landslide, neil perry

one.

she didn't quite know what words would make him most happy, so celia just put on what she hoped was an award winning smile. "it's an honor to be here, sir."

mr. nolan evidently liked her response, smiling back at her before looking to her father and beginning to ramble about coursework that was irrelevant to her. 

celia had been shifting between looking at her finger and staring at the clock on the wall, and she was relieved when her father's elbow nudged her shoulder, breaking her from her trance. the two said small words of farewell to mr. nolan before exiting his office and moving into the hallway, where a flock of boys had begun to file in.

she was beginning to wonder what she'd gotten herself into when the amount of boys tripled. celia looked nervously to her father, who seemed the epitome of calm and cool. "is it too late now to change my mind?" she asked.

"i think so." he replied, smiling. "the light is reached not by turning back from the darkness, but by going through it."

celia nodded, her brows slightly raised. "i still think we should go back home."

soon enough, the entire room was full. celia people-watched as mothers anxiously picked at the locks of boys that tried to pull away, and as fathers pulled at the collars of boys' suits. she'd known she was going to an all boys academy, but it was somehow worse to see just how many of them there were. 

the talking of the crowd was ceased by the sound of aggressive bagpipes, which somehow made the pit in celia's stomach grow even deeper. she watched as a group of boys lit a candle, walking down the aisle with it. they passed it to mr nolan, who gave them a tight lipped smile. 

"one hundred years ago," he began, standing in front of a podium, "in 1859, 41 boys sat in this room and were asked the same question that greets you at the start of each semester. gentlemen, what are the four pillars?"

in the pews before celia, every single boy, adorning the same uniform, got to their feet. "tradition, honor, discipline, excellence." they all said in unison.

celia raised an impressed brow, leaning in to her father. "you sure you didn't sign me up for a cult?" she asked him, watching as he laughed.

the boys had all quickly sat back down when the headmaster continued. "in her first year, welton academy graduated five students. last year we graduated fifty-one. and more than seventy-five percent of those went on to the ivy league. this, this kind of accomplishment, is the result of fervent dedication to the principles taught here. this is why you parents have been sending us your sons. this is why we are the best preparatory school in the united states."

the entire crowd (but mainly the parents) began to applaud their excitement at his words.

"as you know, our beloved mr. portius of the english department retired last term. you will have the opportunity later to meet his replacement, mr. john keating, himself a graduate of this school." he gestured towards celia's father, who smiled. "and who, for the past several years, has been teaching at the highly regarded chester school in london."

once again, the crowd erupted into applause. celia then noticed that her father, even visually, was a sharp contrast to all of the teachers beside him, who were seemingly all cold and stoic. his warm smile and demeanor was a harsh juxtaposition to the permanent scowls of the other teachers. his shoes, even, were worn with use while the others sat polished and shined. 

"seated next to him is his daughter, celia keating, who will be our very first female attendant at welton. at her previous school, celia was the very top of her class, with perfect marks in each of her subjects, including latin, french, and math."