Ascension (37 page)

Reaching into my pocket hastily, I pulled out my wallet.  And to my horror, I saw that I had absolutely no dollar bills in it. 

“Do you have any money?” I asked Chris cheekily.  He frowned at me, but took out his own wallet and handed me a few dollar bills.  I fed them into the machine quickly, and selected the two largest bags of chips they had available.

“Thanks so much,” I said as I reached down to grab my makeshift lunch.  Ripping one of the bags open, I stuffed a handful of chips into my mouth.  They were delicious, and I swallowed them with great satisfaction.

“Really hungry, huh?”  Chris quipped.

I nodded.  “Like I said, I haven’t eaten all day.” 

He laughed.  “You know, I’ve never seen anyone attack a bag of chips with such fervor.”

“I didn’t eat most of yesterday, either,” I admitted.  Now that the food was settling comfortably in my stomach, I could finally think about other things.  “I don’t know if you have anything else to do, but I’ve got the entire rest of the day to hang out, if you want.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Chris said.

“Great.  I remember you said you could show me around campus…?”

“Oh yeah,” he recalled. “Is that what you want to do?”

“Being inside on a day like this seems like a sin.”

“Good point.  What do you want to see first?”

I shrugged, and reached into the bag of chips before realizing it was empty.  Opening the other one, I grabbed another handful.  “Whatever you think I need to know about.  I’m pretty much down to explore the whole island.”

Chris tapped his lips thoughtfully.  “Well, you’ve already been to the main yard, and there’s really nothing interesting going on there right now.  That’s where all our classes are, so you’ll get plenty of time to look around once school starts, anyway.  As for anything else you might find interesting… Hmm.  I don’t know.  To be honest, the island is kind of dull.”

“Is there an athletic facility?” I asked.  “A pool, maybe?”

“Uh… oh!  There’s a great little beach hidden away along the coast.  Of course, there’s also the bigger beach that everybody goes to when the weather’s like this.  Not many know about the other one.  But I don’t know if that’s something you’d be interested in, though.”

“Are you kidding?  I love the outdoors.  What are we waiting for?  Let’s get over there!”

Ten minutes later, I was walking along a beautiful sandy beach, holding a shoe in either hand.  The tiny sand pebbles, warmed by the sun, felt absolutely luxurious between my toes.

“So this is the main beach,” Chris explained.  “Everyone tends to hang out here during the day while the weather’s good.  Kids do their homework, or play catch, or anything at all.  You’ll see tomorrow.  When everyone else shows up, this place will be completely packed.  But not many people venture past the rocks.”  He pointed ahead, where the sand abruptly shifted into large, well-worn boulders.  The water lapped around them, and little waves crashed into the sides.  “And past there,” he said, climbing up onto the first boulder and offering a hand to help me up, “is where you
really
want to go.”

I followed him as he showed the way along the boulders.  Some of the rocks slanted unevenly, while others were still slippery from high tide.  Some were spaced so far apart that we had to jump to get across.  Chris moved with the  surefootedness of someone who’d done this many times before, while I had to focus on simply staying up.  Once, a large wave came out of absolutely nowhere and smashed against the rocks, spraying us with cool water.  I stood in shock for a second, trying to comprehend where the water had come from.  Then, after noticing Chris standing there like a wet chicken, I burst out laughing.  He took one look at me, and started laughing just as hard. 

“Good thing it’s a sunny day!” he called out.

“Right,” I echoed.  “How far away is this little beach of yours?  I wouldn’t mind sitting down and soaking in the rays.”

“And getting a little drier?” he laughed.  “It’s just ahead.  Not much farther.”

‘Not much farther’ turned out to be nearly a quarter of a mile.  But, when we finally got there, I saw why Chris had wanted me to see it.

The beach was maybe five hundred feet wide.  But it was positioned on natural curve of the island so that it jutted out into the water.  From the bend, all you could see was the pristine blue ocean all the way to the horizon.  Right behind the beach was a dense thicket of woods, completely pure and untouched by humanity.  Nobody would have guessed there was a whole community not far away.

“This is beautiful,” I said in awe.  “How’d you find it?”

“Well, I’ve spent a long time on Traven Island, and had more chances than most to explore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, remember when you asked me why I was here early?  And how I said it was a long story?” 

I nodded.  “I’ve been wondering about that.”

“Well, the truth is, I never actually left.”

“Huh?  What do you mean?”

“For summer break.  I never left the island.”

“How come?  I thought you said that everybody has to leave?”

“Things are slightly different when you’re the son of one of the tenured professors here.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.  “One of your parents teaches here?”

“My dad.  I don’t actually know my mom.”

“Oh.  I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay,” he shrugged.  “She died just after I was born.  I never knew her.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again, more sincerely.  “I can’t imagine what that would be like.”

“Sometimes it’s kind of rough,” Chris admitted, “but I’ve learned to deal with it.  What I have trouble dealing with sometimes though is this island.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, my dad moved to teach here right after my mom died.  I think it was a way for him to get away from the rest of the world.  He dedicated himself pretty thoroughly to his work, so much so that he never really had any time to take a break from it and do anything else.  So I spent my whole life here.  I never went to elementary school, or anything like that, and my dad  got some of his colleagues to home-school me during those years.  When it came time to go to high school, Oliver Academy was the only choice.”

“Did you want to go somewhere else?”

“I never knew anybody my age growing up… because there was nobody my age around.  Some of the other professors here looked out for me.  Some even feel something like family, but I always yearned to get off the island, to see a regular city, to go to a regular high school.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, holding up my hands, “do you mean you’ve
never
been off the island?”

“My dad took me with him to a conference in Arizona, once, when I was thirteen, but other than that… not really, no.”

“Wow,” I breathed.  I couldn’t imagine spending my whole life somewhere like this.  The island was beautiful, yes, but if I were to be here for more than a few years… well, I imagined it would quickly become completely stifling.  “So you spent your whole life here?”

“Pretty much.”

“Is that how you know about all the history of the island?”

He shrugged.  “I guess.  You tend to figure some things out about a place you’ve called home your entire life.”

“I can’t imagine being in one place for so long,” I said. 

He barked an awkward laugh.  “I know! Right?  But at the same time, it’s all I’ve ever known.”

“So you must be pretty excited about graduation, huh?”

He laughed again.  “Like you wouldn’t believe!  I’ve been counting down the days since I was ten.  The problem with that mindset, I’ve found, is that while everyone else is excited to be here and focused on the current moment, I’m always looking forward to the next step in my life.”

“I know how that can feel,” I said.  Ever since I got my admission letter, the only thing I could think about was coming to Oliver Academy, so much so that nothing that was going on at home really interested me anymore.  Even the going away party that my friends hosted for me right before I left felt a little contrived, since I was so excited to be starting a new stage of my life. 

“So I guess that’s why I haven’t really felt the need to make a lot of friends here.  Going to Oliver always felt like something so transitory to me, like the last checkmark I needed to fill in before starting the rest of my life.”

“Well, we can work on that,” I smiled at him.  “You do have two years left.”

“Don’t remind me,” he said laconically, but I could hear a little bit of excitement in his voice.  Chris was a good guy, and I wouldn’t mind helping him find a bit more fun here.  Assuming, of course, I could make the right friends. 

“The first thing we need to do, then,” I said, settling down into the warm sand, “is change your whole attitude about this place.”

Chapter Six – An Unexpected Welcome

When I woke up the next morning, I could already feel the excitement in the air.  From outside my window, I heard the bustle of activity.  I looked down to find the entire courtyard absolutely swarming with students.  There were girls and guys my age everywhere, and they all had wide smiles on their faces.  Some were standing in groups talking, while others ran up to embrace friends in exaggerated greetings after a long summer away.  Here and there, kids were carrying large moving boxes or assorted pieces of luggage.  Others were offering help or just saying hi.  Everybody looked happy doing whatever they were doing.

The enthusiasm for the start of a new year was palpable.  There was an undeniable energy, mixed with a tinge of uncertainty that always ushered in the first days of school.  For me, however, this was the first time I found myself looking in from the outside.  Every single year before, the first day of school meant seeing friends who had been on extended vacations during the summer, gossiping about who had changed over the months away, finding new boys to obsess over, and getting excited about new classes and teachers.  This time it was different, but in many ways the same.  I didn’t know anyone yet, except Chris.  Yet, I was still very excited.  I was positive it was the uncertainty of it all that made the first few weeks so deliciously exciting, foreboding, and thrilling all at once.

I wanted to be out of my room as soon as possible.  I promised Chris I would meet him for breakfast today.  But, what I
really
wanted to do was get a first look at my new classmates.  What would they be like?  Were they all from around here, or had some, like me, come from far away?  What were they like compared to the kids I knew back home?  It was those commonalities, and potential differences, that made me so excited to meet them.  I hoped, somewhat vainly, down there might be the first guy I could make a real romantic connection with.

I showered as quickly as I could, but by the time I came out, I saw from my window that the commotion outside had died down considerably.  There were still kids out, but they were mostly walking in groups either to or from the dorms.  I thought I could hear people talking in the hall outside my room.

I was still excited to get outside.  Hurriedly, I got dressed and swung open my door – and nearly ran into a tall blonde girl who looked totally surprised to see me.  She had one hand raised, with the knuckles facing me, as if she had been about to knock on my door.  Then the look of surprise faded, instantly replaced by a generous smile.  And the next thing I knew, I was being embraced in an impossibly tight hug.

“Oh my god!” the girl squealed, “You must be Tracy!”

I reciprocated by putting my arms around her somewhat awkwardly, while in my mind wondering just who she was or how she knew my name.  When she finally released me, I had to gasp a ragged breath.

“Sorry,” the girl giggled, “but it’s not every day we get somebody new here!”

“So I gather,” I said, rubbing my side where her grip had been particularly tight.  “And thanks for the welcome.  How did you know my name?”

“Oh!  I can’t believe my manners.  I’m Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz.”  She had a definitive southern accent, and her high voice made every word out of her mouth seem a lot friendlier than it really was.  “I’m president of the student council, err, vice president, actually, but that’ll change by the end of the month.  Anyway, it’s pretty much my job to know everybody in our grade.”  She was pretty.  R
eally
pretty.  Her blue sundress showed off her long, shapely legs well above her knees. 

“The student council?”

“Don’t worry! It’s not nearly as nerdy as it sounds.  Basically, a few years back, the school realized that sometimes the social life here can be a bit lackluster.  So they put together the student council, and gave us tons of money to host ‘cultural events’ and ‘weekly study breaks’ and things like that.  But, to be honest…” her voice dropped to a mere whisper and she bent close to me, “…we mostly just use the money to buy booze for real parties.”  Then she straightened again.  “The school realizes that, of course.  They’re not totally stupid.  But they turn a blind eye because it keeps the students happy.  And we don’t cause them too much trouble that way, either.”