Chapter 4
"Well, it was nice meeting you", I said curtly and pushed past him before he could respond, waving a quick goodbye to Nikki who looked too stunned to move.
I turned and walked to the next row, using all of myself control to resist looking back. once seated in my seat, I was about to take out my earphones from my bag when a hush fell over the crowd. From the back, a line of people filed onto the lawn.
They walked stiffly and all wore the same blue and gold scarf around their necks. The frayed ends dangled loosely above their waists as they took their seats in the front row.
And then out of the darkness emerged the tallest woman I had ever seen, striding through the tree like the wisp of a ghost.
"That's the headmistress, Angela Lockwood", said the boy sitting next to me. He probably knew that I was a new student so I guess out of courtesy he decided to tell me that.
"Oh, okay. Thank you for that. By the way, hi. I am Twinkle", I said trying to be polite.
"Hello Twinkle, I am Karan", he said, looking directly into my eyes. After our introduction, I saw our headmistress walking to the podium. She waited for a minute. The wind slowed, and everything was still.
"Students, Faculty, welcome to another illustrious year at Gottfried Academy." Her voice was low and velvety as it echoed off the buildings surrounding the law.
"I hope that you all had an enlightening holiday and were able to use the time away from your studies to wade in the warm waters of everything that summer has to offer you. To our new students, welcome. There is a complete list of school policies and procedures in the Gottfried Code Of Discipline, which you received with your books and schedules. If you have any questions, I trust that our returning students will be able to aid you, as well as the dormitory parents, Mrs. Luthra and Professor White."
A man and a woman stood up from the front row and waved.
"Here at the Academy, we believe that limitations challenge the mind. Gottfried has a series of regulations that we hope all of our students will abide by during their stay here. Now, I would like to use this time to reiterate a few of them", she continued after taking a deep breath.
"First: boys are never permitted to be in the girl's dormitory and vice versa.
Second: leaving school grounds is strictly prohibited and punishable by expulsion. And Third"- the headmistress paused to brush a cluster of white hair away from her eyes-" under no exception is anyone allowed to enter into a romantic relationship of any nature at this academy."
What? I glanced around me, incredulous that they would even think of banning dating. But no one else seemed fazed. The sun was setting behind the library. Almost simultaneously the lights in every building on campus went out, leaving us to the purpling twilight.
"And of course, let me emphasize that there shall be no use of artificial light after sunset, with the exception of candles. In this world, darkness is always looming on the horizon. At Gottfried, instead of avoiding the dark, we meet it head on. As headmistress, i urge you to do the same with your studies and with every obstacle you face in future. Do not accept the confines of the world as you perceive it. Instead, look for what you cannot see. There are universes among us, within us. Our only way out of darkness is to learn how to see without light."
The crowd was silent. Crickets chirped lazily from the grass around us.
The headmistress closed her eyes and bowed her head. Everyone followed and I did the same. Then she began to speak in a language that was far different from anything I'd heard before. It started as a low murmur, and gradually grew into a chant. I opened an eye and tried to catch a glimpse of Kunj , but all I could see was the back of his. it was a beautiful neck, smooth and lean beneath collar of his shirtEdited by samara_raichand - 8 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount