Chapter 4

The School

Catherine walked to the bus stop twenty minuets before school had ended. No bus would come for another half an hour, so she decided to walk home. She was holding he letter carefully in her hands so she wouldn’t dent it. Who’s this from? Hey Eustin! A little help if you don’t mind. Catherine sighed when she received no answer. “Still ignoring me I see.” She said. “Hey Alander!” Someone yelled from behind her. Catherine turned around to see that it was Zac running towards her. As he came closer to her she could see some older kids chasing him. They had very pale skin and they all looked alike apart from their hair and red, black and white basketball shirts with all different numbers on them. “Run!” He yelled as he grabbed her hand spinning her around. Catherine clutched at her letter so it wouldn’t fly out of her hand. “Come back here Red!” One of the older boys yelled at Zac. Turning her head Catherine could see a baseball bat in his hand. The boy slashed at the running pair and the bat changed into an axe. Catherine was too out of breath to scream. Zac started to pull at her hand. She quickly turned her head back, saving her from running into a pole. Zac turn a sharp corner, pulling Catherine along with him. For a few seconds they were out of sight of their pursuers. Zac pointed at some pipes on the side of a wall. “Climb.” He panted. “Oh no. I am not climbing on the roof of a building.” Catherine said back. There was running footsteps and shouting coming closer and closer. “Do you want to get kil…” Zac hesitated and then said, “Beaten up!” Catherine remembered the axe in the boy’s hand and raced to the pipes and started to climb them, with Zac at her heels.

Catherine was watching over the edge of the roof, spying on the boys who were previously been chasing them, move from store to store, looking for them. Catherine was out of breath and Zac was none the less. Why were they chasing him? She thought. “Are they gone?” Zac asked. “Not yet.” She replied. “Why were they chasing you anyway? And why did you have to bring me into it?” she said turning to him who was spinning his piercing above his left eye. “Long story. And they would probably push you into a wall or something if I didn’t get you out of the way. You saw the baseball bat in that guy’s hand.” He answered. Baseball bat. I was a goddamn axe! “Anyway, just to let you know, if you were wearing a skirt, I would have got a front row seat to your ass.” Zac said with a smile. Catherine felt her face grow hot and red. “Pervert.” She said. “Bookworm… Sorry.” Zac said looking down. “I shouldn’t have called you that.” Catherine laughed. “No, it’s fine. I used to it.” Zac looked at her, his green eyes puzzled. “How? Everyone teased you, hurt you verbally and physically. How could you just get over that, let alone get used to it? If that were me, I would probably start beating up everyone so that they stayed away from me, but you. You couldn’t hurt them or me. How could you not hold a grudge?” Catherine stood up. “I never said I didn’t hold a grudge. I still feel hurt by your comments; I just learned that I was stronger then you’re stupid words. They meant nothing to me. And getting used to it just came naturally. I’ve been bullied my whole life, or what I remembered it as. My dad even…” Catherine put her hands over her mouth. I can’t tell him that! No you stupid girl. Change the subject. She looked over the edge of the roof, seeing to boys turning the next corner. “Hey, they’re gone.” She said quickly. “Great.” He stood up as well. Catherine noticed that he was a few inches taller then she was making her look up to look him in the eyes as he stood right in front of her. Oh god. I can’t step back or I’ll fall. What do I do? What do I do? “So, Alander. What new high-school are you going to?” He asked smirking. “Um… Herald High. And I have a name you know.” She remembered the letter she still had in her hand. She held it up, with the gold ink facing her. “But I got another letter from a different school, so I might be going there.” She said quickly looking dawn at her feet. “Too bad. I thought we might be able to go to the same school. No matter. Maybe it’s a good thing. You won’t have me pestering you all the time.” He said taking a step back, giving Catherine some breathing space. “I never said you were pestering me.” She said after a while. “Whatever. See ya Alander.” He said, straining the Alander. He jumped down from the roof of the building. It was only one story, but I seemed still a big height to Catherine. “Yeah. See ya.” She said to herself. This last day was turning out to be an interesting one.

*        *        *

“I’m home!” Catherine yelled, putting her keys on the hall table. “Catherine Alander! Where have you been?” Her mother asked her giving Catherine a hug. “You had me worried sick.” Catherine struggled out of her mother’s arms. “I was with a… friend.” She said. “Oh. And I got this letter. I think it’s a letter of acceptance.” Catherine held out the letter to her mother. “Really. We already got your acceptance letter from Herald High, and we didn’t sign you up for any other schools.” Catherine’s mother’s eyes widened when she turned the letter over to read the golden letters on the front. “Catherine! This is an acceptance letter. A school must have noticed you!” Catherine’s mother was staring in awe at the letter in her hand. “I know that.” Catherine said though gritted teeth. She took the letter out of her mother’s hands, the gold letters gleaming in the kitchen light. “I’m going to open it.” She announced. Catherine turned the letter over and opened it. Inside the envelope there was a beige paper with fancy black ink scrawled on it. It read:

June 15^th 2016
Catherine Alander
 Drade Ark High School

Dear Miss Alander,

Congratulations and welcome to Overland Boarding School for the Gifted. I am pleased to advise that subject to the approval of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, you will be admitted to the Alice program beginning September 2017.

You are joining a very distinguished group of students with many different gifts and talents. Your choice to attend OBS for your final high school and college years is perhaps the wisest choice of your life. You are to be congratulated on the personal and academic achievements that have brought you thus far.

We encourage you to be in contact with us between now and September.

First, you will need to notify us as soon as possible but no later than July 31^st regarding whether or not you plan to accept this offer. There is a long list of students waiting to take up any spots that are not filled.

Your advisor is Mr. Knight. We encourage you to contact Mr. Knight within the next few weeks to get acquainted, to discuss your interests, and to begin to plan your program.

You will probably receive an e-mail or two from some of your fellow students who have been members of our program for a while. They'll be happy to give you a feel for life in the program from a student's perspective.

The entire program is very proud to be able to attract so many outstanding scholars like yourself. We look forward to meeting you in September and to developing with you a sound partnership in teaching and learning for your future.

Yours truly,
Kane Pillar
Principal of Overland Boarding School.

“Whose it from?” her mother asked. “From a school called Overland.” Catherine replied. “Overland? Let me see.” Catherine’s mother took the letter out of Catherine’s hands and read over the letter twice. “Catherine! Overland isn’t a school you sign up for. It’s a school that seeks out the best of the best. You must have done something of great achievement to get their attention. What did you do? Did you get over the top grades or something?” Mrs Alander handed back the letter to her daughter. “Over the top grades might cut it. I got no less then 98% in any subject. Does that count?” Catherine’s mother mouth dropped. “Yes! And when were you going to tell me this? This is wonderful! You should tell your father straight away.” Mrs Alander grabbed the phone. “If you don’t mind mum, not now. I had a rather long day.” Catherine pushed away the phone. “Of course. Later then okay!” Catherine sighed. “Sure. I’m going to take a nap.” Catherine started to climb the stairs to her room. You’re not going to bed are you. ”How could you guess.” She said back.

Catherine found the book she had stuffed under her bed, and flicked though it. “The blue prints are still here, but the story isn’t. At least the blue prints can give me some information. Oh, and by the way, are you going to tell me anything about this Overland Eustin?” Catherine asked as she flicked though the pages. You’re not going to believe me. “Give me a chance.” She said as she traced her finger over the boarding lines of the blue prints. Very well. Overland Boarding School of the Gifted is only a front for something greater. In your hand you hold a book, which holds the true story of Overland and the final blueprints for the school. Overland is a School for the sons and daughters of Wonderlanders. “You’re right. I don’t believe you.” She said, but something in her mind told her that he was right. Edging her on to find out more. You saw that boy turn that bat into an axe. That was no trick of the light that was real. Did you notice how they all looked the same apart from the numbers on their shirts? They are a deck. A Deck of Cards. I don’t know why they were chasing that black haired boy. He must have stolen something or what not. “Your nuts. And I’m saying that and I’m the one with a voice in my head. Anyway I don’t want to go to this school. It’s a boarding school. I don’t want to be away from my family.” What if they’re not your family? What if everything you know about yourself was on big lie. What would you do then? “That’s not possible. They would tell me something like that I was adopted.” Catherine shivered. Her window was open and I was getting darker and colder. “I’m really going to bed now.” She announced. She took off her shoes and climbed into her bed, covering herself up so she wouldn’t catch a cold.

                             So

                                     She

                              Wouldn’t

                                            Catch

                                                    A Cold