The Facility | ✔️

Chapter One

I smoothed down my plaid skirt and adjusted my private school blouse. Flipping my hair up into a low ponytail, I slipped carelessly into my leather school shoes. I jumped around a bit so that the tails rested correctly against my heels. Next, I grabbed my satchel and slung it over a shoulder. I burst out of my dorm room into the common room of the Teresa house. I frantically looked up at the clock on the wall. 7:45am. Crap... I was supposed to be at breakfast now. 

I ran out of the Teresa common room and moved down the hall past the other common rooms that were most likely empty. This school was quite intent on punctuality, and it always seemed to be me stuffing that up. 

I slowed down just outside the dining hall to catch my breath. I hesitantly pushed open a door and was relieved to see the teachers weren't here yet. I grinned and stepped through. Bree waved from her table, "Late again, I see?"

I blushed, "Someone forgot to wake me up."

I mock-glared at the accuser - Whitney - as I passed her table. She giggled slightly, "Sorry, Nat."

I winked, "Not a problem."

I joined my regular table right in the middle of the dining hall where five other girls already sat. Emily frowned deeply at me, "You're late again."

"Sorry, Em," I winced at my best friend.

"I was beginning to think you'd changed your name and fled to Mexico."

"Why would I do that?" I asked innocently. I'm pretty sure I hadn't embarrassed myself... And all the student body actually liked me.

Em rolled her eyes at me, simply, and returned to eating the meal in front of her - a measly bowl of oatmeal. I had the opposite dish, since I was sitting next to her - seasonal fruit salad. 

"Em," I said warningly, "What did I do?"

Emily Wednesday's hazel eyes connected with mine and she said darkly, "It wasn't you. It's this lousy school."

"Care to elaborate?" Beth said, from my other side. 

Beth rarely spoke, and neither did the others. They were just keen on studying notes and eating food. But they spoke pretty loudly when we had movie nights... Anyway, the fact that she said something at all meant something was seriously wrong.

Em continued reluctantly, "I overheard Mum- Principal Wednesday last night," she corrected herself for the school purposes, "on the phone. It's that time of year."

"What time of year?" I asked, oblivious.

"When we and the boys' school go to The Facility for testing."

I shuddered immediately, "Remember the girls in Year Twelve now that went last year?"

"Half of them came back traumatised," Olivia murmured, "The other half came back like love-sick puppies."

"And most of them still are love-sick," I twisted my nose up.

Em spoke up again, "But anyway, The Facility is located on the other side of town, apparently. Right near the retirement village, y'know? All of us girls in Year Eleven, plus the guys in Year Eleven, all go to the Facility for a month."

Bridgette leaned forward, "I heard that they flood our veins with this unknown drug and then get us to reproduce unwillingly."

"Well, we are a declining population," Diana added.

For girls that study endlessly, don't they know that we're at risk of overpopulation? Ugh...

Beth smirked, "No, I heard that they make us do a month-long baby project with one of the guys."

Double ugh...

Em rolled her eyes, "Hey! Daughter of the principal and student body president sitting right here," she gestured between me and herself, "And no. Actually, Mu- Principal Wednesday, was saying last night on the phone that they take a pheromone and hormone sample, give us an implant that tracks them from them on, and sees how we interact with a specific guy that would much our pheromones."

Triple ugh...

"So, basically, the Facility is just gonna tell us a scientific way of calculating love," I wrinkled my nose.

"Basically," Em shrugged, "Sounds like fun to be honest."

There was a loud clatter across the dining hall and a small cry. Everyone's chatter dropped and we all turned. Em and I stood up immediately. 

Emily Truant in Year 8 was lying in a heap on the floor, surrounding by an apple and oatmeal that had soaked through her school blouse. To add to the mess, Francie Davis - also in Year 8 - chose to pour a bottle of water over her head. I let my seat scrape back loudly and clearly across the floor. Most heads turned to me, but I glared at Francie, "What - and I repeat what - gives a girl the right to trip a peer and humiliate her? Francie Davis, how would you feel if I had tripped you and proceeded to pour water on you?"

Francie - who had looked so smug a second ago - suddenly looked ashen, "N-nothing, Natalie..."

"And yet, you chose to anyway," I started to walk down the aisle towards the two girls. Emily was still on the floor, staring up at me in bewilderment. "Care to share why?"

Francie gulped, "I-I don't know."

"Surely there was a reason."

"No."

I rolled my eyes, "Humiliating someone is not a way to gain friends, Francie."

I kneeled down towards the ground, "Are you okay, Emily?"

"Yeah," she murmured.

I extended a hand, "Let's go get you cleaned up, shall we?"

Emily nodded with a small smile. I turned back to Francie quickly, "Oh. And because of your actions, nobody leaves the dining hall until you have personally cleaned this mess up. Emily Wednesday will oversee that."

I glanced back at my best friend, who subtly winked. 

I placed a hand on Emily Truant's lower back and guided her out of the dining hall, up to Yousafzai house common room. 

***

"That was bloody brilliant," I had to listen to my best friend say when I returned just a little late for our first class of the day - English. 

I smiled shyly and sat down, "Enough. It was horrible calling Francie Davis out like that. The girl was embarrassed in front of the whole school..."

"Yeah, but did you see Emily Truant? She was so elated," Em's voice softened, "No wonder you're the student body president..."

I winked at Em, "I'm sure you would've done a just-as-fabulous job if you were president."

When I'd been elected, I'd begged Principal Wednesday to be co-president with Em, but since Em is her daughter, there's apparently already been a rule in place that Emily couldn't have the position at all. 

Emily blushed faintly, "Thanks Nattie."

"It's the truth," I sent her a sly smile before class began - running later than me. 

Song: Set In Stone - Guy Sebastian

(^^,) xx Sharky.