Here We Go

The gates stood behind the girl now; it had take plenty of courage to walk through them, but she had said goodbye to her parents and therefore had no other reason to put it off. She only made it ten feet before stopping, though. She gazed up at the school, her blue eyes wide. She took a deep breath, tucked a loose strand of wavy blonde hair out of her face, and grabbed her bag, walking forward again. Time seemed to slow down, but to the 17-year-old girl, she knew better, and paused, watching the dead leaves tumble slowly by her feet. By concentrating, she could watch them return to a regular speed. Breathing a sigh of relief, she continued on her way.

Meanwhile, Evelyn was lost in thought.

She stood at the edge of the fountain that dominated the center of the big brick walkway and stared deep into the rippling water. Pennies glimmered prettily at the bottom, a hundred or so wishes that probably went unfulfilled. She'd thrown her own coins into it a couple of times, praying for a dozen different things. Stupid stuff, like 'make my power go away' or 'let me leave this place.' Evelyn wasn't exactly sure who she was asking when she tossed her change in, which made it all seem that much more idiotic in retrospect. Stupid girl.

The sound of footsteps broke her out of her stupor, and she looked over her shoulder to see some new girl. Good. More oblivious girls to share classes with. She frowned, remembering Penny. The poison spit girl who hadn't believed her when she told her about the attack on the school earlier in the year. More and more stupid girls. Evelyn thought bitterly, turning her gaze away from the student and back to the water's edge. You're walking into a death trap, idiot. Turn around and walk out before the gates shut behind you.

Ella saw the girl standing by the fountain, and was intimidated slightly by her look. Have I done something wrong already? she wondered. Her steps slowed, and with her free hand she tugged the skirt of her dress down until it tickled her knees. She would clearly have to initiate some kind of conversation with this girl; her parents had only left her with the information of the school. Once she was within earshot, she called out, "Hey!" A smile crossed Ella's face as she came slowly to a stop, five feet from the girl.

Evelyn almost flinched at the sound of the girl's voice. Oh, please, no. Why couldn't you have left me alone? "Uh, h-hello..." Evelyn mumbled as she turned around awkwardly, only meeting Ella's eyes for a second before dropping her gaze to the bricks. "Um, n-n-nice to meet you." That was a lie. Evelyn wanted nothing more than to just walk away, but that was rude. Still preferable to this. Her stutter made conversing difficult, and she always said the wrong things. The girl would probably laugh or mock her, like everyone else did. At least if she did, Evelyn could escape without feeling mean. Make this quick and get it over with, please.

If only she had another coin.

Surprised to hear the stutter, Ella took a few steps more and set down her bag. "It's nice to meet you, too," she said, giving a bright smile to the girl. "My name is Ella. What's yours?" She could tell that the other girl seemed somewhat uncomfortable, and although she herself was rather uncomfortable, she didn't want to appear harsh to anyone at the beginning of her stay. Ella silently hoped that the girl would return her polite conduct, at least long enough for her to find the front office.

Evelyn nervously shuffled her feet as Ella took a few steps forward, clearly on edge. "Um, E-evelyn." she said. It was indistinct, scarcely above a whisper, and her slurred voice and clumsy tongue didn't help matters much. Damnitdamnitdamnitdamnitdamnit. Evelyn cursed herself for leaving her dorm. Whenever she did, something bad happened. Idiot. Why do you do this?

It was at the fountain where all her problems had originated, too. If only she hadn't spilled that water on Jace, maybe her life would be a bit easier now.

The girl responded quietly, and Ella had to lean forward, although she still did not quite catch her name. Now she wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, if she asked again, the girl might become more irritated and refuse to respond, leaving Ella stranded by herself in this new place. On the other, pretending she knew the girl's name could cause complications later. Deciding it would be better to attempt to make a friend now, she asked, "Could you please repeat that?" She tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear, bothered slightly by how it tickled her face.

There was a flicker of irritation, but it was faint compared to her anxiety and embarrassment. I hate people... "Evelyn." she blurted out, straining to speak up. Even then she wasn't quite distinct, but loud enough. She didn't know how she could reach a proper volume without shouting her name at her face. "It's j-just... Evelyn."

Slightly embarrassed now, Ella said, "Oh! I'm sorry. That's a nice name." She blinked a couple of times, keeping her smile wide. I really have to figure out where I'm supposed to go, and try not to bother Evelyn too much more. Clearing her throat unnecessarily, she asked, "Can you direct me to the main office, or wherever I'm supposed to go?"

Evelyn hesitated a second before nodding. "Um... y-yeah. It's just that b-big building right over t-there." she said, turning to point at it. It was an old building with a Victorian type look, the original mansion before the first Headmaster renovated the place and before the current one expanded it. Now it just served as offices, with a bunch of closed off storage rooms and dusty old hallways. "T-the secretary's office shouldn't be t-that hard to f-find, b-but I could... l-lead you there, if you w-wanted." Evelyn mumbled, forgetting for a second that the secretary and principal was probably still recovering. There's gotta be someone there, though.