Stars twinkled against the dark purple velvet of the sky as an owl hoot echoed through the nearby forest. A girl, roughly five feet and three inches tall with longish cinnamon-colored, curly hair that was tied back with a crimson ribbon, stopped sprinting down the dirt road for a moment to catch her breath.
"Oh...I can't believe I missed the bus on my first day...I've got to get used to going to class at night..." She looked off into the distance, where she could just make out the faint shape of the large building that was to be her school. "I still have a long way to go..."
She started sprinting again, trying to ignore the pain in her chest and side. She was sweating profusely with the effort, even in the cool night air of the mountains. Her tweed-gray uniform and crimson ribbons and bows would definitely need a rigorous run through the washing machine later...
Suddenly a voice cut through her worries about the laundry.
"Slow down. You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep running like this."
She rolled her jade-green eyes and continued running.
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
She sighed and stopped running for a moment to acknowledge the kitten sitting on her left shoulder. He was snow white and unbelievably fluffy, a huggable and adorable fuzzball if there ever was one. He also had on a blood-red collar with a large sterling-silver bell attached. He glared at her with red-orange eyes.
"I'm not ignoring you. We're just gonna be later if I slow down."
"Thirty seconds, thirty minutes; if you're late, you're late, and there's nothing you can do about that. You may as well walk."
"If I walk, I'll miss second period, too. I can't miss two classes on my first day...er, night." She started running again, faster this time, and the kitten had to cling for dear life.
"Dammit, quit being stubborn and listen to me! If you insist on getting there quickly, put me down and I'll carry y--"
Still running, she swung her bookbag in front of her, opened it, and grabbed the kitten. "Forgive me for this," she said before stuffing the kitten into it, hissing and flailing in resistance. She hurriedly snapped the bookbag shut and swung it behind her again before the animal could escape. The confinement did not silence him, however, so she attempted to tune out his muffled protests as she ran.
"Ey, dis isunt far! C'mon, lemme ou'! Animul abyuff! Animul abyuff!"
His cries got louder and louder until she couldn't ignore them anymore. She growled in frustration and elbowed the general area where the creature should be in the bookbag.
"Oh, be quiet!"
Finally the kitten shut up.
- - -
At long last, she arrived at the great double doors of the immense white building, tired and out of breath.
"Whew...We made it..."
She pushed open the huge doors and walked inside...to be met with emptiness.
"Huh? Where is everybody? Am I THAT late?"
"Excuse me..."
She nearly jumped when she heard a voice from behind her, and she wheeled around to face it. A young man, maybe nineteen years old with long blond bangs and a backwards baseball cap, was leaning against a mop and smiling sweetly at her. He gave off the air of an older brother--helpful, protective, lovable.
"You must be the new kid the faculty's been talking about."
"Um, yes, I am...Where is everyone? Am I just really really late or something?"
"Oh no, you're not late. You're just not as early as most people are. Everyone's waiting for class to start in the lobby."
She looked around, confused. "...But...Aren't we IN the lobby?"
The young man laughed, a warm, friendly sound. "You didn't read the handbook, did you? Never mind, what am I talking about--no one ever reads the handbook. No, this is the lobby of the Balkan Research Institute. Everything above B2 is technically the research facility, but some of the science classes are held up here, and the cafeteria is on B1. The lobby of the school is on B2, the gym is on B3, and so-on-so-forth on down to B13, the library. You look shocked; I do admit, this school is quite a bit larger than most schools, but once you see how many students go here, you'll understand why. But enough about all that. I'm sure you want to get downstairs, don't you?"
"If that's where the classrooms are."
"I can show you the way to the elevator if you like...You know what? I can probably lead you to your first period class as well. You're...what, sixteen?"
"Yes, I am, but I skipped a year."
"So you're a junior?" He smiled and chuckled a little. "Man, I feel sorry for you..."
"Hmm?"
"Never mind, you'll see for yourself. The elevators are this way." He turned to lead the way, but stopped and turned around again. "Stupid me, where are my manners?" He extended his hand to her. "The name's Jaroon, but everyone just calls me Ja-ya. I'm the school's janitor, Tech teacher, and substitute teacher."
She took his hand and shook it. "I'm Jade. It's nice to meet you!"
An angry 'meow' reminded her of her companion. She reached into her bookbag and put the frazzled, angry-looking kitten back on her shoulder. "And this is my friend Sura." She reached up and scratched him behind the ears, and he purred in satisfaction. "He seems like a sourpuss most of the time, but he can be nice when he wants to."
"I'm sure. Anyway, come with me. Your first night at BASRC is about to begin."
-to be continued in Chapter One...
