by Sophia Sharp
“Yes, thank you, mom.”
“But that’s not like you ,Tracy, is it?” Liz continued, ignoring my jab. “That’s not what you were like when I met you. You were excited to be here, to explore a new environment, to meet as many people as you could. Right? But, then, something changed. This past week, you started feeling withdrawn, didn’t you? Like you were all alone and without anybody around for support.”
“Maybe,” I said warily. How did she know that?
“Not maybe, but exactly. And you definitely weren’t like that when we met.”
“No,” I admitted reluctantly. Although back then I didn’t have all these problems hanging over my head.
“So what’s different?”
“What do you mean?”
“What has changed?”
“You’re talking about the crystals, aren’t you?”
Liz looked at me as if I were a preschooler. “Duh! You unlocked the potential of your mind with them, and it took a lot out of you. At the same time, as soon as your brain got a taste of how much greater it can be with the crystals, your subconscious has started to lust for it.”
“That’s not true,” I defended weakly. But I knew it was. The way my thoughts kept coming back to the crystals solidified it.
“It’s a wonder you held out this long. Usually – well, admittedly we haven’t had much experience – but usually, nobody can sit still for even a day after learning of the crystals. It dominates their mind, and they get addicted to what the crystals can do. We have to expose them to it in small intervals, or else they risk becoming obsessive.”
“But I already told you, I don’t want anything to do with them,” I protested. Unfortunately, I could feel the frailty of my words, and I knew Liz picked up on it too.
“Still? Are you telling me your thoughts aren’t constantly fixated on the crystals? That you don’t find yourself drifting off and thinking about them? That you aren’t the least bit curious about their real power?”
“I…”
She held her hands up. “Look, I won’t break my promise to you. What I said before still stands. It is, ultimately, your decision. I’m not here to pressure you by any means.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked.
“Like I said, I wanted to see how you were holding up. I couldn’t imagine it being comfortable, what you’re going through, and not having anyone to talk to…”
“It’s not,” I mumbled sourly.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be like that, Tracy. I’m here for you, as are all the other girls in the crystal seekers.”
“I know,” I admitted. “It’s just…”
“Overwhelming? I know how it can be. Imagine how I felt when I first came across them? I didn’t know if there was anybody else with the sensitivity.”
“How did you manage?”
“I just kept exploring. And I didn’t block anything out. When my thoughts started going back to the crystals in those first few weeks, I thought I was going insane. I would get random chills, and other strange sensitivities. I started feeling tired, even—”
“Drawn out?”
“Yes,” Liz smiled. “Exactly. You see, you’re not the only one to have gone through this, Tracy. It doesn’t have to be this hard.”
“But weren’t you… frightened? The least bit? It seems like the crystals can give access to power we weren’t meant to have.”
“Unfathomable power,” Liz repeated softly, and I saw a lusty shine appear in her eyes. She blinked, and it was gone. “Of course I was frightened, Tracy, as anybody should be. But remember, I’ve had nearly two years of working with them, and I’m still all right. It’s not… harmful… to use them, if you do it right.”
“What about the after-sickness?”
“It passes,” Liz said simply. “A minor irritation, at worst.” She must have recognized the look on my face, because after a pause, she added, “It’s never as bad as the first time. Your very first exposure to it takes a lot out of you. Your mind isn’t used to it, and neither is your body. Once you know what to expect, you barely even feel the after-sickness.”
“What about how I found you at the party?” I asked pointedly.
“Oh. That. That was… an unusual circumstance. You won’t have to worry about anything like that, yourself.”
“What did you do?”
Liz smiled. “I promised not to press you, remember? I was kind of hoping it’d go both ways. You have your secrets, Tracy, and I have mine.”
“Fine. But let’s just say, hypothetically, that I do want to find out more…”
“Hypothetically,” Liz repeated.
“Yes. If I do want to know more, how would I… I mean, what would we—”
“Do? Well, first of all, I’d tell the other girls about it. I know they would be thrilled. Next, we’d go back out to the forest, where we could teach you some of the things we’ve picked up about using the crystals, about their nature… that type of stuff.”
“And you would… give me a crystal? To try it out with?” I could barely conceal my yearning for it. It scared me, just how strongly I felt the desire to use the crystal again, while knowing full well of the potential consequences. It didn’t matter. Just the thought of having another chance to try the crystal left me energized and invigorated.
“Of course,” Liz said knowingly. “In fact, I have yours right here with me, if you want…?” She reached into her pocket, and pulled out that familiar silver cloth, bundled neatly. On seeing it, I felt an overwhelming urge to leap toward her and snatch it out of her hands. It took a considerable effort to suppress that desire. I clenched my fists, and stuck both hands behind my back so Liz wouldn’t see the strain on my forearms.
“You brought it here?” I asked in a tight voice. Involuntarily, I took a step toward her.
Liz started to pull apart the cloth to reveal the contents, but then paused mid-motion. “You know, maybe it’s better to give it to you later. When everybody else is around.”
“—why?” I said in a strangled voice.
“Safety. You need to learn a thing or two before you’re safe with the crystal on your own.” Then why did you tease me with it just now? I felt an irrational anger rising within. “I’ll give it to you when we meet with the others.”
“When? Right now?”
“Opening days, remember? They take attendance and everything.”
“Oh,” I said, deflated.
“We can meet after, if you’re up for it.”
“Yes! Out in the forest, by the lake again?”
“That’s right.”
“Why there? Why can’t we do it here, in one of our rooms, or…?”
“Privacy, among other things. Nobody will interrupt us out in the woods. Besides, out there has kind of become our meeting ground over the years.”
“Alright.” I thought for a second. “Are you going to opening days now?”
Liz laughed, and threw her arms around me for a hug. “Of course you can come with me. Come on, everybody will be glad to see you again.”
Chapter Twenty-One – A Visible Aura
Liz and I hurried toward the main yard. A great mass of people was already gathered in the square around the fountain. Everybody in one space, all at once, made me realize just how many students there were here. The crowd stretched out in all directions. There must have been two, three thousand kids in all.
As we got closer, I saw that a waist-high barricade had been put all around. Only a few gates provided entrance. Most of the kids were already inside, but some of the late arrivals, like us, were still lining up in front of the attendants at the gate. There, I saw that they were showing their student cards and getting them scanned into small hand-held devices that looked like checkout counter scanners.
“See what I told you about taking attendance?” Liz said as our ID’s were scanned.
“No kidding. Are they always so serious?”
“They just want to make sure everyone’s here. This is the o
ne time the headmaster addresses the whole school, and lays out the rules for the year.”
“Do the rules differ year to year?”
Liz looked at me like I was a child. “It’s mostly for the freshmen and new arrivals. Like you!”
“Then what’s everyone else here for?”
“You’ll see soon enough,” Liz said. “It’s more or less like a giant assembly.” She stood on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd. “Over there!” she exclaimed, pulling me away.
I had no idea how she managed to locate anyone in this crowd. But soon enough, I saw a familiar group of girls in the distance. Madison, Eve, and Ashley were there, along with Zoe, and Ann and Jo, who I haven’t seen since leaving the party.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said to Liz before we got to the group.
“Sure.”
“You said not just anybody can use the crystals. Right? That it’s only Ashley, Madison, Eve, and you?”
“And you,” Liz corrected.
“Right. But what about the other girls? They were all there at the party with you?”
“We’re friends,” Liz said simply.
“Do they know what happened to you?”
She looked at me abashedly. “Of course not.”
“And it didn’t worry them?”
“Well, I’m fine now, aren’t I?”
“Yes…”
“That’s good enough, then.”
“What about the student council? You said—”
“We’re all a part of the student council,” Liz said hastily. “It’s not as official as you might think. Like I told you before, it’s basically just a party fund that the school gives us. The six of us – not including Ashley – are the members who make it up. Anyway, that’s not important. Hey!”
We had come up to the girls, and Madison was the first to see us. She waved hello, turned her head briefly to say something to the rest of the group, then ran up to us and threw her arms around me in a hug.
“It’s good to see you alive and well!” she laughed.
“Thanks,” I said. “Liz came by—”
“Err, I met her on the way here,” Liz interrupted, shooting me an unreadable look. “What a surprise! Right?”
“Well, I was hoping we’d see her sooner or later,” Madison answered, giving Liz an equally confounding look. “Come on, everyone’s missed you!”
“Already…?” I started to say, but was cut off when Madison grabbed me by the arm and dragged me over to the rest of the group. As soon as they saw me, they started exclaiming how happy they were to see me, how they had been worried about me, and how they wondered where I’d been.
“ATTENTION EVERYONE!”
The blaring voice cut off all sounds of the crowd instantly. As one, we looked toward the source, at the center of the square. There, two suited men stood on an elevated platform assembled by the fountain. One of them was overlooking the crowd from behind a podium, while the other had his hands clasped behind his back. On either side were two enormous speakers, presumably connected to the microphone that was attached to the podium.
The man behind the podium was much taller than his companion. He had closely-cut, dark hair, and a stern-looking face. The man beside him looked just as unapproachable. He also had dark hair, and his upper lip was covered by a thick, bushy mustache.
“Who are they?” I whispered to Madison, who was standing beside me.
“You don’t know?” She sounded genuinely surprised. “That’s Headmaster Flydd behind the podium. He runs the school.” I was impressed. Finally, I could put a face to the man who forbade my parents from accompanying me to the island. He looked just as exacting and strict as someone in his position would probably have to be. Despite the various ways Oliver Academy catered to their students, it was still a very well-run place. Everything started with the headmaster. “The man beside him is Professor… oh, I don’t remember his name. He’s never taught me anything. Every year, the headmaster gives the same speech, and every year that professor just stands there. I’ve never seen them apart.”
“I wonder why that is,” I whispered back.
“I’m not sure – shh! It’s starting!”
“THANK YOU ALL.” The headmaster cleared his throat, and continued in a more subdued voice. “First of all, I’d like to formally welcome all of you to Oliver Academy. Although we’ve all been here for the better part of a week, this is the first opportunity I have had to greet all of you. To the many fresh faces in the crowd, I am Headmaster Flydd. My work is to ensure your stay here is as enriching and valuable as possible.” His voice was strong, commanding. When he spoke, the way he looked over all of us gave him an air of supreme confidence. This was his school, and it was going to run to his exact specifications. “At Oliver Academy, we pride ourselves on many facets of our school. One of the most important to us is student learning. We are an advanced institution, of course, and as such the rigors of academic life here might be considered more demanding than at other schools across the country. We have a goal, every year, of a perfect one-hundred percent graduation rate, and a ninety-nine percent college matriculation rate. Every year that I have been headmaster here, we have not only met, but surpassed this goal. In fact, last year, all but one of our graduates entered college in the fall. That is something no other school in the country can claim. It is a characteristic of Oliver Academy for you to cherish…”
I let his voice drone over me. It was not because what he was saying was astoundingly dry and tedious. In fact, I was interested in learning about Oliver’s college placement programs. But, the professor standing beside him had drawn my attention. Even though I was standing at a distance, there was something about him that seemed vaguely familiar. I couldn’t tell if it was something about his face, or the way he positioned his body, but it was as if he were someone I’d met before, a very long time ago. Of course, that was ridiculous. I would recognize him immediately if I had seen him before. But still, something about him tugged at my memory.
“…and so, to all the fresh faces in the crowd: I can see your excitement, your enthusiasm to be here…”
The professor was just standing there, frowning over something. Perhaps he was lost in his own thoughts. His head swept slowly from left to right. It looked like he was… searching for something. Or someone. As his eyes swept over the crowd, his expression did not change one bit. It was as if his face were carved in stone.
I tried refocusing on what the headmaster was saying, but my attention continued to be drawn back to the man at his side. What was he doing? Why did he look so familiar? What was he looking for? From where I stood, it almost appeared as though he were scanning the rows of people, one by one, in search for someone. That didn’t make any sense. There was no way he’d be able to distinguish one face from another in this crowd.
I looked back to the headmaster, who had his arms extended out in front of him in the middle of a powerful motion. He was saying something about school expectations for the year. I started to listen. Just then, the professor’s gaze swept over the group of girls I was with. I looked at him, and for a brief second, our eyes met. A look of shocked recognition blossomed on his face – and was quickly covered up. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile, and he nodded to himself. Then, with no further explanation, he turned back and descended from the platform, disappearing into the crowd.
I pulled Madison’s arm. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” she hissed back.
“The professor. He looked at us, and then left!”
“Did he?” She frowned. “I didn’t notice. Well, I don’t think any of us knows him anyway, so what’s the difference?”
“I don’t know. It was just… odd, I guess.”
“You’ll learn soon enough that the majority of the teachers here are odd. I don’t even think about it anymore.”
“…and so,” the headmaster finished, “with that said, I hope all of you will enjoy the year. If you abide
by our rules, we should have a smooth, functional, and very successful academic year. Thank you.”
A roar of applause exploded all around me. I found myself putting my hands together as well, though why everyone around me seemed so enthused, I didn’t know. Headmaster Flydd acknowledged the accolades, waved once to the crowd, and stepped down from the raised platform. Shortly thereafter, a ripple of movement started amongst the bodies, and quickly turned into a fully-fledged flood. Everybody was streaming toward the exits, where the attendants had left the gates wide open. Since we were near the outside, we were among the first to get out.
“Well, that wasn’t much of a speech,” Eve announced once we were a few blocks away from the square.
Madison laughed. “It’s the same thing every year.”
“Wait, that was it?” I asked. “Are you telling me they gather all the students out here just for that?”
“That’s opening days for you,” Liz acknowledged. “It’s the only time any of the students get to see the headmaster – unless they get in some serious trouble during the year. I think it’s more of a way to remind everyone who the authorities at Oliver Academy are.”
“But we have so much freedom here!” I said. “Why would we need to be reminded of who the authorities are?”
“If you haven’t noticed, Tracy, we’re on a tiny, isolated island,” Eve put in. “They give us what limited freedom they can only because they know we can’t get into any trouble. It’s not like going to school in a real city, where you drive five minutes in one direction and find yourself in the ghetto.”
“Everybody tends to be here for a reason,” Liz added, “whatever that may be. All the students know how much their parents are paying for them to be here, and wouldn’t ruin that by getting into trouble.” I started to point out that not everybody was paying, since I was here on a full scholarship. Then, I thought better of it. No point stirring things up without a reason. Plus, now that the gathering was over, I was hoping we could head toward the forest, where I would be shown the crystals again. I made eye contact with Liz, and moved my head slightly in that direction, as if to say, “Are we going there yet?” She nodded quickly.
