Halo followed Miss Ruth through the door of the main building where a circular foyer branched off into five wide hallways. The halls were crowded with dozens of students hurrying across the black-and-white tile floors toward the various doors and gates. Sunlight streamed through diamond-shaped windows in the domed ceiling above, creating iridescent light patterns on the floor.
“What is this place?”
“This is the Star Compound. It is divided into five sections. Star I is administrative offices, Star II is the boys’ dorm, Star III is classrooms, Star IV is the girls’ dorm, and Star V is the dining room. We are in Star IV, between the dining room and the boys’ dorm,” Miss Ruth explained while steering them down the Star IV hallway.
Students hurried from one hall to another with their books and sports equipment, waving hello but not stopping to talk. The woman walked fast and appeared to be the only adult in the building.
She slowed down and tugged Miss Ruth’s hand, trying to get her attention.
“Yes?” Miss Ruth didn’t slow down.
“What kind of school is this?”
“It’s a place to learn.”
“Learn what?”
“What you need to know, of course.”
“I don’t see hall monitors, teachers, or any grown-ups. Are you a teacher?” The wide hall of Star IV featured brightly colored doors decorated with shapes, symbols, and nameplates.
“No, I’m a housemother,” Miss Ruth answered.
They stopped in front of a purple door with a metal knocker shaped like a music note. Under the knocker was a brass nameplate reading Zadie and Halo.
Miss Ruth knocked once, pushed the door open, and entered without waiting for a response. Musical sounds of wind chimes and bubbling water drifted from a speaker above the one window in the room. Big fluffy pink-and-purple floor pillows were piled in a corner beside a workstation painted in the same vivid colors.
“Hello.” The music stopped like magic when a petite, olive-skinned girl with dark, almond-shaped eyes emerged from behind a beaded curtain to greet them.
“Hello, Zadie. I’d like you to meet your new roommate. Halo, say hello to Zadie.”
She stood straight, unable to respond to Miss Ruth’s nudge forward.
“Hi.” She wanted to sound normal and forced a smile while eyeing the room. It had two of everything—beds, chairs, workstations, and bookshelves—but the sides didn’t match. On one side, concert posters decorated the walls, and the bookshelf was crammed full of plastic disks and sheet music. A flute, keyboard, and violin-shaped doll rested on the top shelf. An unusual-looking object on a pedestal was sandwiched between the workstation and a bed draped in pink.
The other side of the room with its white walls, clear acrylic workstation, and matching chair and bookshelves could only be described as boring. Even the bed lacked personality.
She was dizzy again. The names on the door indicated the room was theirs. Zadie talked about the room and which side was hers, but her head was spinning.
“Are you okay? There’s the bathroom. Do you want to wash up?” Zadie pointed in the direction of the room behind the beaded curtain.
She was happy to stay in the bathroom, splashing water on her face and running her fingers through the tangles in her hair. She sat on the floor holding her stomach, listening to them talking but not hearing the whole conversation. Finally, the sound of the door opening and shutting roused her off the floor. She slowly returned to the room where Zadie was standing alone by the door.
“Want to see the campus?” Zadie offered.
She slumped on the side of the white bed and shook her head. “What is this place?”
“White Feathers Academy. Come on, let’s go to the park. You’ll feel better outside.”
“I don’t have shoes. My shirt has a hole.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve got some straps you can wear.” Zadie ducked behind the door and came out holding a pair of flip-flops.
The weird music started up again when someone knocked on the door. A pretty girl entered uninvited.
“Hi, Zadie. I heard you have a new roomie. I’m Annie.”
The girl had perfect teeth, dimples, sparkling blue eyes, and long blond hair. It was bad enough to be in a strange place, but to show up dirty with holes in her shirt was really humiliating.
“I think you’ve had a rough day. You’re in music, right?” the new girl asked.
“In music? No. I don’t know what you mean?” She peeled off the grass-stained socks and slipped her feet into Zadie’s flip-flops.
“Zadie’s into music. You’re her roommate. Soo, I figure your talent is music, too. Right?” the pretty girl asked with a shrug.
“I like to listen to music, but I can’t play anything or sing. Is that what you mean?”
The girl answered with an eye roll toward Zadie and a smile that didn’t seem sincere.
“Okay, so what is your talent, Halo? That is your name, isn’t it?” She gave her a look from head to toe.
“My talent? I don’t know. Why do you want to know?”
“You don’t have a talent?” Annie clapped her hands and laughed. “How did you die, anyway?”
“Annie. Stop it. You can’t ask her that,” Zadie snapped.
“Sorry. I’m curious. I mean, I’ve never actually met anyone who knew how they died.” She didn’t look sorry even when she pretended to pout.
“We’re going out for a walk. Are you ready, Halo?” Zadie jerked open the door.
“Yeah, I’m ready. Bye, Annie.” She couldn’t wait to get away from the girl and her rude questions. She had questions of her own, and maybe Zadie could answer them.