Chess sat with her eyes closed, the sound of the ocean lapping against the sides of the boat causing little birds to dance in her vision and the taste of freshly squeezed lemons to slither across her tongue. To most people the ocean would taste like salt and sea air, maybe even sunscreen, but to Chess her palette was a little well... More unique. It wasn't an insult, it's just that most people nerves were not crossed wired. Most people could not see sounds and taste them as well, they would never know the joys of a rich coffee voice or how relaxing the color purple was. The horn on the water taxi began to beep and Chess jumped, nearly bumping her head on the roof. "Alright little lass, we're here." He said as he pulled into the dock and opened the door. Chess jumped out, grabbing her bags and thanking the driver.
The journey from London had been long and arduous and Chess was a bit late because the lift in her house had broken so she had a bit of trouble getting her bags down the stairs. Just as the female shouldered her bag with her art supplies a man and woman came to greet her, both dressed to the nines in old fashioned maid and butler attire. How amusing! Chess could only assume they were employees of the gifted program. What else would they be doing on an islet of the shores of Greece?
"Good afternoon Ms. Belle," Chess was in awe. How they they know it was her? Was she the last to arrive? "Might I see your card please?"
"Oh! Yes of course!" She placed her bag on the ground, rifling through the mess for a few seconds before withdrawing her hand and revealing the Empress card. The two nodded to teach other and the butler placed something on Chess's bags before asking the maid to lead Miss Belle to the dining hall. Chess followed eagerly, her eyes wide in awe of the place. She had been in castles before, Chess was often invited to have audiences with the Queen after her lung transplant because the story had made it's way around London, all the way to her cousins in Devon shire.
Chess was ushered inside what she assumed to be the dining hall. There was a long, rectangular table with twelve seats and place cards in front. Most everyone was there, with but a few seats left to be filled. The maid showed Chess to her plate, pulling out the chair and allowing Chess to sit down before pushing it back in. "Thank you," Chess said and nodded her head in appreciation. The woman merely backed away, leaving the dining room. Chess hung her bag on the back of the chair, turning over the place card in her hands to see the word Empress printed underneath. What did it mean? Chess wondered when the lights suddenly dimmed and a presentation was given. When the lights came back on, illuminating the hall once more, Chess noticed platters of food spread across the table.
Her stomach growled, she had skipped breakfast in order to catch the train to the airport after the whole broken lift fiasco and reached for the platter closest to her, suddenly feeling self conscious and only taking a little bit rather than what she really wanted. "Don't be a piggy Chess, you've only just gotten here." The girl murmured as she picked up her fork and dug in. How rude! Chess hadn't even introduced herself to the students sitting nearest her! She chewed quickly, swallowing just as fast and wiping her mouth on her napkin. The boy beside her didn't seem interested in making conversation, rather he was busy stuffing his mouth with a meat stick as big as his head. "How do you do?" Chess asked anyways, figuring a good first impression was the way to go.