*

White Winter Prep was an overwhelmingly large school. Potentially over twenty acres vast, very little s.p.a.ce was wasted. There were many academic buildings, at least three fields, and three courts that doubled as tennis courts in between. Connecting buildings and grounds were beautiful courtyards, the pathway made of bricks with fountains students could sit before. Trees were strategically placed to enable students to hide from the sun, and bushes sprouted flowers of all colours.

There was something very modern and futuristic about the whole prep school. Every cla.s.sroom had more advanced computers, newer equipment, more clubs and more s.p.a.ce than my old school, probably most schools. As I strolled into the grounds with my bikes, I could see personality within the first few steps. Students of older and younger ages, some playing with robots on the gra.s.s, reading under trees, playing music and even chess games. I saw the more child-like side of the school, with girls playing elastics and skipping ropes, even the craft of flower crowns and chains.

The attire of students also gave personality. The strict uniform code at White Winter Prep didn't stop girls from accessorising their bags and hair, boys riding into the school on skateboards or even bikes like myself, I was nearly knocked over by a girl on roller-skates.

The school was a very lively place.

I had taken a stop at the administration's office and had my subjects and timetable. The school wasn't to start for another half hour, but an announcement came over the loudspeakers that an a.s.sembly will form in fifteen minutes. Students moved about at this announcement, some of them heading to where they needed to be, while others just ignored it for the moment or hid in the bathrooms.

I sat down under a tree and looked around, "Wow…" That statement was all I could muster, and I was unable to express any other form of amazement; it all felt so surreal.

I wasn't in the mood for being outgoing or talkative, so I sat alone and just watched the other students. Eventually, I saw the twins walk through the gates. Still couldn't tell them apart if my life depended on it, but unlike at home, they had a very different vibe about them. Their usually straight posture curved over, one almost huddled when they walked, and their eyes reflected that of an odd sense of fear. As to which twin that was I couldn't be sure.

They stood next to one another so jointly they held hands, the other arms dedicated to carrying books. It was strange seeing the two of them look like this. Maybe it was the start of the year jitters.

The twins seemed to lead the charge, after them the girls from my dorm trickled in, sometimes on their own, other times in pairs. Estelle came in with an entourage of sorts, not too friendly looking, while Robyn and May walked in together, whatever this morning was about seemed to be over, at least to some degree. Both their arms folded, but they did walk side by side.

Eventually, the bell rang, and I hadn't seen any signs of Bonnie or Mia. I wondered if they perhaps got here earlier.

I didn't know exactly where to place my bike, so I wandered around for a while, students who lingered were still about, so I had a moment to find somewhere to put it. There weren't any designated bike racks or anything of the sorts, but I noticed many bikes out by a shed towards the edge of the school.

I approached the shed and leaned my bike against the wall, using my bike lock on a gutter pipe. There were many different types of bikes here, but mine appeared to be the only mountain bike, and even then they weren't as expensive as mine. It took me forever to get it when I was with my Dad.

I locked my bike and was about to leave, but I got curious as to what was in the shed, perhaps gardening equipment, or maybe it was maintenance shed. It wasn't a big building, but it wasn't exactly small. I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't open. It was then I noticed there were thick chains wrapped around the handles with a padlock on it. It seemed like no one was allowed in.

I tugged on the lock to see if it was together, it was. The chains and lock seemed new.

Slightly disappointed, I left the lock and the chain to go to the a.s.sembly.

*

The meeting was merely to introduce new teachers, greet new students and to give a speech about working hard and prospects, but to, more importantly, have fun. Despite the final statement of the address being 'have fun' everything about the princ.i.p.al's words were somewhat intimidating.

But this was a very prestigious school, so I expected their expectations to be quite high.

The start of the year or terms were always the most tedious few days of school life. In one day I have eight forty minute cla.s.ses, the first two I went to were introductions to the max, telling all the students what the course was about, what they expect and the potential workload. I understood why they exist, but it was just tedious and annoying when every single cla.s.s does this.

The hallways that attached cla.s.srooms, whether they be in the same building or not, had walls dedicated to windows. On the third floor of one of the buildings, I could see all the way to the town. I leaned on the railing before the window to stare at the scenery. While the sun was blinding, I could see almost every detail of the town. I could look at the windmills still turning at Windmill Lake, ant-sized cars driving in and out of the small city and the distant trees swaying in the wind.

For most of the day, I wandered, no matter how many maps were around the school. I took out my timetable to try and attempt understanding where I was going when someone called my name. "Landon?"

I turned to see one of the twins, the other out of sight. As they approached, I tried to guess the name, "Amia…?"

She gave me a thumbs up, "Ding, ding, ding, ding! And your grand prize it!" She made a drum roll on her legs, "Nothing."

I smirked at her sudden enthusiasm, "Nice to know you're feeling better," I commented.

She tilted her head at me, "Pardon?"

"You and Amada seemed a little tense this morning," I explained.

She seemed to understand and nodded. "Amada was, yeah. A little nerve racking, I guess. Amada gets stressed out easily, believe it or not; it rubs off on me sometimes," she explained.

I nodded, understanding the nerves that come with a new school year. But I never pegged them to be easily frightened.

"What cla.s.s you got?" Amia asked leaning forwards to look at my timetable.

"Umm… mathematics" was my reply.

She stood next to me to look at where I was going and said she was heading the same way and would walk with me. I appreciated the company, mainly because I hadn't managed to find that part of the school yet.

Amia was undoubtedly chatty on our way to cla.s.s, mainly talking about her fascination with the school. She stopped now and then to say hi to some people, becoming quite the social b.u.t.terfly out of nowhere.

We went down to the ground floor and stopped in a cla.s.sroom building across from the one we were just in. I had yet to say a full sentence while Amia was just an endless river of babbles. But there was something almost cute about it.

"Where are you?" I asked looking around, we weren't in the same year I didn't think, so I imagined she would've been somewhere else.

She pointed further down the hallway. "I'm down and across," she informed, "I have Geography right now with Amada. Do you have anybody in your cla.s.ses?"

Come to think of it; I didn't. I hadn't seen anybody from the dorm in any of my cla.s.ses. From what May told me last night, herself, Robyn and Estelle were in my year, while Bonnie, the twins and Mia were in the year below us, and Alexis was a year ahead of us. Nevertheless, I had expected to see them around at least.

I shook my head, "Nah, I'm all by my lonesome," I confessed.

Amia folded her arms and smiled, but before she could comment there was a sudden, loud yell. All the students in the hallways looked in both concern and confusion, Amia and I included. Murmuring followed when the yelling stopped, but soon Amada was seen bolting around the corner, nearly cras.h.i.+ng into some lockers lined up on the wall, and ran straight for us.

He was panting as he came to a stop in front of his sister and myself. Amia attempted to ask what was wrong as she started going red from the other staring students around them. Her brother didn't offer an explanation for his running, just looked over his shoulder and forced his laboured breathing to cease.

He grabbed his sister by the shoulders and said, "Take revenge on me later."

Amia didn't seem to understand, which was good because even I didn't understand, and jumped when he quite vividly kneed his sister in the gut, forcing her to heave forwards and aid her stomach, this forced her to take deep breaths. As she gasped, I attempted to help her, but Amada switched places with her.

She was panting through her nose now as she tried to straighten herself, her words were a choked rasp, "What the h.e.l.l, Amada…?"

An explanation was quick to reveal itself as another girl came racing down the hallway. She was an amazon of a woman, while she wore the girl's uniform I could see she was a tall, well-built woman with muscles and quick legs that sprinted her. If she was chasing Amada, I'm impressed that he didn't get caught.

She stopped at the corner Amada just ran around and looked down to us. Her eyes locked on Amia, who was bending over panting and ran over to her. All the kids gasped and jumped back when she approached and grabbed Amia to throw her against the lockers. A fist-full of Amia's blouse in her hand. She looked like a stunned mouse in the claws of a cat, her chest now heaving from the immediate threat. I nearly stepped in to get the girl off Amia, but her actions halted me. "Gotcha this time, you crossdresser!"

With that she ripped the b.u.t.tons on Amia's blouse to reveal what was underneath; her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s encased a white bra. I froze at the sight of this while everybody else gasped, yelped or chuckled.

Amia's expression went from stunned to blushful to amused. The Amazon seemed shocked by this as she put Amia down. Amia chuckled, "You know there are easier ways to say you like me," she smoothly said. Some people whistled as Amia tilted her head to the girl, "What's the matter, Ashley? Were you expecting something else? Something bigger perhaps?" Amia was teasing this Ashley girl, and people around us chuckled, and murmurers filled the hallways.

Ashley was stunned, trying to talk but barely managed more than a handful of syllables. "How did… When did- but I swear I!" She looked to Amada standing next to me, and her speech stopped altogether and a glare formed. "You!" her hands curled into fists, and for a moment she looked ready to approach.

I tugged Amada behind me and stood between them; she was only centimetres shorter than me. Before she could attempt to push past me, Amia spoke again, "What? You think my twin is gonna have anything better?" Amia asked sliding in front of Ashley, "Now while I'm all for excitement, Ash, you've broken my s.h.i.+rt. Now I won't tell the teacher or the princ.i.p.al about this if you give me your jacket," Amia informed.

Her words were chillingly calm, her arms on her hips, her eyes an accused but rightly directed glare.

There were people all around still mumbling, looking in on the four of us oddly, some even with fright. Ashley caved in and opened her backpack to pull out her school jumper. Amia took it and slipped it over her head, it was too big for her, but she seemed to wear the jumper like a badge.

Ashley sighed through her nose, her eyes maintaining the glare as she dragged her feet down the hallway, people looking at her as she walked, and then everybody looking back to Amia.

Amia's façade of confidence crumbled as she hunched over and her breath trembled from her lips. Her arms shook for a second as she took some deep breaths, rubbing her stomach and patting her head she slowly turned towards Amada and myself. She slipped off her bag and sighed as she opened her eyes.

"Amada?" she said.

Amada grabbed my shoulder and held me closer as a s.h.i.+eld. "Yes, Am?"

She smiled and folded her arms, "Run."

I felt Amada's grip tighten.

"Run so far, for so long..."

She charged at us, we both yelped and jumped back, despite my frantic attempts to keep her at bay she got past me and pinned Amada to the ground. "What the h.e.l.l was that?!" she snapped at him, she was sitting on his back. Other students seemed to look at this with a little less oddity, some even going into their cla.s.srooms.

Amada kept trying to get up, so Amia leaned back, so she was lying again to back with her brother. "It was PE cla.s.s, and Ashley attempted to corner me," Amada mumbled, "We were running, my sport's s.h.i.+rt stuck to me, she figured out it was me. She chased me from the PE fields, what the h.e.l.l was I supposed to do?" he hissed to her.

Amia still refused to get off of him. "I get to pick a revenge scheme when we get home, agreed?" she asked.

Amada remained silent.

I stared at the twins oddly. A moment pa.s.sed, they seemed to have an internal argument between each other. The warning bell went off signalling students needed to go into their cla.s.srooms; however, the twins ignored this fact, or at least Amia ignored it. I couldn't leave in fear that Amia may break her brother, so I leaned against the lockers waiting for them to get over their argument.

"Fine…" said Amada, he didn't sound happy about whatever agreement they made.

Amia smiled as she rolled off him and stood up. She held a hand out to him and pulled him to his feet.

"What just happened?" I asked.

Amia smiled as she walked away without explanation.

"Remind me to get a first aid kit when I get home," Amada informed as he trudged behind Amia.

That out of context statement sent s.h.i.+vers all over my body as I too walked into my cla.s.sroom.

*

The school day had ended. While it felt rather long due to all the introductions, it was a decent day; I enjoyed myself.

The school offered many different types of clubs, and many of them continued after school hours. Standing in one of the courtyards I could see almost all sports areas occupied. The fields had soccer teams, football teams and runners doing laps. Courts had basketball players, netball players, people set up table tennis tables, and there were people playing handball. When I walked past cla.s.srooms, I saw evidence of other clubs such as robotics or various study groups. As I made my way to the shed to collect my bike, I saw groups sitting in the gra.s.s, under trees, some collecting bugs and even some taking photos and drawing things.

Even during the after school hours it was lively.

I stuck around for an hour and a bit to explore and see all these clubs. The soccer team seemed like an active group, once kicking a soccer ball over to me, for a second time, because I managed to kick it across the field in one motion. As for exploring there wasn't much else. The other dorm girls, from what I didn't see, had gone home. I b.u.mped into Robyn and May, still seemed to be shunning each other but told me they were heading back. I a.s.sumed the twins and Estelle found their way home, meanwhile, I still had yet to see Bonnie or Mia.

Eventually, while a pleasant environment, I too wanted to head home for the day.

The area around the shed, however, was bare of most life. Birds squawked, and ants marched along the ground, but there wasn't any sign of people. My bike was the remaining bike at the shed, all the other bikes parked here were all gone.

I kneeled down to my bike and started inputting my lock code. Without fail whenever I went to a public place or a place with other people my bike lock's numbers were always out of whack without my aid. I managed to fit the numbers in and release my bike from the pipe on the shed. I pulled the bike upright and was about to hop on it to ride it through the school to home when something creaked.

The movement of my bike on the shed wall made the open doors creak. It was then I could identify a sound; it was a faint ringing.

The scene of the unlocked shed door was enough to spike my interest as I approached it and pushed it open. It was what I suspected it to be; some gardening shed. But there were others things within it, a single light source hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the room very little, the window providing more light than the bulb itself. There was a section of the room that appeared very dusty, while other shelves seemed more used.

The dusty shelves had old flower pots and gardening equipment such as clippers and watering cans. Spider webs coated shovels, and rakes were sitting in the corner were withering away with time. There was a wooden table in the centre of the dusty half of the room, evidence of woodwork on it; an unfinished birdhouse, a rusty, red toolbox and a vice screwed into the table. There were other pieces of equipment about, but their names were beyond me. My attention went to the less dusty areas, shelves decorated with paint pots, bowls and unique statuettes.

I took bold steps into the room, quiet ones so as not to disturb what dirt was on the ground, and placed my bag gently by the door. I looked to the cleaner side of the room in more detail, paintbrushes, carving knives, moulders and unique metal tools scattered on shelves alongside strange figurines I a.s.sumed to be handmade, and stuffed toys with irregularly sized limbs. There was a second table on this side of the room, this one more colourful and creative than the other. Dried paint of all colours and half-empty pots of colours sat on them, bits of paper scrunched into b.a.l.l.s resting on the surface or the floor while others pinned to the walls and the ceiling.

"An art room…?" I mumbled.

As I spoke, I noticed more artistic creations throughout the room. I saw a large object obscured by a blanket, shelves of pottery both good and oddly shaped, a sewing machine, and other fabric on the ground, and large canvases hidden behind the shelves of art supplies.

I was too busy staring in awe to realise someone may have been in this shed, so when I walked further in I forgot the facts around me. I approached the object in the corner covered by a blanket and pulled it off; it was a giant sculpture of someone, but there were no other physicalities in sculpture's physique. There were no muscles. The arms morphed into their legs while their legs morphed into their torso. While I saw a person, at the same time I didn't.

"That's to show how people are becoming too common," someone said. Their sudden voice startled me, "Everyone looks the same, and soon there may be no variety or things that make us different."

I couldn't find the person; I felt blind.

"My art teachers saw it as more of a statement on politics and government trying to force us not to be different," they informed. It belonged to a girl. "Meanwhile, other students just saw it as a pointless blob, the more artistic thinking it had something to do with technological ident.i.ty."

The girl revealed herself when she sat down at the table, hidden from my sight due to the dim light. She had an Irish look, scarlet hair, pale skin and strong but feminine qualities. She dressed in the school uniform, but instead of a tie had a thick red ribbon tied around her neck. Her hands searched for something on the table, knocking over anything in her way, and picked up a pencil.

Her pencil tip glided across the page in a smooth motion, confident and deliberate with each stroke she made. But her eyes never focused on the page, instead stared at the opposite wall as if it were a distant scenery.

She didn't say another word to me, and I felt myself in too much of an awkward situation to say anything back to her. I grabbed the blanket I had pulled off and attempted to throw it back on the sculpture, but it proved somewhat difficult.

When I had managed to, I looked back to the girl. "Umm… I'm sorry for taking the blanket off your sculpture thing," I informed.

She didn't say anything, just kept drawing, pausing for brief amounts of time before continuing.

"Am I disturbing you or anything?" I asked.

The girl didn't answer me again, but her pen halted where it was on the paper. I took this moment to look down on it; if it was a blank paper when she started, she was a quick sketcher. I saw an image of a skysc.r.a.per, a rough outline, but an obvious one.

She brushed some of her red hair from her face and continued drawing. The ringing continued and started to make me twitch with annoyance. I looked around for it, trying to find where it was coming from; the culprit was the girl herself. Looking at her feet I saw many golden bells tied to her shoes, and she was shaking her feet to make them ring rhythmically.

I had seen those bells before; it was the same style as the one May had given me. Why did this girl have the same bells as the others? Was she a girl at the dorm? If so which one? I thought I had met them all by now.

Well, all but one… I mused.

"Are you by any chance Alexis?" I asked.

The ringing ceased, but still echoed in the air. "Unfortunately," Alexis replied, with that, she started swaying.

"Why, unfortunately?" I asked.

"Ever tried being an Alexis? Especially of my type? It's quite difficult," she informed. Quite suddenly and violently, she grabbed the page with her hand and scrunched it up, tossing it to the ground with the others. "And at times frustrating." She got to her feet, a hand stretched out as she held the corner of a bookcase behind her. When she walked she kicked the paper b.a.l.l.s, her feet hardly reacting to them. "And who might you be then?"

I introduced myself as Landon and the dorm guard for her dormitory. She didn't seem too impressed with the information, hardly even acknowledging it.

She sat down on a stool before a canvas, an image started but not quite finished, or at least I thought so. It was a black background with almost dreamlike splotches of colours, very deliberate and nearly made a physical image, like people walking in the street, but they too had no detail, no features, just figures.

She grabbed a paintbrush and ran her fingers across the small pots of paint she had at arm's length. The paint brush's hairs didn't touch a single jar of color, but it was very close. Eventually, she stopped at one paint and dunked the brush. Her other hand remained planted on the canvas. Her fingers ran over what was already there before her paintbrush slowly came to the painting surface.

I found something almost comforting about the painting in progress and sat down.

But the moment I sat down, she stopped. The paint brush was less than an inch from the black surface as if she was waiting.

I took this as her polite way of asking me to leave. I nodded as I stood up and went to leave, but she spoke. "If you've got food you can stay," she informed.

"Pardon?" I turned to her. She didn't face me but repeated the request.

I started going through my bag, pus.h.i.+ng some things aside and taking books out to reach what food I had. I didn't bring a lunchbox or anything, but I had money and bought a plain ham and cheese sandwich. "Is this okay?" I asked holding it out to show her.

She swivelled in her seat, but she didn't look at me, she started off across the room. "What is it?" she asked. Before I could answer, she reached down to her bell and rang it as she stood up. She walked towards me as she continued ringing the bell, her now free hand touching the table or pus.h.i.+ng against the chairs that were in her way.

"It's just ham and cheese…" I explained absently. I took a step to the side when she approached to check something, and she stopped.

"This is already hard enough to do without you moving," she informed putting her hands on her hips.

She was blind.

Her eyes were a pale blue, clouded completely.

I apologised and pressed the sandwich against her free hand. She squeezed it to check it was a sandwich and walked over to a table to unwrap it. I looked on from behind as she started munching it quickly, obviously hungry.

I guessed she was so engulfed in her work she either didn't bring food or forgot she needed to eat. Whichever it may have been, the half sandwich disappeared within a minute, and she expressed her grat.i.tude by holding out a hand. "Come closer," she informed.

I obeyed, somewhat cautious as to what she was going to do. She rang the bell and turned to face me, our noses almost touched, but I was the only one to react by jumping back. "Thanks, I was starving," she informed as she reached her hand out. I moved back, her hand missing my face. She rung the bell again and came closer, this time managing to reach me. Her movement was very deliberate, and when she managed to catch my face on the first go, I questioned whether she was blind or not.

Her other hand came up and touched my face as well, her touch was delicate and almost ticklish, making me smile.

She smiled when she felt my cheeks perk up. "You feel like you have a nice smile," she informed.

I nodded as I grabbed her hands and pulled them from my face, "Thanks…?" She took my tone into account and stood back.

"My apologies," she informed, "But seeing you can only show me so much."

"Forgive me but, aren't you blind?" I asked.

She shrugged as she tapped her feet on the ground before moving. "I have something called Synaesthesia," she explained, "Essentially I can see with sound. I don't like canes in domestic environments; it makes me feel vulnerable. So I taught myself how to see." She sat down on the stool again, "Obviously I'm still blind, but I don't need help this way."

I was impressed by the information. "That's interesting," I informed. A tad bizarre, but it was amazing to ponder.

She started her painting again, "If you're planning on staying I'd appreciate it if you didn't make too much noise. Your colour is very distracting, Landon," she explained.

I nodded, "Umm… okay."

The silence got to me after a while, and I attempted speaking, "Were you born blind?" I asked.

She stopped mid-stroke. "When I was four I lost my eyesight," she explained, "It wasn't a natural occurrence, and that's all I want to say about that." Her words were calm, but that sentence was almost a snap.

I respected that and chose to stay silent, taking out some of my books I did some homework. n.o.body else came into the shed, so this wasn't a club, or at least if it was there wasn't anybody else in it.

An hour pa.s.sed, and I knew I needed to head back to the dorm, but I didn't want to leave Alexis here by herself, even if she does this as often as her workplace shows. I packed my bag and stood up, "I'm going to head back to the dorm."

She didn't respond to me, hardly even acknowledging I said anything. As the dorm guard, I was going to insist she come back to the dorm with me, but I decided against it. She had done this many times before obviously, so I a.s.sumed I could leave and see her when, or if, she gets home.

Nevertheless, I still said, "You coming?"

She froze in her painting again, but soon continued, choosing to ignore me again. I nodded at her non-verbal answer and turned to the door to leave.

There was no way to leave the shed quietly, so the door creaked when I opened it. "Thanks again for the sandwich," she said, I stopped at the door. "See you when I get home."