by Sophia Sharp
“Oh. Well, that’s a very empowering policy.”
“Would you like me to get one of the staff members to reach out to them?”
“Uhm… no, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” They should both be driving home, and I didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. Although, that rose another question… “How long have I been here?” It felt like it could have been days – weeks, even. And that would have meant that I’d already missed the start of the school year. This, in turn, meant that I would be far behind everybody else in terms of making friends and getting acquainted with the place. It would be terrifying trying to break into already-formed social circles, especially when most of the other kids (I assumed) had been going here since freshman year.
Doctor Frame smiled at me. “Just overnight. Don’t worry. You haven’t missed anything. I know how nerve-wracking it is coming to any new environment, not to mention a new high school. But you can relax knowing that most of the other students aren’t even on campus yet.”
“They’re not?”
“Not for another four or five days.” He raked a hand through his hair, maybe in an effort to smooth it, but all it did was add to the mess. For some reason, I found this a very appealing gesture. “Which means you have plenty of time to rest and recover. Opening days here are pretty hectic. You’ll want to be at your best when they roll around.”
“Opening days?” I asked. “What’s that?”
“A bunch of ceremonies and events put together by the administration here to welcome all the new students. It’s tailored for freshmen, mostly, but everybody participates. It’s a good way for you to get to know your classmates and everybody else you’ll be spending your time with at the school.”
“Sounds exciting,” I said drily. In my experience, anything put together by anybody with a connection to administration ended up being completely moronic and lame.
“You sound less than impressed,” the doctor quickly added with an equal amount of sarcasm. “Trust me, it’s not that bad. I’d know. They were doing the same thing when I was a student here.”
“You went here?” I asked disbelievingly.
“Yeah, why not?” he laughed. “The school’s been around for a long time, and it’s not like I’m that old.”
“I just…”
“…can’t picture me going to high school?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I was a lot different back then anyway. You would have never recognized me. I had thick, round glasses covering half my face.” He connected the forefinger and thumb on both hands in a circle and raised them create make-shift goggles on his eyes. He looked so goofy doing it I couldn’t help but laugh. “And I had hair down to my shoulders that I hadn’t cut for years. In fact, by the time I graduated, I don’t think it was much shorter than yours. And there was this one video game I was absolutely obsessed with… Diablo, I think it was. Ever hear of it? Everybody called me ‘Diablo Boy’ because all I would do was play that game.” I frowned in disbelief, but he kept going. “I’d spend ten, maybe twelve hours every day in front of the computer just playing that one silly game.” He smile to himself at the memory. “I never once thought I’d end up back here, much less as a doctor, back then.”
“So how’d it happen then?”
“Long story. I might tell you some other time, if you remember to ask.” I excitedly made a mental note. He had just given me a free pass to come talk to him again in the future. I still couldn’t believe how young he was, or how handsome. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m here, is it? I’ve got to make sure you’re healthy and feeling better before school really starts.”
“That’s right,” I nodded, hiding my disappointment that the brief laughter we had shared was now over.
“Well, one thing I’m sure of is that you’re already doing much better than when I came into the room.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look around.”
I was surprised to find the room was brightly lit. I hadn’t noticed the lamp being turned on. The pain from being exposed to the brightness was gone. Doctor Frame noted my surprise, and smiled.
“A timer I switched on before coming in,” he explained. “In a case like yours, the sensitivity to light occurs only at the start of your recovery. And only when large contrasts in the amount of light occur. If the light increases slowly, there’s a good chance you can acclimatize to it. In the future, the sensitivity and pain disappear.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Even better, the fact that you didn’t notice the increase means that your concussion was less severe than I originally thought. Still, we have to run some baseline tests…”
I waited patiently as he checked everything. He shone a light into my pupils, watching them dilate and contract. He gave me a few strings of different words to remember and recite to him backwards. He checked my pulse, my blood pressure, and a dozen other things I didn’t even know could be checked. In the end, the prognosis was good. I would be better in time for opening days, although I would still have to spend the remainder of the night in the clinic. Throughout the entire procedure, Doctor Frame continued to joke around with me, making me feel at ease. He was easy to talk to, and I was glad to have gotten at least one potential friendship started already.
Finally, as he turned to leave the room, I mustered the courage to ask him a question that had been on my mind from the moment I had first seen him.
“Wait,” I said quickly, “if you don’t mind me asking – how old are you?”
He chuckled, and turned back to me. Against the glow of the outside hallway, and to my light-sensitive eyes, there seemed to be a halo around him. I blinked, and it was gone.
“Well, how old do you think I am?” he asked. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said that his tone bordered on flirtatious.
“Um…” I stalled, trying to think of what to say without offending him. He was a doctor, and likely didn’t think of himself as that young. But the smooth features of his face said otherwise. “I don’t know. Definitely less than thirty. Uh… twenty-eight?”
This time, the chuckle that came from his throat quickly turned into a full–blown laugh. “You think I’m that old?” He shook his head in mirth. “I certainly don’t look that old, do I?”
“Well, I… err…” I stumbled.
“I’m twenty-three.”
“What?
“I finished my undergrad in a year and a half and med school in three.” He winked at me. Then, before I could say anything, he turned around and closed the door.
I stared after him for a long time, while my mind worked slowly. How could a doctor be so young? If he was twenty-three, that meant – after my birthday next month – that we were only six years apart! He was practically my peer! Of course, I knew that a thought like that was ridiculous – he was obviously very well accomplished in life to have finished his studies so quickly, and nonetheless probably had a girlfriend. What would he possibly want with someone just starting her junior year in high school, of all things? Then again, there was that tone he sometimes used when we were both laughing at something. In any other case, and in any other circumstance, it would definitely have been called flirtatious. I sighed. Maybe I was just imagining things. A love interest? With a doctor? Mom would definitely call me crazy.
I lay back on my pillow and closed my eyes. The lights in the room had started to dim as soon as Doctor Frame left. I could feel myself getting drowsy.
Chapter Three – Traven Island
The next two days passed uneventfully. To my great disappointment, Doctor Frame came to check in on me only once. It was such a brief and awkwardly formal meeting that I began to doubt there was anything between us before. I was taken care of by the nurse, which really just meant that she very strictly made sure I didn’t leave the clinic. My suitcases had been brought into the room, thank god, and that at least meant that I had access to my laptop. I used it to chat with my friends from home. I called my pa
rents from my cellphone, telling them everything was perfect and covering up the fact I was in a makeshift hospital. I didn’t want them to suddenly abort all plans and turn around to find me when I was going to be better in a very short time. Still, by the end of the second day there, I was dying of boredom and counting down the time to my release.
Thankfully, that came on the third day. I woke up in the morning to the nurse opening the blinds and thrusting a bagged bundle into my hands.
“Your clothes,” she said brusquely, “washed and ready for you.”
My breath caught in excitement. “You mean I can finally leave?”
“Personally, I’d have you here for another week, but the doc said as long as your condition didn’t deteriorate, you could go today—that is, unless you’ve suddenly taken a turn for the worse.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “So? How are you feeling today? Any recurring symptoms?”
“Nope!” I exclaimed happily. “Everything’s much better.”
The nurse craned her neck to one side and looked at my quizzically. “Are you sure? Maybe I should run the tests again before your discharge…”
“No, really! I’m much better,” I protested. All I could think about was finally getting a chance to look at the school and escaping this tightly cramped room. I sprang out of the bed in my robe and raised my arms triumphantly to the side. “See? No problems with dizziness, or sensitivity to light, or anything!” I assured her.
“Humph!” she grunted, crossing her arms. “I still don’t like it. But, it’s not my choice.”
“So, I can go?” I begged.
“Yes, yes. Just make sure you schedule a follow-up examination with the receptionist for a month from now.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I jumped up to her and threw my arms around her neck in an embrace. After a moment, I realized what I’d done, and backed hastily away. “Sorry,” I muttered, keeping my head down.
“Quite alright,” she said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her straining to suppress a smile. She dug into a pocket, and emerged with a small yellow envelope. “Here,” she said, handing it to me. “Your room key and information about your assigned dorm. I was told to give it to you when you left.”
I took the package and hefted it in my hands. It was light, but I could feel a key in there—and maybe a few sheets of paper. The nurse turned to leave, but I stopped her.
“Hold on. I don’t even know where the dorms are!”
This time, a true smile definitely appeared on her face, although I wasn’t sure if it was a mocking one or not. “You’ll find yours. It’s a small school, and there’s not much chance of you getting lost.” She barked a laugh. “Anyway, there’s a little map in the envelope should you have any trouble.” With that, she turned and left, swinging the door shut behind her.
As soon as she was gone, I ran into the adjacent bathroom and took a hurried shower. Then, with my hair still dripping wet, I pulled out the clothes she had given me and inspected them. It was the outfit I had worn when I got onto the ferry. Not bothering to dig through my bags for something better, I hurriedly put the clothes on. I was anxious to get out of this room.
I grabbed my two bags, and, opening the door with my hip, rolled them out behind me as I made my way to the front desk. I felt like a wrongfully convicted prisoner finally being set free. The hallway to the front desk was long and narrow, with doors lined tightly on either side. In the back of my mind, I held out a small hope that Doctor Frame would come through one of those doors and surreptitiously bump into me. But, unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
The receptionist at the front desk was a young woman with frizzy blonde hair. She reminded me a little of my mother. She was friendly and bubbly in sharp contrast to the demeanor of nearly everyone else here. She booked my next appointment quickly, and gave me a card with the time and date written down so I wouldn’t forget. Even her elongated, wide letters reflected her cheerful manner. I asked about the dorm, and she pointed me in the right direction.
Rolling my bags behind me, I stepped outside for the first time. I was immediately struck by the sheer beauty of the place. The clinic stood on top of a small hill. A path zigzagged down from it amongst the grass. Right in front of the clinic was a luxurious rose garden, its scent tantalizing. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. The fog had lifted, affording a crystal, clear view of the entire island and the surrounding water. To my left, a little in the distance, past the hill, I could see a pristine, untouched forest growing thickly. Straight in front of me a series of cliffs overlooked a beautiful expanse of water. Every so often, the tangy smell of the ocean air wafted up to meet me. My eyes followed the curve of the path down the hill, and then to the right. There, the grassy hills continued, and the path went over and around them. From my vantage point, I could see a small cluster of buildings over in that direction. This was exactly the location where the receptionist told me I would find my dorm. I sighed. This place was absolutely perfect.
To be sure of the way, though, I decided to consult the map that was included in my package. At that moment, a slight breeze ruffled my clothes, causing goose bumps to crawl up the back of my neck. I shivered. It was still early morning, so despite the sun shine, it was still a bit chilly. Mildew hung on the petals of the flowers around me. I could tell that it was going to be a hot day. Ripping open the envelope, I pulled out the papers and began to flip through them. There was an information package welcoming new students that I could look at later, a small calendar of opening days’ activities, a letter from the headmaster, contact information for all the various departments at the school, and, finally, a black and white printed map of the island.
I was disappointed to find that the detail on it was very much lacking. It had the general shape of the island, and the markings of a few landmarks. But past that, it was impossible to tell what was where. I guessed it was more a novelty than anything else. Thankfully, the island didn’t seem nearly big enough to get lost in—especially if I didn’t wander into the forest. Picking out the key that still lay at the bottom of the envelope, I set off toward the small cluster of buildings to my right.
Surprisingly, the way there took longer than expected. The path was well maintained, and curved down to run by the side of the cliffs overlooking the ocean, so there was no trouble rolling my bags. But from outside the clinic, the cluster of buildings looked to be maybe ten, fifteen minutes away. Instead, it took me a good half hour before I reached the main part of campus.
But it wasn’t like I was complaining. The walk over was lovely, and even if the island seemed a little abandoned (I didn’t see a single person along the way), it was still beautiful. Every few yards, I would stop to inhale deeply. The fresh, clean scent of the greenery was tinged slightly by the saltiness of the ocean. The water today was calm. But, once in a while, I could still hear a larger wave crash into the side of the cliffs. One day soon, I promised myself, I’d get around to exploring the bottom of those cliffs, if for no other reason than to see what was there. First, of course, I’d have to get settled into life on the habitable part of the island.
I finally reached the cluster of buildings, and for the first time, I saw life on the island. There weren’t many people around, but enough to notice. Mostly, they were older professors and staff members walking along the streets from one building to the next. There definitely didn’t seem to be anyone my age around yet.
The path I was on shifted to cobblestone as I came closer. There were buildings all around me. Little streets and alleys ran alongside each one. The odd thing, I noticed, was that the style of nearly every building was completely different from the last. All were very well maintained and looked sparkling new, but the styles differed so greatly it would have been jarring in any other context. There was a building to my left built in a Mexican style, and right beside it stood another made of red brick. Some were Gothic, while others were Georgian, and others still some type of mish-mash in between.
Yet somehow, all of them blended together seamlessly, so that no single building looked out of place.
The path led into the heart of this part of campus where a wide, open area had been left undeveloped. Various buildings rimmed the empty space, which I took to be a type of town square on the island. In the middle was a large, flowing fountain with replicas of Greek statues elevated from the base in its center. I smiled. This place had a very homey feel to it.
I had to cross behind the main row of buildings and walk for another ten or fifteen minutes before I saw the dormitories. They were tucked away to one side, in a little space of their own. And they looked lovely. A set of four stood around a private courtyard, the windows to the rooms tall and wide. The four dorms were the only set of matching buildings I’d seen on campus. Each was built in a Georgian style, with red bricks and tall arches framing the main points of the structures. Picking up my pace, I hurried over to the second one from the right. From what I knew, Oliver Academy housed students by their grade level, and if the arrangement went left-to-right, then all the juniors would be in that dorm.
I checked through the papers given to me to figure out which room I had. Not finding anything about a room assignment in any of the sheets, I frowned in confusion. Then I remembered the key. Picking it out of my pocket, I turned it over in my hand and found the inscription on the base: Room 34.
I hoped my room looked out toward the courtyard. It looked like the rooms rimmed the outside of each building, meaning that half the rooms would be overlooking the area behind the courtyard. There didn’t look to be much there except some forested hills.
Well, there was really not much point in wondering about such things when I could find the answer shortly. Grabbing my two bags, I started toward the third building, excited to finally really be starting my new life.
I had a bit of trouble hauling my bags up the six steps that led to the wide stone porch. Still, after only a little bit of a struggle, I managed to get everything up to the front door. I looked around, noting again how quiet everything was over here, and put my hand on the main door to pull it open.
