Andromeda

Chapter Two

The town of Meadowvale, Nebraska was the image of a small, country village. It was situated on the edge of Arthur County in the middle of a vast farmland. It was a tight knit community in which everybody knew one another, perfect as the only home Anna could remember calling her own. Despite that, as she sat in the passenger seat of her family's Ford 150, driven by Lynn, on her way to her first day of school, it was still like stepping into a whole new world.

Downtown Meadowvale was small, yet bustling. It only consisted of a handful of streets, but chief among them was Adams Street, which ran the full length of the populated town center and had a variety of markets, restaurants, and small town ma and pa businesses. Anna always liked coming down here. It was certainly a different environment than the countryside.

There were only two school buildings in Meadowvale, both of which stood just beyond the far side of the town center. The first building they came to was the elementary school, which was situated at the base of a small hill. Once they passed the elementary school, the road snaked up the small hillside for about a quarter mile to a much larger building that doubled as a junior high and highschool. A number of buses and cars were piling into the parking lots as the students arrived for the first day of the new school year.

Lynn pulled into and parked at the back of one of the lots. Normally, she would have swung through the circle in front of the building to drop them off, but today she had to accompany Anna to ensure that she was where she needed to be. As soon as she shut off the truck, Anna stepped out to take in the sight, with Abigail exiting just behind her. Anna slung her backpack over her shoulder and took in a deep breath as Lynn came to her side, joined by Daisy.

"Ready?" she said sweetly.

Anna nodded. "I am," she replied with a smile.

Anna's eyes were scanning the building as the four of them approached it. Unlike the elementary school, it was a two-story building. As a tenth-grade student, she would be on the lower level of the school, while the junior high was situated on the upper level, where Abigail would be attending. It was interesting to see the age disparity between the crowds of students all walking through the front doors at the same time; kids as young as 12, some of whom Anna almost dwarfed, to fresh seniors who looked as though they could have been in college by now.

Lynn held Daisy's hand firm as they slipped through the entryway, taking an immediate left toward the administrative office. The office was so much quieter than the crowded atrium just on the other side of the walls. As soon as they entered, they were immediately greeted by a cheery, young aide.

"Hi! May I help you?"

Lynn stepped up to the desk where the aide was sitting. "I'm Lynn Tucker. My daughter Anna is starting here for the first time and we were told to come directly to the office."

"Oh yes, I've been expecting you," a stern, female voice spoke up before the aide could respond. All heads turned to see a tall, slender woman approaching from the back of the office. Her impressive height was compounded, perhaps intentionally, by the high heels she wore. She had short, wavy blonde hair and a sharp pair of glasses. She carried with her an air of importance that she wanted people to recognize, and Anna had a good idea of who she was.

Walking just behind her, in stark contrast to her demeanor, was a much younger girl who was obviously another student. She looked to be about a year older than Anna. She had flowing dark hair, a heavy application of makeup, and wore a tight-fitting white shirt that did not even reach her belly button. She was hardly paying attention to her surroundings with her eyes glued to the smartphone she was holding.

"Alright, Miss Summers," the taller woman stopped and turned to address the other girl. "I hope I can trust that you'll take this year a bit more seriously. I don't want to have you in my office as much as I did last year. Hey! Are you listening to me?"