Buchanan's Academy for Girls

Chapter 1 - Kitten Heels and Moonlight Legs

By the time I arrived, which was around six-thirty, the sky was a pale blue and held the glimpse of a half moon. I was late and had already missed the greeting ceremony that the Headmaster gave to welcome students to Buchanan's Academy. I looked up at the huge, towering building as I walked down the path towards the main school. It still blew me away even after seeing it for the sixth year in-a-row. The central building of the Academy was made of pearly white bricks, washed clean for the new semester. While the front resembled fresh snow, the back structures were a dark mahogany brick that reminded me of day-old blood. Quite an unpleasant resemblance but I loved my school nonetheless.

The arching front doors of the school were still open despite the chilly air. Several small groups were crowded around inside the entry hall, friends reuniting after Summer break. I stood near the the doorway and looked around, wondering if my own comrades were in there. I couldn't see them anywhere. My hand began to cramp holding my heavy suitcase, reminding me that I needed to get to the dormitories to unpack. I walked to the end of the entry hall past everyone. Like always, I took a right and headed towards the stairway that led up to my assigned dorm. As I gazed up the stairs, wondering how I would get the luggage I held up to the top without struggling, I heard a voice behind me.

"Lena?"
I wheeled around and was surprised by a bubbly, smiling blonde, who immediately wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me a little too tightly. I laughed into the wavy blonde hair when I recognized who embraced me.

"Hey, Frankie!" I said, setting down the suitcase to hug my best friend back. Frankie eventually let go of her tight embrace to me and smiled wildly.
"I'm so happy to see you. For a moment I thought you weren't coming."

I laughed. "Of course I was coming! The Academy is like my second home."

"You know me, Lena. I can't help but worry about stupid things." Said Frankie. She sighed. "I missed you. Abha and Jane do, as well. They're still in the dining hall if you want to see them."

I grinned at her excitement. "I missed you, too." I grunted as I grabbed my heavy suitcase off the floor. "And I would love to see them, but right now I should probably get to my dormitory. I still have this thing - " I gestured towards my suitcase with a nod. "- to lug up the stairway."

Frankie automatically volunteered to help me with my things. I politely declined, but Frankie ignored me and picked up the suitcase with ease. She headed up the stairway with me tagging behind, her kitten heels making a repetitive, but somehow soothing noise. Frankie was small for 16, but she was stronger than she looked. When we reached the top of the stairs Frankie set the suitcase down delicately as though is was a porcelain doll.

I wiped a small bead of sweat off my upper lip. "Whew. That's funny, I don't remember this staircase being so long. And you, how did you manage to get up here carrying that monster of a thing with heels on?"

"Natural born strongman, I guess. And the gym helps, of course." Said Frankie, looking glad to brag a little about her talents. "And as for the heels, they're only an inch tall." She stretched out one pale leg to show me. The kitten heels were made out of a shiny raven black material that made Frankie's white skin look even more like moonlight. I stared at her legs even after she put her heeled foot down, marveling at how elegant and long they were. I wondered how soft they would feel...

I shook myself out of my daze. "Err, yeah. The shoes are quite nice."

"That's why I bought them. Nice of the school to change the dress code a bit." Frankie said. She didn't seem to have noticed me staring at her legs, luckily.

Before I could respond to her, Frankie had looked at her watch and exclaimed. "Oh no, it's 7:15 already. We're late for dinner."

I quietly thanked the heavens because I was practically starving. The only thing I had that day was toast for breakfast and two bags of chips for lunch. But then I remembered that I still had my damned suitcase to take to the dorm.

"Just go without me, Frankie. I have to take my stuff down to the dormitory and I won't be able to get back in time to even grab dessert." I sighed.

Frankie gave my a pitying grin. "Don't worry, I'll sneak you back some bread and maybe a bit of meat."

As she headed back down the stairs, I called to her. "You know me too well, Francesca Cote!"

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When I finally reached the dormitory Frankie and I shared, I left my suitcase lying on the floor and plopped down on the familiar bedding. I looked over at Frankie's bed, which was the exact same as mine. Crisp white sheets with a fluffy comforter to match; all of it surrounded by a sturdy oak frame. The white bedding reminded me of Frankie's pale-moonlight legs.

I frowned, remembering how I had stared at them for such an unusual amount of time. I had definitely noticed her legs before that, I had been best friends with her for five years, after all. But the moment in the hallway was like noticing them for the first time. My stomach interrupted my thoughts. The loud roar it made was actually quite frightening.

Remembering Frankie's promise to sneak me some food, I rolled out of the bed to check the clock on the wall. The time was 7:45. Dinner had just ended. My stomach began to grumble more than ever and I prayed for Frankie to run to the dorm. I thought for a moment I could meet her at the staircase, but I was so exhausted that I just got back into my bed, rolled underneath the covers and instantly fell asleep with my clothes still on.