The Academie Read Online Free PDF

looking at him, aghast. I
hadn’t seen him in months and he was complaining about an hour’s
visit? “You told me to come now, remember?”
    “ Yeah, well, that was
before.”
    “ So it already sounds like
I’m not going to see you when you graduate either, so what is this?
I’m out? Is it too inconvenient to have a sister now?”
    “ My future needs to come
first, Allie. You understand that, don’t you?”
    No, I didn’t understand. But I was too
upset to discuss it further. I stood up and grabbed my purse. “Our
hour is probably about over anyway, and if not, I’m sure both you
and they will be happy if you’re back to class a bit
early.”
    “ Thanks Al, I appreciate
that.”
    I still wondered if he
could really be that stupid. Could he not
see how angry I was or the tears I tried so desperately to hold
back?
    He stood, and I saw he had grown since
I saw him last.
    “ I’m glad you like it
here.”
    “ Thanks. See ya.” He
turned and opened the door opposite the one through which I’d
entered. He didn’t look back as it closed behind him.
    Tears fell down the sides of my face
and onto my pillow as I remembered it all again. I brushed them
away quickly so no one would see.
    Stupid, stupid
Academie.

 
     
     
     
    6. lights out
     
     
    The evening crawled by.
Few people around me said anything. Most kept to themselves,
setting up the small bit of personal space we would each have for
the next several years. When the clock showed that it was after
nine, I pulled out the box of personal care items I had been given
earlier and began to rummage through it. A bar of soap, bottle of
shampoo and conditioner, a shaver, a toothbrush, tube of
toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush, comb, and a couple of hair
ties. Beautiful .
    Next I pulled out the clothing pack.
Tonight I had to surrender my civilian garb in favor of the daytime
and nighttime uniforms, which would be my only clothing option for
the duration of my time at The Academie. I unrolled the pack and
found a white, short-sleeved, button down shirt with “The Academie”
written over the pocket, a pair of tan pants, and a navy blue
jacket decorated with The Academie emblem. Tucked between these I
found a pair of white socks, a bra and underwear, and a cotton
shirt and shorts for bedtime. The bedclothes looked moderately
comfortable—though I was now certain I would freeze. Visions of
three years without sleep filled my brain.
    In the center of the clothes pack, I
found two bags. One contained a pair of very uncomfortable-looking
dress shoes to go with my uniform. I sighed audibly and opened the
second bag. Inside I found a pair of flip flops, which—since I
hadn’t seen a pool—must be for the community showers.
    The clock now read a quarter till ten,
so I reluctantly began the descent from the top bunk, armed with my
sleep clothes and box of toiletries. Under the bed was our only
drawer for clothes and personal items. The problem with this, I had
already realized, was that since it was under my bunkmate’s bed, if
she happened to be resting, I wouldn’t be able to get into it
without disturbing her. Luckily, she appeared to be in the bathroom
at the moment.
    I pulled out the small bag
I came with and shoved the personal items box into the drawer.
Thankfully, I wouldn’t need those until the stuff I brought with me
ran out. At least that’s what I thought, until I found that my
toiletries had been confiscated. Seriously? I pulled back out the
box, grabbed my bedclothes, and headed to the bathroom.
    Inside, I found the room
crammed with girls. With less than fifteen minutes until lights
out, I wondered how I might possibly get to a sink and toilet stall
before the time was up. Ah, the joys of
community living and an enforced bedtime…
    I found a place along the wall and
stared at the ground to wait.
    “ You can share with me,” I
heard someone say a moment later.
    Looking up, a pair of bright blue eyes
set in fair skin bordered by light blonde curls