Greatest

6: cowards and faint-hearted runaways

Checking into Rose and Swan is like any other boarding school, and I'm like any other student. At any private school, but especially an elite one like this, the son of the leader of the country is barely a blip on the radar, there's dozens more famous students here, whose parents could buy and sell mine a dozen times, and they know it. Here, secret service or no, I'm no one. Usually it takes a solid week for everyone to get used to ignoring my tails, but here it's more of an inconvenience than anything else. Foreign dignitaries send their children here. The mood is that I am no one special.
There's a little in brief for new students and any parents that might be accompanying them. I'm the only senior there, and Shane and Jonesy get called my two dads more than three times, which to me is very funny since I'm still a bit high. The lecture mostly covers the different areas of the school, school procedures, wear of uniform, and the various buildings. There's a sports complex, where I will fence and swim, I'm on both teams, and then there's two male dorms and one female one. I've already got my check in papers, it says Canterbury house, so that's fine, whatever. It doesn't really make a difference to me. There's a riding stables. I am interested in that because I can ride and don't generally get the chance. I'm not signed up for riding but apparently students can sign up to ride on weekends if they can prove they are proficient, and sign some forms, then they can check out a horse as it were, depending availability. I like that and plan on doing it, I like animals I had a dog once a big Dane but I don't feel like talking about that it's very sad and not at all happy story.
After that, the welcome speech devolves into a surprisingly long explanation of drill procedures. By surprisingly long I mean the rest of the little speech is forty five minutes and the fire/bomber/shooter drill part is two hours. Yeah I know. Anyway, I try to pay attention to that.
Then we are released to go and find our counselors. That's usually our homeroom teacher, but due to my secret service agents I'm sent straight to the Dean instead.
Dean Alleyn lets us in his office. He has a mess of papers on his desk and two half drunk cups of tea. He looks frazzled but when I smell whiskey in one of the cups of tea I decide I like him.
"Room 234, and 235," he hands me two envelopes of key cards, "We've cleared 235 for your security."
"Here," I hand Shane his key. He and Jonesy and then later the next set, will stay across the hall from me, in a cleared out dorm room. They will also stand guard outside the room whenever I am in it. I do not have a private room, unlike at Wilton's.
"Your roommate was the only one who could pass the background checks in time, he already had clearances on file," Dean Alleyn mutters, sorting through papers on his desk.
"Bradley Thomas—right Senator Thomas's son," I say, looking at the little card with our names on it. Only one roommate so that's nice. It would have taken a scramble to run somebody else's clearance. A Senator's kid wouldn't necessarily have such background checks on file, but more often than not. In particular I know Senator Thomas was subject to an attempt on his life and subsequently had a secret service detail for a while, so his son probably already had all sorts of checks and things run.
"He's been informed you'll be coming with your agents—not out of the ordinary for either of you. Rose and Swan is fairly removed from the rest of the world, so I trust you'll be able to enjoy your student experience here, just like anyone else," Dean Alleyn says.
"Yes, sir," just like everyone else is all that I want.
"I've asked Bradley to show you around. He's a senior like yourself, and normally you'd be assigned a sponsor but due to your late enrollment and security measures I've asked him to do it."
"Great," I'm sure he'll love babysitting me, that'll be a good ice breaker, babysit me and my two burly secret agents who follow me literally everywhere. Next best ice breaker would be if I just dropped dead right in front of him.
"Dinner's at six, no dress required tonight, but do abide by the casual dress code," he looks rather done with us and I am more than happy to go on to find the dorms.
Canterbury house stands the second big red brick building in, halfway to the riding stables and farthest from the sporting complex. I'm less medicated than I have been so I mostly carry my bags, but Shane just grunts at me when I try to take my fencing bag from him. We're on the second floor, which I suppose is better than the fourth. We trudge up the stairs, by now sweaty from both the plane and the day, and not quite appreciating the thin mountain air. The house is warm and noisy with the boys moving in. Bags and boxes line the halls and parents and relatives shuffle in and out, while students pop back and forth visiting. In their plain clothes my agents are not so obvious, they pass easily for relatives helping me to move, and no one pays us any mind. Those whose faces do flash with that brief hallowed recognition let it pass away again. They may know who I am but they certainly don't care, and they shan't notice when I'm gone.
My room is at the end of the hall, by design I assume, and it's directly across from the room cleared out for my men. Shane wordlessly piles his bags on the floor, nodding to Jonsey that he can go inside and unpack first. I'm sure this was already decided probably days in advance.  Normally, upon returning to the dorms one agent will sweep the room, and then wait outside while I occupy it for however long. The men will take six hour shifts overnight, or however long we're here. For simplicity purposes, in the past, I've always kept to my room after athletics and dinner.
Rose and Swan's schedule is no different than most schools, three meals a day at set times, upperclassmen can elect to eat in the dorms and use a small kitchen in the common area. Classes end at 3:20, but then there are extra curricular and study hall blocks. I fence directly after classes, then I have swimming 7:00-8:30 at night, and then in the mornings from 5:30-6:30. Everyone must check into the dorms or have a pass by 9, lights out at midnight for upperclassmen. Weekends lights out for everyone is midnight, and extended study halls and sports practice will take up most weekends, though there are plenty of group activities and games to occupy our time. Upperclassmen get special trips most breaks and can opt out of group activities in favor of their studies or sports.
My two lovely shadows will accompany me to all of these things, and there's a running joke among the agents that at least I pick indoor hobbies. Standing by a pool or on a fencing court is far preferable to a soccer pitch like Peter's detail enjoys, rain or shine. The agents have to be there watching me, but especially at school I get a measure of privacy, that is I'll eat with my fellow students and study with them, and I can be inside my or someone else's dorm room with them just outside. Our agents are privy to plenty of private events, but they're mostly very good about keeping quiet about personal matters. Their job is to protect us, not judge the odd underage alcohol consumption.
Now, generally I try to be good about all of this. I let them know my schedule, try not to do things spontaneously, schedule doctor's appointments in advance, that type of thing. After sports I head back to my dorm room so that my agents can start their evening rotations and get some sleep themselves, even if I'm going to stay up studying. Historically, my roommates have learned to forget my shadows are even there, and in kind always cooperated with the cumbersome checks and large adult males drifting around while a group of teenagers are laughing and quoting vines.
I unlock the door and let Shane step in to do a quick sweep. It's a typical dorm room, with a bed shoved against either wall, a computer hutch at the end of each bed, and a narrow window in between the beds over one table the two beds share as a nightstand. Near the entrance there's two closets which we'll usually leave open for security reasons, and a tiny bathroom. There's a little shower and toilet and mirror and sink and barely room for one person. I appreciate the private bath. I've done communal baths before and it's more awkward security check wise, since yeah I can't go in alone, or if I want to be alone for the shower they have to check first. Locker rooms are equally not fun but my teammates eventually get used to it.
And so. I step in my room. My roommate is already there. So, time a new chapter: