Beyond This Illusion

"Charlotte, will you stop with the pen?" I yelled at the compulsive writer sitting next to me. She was clicking her pen non-stop, to the point where I sort of felt like pushing her out of the car. We were on our way to our school orientation, and we were both super nervous. However, we had different ways of dealing with our nerves. Charlotte clicked incessantly, and I became homicidal.

After about five minutes of silence, the pen clicking started again.

"Alright!" I shouted, absolutely frustrated. I grabbed the pen out of Charlotte's bewildered hands, rolled down my window, and hoped the street would enjoy it's new gift. The rest of the car ride went by in bliss.

After a good three hours of driving, we finally arrived at Lumina High School. Right away, the knots in my stomach tightened. The school was a beautiful brick color with white accents. The campus was spotless, and the lawn that stretched out in front of it was ridiculously inviting. Somehow, weirdly enough, I felt more nervous. I felt like I needed to make a good first impression.

We passed a bunch of beautifully handwritten signs pointing us to the 'administration office'. I made an effort to smooth down my hair and clothes so that I looked, well, presentable. We walked into the the office soon enough and were immediately greeted by a wavy-haired blond at a reception desk. the name-tag on her desk told me her name was Melissa. She smiled at us and told us that the headmistress would be with us shortly. I'll admit I was a little thrown off by the use of the word 'headmistress' in a school like this, but I figured it was just tradition.

After a few minutes of waiting Melissa picked up her phone, nodded once, and hung up again. Then she turned to us, smiled her dazzling smile, and said, "Mrs. Pigram is ready to see you now." I smiled in return, and headed towards Mrs. Pigram's office. As Melissa opened the large oak doors for us, a skinny blonde kid scurried out. He looked pale, out of breath, and slightly frightened. I swallowed and walked in.

Mrs. Pigram got my attention immediately. She sat bolt-straight in her chair, and scrutinized us critically as we walked in. I was suddenly very aware that I hadn't done a great job of putting on make-up today. Charlotte and I sat down in the two chairs directly in front of Mrs. Pigram, while my mom sat towards the back of the room.

"Hello, girls." Mrs. Pigram said without the barest hint of a smile. Why did my throat suddenly seem so dry? "Welcome to Lumina High School. Now are you girls absolutely positive that you would like to attend this particular high school?" she narrowed her eyes at us. I had a feeling her question meant more than she was letting on, but I nodded anyway.

"Positive," Charlotte and I both said at once. Mrs. Pigram nodded.

"Very well. Now Lumina High School is different than most high schools. We have uniforms, but we don't require you to wear the entire uniform. As long as you wear one of the pieces we have selected, you may wear anything you like." Charlotte and I exchanged a nervous smile. So far, so good.

"Now about your lessons. If you didn't already know, Lumina High doubles as a boarding school. You may choose to come for your daily lessons and leave after they are completed. Or, you may choose to stay here as your temporary home for the school year. Of course, you have until your first day to decide what you would like to do. For now, that is all you need to know. You may pick up your schedules and uniforms in the dining room. Thank you girls and we are looking forward to having you at Lumina High this year."

Before I knew it, we were ushered out the door and headed towards the cafeteria. We got our uniforms and schedules and before we knew it we were headed towards my mom's car again. Charlotte and I had so much to think about that we didn't talk for the whole car ride home.