Fragments

0.4

0.4

            Elizabeth Roe's Boarding School is not as glamorous as it sounds.  Smack in the middle of downtown New York, it fits right in with its decaying bricks and dirty windows. Despite the appearance, which no doubt my mother had considered when she looked into the place, I have no choice but to go.

            I would drive away if I could, but the taxi already left.

            My suitcase feels heavier than it was earlier as I lug it off the ground. With a huff, I slump towards the school, ignoring the stares from other students and the silly, blue plaid uniforms they're all wearing.

            I pray to whatever God is out there that I don't have to wear one of those skirts.

            The headmaster is like a bird. With a long, beak-like nose and small, beady eyes, I could easily picture some human-bird crossbreed experiment going on to create her. Mrs. Gallagher looks over me in a mix of disinterest and disgust before opening the old, creaking wooden door to my single room.

            "You are expected to be dressed accordingly, on time, and accounted for," she says sternly, her bird nose tilted up in the air. "Always."

            I turn away from her to look around the shabby, old room. Nothing interesting, nothing worth looking at.

            "I know your story, Piper," she says suddenly. I don't turn around. "I know how your mind works. You're here to get better. Take your pills, meet with a therapist, all of it."

            I still don't say anything. By the time I turn around, she's already gone, and the door is closed.