The drive to her new school was a long one and luckily Alayna had brought a number of books with her to keep company. Especially when the cab smelled like what could only be described as stale farts and old coffee. The only music the driver could bare to play was
some smooth freakin' jazz. Literally the phrase the man had used, when she asked what was playing. If she hadn't of brought the books, it would have turned into the longest and probably most miserable ride of her life. Besides, she had never been one to make small talk and much preferred the fantasy world that the printed word offered her.
Maybe that was why her parents had decided to send her away. After all, what good was a daughter who could idly chat about global warming? Or vocally protest and tie herself to a tree to bring attention to the
biggest threat this planet faces. It wasn't that Alayna didn't care about these things, she just didn't like the constant string of news stations interviewing her and her family, and she didn't like all the travelling in a van either. She couldn't deny that when her parents said she'd be attending school, that she was more than a little excited...but she had hoped that they were finally settling down and not just kicking her to the curb.
Her thoughts were distracting her from her book, which she soon realized that though she had been flipping its pages she hadn't really been reading anything.
"Man, this place is really out here in the middle of nowhere, ain't it?" The driver said (who had apparently been talking the entire time and the only thing Alayna could actually remember was that his name was Johnny), double checking his GPS system to make sure they hadn't gone in the wrong direction. That would be unfortunate.
"I imagine the seclusion makes it easier to focus on schooling?" Alayna's words came out as more of a question, making it clear she was talking out her ass.
"I'm sure it does. Still gives me the creeps." Driving Johnny's words weren't comforting in the slightest and she wondered if he ever thought before he spoke.
Gee, thanks. She mentally groaned.
It was about another hour and a half before they reached any sign that she wasn't just driving endlessly and forever, lost in some maze where her only partner was the man with Cheetos in his beard.
Private Property was the sign that gave her hope. If they were on private property that meant that they had found, if not the school...then at least it was somewhere they could ask for directions and she could get out of the damn cab for a second. She could only take Johnny's now-not-so-residual fart smell and greased stained wife beater tank for so much longer. Despite the books, this had turned into the worst cab drive in history.
After another two minutes, the wrought iron gate of the school came into view. It was intimidating, especially with it being miles into the forest (which, honestly, was probably why her parents had chosen it in the first place). Alayna swallowed hard as the driver pulled up to what they assumed was the administration office.
"Well, I guess this is it for us Johnny. It's been a blast though." Though she tried to hide the sarcasm in her voice, it was a little hard.
"Hey, you got here didn't, ya?" He said gruffly, clearly taking offense to her tone. Regardless, she forked over the cash her parents had left her with. The ride was far more expensive than she could have guessed, though it should really have surprised her. Her parents had gone out of their way to find the most green cab service they could find...with apparently the greasiest, most disgusting drivers.
Johnny the Cab Driver removed her suitcase from his trunk and she thanked her lucky stars that that was the last she would probably ever see of him. The cool air and fresh smells of the pine trees was refreshing and welcome. She took a few more moments, to enjoy it before she walked inside - careful not to catch the hem of her tiered skirt in the wheel of her luggage. If nothing else, her parents had definitely instilled an appreciation for the nature around her, and their fabulous sense of hippy style.
She walked into the office, which looked and felt uncomfortably like the doctor's office she had visited when she was a kid; before her parents decided to stick to strictly holistic methods. At least she had been vaccinated before that. She approached the desk and awkwardly waved at the woman who was there. "I'm Alayna Harmon, I just enrolled here." Alayna said with a smile, her voice quiet and noticeably anxious.
The woman smiled with ease back at her, though something about it felt off. Perhaps she was tired of answering the same questions all day. "Not a problem, Alayna. Just take these forms here and go fill them out by the others who've just arrived. Welcome to Dimme."
Alayna nodded taking the papers and a pen. It didn't take her long to read through all the documents and a lot of the questions were medically related, which was a little strange but she supposed that when you were so far away from everything that it was understandable to want to know a little medical history.
She looked over the edge of her clipboard at the other two girls who had arrived before her. She wondered if they had ever been to any other boarding schools...or another school at all. Alayna had been strictly home schooled before now. "This really is a lot of paperwork. I'm not even sure I know all the answers to these questions." She stated with a nervous laugh, to both the girls before setting the pen down and introducing herself to them. "I'm Alayna."