Boom.. boom! Catalina's heart was pounding so hard, she was afraid if it was any harder, it would break right out of her chest. Seeing TREASURE, in all of its splendor, caused a miniature battle of emotions to war within her. On one hand, excitement coursed through her veins, with all of the things to see and learn! However, she began to doubt herself. I am a girl with hardly any formal education, an illegal immigrant, a thief! How could I be good enough? she thought. She didn't know what to do, until her mother's last words to her before she boarded the helicopter flooded back. Be strong, my little tiger. You can do anything you set your mind to. They echoed in her brain, filling her with strength. Her family believed in her, and so did the people who invited her to this school. All I have to do is believe in myself, she thought inside her head repeatedly.
They walked through the field towards the center, a walk that took a while, but gave her plenty of time to observe the area and satisfy her curiosity. She asked about a bazillion questions about the amount of students (more or less 100), the after school activities (too many to name), the schedules (they would receive them later), food (the cafeteria served all meals during specific times), the forest (it was a protected national park, but were they allowed on a part of? She didn't really get that.) Catalina also learned that the building made of wood was the horse stable. Actual horse stables! She was so excited! Never before had she seen any animal that large! They could also take lessons in riding as one of the extracurriculars.
Eventually, they entered the main entrance. When they drove up, there was a guardhouse and gates, but then they entered the campus. The grass was so incredibly green, and the entire place smelled like nature. She could breathe deep, and her lungs didn't feel congested with smog. The sun felt warm on her skin, but the trees were so perfectly scattered as to give shade on sunny days, but not block the sun's light completely. At the center of it all was a large statue and fountain. When they got closer, she realized it was Angelica Divrmest, the woman who had single-handedly stopped World War III.
What were the odds? She was Catalina's mentor! She had always looked up to her courage, and wanted to change the world like Angelica had. Her statue was incredible, her figure standing proud and victorious. The water cascaded from the flag she was holding in jets, reflecting the sunlight and causing miniature rainbows to appear. When she looked in the crystal clear water reflected her image back, and for a second she couldn't believe she was actually here.
Upon further examination of the statue, she realized in the reflection there were strange figures and symbols, that seemed like they could be letters. She tried to get a better look, until Mr. Hershel said,
"We'd best be going. You need to go to the orientation Assembly, and it's recommended not to be late."
She made a mental note to come back and examine the symbols when she was alone, and not running late! She was one of the last students to arrive, and the Orientation was about to start, if it hadn't already. Catalina and Mr. Hershel walked through the area in front of the main building, under the scent of pine, and the noise of birds chirping.
"I could get used to this." Catalina sighed in content.
"So could I," replied Mr. Hershel. "But alas, I have to busy of a life and job to stop and smell the flowers in this peaceful place often. Time is a luxury most can't afford. Speaking of time, this is where I will have to say goodbye, Miss Catalina."
She blinked in surprise. "What?" He didn't work here?
She had imagined him as a stable figure she had. An everyday friendly face, her first acquaintance in her new life.
"I'm a pilot. I fly helicopters," Mr. Hershel shrugged. "I was called in by TREASURE to pick you up in Argentina. I just received a request to pick up another passenger."
"Oh," Catalina said, feeling naive. "I didn't realize."
"Yep," he said. "It's just part of the job." There was an awkward pause for a moment, then Mr. Hershel finally broke the silence. "Okay, so you'll just continue to the main building, it's directly in front of us, just walk forward to arrive there. Orientation isn't in the courtyard, which you enter by walking through the passage. It's in the cafeteria, which is doubling as an auditorium today, because the outdoors auditorium isn't built yet. You walk into the courtyard, then enter the building through a set of white doors."
Catalina nodded. "Okay, thanks." After a moments pause, she went up and hugged the pilot. "Thanks for everything," she said.
Mr. Hershel let out a hearty laugh. "No problem. And I promise that if I'm ever in the area, I'll drop by to say hi."
Catalina smiled. "That'd be great!"
"Now, don't be late!" Mr. Hershel said.
Catalina hurried, almost running, to the main building using the directions that Mr. Hershel had given her. The building that had loomed in the distance grew larger and larger. Once she arrived she looked up, amazed. The building was not the tallest, only four stories, but designed in a way that maximized the space, but at the same time seemed open. Speaking of open, there was the passageway Mr. Hershel had mentioned. It was completely open, you could look up and see the sky, but on the sides were windows into the building. She hurried through, wanting to look closer, but hoping not to be late.
tSoon she arrived at a large set of double doors, painted with a newly added coat of white paint. There were no handles on the doors - instead there was what Catalina assumed to be a retina and fingerprint scanner.
Catalina walked up to it uncertainly. She'd heard about the security only through Mr. Hershel. She had to go on her tiptoes for her eye to reach the scanner's screen. A laser shone from the screen, passing over her eye. Soon the screen of the scanner blinked green. Next, she decided to put her thumb on this black pad to the side of the screen. Once again, a line of light passed under her thumb, then the black screen blinked green. The doors opened themselves quietly, but quickly.
As soon as the doors opened, she realized why Mr. Hershel had insisted on her not being late. About 100 curious faces turned toward her. A woman was standing on the large stage in front of them, speaking with a voice amplifier so Catalina could hear her well despite the distance between them.
The woman paused in the middle of her sentence. "My, my, what do we have here?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice. It sounded fake, as if it wasn't what her voice usually sounded like.
Catalina turned red in the face. She always did, whenever she was the center of attention, nervous, or embarrassed. Right then she felt all three at the same time.
"What's your name, miss?" the woman asked her in her fake voice. "You might as well introduce yourself to everyone."
"Umm, C-C-Cata-lin-na" she said nervously.
"Hmm, well, C-C-Cata-lin-na, would you mind explaining to these students here exactly why you have arrived late to orientation?"
Suddenly, something in Catalina snapped. She was sick of being the poor immigrant girl who stuttered every time she had to speak in front of people. She deserved here place as much as anyone else. Plus, the woman on the stage was being terribly mean to her, for no good reason!
"Yes, actually," she said. "I would mind."
"Excuse me?" asked the woman, as if Catalina had said something incoherent.
"I said yes, I would mind telling everybody why I was late. It's not any of their business, or yours, for that matter," she responded. Catalina saw some of the teenagers raise their eyebrows at her and whisper to each other. Catalina was too angry to mind.
"Well, miss, why don't you take your seat," the woman said coldly. It was obvious that she was angry with her.
Catalina surveyed the room more cautiously. It seemed that they were in a large auditorium of sorts, the type with a stage in the front and seats going up in the back. The seats looked fancy too - the permanent types that had plush backs. There were chairs on the floor, and then there were stairs were even more chairs were. They even had tables in the back with large pitchers of water and cups for the students if they got thirsty. There's a lot of people here, Catalina thought nervously. Her adrenaline was beginning to fade.
She looked for an empty seat to hide in before she embarrassed herself anymore. The only free one she could see was on the edge of a row, right next to this boy with red hair and bright green eyes that looked as if they had laughed a lot. He seems friendly enough, she thought, and moved to take the seat as quickly as possible.
As soon as she sat down, she felt all of her strong and calm composure fade. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Did I really just do that? she asked herself.
"Oh, yes you did! And it was great! Ever since that woman's walked in here she's been terrible. It's only been about 10 minutes, and I already want to fire her. You know, if I could. Thanks," the boy next to her whispered.
Oh, no, thought Catalina. Did I really say that out loud?
"I'm Zaiden, by the way," he said, putting his hand out to her. Catalina must have looked at him strangely, because he laughed and said, "Oh, yeah, it's a thing that they did in the olden days. They shook hands, like this." He demonstrated how to do his so-called "handshake", which consisted of him holding Catalina's hand, shaking it, and dropping her hand. It was quite awkward, but Zaiden didn't seem to mind.
After a while, they both sat quietly as the woman finished up her speech, and then introduced Mr. Tyro, who Mr. Hershel had told her was the owner of the school. But not originally, she thought. Catalina didn't really pay much attention to what they were saying - instead, she let her mind drift off and digest what had just happened to her.
Finally, after what seemed hours later, Catalina was walking out of the auditorium. But she wasn't free to go exploring yet - they were going to be put in groups to "get to know each other". They were split into groups of about 5. To Catalina's relief, Zaiden was in her group. At least there was a friendly face - and somebody she already knew - with her.
However, to Catalina's dismay, this girl named Adalynn was in her group. She had been among the most obvious to sicker and whisper when Catalina entered the auditorium late. Adalynn was super pretty - she had gorgeous, waist-long blonde hair with just the right amount of curl to it. Her eyes were a deep green, her nose just the right size, and her cheekbones the perfect height to lift her features. Adalynn also happened to have a feminine body and a great sense of style. The biggest problem about Adalynn was this - just from one look at her boots ( designed from a famous designer who had a store in the Skies ), her cute dress that obviously cost more than Catalina's old house did, and her earrings, which looked to be made of real silver - Catalina could tell that Adalynn knew she was rich, powerful, and gorgeous - and flaunted it as much as possible.
Adalynn looked over to Catalina, with dissatisfaction in her eyes. "Well, isn't it Catalina," she said in a mocking tone. "The person who couldn't even bother to show up on time. I would think that maybe you were freshening up before coming..." Adalynn then analyzed Catalina's outfit and appearance - "but obviously you weren't, considering that your outfit doesn't match -" she pointed to Catalina's blue t-shirt and jeans with a hole on the knee - "your hair's undone- " she motioned towards Catalina's hair, which had fallen out of its ponytail when she was running to the auditorium - " and your overall lack of hygiene right now." Then Adalynn started to laugh.
Catalina could feel the anger rising in her throat. She felt Zaiden these next to her. She was about to do something - something bad - when she caught the look in Adalynn's eyes. Her green eyes were basically daring Catalina to come at them. Adalynn wants me to say something to her. Probably just so she can embarrass me more, thought Catalina. So she bottled her anger and just ignored her.
Another girl in their group had begun to laugh with Adalynn. Despite just meeting her, Catalina could already tell that this other girl - a cute girl with soft brown hair and dark brown eyes - was likely to become Adalynn's new minion.
Just then, another boy woke up into their group. Catalina felt her heart stop. The boy had dark skin, messy black hair, and the most beautiful chocolate colored eyes, which were hidden behind glasses with black frames. He was carrying a cup from the water stations in the back of the auditorium. At least he arrived after Adalynn finished teasing me, Catalina thought. She would have been so embarrassed if he saw her being analyzed like that.
Just then, Mr. Tyro stepped onto the stage. "I would like everyone to introduce themselves to their small group. Tell them your name, where you're from, your favorite activity, and since we're from all around the world - what languages you speak!"
Catalina sighed. She hated introductions like that.
"The person closest to me will go first, then we will continue clockwise," Mr. Tyro stated.
Catalina examined their circle. Of course, Adalynn was closest to Mr. Tyro. "Well, hello everyone, my name is Adalynn," she began. "My family is from France, but moved to Thailand during the Third World War, where they became important politicians," Adalynn seemed to put a special emphasis on the word "important". "And for my favorite activity," she paused for a second, seeming to be deep in thought. "Well, my parents own a horse stable in their property in Thailand, so I've been riding since I was able to walk. I really enjoy it. But I've also been taking fencing lessons since I was young, and I've won lots of competitions. And I've played the violin and piano since I was five. I guess I can't choose between them," she said. "I speak French, since my family's from there, I speak Thai, and my parents got me an english tutor when I was five," Adalynn finished. "Okay, next person."
Catalina didn't really pay attention to Adalynn's minion. The only thing that she remembered was that her name was Kierra.
Zaiden went next. "Hey, my name is Zaiden," he began. "I'm from Malta, which is a tiny island nation below Switzerland, but is under its own ruling. And I love to be outside, in nature, hiking, swimming, running, horseback riding, bird watching, and plant recording. I speak the three main languages of Malta - Maltese, Arabic, and English."
Catalina noticed Adalynn crinkle her nose when Zaiden listed the activities he liked to do in nature. But she did look a bit surprised when he mentioned horseback riding.
Next, it was Catalina's turn. "Um..my name is Catalina," she began. "I've lived in Argentina since I was two. I don't have much free time, since I usually have watch over my brothers and sisters, but when I am free, I like to fix gadgets, go onto the OKU, read, and learn new things," she said.
Adalynn snorted. "Could your parents not afford a proper nanny? Or do they just know you're useless so they have you babysit your siblings?"
Zaiden murmured, "Ignore her, Catalina, ignore her." Catalina realized he was right. The only thing that would happen if she were to punch Adalynn was trouble. Catalina slowly unclenched her fists. She hadn't even realized that she'd been clenching them in the first place.
She would just have to ignore Adalynn and her ugly comments.
"Since my family is originally from the Republic of the States, I speak English, and I speak Spanish since I live in Argentina," she finished, her voice trembling slightly.
The last person to go was the boy who'd come to their group a little bit late. Catalina focused her attention on him. "Hello, everyone, I'm Khari," he began. Khari, Catalina thought. What a cool name. "I'm from Kenya. I love learning and reading. I'm particularly interested in the sciences and maths." Oh, we have a lot of the same interests, she thought. I wonder if he's good with technology, like I am. "I speak Swahili and English."
After Khari had finished introducing himself, they stood in silence for a few minutes as the other groups finished with Mr. Tyro's task. Wow, thought Catalina. I could talk to Khari, Zaiden, and *ugh* Adalynn without this thing in my ear.
Everyone attending the school had received translators that were clipped around their ears. Since this school was an international school, with kids attending from around the globe, the languages were as varied as they could possibly be.
Once the room of chattering children quieted down, Mr. Tyro announced over the speaker that they would be getting into groups based on the floor which their dorm room is located. From there, the instructor in charge of that level will lead them on a tour around the campus, before going to set up their dorms, and get them equipped for the first day of school tomorrow.
Then he said, with a small chuckle, "After all of that is finished, you will finally get to eat! The groups are posted on the far wall, near the doors."
Luckily, Catalina was still quite near the doors, and was able to reach them slightly before the massive group of students crowded around. She scanned the list, searching for her name. She found it in the center, in the section for Group One. They would meet near the fountain outside.
She began to walk outside, but stopped and looked back. Slightly nervously, she asked Zaiden, "Will I see you at dinner?" So far, he was her first (and only) friend.
He smiled and said, "You can't get rid of me that easily!" Then he ran to join his group.
Catalina walked outside, happy to already have made one new friend. She reached the fountain, where there was already a small group of girls beginning to group around the lady in the center, who held a holo-tablet, and was passing it around. She went to see what was going on, and learned that they were signing in and making sure they were in the right place. After she checked the box next to her name, she sat at the rim of the fountain as the rest of her group arrived. She studied the arriving girls, and recognizing only the two snotty girls from the small group sharing: Adalynn and Keirra. Oh great. Aside from them, there were girls of all shapes and sizes, ethnicities and languages.
Catalina nervously walked up to them. Without Zadien by her side, she felt lonely. Which was kind of ironic, considering that she had never felt this lonely when a school mate of hers was absent, and she'd been with them for 7 years! She'd known Zaiden for a total of 2 hours.
One of the other girls in the group didn't have anybody else talking to her. She had short black hair, with a streak of pink in it. Her skin was a pretty light brown tone. She looked as if she could attack someone at any moment. Catalina looked at the girl's outfit. She was wearing ripped jeans, a worn-looking black leather jacket, and black combat boots with scuff marks on them. Catalina slowly approached her.
"I like your, um, boots," Catalina said. And she did. The girl's boots looked tough, yet stylish.
The girl popped her gum. "Thanks," she said.
"Soo..." Catalina stretched the word out as long as it could go. "What's your name? Mine's Catalina," she added quickly.
"Jayla," replied the girl. Another gum pop.
"Everyone, gather around!" Said the lady in the center. Catalina walked away from Jayla to join the cluster of girls surrounding the lady, slightly glad to end the awkward conversation with Jayla. She quickly introduced herself as Ms. Quin, their dorm monitor, and advanced science teacher. They were going to go on a tour of the campus, before arriving at the dorms, and getting their roommates. Roommates! She had forgotten all about the fact that she would be getting a roommate. This could either go really well or really terrible.
They explored the campus, Ms. Quin pointing out areas from a Fine Arts wing, to an area for water sports. There was even rock climbing and a ropes course! While all of the advanced technology in the tech building and the state of the art sports facilities from horseback riding to fencing, which Jayla seemed to brighten at, nothing amazed her as much as the library.
The library was located just next to the main building, in an octagon shape. It was three stories tall, and was one of the only buildings not mainly made of windows. It was made of a dark reflective material. Its domed roof was all glass, letting in natural light. From the outside, it looked imposing, but the inside was a dream come true for Catalina. While they only spent a minute there, not near enough time, Catalina took in the rows and rows of books. Positioned on shelves taller than even the tallest person could reach, they used voice-controlled ladders to reach all the books. All the knowledge these books contained! It was more paper than she had seen in her life! She longed to spend hours there, but she knew there was currently too much to be done.
After what seemed like hours of exploring the seemingly never ending campus, they arrived at the dorms. There were two, one on the left, one on the right, both overlooking the lake. They entered the bottom floor, where all of their rooms would be, to an area with couches and snacks in a miniature SmartFridge. There were also 4 new advanced holoscreens ( one for each wall ), along with a few shelves of books. Catalina stared at the holoscreen in wonder. She had only seen the large holoscreens in the Skies, and had never seen one so close up. One could navigate the holoscreen using a special remote, and whatever they chose would play on the other 3 screens simultaneously. The holoscreens were built slightly under the wall, so when they played it was as if the film you were playing was occurring on your wall. The walls in a holoscreen room always had to be completely white though. It made the sitting room feel a bit uncomfortable, especially for Catalina. She was used to houses with walls painted in warm colors, such as soothing blues, browns, or buttercreams. She felt out of place with the blank walls of the sitting room.
"Now we will give out the roommates," Ms. Quinn announced. "Remember, you will be with this roommate all year long, so become good friends with her. We've done our best to pair you up with someone who you will get along with, using personality tests and our analyses of your lifestyles and unique talents. Your roommate will challenge you, as well as help you grow. These matches will not be changed, so I don't want to hear any of your complaining," Ms. Quinn paused.
Catalina started to worry. She didn't want to be stuck with someone she wasn't on friendly terms with for the rest of the year! Please not Adalynn, Please not Adalynn, Catalina silently begged.
Ms. Quinn looked at all of the girls in the room. "Your bags have already been placed in your rooms. When you arrive, a tablet will arrive through a shoot in your room. . Use these tablets to sign up for your activities this year. After you have filled out the tablet, simply put it in the same slot that they arrived through and it will be sent to the counselors' offices. They will be the ones to put you into your activities." "In room 001, we will have Adalynn and Kierra," Ms. Quinn read off of a sheet of paper. Catalina sighed in relief as she watched Adalynn and her minion giggle and grab their backpacks, the only bags that hadn't been taken when they arrived at the school. Catalina was still wearing her beat-up denim backpack that she had packed in to go to Tia and Tio's house..
Ms. Quinn continued to read off pairs of girls. Most of them looked at each other, smiled, and then went off together to explore their new rooms. This continued until there was only a couple of girls left in the common room.
"Room 012, Jayla and Catalina." She announced, before continuing to read off names.