2
“Carrie”
I woke up the next morning feeling utterly down. My suitcases were packed and waiting by the door—I’d had to get everything ready last night. I didn’t bring much, since boarding schools require uniforms. I’ve always hated them; they don’t let you express yourself or stand out from the crowd.
For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like doing anything. But I forced myself to get out of bed and head to the shower. There, I gave myself a pep talk to look my absolute best. I didn’t want to come off as a bore or a loser on my first day. No matter what, they’re going to know who Carrie Timberly is.
I slipped on a pair of high-heeled ankle boots, black flared pants with laces on the sides, and a white spaghetti-strap top with lace trim. To keep warm, I threw on a black jacket with three-quarter sleeves, accessorized with a pendant necklace and a matching bracelet.
I’ve always despised dark colors. They remind me of goths and death. But today, feeling absolutely awful, I couldn’t bring myself to wear anything bright. I forced a smile at my reflection in the mirror, but it came out sad and unfamiliar. What’s wrong with me? If I were the type to just roll with the punches, none of this would be happening. I’d be heading to my old school right now, to my friends and my boyfriend.
Outside by the front entrance, my personal driver, my sister, and my mom were waiting for me. Dad, as usual, had flown off to Tokyo for a meeting. Spotting me, Emma smiled and wrapped me in a hug. She’s always loved me, and we’ve never fought over petty stuff. Stroking her blonde curls, I held back tears and said, “I’m gonna miss you.”
“Me too, sis,” she whispered back, sniffing.
“Don’t cry. I’m not leaving forever,” I assured her, looking into her brown eyes. “We’ll see each other at Christmas. Don’t forget about your phone.”
Emma managed a weak smile, kissed me on the cheek, and quickly stepped aside. I turned to Mom, who wasn’t holding back her tears.
“Oh, Mom!” I hugged her, feeling like I could burst into tears any second myself. “Please don’t. I’m about to lose it too. You know I’ll mess up my mascara. How am I supposed to show up at my new school looking like that?”
“Okay, I’m not crying,” she promised, wiping away the betraying moisture from her eyes.
“Well, I’d better get going. Don’t want to be late again.”
With those words, I signaled that it was time. After a warm goodbye to my family, I climbed into the car and watched sadly as my house—and my old life—faded into the distance. Pulling out my phone, I checked for any messages from my friends or Jackson. I was especially hoping for a call from him. But there was nothing. Did that mean I wasn’t as important to them as I thought, no matter how sad that sounded? Sometimes that happens, and it hurts even more. Suddenly, old grudges and memories of times spent together flooded my mind. Closing my eyes, I pushed all the negativity as far away as I could. The further, the better. I needed to look forward, not back.
The drive to the new school was long—about three hours. The moment I realized I’d be living there, confined within its walls, I broke out in a cold sweat.
“We’re almost there,” the driver announced.
Opening my eyes, I peered out the window and let out a small gasp. We were driving along a tall, endless fence that separated a forest from the road. Was the school actually in the middle of a forest? The car stopped at a set of massive gates, where the school’s emblem was displayed on the fence. A shiver ran through me—whether from nerves or fear of the unknown, I couldn’t tell.
The gates opened automatically, letting us through. I couldn’t miss the security cameras mounted everywhere.
“Is this some kind of maximum-security prison?” I muttered aloud.
“Looks like it,” the driver, Thomas, agreed with a smirk.
“Not funny, Thomas,” I hissed.
He immediately wiped the smile off his face while I took in the forest surrounding the school. Crowfield Academy looked exactly like it did in the brochure, straight out of a gothic novel by Lord Byron. I’d struggled so much with his stuff in English class. I’ve never been into those kinds of themes—they always made me think of monsters.
Thomas parked the car near the entrance. Standing on the steps was a tall woman in a severe suit. She reminded me of a witch for some reason. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a tight braid. She looked about thirty, though her pale complexion made her seem even younger.
Soon, I’d probably look like that too after a year in this dump. Even the sun seemed reluctant to shine here, blocked by the dense trees growing all around. As Thomas got out of the car, students in school uniforms poured out of the main entrance. Their green blazers bore the school’s emblem.
They glanced curiously in our direction before scattering across the courtyard. Swallowing hard, I braced myself for what was coming. Thomas opened the car door and helped me out.
“Good luck, Miss,” he said quietly, setting my two suitcases beside me.
I nodded, feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes on me. Oddly, it felt good. I could hear their whispers and chatter. Thomas’s car pulled away, and the woman approached me.
“My name is Teresa Small, and I’m the dean of your group…”
“Carrie Timberly, ma’am,” I finished for her.
“Well then, Carrie Timberly,” she said with a smile, “you can call me Mrs. Small. I’m delighted to welcome you to Crowfield Academy. I hope you’ll like it here. Follow me, and I’ll show you around. Your luggage will be taken to your room.”
“This is all so new to me,” I admitted, starting to think it might not be so bad. “I’ve never been to a boarding school before.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it,” Mrs. Small replied, gesturing for me to follow her.
We entered a grand hall with two large staircases leading up on either side, and a third one straight ahead.
“This school was founded in 1888, originally as a boarding house for noble young ladies. Times have changed, and now young men are allowed to study here as well,” Mrs. Small explained, nodding to two security guards in uniform and quietly saying something to them while pointing at the door.
Glancing around, I noticed two students staring at me with undisguised curiosity, whispering to each other. Meanwhile, Mrs. Small continued, “On the first floor, we have the dining hall and the gym. The second floor houses the classrooms and the library, and the third floor is where the student dorms are located. The right wing is for girls, the left for boys. Understood?”
“Yes,” I replied. “Can I ask a question?”
Mrs. Small nodded.
“Will I have my own room, or do I share?”
“Your roommate will be Delia von Lyon,” Teresa answered. “She’s one of the top students here.”
“Are there students from different countries here?”
“Yes. You ask a lot of questions, which isn’t always a good thing,” she remarked, giving me a scrutinizing look before adding, “We don’t allow pants, jewelry, or high heels here. So, Carrie, you’ll have to forget about all that for now.”
I nodded, shyly covering my chest by buttoning up my jacket.
“Follow me, and I’ll show you more of the school,” she said, pointing to a set of double doors.
There weren’t many people in the dining hall. In the gym, two groups—one of boys and one of girls—were working out separately.
“Are the classes segregated?”
“No, they’re co-ed. Now, behind the school, there’s a field where we hold competitions when it’s not winter or raining. Running, jumping, and even graduation parties. Let’s keep going.”
I followed her at a leisurely pace, hearing a whistle behind me. Turning around, I saw a group of boys. I winked at them before walking out. They started hooting, only to be scolded by a young teacher with a whistle in his mouth. I liked the attention, especially from the opposite sex. Involuntarily, I thought of Jackson, and the smile vanished from my face.
“I see you’re already popular with the boys,” Mrs. Small noted as we climbed the stairs to the second floor.
“I guess so,” I replied, blushing.
Crowfield Academy turned out to be much larger than I’d expected from the outside. About a thousand “students”—as they called the kids here—attended. Everything seemed so complex yet oddly mundane at the same time.
“This is your room with Delia,” Teresa said, pointing to a black door with a nameplate listing Delia and someone named Lily-Kate Busto.
“We’ll update the nameplate and hang it tomorrow,” Mrs. Small assured me, noticing my confusion.
“Was she transferred to another school?”
“Busto was expelled for bad behavior,” Teresa replied, giving the nameplate a strange look. “Your things are already in the room. I have to go now, so please settle in. Tomorrow, classes start promptly at nine. Don’t be late. We’re very strict here, and there are consequences for breaking the rules.”
“Like what?” I blurted out.
“Kitchen duty, cleaning the grounds, and the worst—scrubbing the bathrooms.”
I wrinkled my nose at the thought but stayed quiet, just nodding knowingly.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow at the second class. I teach astronomy,” Mrs. Small said before turning and walking away.
As soon as her footsteps faded, a girl with fiery red hair stepped out of the room across the hall. She had piercings in her nose and lip and walked past with an indifferent expression. I felt a chill from her. Or maybe I was imagining it? She stopped, turned to me, and asked, “New girl?”
Her speech was slurred. I noticed she was missing a front tooth.
“Yeah,” I answered with a smile. “I’m Carrie Timberly. And you are?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she replied in a flat tone. “Nothing matters anymore.”
She turned and walked off. I stared after her, puzzled. What did she mean by that? Shaking off the bad vibes, I turned the knob and stepped into a bright room. I liked it. Two large windows overlooked the forest, and narrow beds sat on either side. My suitcases were next to one of them.
Letting out a loud sigh, I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. So, here I am. How long will I last, and how will the other students treat me? Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I checked the screen. No calls, no messages. Looks like they weren’t planning to reach out. Fine, I’ll call them. To my surprise, a robotic voice informed me there was no signal. Standing up, I moved to the window. Same thing.
“Even the phone’s useless here,” I whispered, crossing my arms and staring out the window.
“Hey there!”
Jumping in surprise, I turned around to see a dark-haired girl with emerald-green eyes looking at me.
“Sorry for startling you,” she said apologetically, closing the door tightly behind her. “I’m Delia.”
Calming down a bit, I introduced myself. She seemed pretty normal. I hope we’ll get along.
“I heard another girl used to live in this room with you,” I said, sitting on the bed. “Why was she expelled?”
“I don’t know,” Delia shrugged, sitting on a chair. “I didn’t talk to her much. Lily wasn’t very chatty. She usually just read or studied, and sometimes she’d stare into space for hours. Honestly, I was kinda scared to be in the same room with her at night. Then she disappeared, and the next day, her stuff was gone. Like she never existed. Dean Teresa said she was expelled. Rumors started going around that she’d been stealing money. Personally, nothing of mine ever went missing.”
“Got it. How long have you been here?”
“A little over a week. My parents sent me here because I started skipping school. Friends, boyfriend—everything just spiraled… Ugh!”
“I get it. I got shipped off to this dump too,” I said, gesturing dramatically toward the window. “And all over something trivial.”
“I’ll never understand my folks. Not until I’m a parent myself.”
Delia let out a quiet laugh.
“Probably,” I agreed with a nod. “Looks like even cell phones don’t work here.”
“Yup. There’s a payphone on the first floor under the stairs. You can make calls from there.”
“At least that’s something. It’s gonna be a boring year.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Delia said with a mysterious smile, rocking back on her chair.
“Why not?”
“Just now in the hallway, I ran into a girl from the room across from us. She mumbled something weird.”
“Oh! That’s Karelia. She’s super strange. At night, I have to prop a chair against the door. Sometimes, I’m a little scared of her too.”
“Wow. It’s gonna be tough for me to adjust to this new crowd,” I said with a sigh, glancing at the stack of school uniforms on the bed.