The New Queen In Town

Kali Morgan sat on her new, queen size bed still wrapped in plastic, and examined the cardboard boxes that swallowed the room. Her mother had told her to start unpacking, but after a two-hour drive, she wanted nothing to do with that. Wondering where her composition notebook was, she rustled through various packages that might contain her most prized possession.

“Yes, I got it” she squealed, devising a plan that would convince her mom to allow her to explore.

“Kali, did you start getting your room together?” her mother scolded.

“Yeah, look!” she replied, waving her journal in front of her mothers face.

 Kali’s dad was busy programming the remote while her older sister Maya talked about how they’d be able to have summer parties in their vast backyard. Kali looked out the window, noticing a huge, dark building on the other side of their lawn.

“What’s that…over there?”

“It looks like a prison.” Maya chuckled.

Their mother sighed, “It’s an all girls school. The principal is a client of your fathers. She suggested this house for us!”

Maya raised her eyebrows, suspiciously eyed her father, and sarcastically sighed. “I thought you weren’t supposed to interact with your clients outside of work?”

“It was just a friendly suggestion, honey.”

“Mom, can I go play outside?” Before her mother could answer, the curious young girl was rushing out the door with her book in hand.

“Be back inside before dinner!”

While sitting on the porch, Kali scribbled in her notebook.

June 4th.

I’m going to check out the school across the yard.

Maybe I’ll make a new friend.

I don’t know anyone in this place.

She tossed it to the side and began sprinting across the grass, only to realize there was a fence blocking her from getting closer to the building. The bricks of the structure were old and crumbling away. The windows were all shut, forbidding any light from getting in. Only one girl sat outside basking in the sunlight, and she was quite noticeably a few years older. She wondered how many other girls went to school there.

“Who are you?” The girl inquired, playing with her blonde braid that was tied to the side.

“I’m Kali. I just moved here. What’s your name?”

“Alexis. What are you doing here?” She looked uncomfortable; scanning the campus to make sure nobody was around.

“I just want to make friends. Maybe my Mom will let me come to school here.”

“You can’t just enroll here. You have to be summoned.”

“Summoned?” Alexis sat up off the ground, brushing the dirt off her plaid skirt as she walked toward the fence that separated her and Kali.

“If you want to be my friend, then you can help me do something.”

Kali nodded her head willingly.

“What do you need?”

Alexis looked around one last time.

“Help me escape,” she whispered.