𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 (𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓷𝓮)

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓢𝓲𝔁

Very creepy.

I take a small step forward and the voice lets out a wicked laugh, "Come on in child, we don't bite I promise," Her voice is like pins and needles against my eardrums.

Chills run up my arms as my hands shake at my sides. I step forward into the building. I'm greeted by a small office space filled with a filing cabinet, a ton of files packed on a small black desk, and a black spinning chair.

A woman, who's at least in her sixties, is occupying the chair. She has her gray hair kept up in what Mother calls a ponytail on her head. Her deep blue eyes meet mine and she stands up. Her skin is a pinkish white color, and she's very small compared to me in both height and other aspects.

She walks over to me and offers me a smile, "Welcome to Alumbridge Academy. I'm the Headmistress of this academy, Jemima. You can just call me Headmistress Jemima Dear. Now, before we get you situated with your room and section, we need to do some tests on you."

Tests?

My eyes widen.

"Don't be frightened, the tests last around five minutes. We just need a background of who you are."

Alright, that doesn't sound that bad. They just want to know who I am.

"Follow me," she gestures to right behind her desk where a small white door stands. I put my bag down on the floor, and follow her.

She opens the door to reveal a steel gray room that's nearly empty. The only things in here are measuring thing on the wall, a little stand thing, and a little blue chair in the middle of the room with a light overhead.

"Alright Dear, I need you to stand against the wall right here," she points to the measuring thing.

I walk over to it, and stand right against it with my feet pushed together.  She meets me over there with a board and a pen, and slides something right down on my head. 

I slightly flinch as she marks something down on her board, "Sixty-nine inches tall. Now, stand on top of the scale." 

Scale?

She points to the small box right next to the measuring thing. I nod, and stand on top of it.

She nods back and looks down before writing again on her board, "One hundred and sixty-five pounds." 

I knew I was bigger, but that doesn't seem right. Caroline says that she's under one hundred.

"Alright Dear, take a seat on that chair over there."

I nod and go sit down on the blue chair. My feet extend a little too far from the end cushion, but barely enough for her to notice.

She comes over on another office chair with the board and pen. She sits right next to me, and starts methodically speaking.

"I just need to ask you some background questions. Please state your full legal name."

I look down and push my thumbs together, "C-C-Catherine Cecelia Carter."

She nods, "Date of birth?"

"May third, five five five three."

She nods again and licks her lips, "I assume you're fifteen then. What time were you born?"

Why does she need to know that?

"Five twelve in the afternoon?"

She starts moving her hand faster and nods again, "State the names and relationship to the immediate members of your family."

Immediate family members? So does she mean like my parents and siblings?

"Well my mother and father are Cuthbert and Cecelia Carter. My siblings are Charles, Charlotte, Caroline, Christopher, and Christina Carter."

She nods and puts the board down, "Alright, time for the physical exam."

Physical exam? What the-

She brings a light down over my face, and she opens a drawer that I guess was in the chair that's filled with little silver instruments. 

What is she gonna do to me?

Another short woman with pale skin and blonde hair comes into the room, and takes the board from the floor. She picks up the pen, and starts writing on the paper as well.

"Alright Diana, write this down," the Headmistress stands up over my face and stares right into my eyes, "The eye color is brown. The hair color is also brown. She has freckles on her nose," she pauses and grabs something from the drawer beneath her, "Open your mouth up please."

Open my mouth? Why?

I oblige and open my mouth. She puts some gloves on, and holds my mouth open with her right hand. With her left, she takes this glass across all of my teeth.

"Remarkable teeth and jaw structure," she puts down the tools and looks at me, "What's your clothing size?"

"L-large?"

She nods and smiles at me, "Alright then, Diana go put some large clothing into the drawers where she'll be residing," the blonde lady leaves the room, and she turns off the light, "Do you have any other identifying marks or features that you could name?"

I shake my head. At least I don't think so.

"Alright then, let's get the blood work done, and then you can get to your section."

Blood work.

Does that mean a needle?

Oh no no no no no no.

I shake my head several times which causes her to laugh a bit, "No Dear, the needle isn't that big and will only be for a minute."

That's not that long, but still.

She opens another drawer, and brings out a little tube thing with a needle connected to some smaller tube. The Headmistress brings my arm onto the little ledge on the chair, and lays it down flat. 

She starts taping on the crease of my arm as I shake under her touch. She does this for a few seconds before she stops and smiles.

"That's the easiest vein I've found in days. You have remarkable arms Dear."

Is that a good thing?

She brings the needle up, and my breathing increases. My throat tightens as she slowly slides the needle into my arm. The little pinch causes my lips to quiver, but the pain only lasts for a second. 

Not that bad.

She keeps the needle inside of me for a minute, and my blood runs down the wire connected to the tube. Once the tube is full, she takes it out of the wire, and removes the needle gently from my arm. She takes a small cloth, and tapes it around my arm.

"Alright Dear, you're free to go from this test. Meet me up at the front for your room key and section letter," She remarks as she walks right out of the door.

I slowly sit up from the chair, and look around again. My brain spins inside of my head. I need to go lay down. 

I get up from the chair, and walk back out into the front where she's already standing with a key in her hand.

How did she get that so quickly?

"Alright Dear, before you take this and be on your way, I need you to sign this paper. This is basically a waiver and agreement that you promise to never discuss anything that you see or learn at this academy with anyone that doesn't attend. If you discuss any part of it, consequences will occur."

Strange. 

Why would they mind if I shared any of these details with anyone? It's not like anything not legal is going on here.

Despite my thoughts, I comply and take the pen from her. I sign my name on the dotted line at the bottom of the page, and she hands me my key.

I take it from her slowly and she smiles, "This is the key to your room. You're in section D. They're seven other people in that section already who can help you get situated. Have a nice stay at the academy and good luck."