get in touch with my mom. She might be our best way back to the Dark Academy.”
“I think we may find some value in this place as well. I can almost guarantee everyone here isn’t all bubblegum and rainbows,” Mark said.
My tablet vibrated in my hands and a video of President Foster appeared on the screen.
“It’s time for lunch. Please report within the next ten minutes for your nutrition. Remember, good feelings create good stones. And to the new students, uniforms are mandatory. Thank you.”
An arrow appeared on the screen overlaying a map with a dotted line leading to a room labeled Sky Lounge.
“Good, I’m freaking hungry anyways. If they have pizza, I’m going to die,” Jackie said, and flung off her shirt.
Mark turned his back and walked to the door. I left with him, glancing back to Jackie as she pulled off her pants and picked a pair from the drawer.
“I’ll take six, you get five,” Mark said when we got into the hallway.
“Okay.” I stood in front of door five and held my hand over the screen.
The door opened and I rushed into a room identical to Jackie’s. Even the vacuum cleaner lines looked the same. I went to the dresser and changed, putting on the soft cotton fiber pants and shirt. In less than a minute, I got back to the hallway with Jackie.
She pulled at her shirt and adjusted her pants. “They have nice underwear here, at least. Those freaking red undies were starting to wear on me.”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t changed my underwear and now I thought better of it. It seemed like it’d been a while since I had a new pair.
Mark came out of his room wearing the same outfit we were in. He smiled and pulled on the white shirt, which was probably a size too small, but he looked good in it. I pried my eyes away from the small section of skin showing around his abs when he lifted his arms up.
“You guys ready?”
“Oh, my tablet thing.” I ran into my room, grabbed it from the dresser and headed back. “We only have a minute, but I want to tell you when we go down there, keep an eye out for what’s really going on. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Really, this is just like I thought it would be.” Mark looked at the elevator.
“I’m with Allie on this one,” Jackie said. “People here are unnerving. I don’t ever want a slow clap again.”
My tablet dinged and the arrow flashed. “Listen, we’re going to this cafeteria and scouting out anyone who might be able to help us.”
Down the elevator and past the empty rec room, we followed the path across the common area of the Academy. I kept checking the arrow on my screen. Not that I needed it. A flow of people was headed into a building near the far end of the commons. We went across the white stone bridge and over the stark blue water running underneath it.
A few people glanced our way with waves or greetings. With sunlight gleaming through the glass ceiling, the whole feeling of the place was the stark opposite of the other academy. And that should be a good thing, but I felt more nervous about walking with smiles and nods being sent my way versus sneers and taunts. At least I knew the Blues hated me. Here, I wasn’t sure who anyone was.
We reached the back of the line and waited as people funneled through the open double doors. I listened to the conversations around me. Mostly gossip stuff, like who was dating who and Did you see her with him? kind of stuff. I wanted more meat and potatoes talk. I pushed through a few people and got into another section, hoping for different words.
Then I saw her: the girl with the long black braid. She glanced back at me, and her eyes narrowed before she returned to her little group of people. She was the only one I felt hadn’t given a genuine greeting to me after the orientation. I squinted and walked closer. She was with the same group who’d been under the tree earlier.
Mark and Jackie flanked me, holding their tongues and looking around for what I had zeroed in on. We
“I think we may find some value in this place as well. I can almost guarantee everyone here isn’t all bubblegum and rainbows,” Mark said.
My tablet vibrated in my hands and a video of President Foster appeared on the screen.
“It’s time for lunch. Please report within the next ten minutes for your nutrition. Remember, good feelings create good stones. And to the new students, uniforms are mandatory. Thank you.”
An arrow appeared on the screen overlaying a map with a dotted line leading to a room labeled Sky Lounge.
“Good, I’m freaking hungry anyways. If they have pizza, I’m going to die,” Jackie said, and flung off her shirt.
Mark turned his back and walked to the door. I left with him, glancing back to Jackie as she pulled off her pants and picked a pair from the drawer.
“I’ll take six, you get five,” Mark said when we got into the hallway.
“Okay.” I stood in front of door five and held my hand over the screen.
The door opened and I rushed into a room identical to Jackie’s. Even the vacuum cleaner lines looked the same. I went to the dresser and changed, putting on the soft cotton fiber pants and shirt. In less than a minute, I got back to the hallway with Jackie.
She pulled at her shirt and adjusted her pants. “They have nice underwear here, at least. Those freaking red undies were starting to wear on me.”
“Yeah.” I hadn’t changed my underwear and now I thought better of it. It seemed like it’d been a while since I had a new pair.
Mark came out of his room wearing the same outfit we were in. He smiled and pulled on the white shirt, which was probably a size too small, but he looked good in it. I pried my eyes away from the small section of skin showing around his abs when he lifted his arms up.
“You guys ready?”
“Oh, my tablet thing.” I ran into my room, grabbed it from the dresser and headed back. “We only have a minute, but I want to tell you when we go down there, keep an eye out for what’s really going on. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Really, this is just like I thought it would be.” Mark looked at the elevator.
“I’m with Allie on this one,” Jackie said. “People here are unnerving. I don’t ever want a slow clap again.”
My tablet dinged and the arrow flashed. “Listen, we’re going to this cafeteria and scouting out anyone who might be able to help us.”
Down the elevator and past the empty rec room, we followed the path across the common area of the Academy. I kept checking the arrow on my screen. Not that I needed it. A flow of people was headed into a building near the far end of the commons. We went across the white stone bridge and over the stark blue water running underneath it.
A few people glanced our way with waves or greetings. With sunlight gleaming through the glass ceiling, the whole feeling of the place was the stark opposite of the other academy. And that should be a good thing, but I felt more nervous about walking with smiles and nods being sent my way versus sneers and taunts. At least I knew the Blues hated me. Here, I wasn’t sure who anyone was.
We reached the back of the line and waited as people funneled through the open double doors. I listened to the conversations around me. Mostly gossip stuff, like who was dating who and Did you see her with him? kind of stuff. I wanted more meat and potatoes talk. I pushed through a few people and got into another section, hoping for different words.
Then I saw her: the girl with the long black braid. She glanced back at me, and her eyes narrowed before she returned to her little group of people. She was the only one I felt hadn’t given a genuine greeting to me after the orientation. I squinted and walked closer. She was with the same group who’d been under the tree earlier.
Mark and Jackie flanked me, holding their tongues and looking around for what I had zeroed in on. We
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