International Affairs

We Meet Again

Chapter 9: We Meet Again

"Oh my god, did you hear about the boy's academy?!"

"I heard they were coming here!"

"They living with us?"

"I have no idea."

"Why would Headmistress allow that?"

Katelyn couldn't help but feel a little responsible after listening to the gossip. Her and her friends were the first ones to stumble upon the school...and now they were coming here.

Headmistress called an assembly for the entire academy. Miss Bates then presented a slide show explaining the actual history of Grace Marshall and her illegitimate brother Guildford Marshall. While everyone sat in the nice plush auditorium seats in shock, Headmistress laid down the hammer. Guildford's academy for Gifted Young Boys would finish the rest of the school year here at Grace Marshall's. They would attend the same classes, live in dorms and worst of all, for Katelyn, it meant Derek was going to go to the same school as her.

"Did you see that coming?" Jane asked. They were in the courtyard for lunch.

"Nope," Katelyn said, crunching her apple. "To be honest, I expected the IA to wipe them off the face of the earth. I mean, they kept the academy a secret for centuries."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Sammy asked. "Where are they going to stay?"

"I saw people refurnishing the South Hall," Jane noted. "That's probably where they're going to stay."

"Ew, they're going to be in the same building as us!" Sammy complained.

"I heard that's how college works," Jane reminded her. "Besides they're on the floor below us."

"Still pretty awful," Katelyn agreed. She tossed her apple core into the trashcan by the tree. Score!

"I mean, at least your sister won't have to deal with them," Sammy offered. "They're enrolling as seniors so they'll stay in the upperclassman region of campus."

Katelyn snorted. "If they have as much skill as Susan, I'll be impressed."

"No matter what happens, we still have each other's backs," Jane reminded them. "They're just a bunch of boys."

"Right," Sammy said, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Nothing's going to ruin our senior year."

The boy's academy wasn't that big. Fifty students at most with two teachers. One was Mikhail Belikov and the other, his assistant, Dane Mann. It was around 3:00 in the afternoon when they came.

Katelyn, Sammy and Jane were on the library balcony when they arrived to campus. Headmistress, Miss Bates and several other teachers met them at the front of the school. The boys wore navy blue blazer jackets, beige khakis and gold ties. Each had a backpack and a suitcase which they pulled all the way to the South Hall.

"They're here," Sammy said, stating the obvious. She leaned against the rails, peering at the orderly procession.

A lot of the girls gathered and watched from a distance. Guildford Marshall's students were like strange creatures walking around their campus. You could also tell the boys were pretty impressed. Their heads swiveled side to side as they walked.

"Don't forget about the welcoming banquet tonight," Jane reminded everyone. "Formal attire."

Katelyn sighed. "I guess it gives us a reason to dress up."

"Are you going to wear the skirt Derek bought you?" Jane asked.

Katelyn rolled her eyes. "I would never live it down," she stated. "I'm probably going to wear the one dress I own."