly, but Isabel could make out a hint of curiosity in it as well.

"Considering," Isabel answered in Cindra's place.

"What's your power?" the gym teacher asked.

"Psychic, although it doesn't quite seem to be working here," she admitted.

Cindra laughed. "That's because every teacher has to absolve a psychic training. It is absolutely necessary when dealing with children like you. Not all of them use their powers on their wards simply to skip school."
Isabel wondered what that could mean, but Cindra went on explaining.

"We are often the last hope of a troubled kid or teenager, young people who have been in real trouble and have nowhere else to go. We pick them up from the streets, some even from jail. It's not always easy, but we're trying to bring structure back into their lives."
"I see," Isabel answered.

"Have you shown her the sleeping quarters already?" the gym teacher said.

"We are on our way to them," Cindra explained and led Isabel out of the gym and back into the corridor.

As they walked to the dorms, another question came to her mind.

"What do people do when they've finished their. . . education?" she wanted to know.

"Oh, all sorts of things. Some of the stay and become teachers, others stay here to live, but work elsewhere. Most are hired all over the universe for specific tasks according to their talents. Let's say a bank gets robbed and the people in charge are making sure it never happens again, they would definitely hire someone like you, to read people in order to catch the next one before he does any harm. There are so many possibilities our there for you, Isabel, you can't even imagine."

The dormitories were located in the east wing of the building, separated into gender and age. Isabel had the change to take a peek into several cosy two to 4-bed-rooms, all of which looked rather nice.

"I don't need an answer right away," Cindra said earnestly, "We don't want to push you. We want you in this school, but it should be your own decision."

"How long do I have?" she asked.

"Technically, you can take as much time as you like, but as you can see, the school is rather quiet at the moment. Many students are on holiday right now. A few, those who are still on good terms with their families, are visiting them. Some skilled students are already taking on assignments which they fulfil during the holidays. And some just roam the galaxy for new experiences. The new term starts in four weeks. If you want to begin your training together with other new arrivals, you should make up your mind by then."

Isabel nodded.

"And then, there's the question of the entrance fee," Cindra continued.

"What entrance fee?" Isabel was suspicious. Was that the catch she had been waiting for?

"Not now, my dear. You should be 100% sure about joining us before we go into details."

OOO

Clara had been waiting for almost half an hour when Isabel finally emerged from the school building.

"Hey, where have you been?" Clara asked, worried, "I thought I saw you outside 30 minutes ago."

"I'm sorry. I'd forgotten a book and needed to find the teacher to unlock the room for me. What are you doing here?"

"I thought we should treat ourselves to a good lunch and maybe go shopping afterwards. What do you think about some new clothes?" Clara asked joyfully.

"Okay," was Isabel's only reply.