This is part two of three of Jillian's Story. I hope you like and please comment
Since it was only one in the afternoon, Mrs. Bellows told us that lunch will be ready shortly and that we should listen for the announcement. “Alright girls, lunch starts for the whole house in thirty minutes.”As soon as she gave us our room number and a key, she let us go in and survey.
Once she placed a key in my hand, I unlock the door. The light was still on and to one side of the room was a girl lying on her back looking at the ceiling. Guess she didn’t hear me coming in or didn't care.
i contemplated weather I should introduce myself or not. “Hi,” I said. “I’m Jillian,” I walked up to her bed and held my hand out.
“Ugh! You’re my roommate?” she sat up and I pulled my hand back. She had long, dark, curly hair that was in a messy ponytail. She was a little overweight and seems to have a permanent scowl on her face. Her eyes were green and there was something feral about them as she stared at me. “That’s your side,” she pointed to the other bed. “Don’t come to my side, don’t bother me, don’t try to talk to me, and we’ll get along,” she lies back on her bed.
“Can you at least tell me your name?” I asked.
“Crystal, now shut the hell up!” she shouted then turn on her side, facing the wall.
“Fine,” I whispered under my breath and plopped on my bed. Well, that was rude. She reminded me of the girls you avoided during gym class. I walked over to my side and on my bed was a green, plaid dress and brown flats on the floor. On top of my dresser was a basket full of things, like personal items, washcloths and towels, brush and comb, soap, etc… I moved my dress to the dresser and sat down on my bed. It was comfortable enough, but there’s nothing like my own bed. i bunced n it a few times to test it.
There was nothing but silence until lunch began. I followed behind my roommate. Every second she would look at me and scowl. I was just trying to get to the dining room, but apparently Crystal thought I was stalking her.
As we entered the dinning room, I walked pass Cyrstal and found a seat as far away from her as I could. This place was huge. When I say was huge, I meant huge. The walls were all white and had giant pictures of—I’m guessing—the people who founded Victorn Girl’s Academy, before it became an auction house. There had to be at least thirty long tables topped with red and white table cloths. About twelve people or less sat to a table.
At my table, five other girls pulled up chairs. One girl was sickly thin with short brown hair. The other looked older than me and she had straight, jet black hair. None of them spoke. All of them just kept their heads down. I would try to talk to them, but what would be the point? They could be another Crystal.
After a few minutes of sitting in an uncomfortable silence, servers came out to give us our food. I tried to ask what it was that we were eating but they didn’t respond or look at me. The servers placed water, some sort of soup, toasted bread and some sort of sauce in front of us. The 'soup' was green. I was hesitant before I took my first bite and very hesitant afterwards. You would think it would actually taste like food but it tasted like grass. I had to keep from throwing up. It was so disgusting. This is what we have to eat for six weeks? This alone is torture.
The bread and water were the only edible things. The sauce smelled like turpentine and tasted just as bad. It was awful.
After I finished the bread and water, I was ready to leave. I didn't know if we could just get up and go so I waited until the other girls at my table left. This time I decided not to use Crystal as my guide. I doubt I could even find her in this maze of a dining room.
I didn’t think getting back to my room would be such a hassle. I kept getting lost. I tried asking for directions but these girls didn’t seem to know anything. I didn’t blame them; I wouldn’t want to know anything about this place either. In this place, ignorance is bliss.
Somehow in all of my thinking, I stumbled upon a big ballroom. I had never seen one in person before but it was beautiful. The room was almost as big as the dining room. The walls were off white and decorated with silhouettes of dancing couples. Beneath them were mirrors. I looked at my reflection, not too shabby if I do say so myself. The floors were hard wood with a light tannish color and to one corner of the room there was a black grand piano.
I walk over the piano, sat on the bench, and touch one of the keys. I never played before and I got curious. That was my mistake. As I typed in a few more keys, I heard the door close. Standing in front of it was Keegan. His face was sporting a wide grin too big for his face.
“You just can’t seem to stay out of trouble,” he walked towards me, each footstep thudding against the floor. He made me nervous.
I stood and positioned myself on the opposite side of the piano. There was no way I was going to let him touch me. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive. “I-I have to go,” I said but made no effort to move. I was kind of waiting for him to leave.
“I think you could stay a little while,” he walked around the piano and I made sure keep us at a distance. “Come on, I don’t bite,” he quirked one of his eyebrows and I mini puked in my mouth.
“No, I have to go,” I said sternly, never looking away from him.
“Hey Keegan,” a blonde hair guy who looked like he lived in the gym came in, “The Headmistress is looking for you.”
“Fuck! What the hell does chunky butt want from me now?” he shoots the guy a glare. The guy just shrugs and leaves. “This isn’t over,” he says to me then walks out.
I didn’t realize I was holding in my breath until I gave an exasperated sigh. That was too close. I can’t just walk around without knowing where I was. I don’t want to get cornered by him again. He was too creepy.
I left out of the ballroom and sped-walked my way all over until I found my room. I almost prayed when I saw the numbers 113. I hurried into the room and sat on my bed. Crystal glanced at me before turning back to her very important job of scanning the ceiling for termites.
Since it was Sunday and classes didn’t start back until Monday, it gave me the rest of the day to do whatever I wanted. Too bad there’s nothing to do here. Yup, it was just me, Crystal, and a ceiling… unfortunately.
“How long have you been here?” I tried to give talking another shot. Bad idea.
“Didn’t I tell you not to talk to me?” Crystal glared. “What part of that don’t you understand?!”
I didn’t speak to her anymore. After dinner we came back and we both inspected the ceiling for termites.
The next day…
First day of classes and I was totally nervous. After we were brought breakfast, they gave me my schedule. My classes were Respect Your Mate, Make-up, Dancing, Peacemaking, Romancing Your Mate, and Women to Mate living. What in the hell was this, the nineteenth century?
I didn't know where any of these classes were and Crystal wasn’t going to put down her food anytime soon to tell me. After we had finished we both went our opposite ways. I started following random girls until they turned around and glared at me. I know it was weird, but worth it. I had ended up in a new area which I assumed all the classes were held. The doors were a lot bigger and girls flooded in and out of the rooms.
After my first few classes it was time for lunch. I accepted the food. It was never going to get any better and I had to eat. Once lunch had ended I went to my last few classes then it was time for dinner. This time I found the courage to talk to someone. “Hi, I’m Jillian,” I said to a girl with shirt red hair. She lifted her head and said, “I’m Lena, n-nice to meet you.”
“So…” I stretch it out, “how long have you been here?”
“Three weeks, you?” she took a bite of her pot pie—at least that what I think it was. The meat inside was unidentifiable.
“Two days,” I said. “I don’t think I can make it with food like this.”
“Yeah, I call it rat meat,” she chuckled.
“Somehow, I think rat meat would taste better than this,” I joked. Fortunately it wasn’t just us laughing, but also other two girls at the table.”
“Hi, I’m Jillian,” I said to the other two girls. “Your names?” I looked back and forth between them.
After a long pause, “Beth,” a girl with really long black hair and gray eyes said.
“Delanie,” the other girl with curly blond hair and brown eyes said in a nasally voice.
“So do you want to play ‘Guess that Meat’?” I asked.
They all nodded. Unlike yesterday, this meal was enjoyable and not so quiet. Just because were getting sold doesn’t mean we should lose who we are while we’re here. No matter what, I will stay the same up until the day I’m sold. That word left a bad taste in my mouth. I will never change. I will stay my comical, smart, and witty self.
Almost an hour later…
I went back to my room and there was Crystal sitting on her bed picking at some lint on her dress.
“Um, hi,” I said. You could say I’m a glutton for punishment and you’d be right. Crystal looked up at me like she wanted to kill me. “I met some new friends today. They were pretty amazing. One of the girl’s names was Lena, she’s so nice,” I was laughing inside right now. “She told me that she had a Barbie doll collection back at home. Isn’t that cute Crystal?”
She grunted and went back to picking at her lint.
“The food today was awful, don’t you think? I almost barfed. I swear that food smells like they scraped it off the side of the building,” I continued. I could see Crystal getting agitated but I just kept going. “You should have heard the nickname Lena gave the food, it was…” I turned and saw Crystal standing next to me. Then out of nowhere a fist collided with my cheek.