Miss Quick

Chapter Four

He clicked around for a few minutes until he said, "Ah, I've found your virus. You have antivirus, right?"

I nodded.

He continued, "It'll be easy to remove but it may take about two hours."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," I said, slightly surprised. I watched as Mr. Pulcher clicked a few times and a loading process began on the screen.

Evelyn walked out and said, "Wow Dad, got it already?"

"Yep. In the time of two hours her computer will be perfectly healthy."

"Thank you again, Mr. Pulcher."

He nodded and winked at me. I turned to take a step but stopped when he asked me, "So, what do you think about the academy?"

At first I had no idea what he meant. "Huh?"

"Well, didn't Evi tell you?"

A few seconds passed. Then the wheels of my brain clicked into place. The phone conversation!... that I overheard.

"No, she didn't tell me." That was true, right. She didn't tell me directly. So I wasn't lying. Right?

Mr. P smiled. "Well, I must have underestimated her ability to keep her mouth shut! To make a long story short, it's a school I run for people with abilities. Evelyn told me all about your ability. Oh, and you're invited to attend the academy on a full scholarship."

It took my brain a little bit to catch up.  

I don't even know what my facial expression looked like at the time; I couldn't remember if I tried. Those three sentences seemed too good to be true. I didn't have to go to school at Bearin High School anymore? No more Maddie and co.? A whole SCHOOL full of people with abilities? Run by Evelyn's dad? I couldn't believe it.

"Really?!?!" was the only word I managed to squeak out after all those thoughts.

He nodded. "Are you interested?"

I nodded eagerly. "Y-yeah!! Of course! Are you kidding?"

He smiled. "Would you like to look at the academy now?"

My eyes lit up. "Yeah! Wait," my face fell. "I'm getting my braces off. I don't have time to drive somewhere with you. Sorry."

"Hey, who says you have to drive anywhere?" Evelyn grinned.

I blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"The academy. It's right here."

"I don't have time to walk anywhere either- wait. Are you sure? I've never seen a school around here. Is it invisible or something? Oooh, this is fun, I wanna go to an invisible school!"

"No, it's not invisible," Mr. P laughs. "Not quite." 

"I don't get it. Then where is it?"

"It's right here," Evelyn says and walks across the living room and down the hall on the left side of the entryway. I walk behind her to the door at the end of it.

"Follow me." She grabs my arm and pulls me down a flight of stairs on the other side of the door. I can hardly see a thing, so I'm glad for her steering me.

We climb down more and more stairs and turn a few more times. I'm getting dizzy. Meanwhile Evelyn explains, "The goal of the academy is to train its students to become efficient users of their abilities and to prepare them for a possible career in the league of elite ability users that keep the world in check." She was talking so fast that after she finishes saying that, she exhales a huge breath.