Chapter 1: Some Strange Things The loud sound of the ringing bells woke me up at the crack of dawn one morning. I groaned, struggling to get to my feet. Every part of my body ached from the previous day of work. I quickly showered and got into my uniform: a long yellow dress with a white collar and a white apron with thick black work boots. As I looked in the mirror, I noticed for the first time in 15 years that the yellow in the dress matched the gold flecks in my brown eyes. My caramel skin looked vibrant against the yellow dress and my black coily hair fell just up to my shoulders. The only part of my outfit that wasn’t standard uniform was my gold locket. It was the one thing I had when I arrived at the facility as a baby. It didn’t even have a picture or anything, just the words, “9512 Mango Tree Lane,” which of course made no sense. The second bell rang, and I dashed to the dining hall. If I didn’t get there within 5 minutes of the second bell, the Headmistress always said that she wouldn’t give me breakfast. From experience, I knew she wasn’t lying. Once I got to the dining hall, everyone had already been served the breakfast of the day: oatmeal with a single piece of dry toast. “What’s new,” I thought to myself. “Breakfast is always the worst meal of the day.” After breakfast, the Headmistress posted the list of chores(or as Chloe calls it, “The Great List of Boredom”) in the main hall. Today, I was on food duty with my 2 besties, Violet and Chloe. I reluctantly put on my hairnet and stomped to the kitchen. “Today for lunch we will make sloppy joes,” the Headmistress announced in the kitchen. “Chloe, Violet, Beatrix, Hazel, Sophie, and Eliza, you guys go mix the meat. And Flora, Willow, Ava, Diana, Penelope, and Mia, you guys start toasting the bread.” Violet, Chloe, the rest of the girls, and I walked over to the large pots where we started to bring out the sloppy joe meat. I poured the rancid canned tomato soup into a big pot with the meat and began to stir it. “UGH, this is like the world’s worst arm workout,” Chloe complained while stirring her pot. “Don’t be so negative, Chloe,” Violet said. “It’s kind of fun if you don’t really think about it.” “It really is that bad,” Chloe stated. I rolled my eyes so hard I could see my brain. “Aren’t you guys tired of fighting every 5 seconds?” “Better than hearing you talk every 2 seconds about the most random things ever,” Violet said while struggling to turn the meat. “Yeaaaahhhh Eliza,” Beatrix said in an annoying tone while walking over. She was the bully in the correctional facility. “Nobody wants to hear you talk so much, you sound like a siren!” “At least what she says actually sounds like it’s coming from an intelligent being,” Chloe retorted before I could even part my lips, her ice-blue eyes piercing into Beatrix’s face. “I would make fun of you, but I don’t think your brain can understand big kid words,” Beatrix sneered, turning to Chloe. Violet stepped in, tossing her mid-length blonde hair. “Oh yeah? And what have you accomplished that makes you Marie Curry?” Beatrix’s pale face turned beet red as the Headmistress stomped over. “What is all this commotion?!?” the Headmistress demanded. “Go back to cooking, there's only 1 hour until lunch!” At that moment, one of the Headmistress’ Shadows, who are the senior girls who are the Headmistress’ assistants, came in. You can tell if someone is a Shadow because 1. They will be older than 18. 2. They will have a special brooch with a gold butterfly on it and 3. Since Shadows get special privileges like late-night access to things and choosing their chores, they will act all high-and-mighty around other girls. “Mrs. Headmistress Lady Ma’am, you’ve received another letter,” the Shadow said while handing the Headmistress an envelope with a big gold butterfly on it. The Headmistress stared at the envelope for a split second, then cleared her throat. “Everyone, head to your rooms,” the Headmistress announced. “Lunch will be sent to your room.” Then she walked off to her private quarters. I headed to my room, and of course, Violet and Chloe followed me to my room to start talking about the letter. “Have you guys noticed that the Headmistress has received 3 letters this week already?” Violet asked. Chloe nodded. “And they all have that weird butterfly stamp. What do you think it means?” Something about that butterfly felt so familiar to me. I kept trying to think of what book I could’ve possibly seen before. Then it clicked.(+)
“Isn’t that the butterfly that’s on all the Shadow’s brooches?” I questioned. “It looks a whole lot like it.” Violet’s eyes widened. “That’s where it’s from! I knew it was familiar somehow! But why would the Headmistress get envelopes with the Shadow symbol?” Suddenly, Chloe shot up. “Do you guys think they could be from the Shadow’s parents?” she asked hesitantly. “I mean, I know they gave us all up when we were babies, but maybe being a Shadow means you can contact your parents?” The thought made sense, but it also made no sense. I mean, why would you hide our parents from us for years, then one day let us talk to them? Why would a Shadow change that? Violet, Chloe, and I talked for a few more hours over hour not-so-sloppy joes, brainstorming possibilities on why the Headmistress has been receiving those letters. At 7:00pm sharp, the bell rang, signaling that it was time for dinner, which was boiled potatoes and a chicken wing. Usually, the Headmistress would make an announcement on our performances of the day, but today she didn’t show up. Instead, a Shadow came up onto the stage. “The Headmistress has announced that she will be absent for a few days to pick up materials. Until then, my fellow Shadows will take over as Co-Headmistresses. Enjoy your meal,” she said. Almost immediately after the announcement, whispers began to arise from the girls. I heard things like, “Really? This never happens!” and “The Headmistress has been acting weird lately.” Chloe leaned over to me. “Do you guys think this has anything to do with the letter she got today?” “It has to! She never acted weird like this before that letter came. What do you think was inside it?” Violet exclaimed. I thought for a moment, then responded. “It would have to be something so important that she drops her entire life for it.” The chatter continued until the final bell of the day rang, signaling it was time for curfew. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. As my eyes fluttered to sleep, I couldn’t help but wonder why the Headmistress had to leave so urgently. My eyes closed, and I was transported into the realm of dreams. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the same dream over and over again. I saw 2 shadows, both hovering over me. Then, out of nowhere, another shadow came and took me away. I’ve never quite understood what the dream meant, but I knew deep down inside that this dream was the key to something, something big. I just needed to find out what. ◆◆◆ A week passed, and the Headmistress returned from her pickup. She had some bruises on her forehead, and a scratch on her eye. She also came with an announcement during breakfast that day. “As you all know, I had to take an unexpected trip to pick up some materials. But, when I arrived, I discovered something amazing at our door. Ladies, I come with a new sister,” she announced. A loud gasp was emitted from the dining hall. It wasn’t every day that a new student of the facility arrived. “Please welcome Evelyn,” the Headmistress said, stepping aside to reveal a girl with long auburn hair and mint green eyes. She looked around my age, 15, which was weird, because the few times we got a new student, it was a baby or toddler, not someone who was almost an adult. “Evelyn will be staying with Eliza, so Miss Eliza, please make her feel welcome here.” And with that, the Headmistress walked off the stage, her standard purple dress swishing with every step. Coincidentally, Evelyn and I both got the same task: harvesting wheat. We both headed out into the field, grabbed a basket, and began pulling the wheat. (+)
