Canine

A New School

Helen woke up early in her new room, feeling a little disoriented. It was her first morning in their new house, and she wasn't quite used to the unfamiliar surroundings yet. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and looked around the room. The walls were painted a soft blue, and her bed was pushed up against the wall underneath a large window. As she got out of bed, she could hear the sound of her dad and her little sister Anya moving around downstairs. They were probably making breakfast or unpacking boxes, eager to settle into their new home. Whichever the case was, Helen didn’t feel like she had enough energy to partake in it. Or at least she hoped she wouldn’t have to.

She sighed as she pulled on some clothes before making her way downstairs. Anya was already in the kitchen, helping her dad make pancakes. She was chattering away, as usual, about all the things she wanted to do in their new house. Somehow, she was always a large ball of energy. She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

“Good morning,” Anya said, as she noticed Helen at the mouth of the kitchen.

“Morning. Good morning, dad,” Helen slurred.

“Well, you look terrible,” her father teased. He was a man in his mid-forties, the occasional streak of white hair on his brown hair and beard gave him a classy look.

“Well, at least one of us is normal,” Helen goaded.

“Food will be ready in a bit. Help set the table sweetie,” her dad said.

“Will do, sir,” Helen saluted as she mimicked some stick-like motions back to the dining. Anya chuckled as she always did whenever Helen moved like that.

“So much for normal,” Helen’s father sighed.

Breakfast was livelier than most as the family reminisced on their many journeys. But Helen had been through this before. Whenever her dad went down memory lane, it was because he had heavy news to drop. And the more invested he got in their stories, the more Helen couldn’t help but worry how serious whatever her dad had to say was. And finally, he let it out.

“You’ll be starting a new school soon guys. But we’ll be checking it out later today,” her dad said.

Helen heaved a heavy sigh of relief. If that was all her dad wanted to say, then perhaps she was worried for nothing. “What school dad?” Helen asked.

“Ultra High,” her dad blurted out and a deafening silence ensued. Even Anya could tell that it was a serious matter.

“Ultra High? How are we even going to afford uniforms there?” Helen asked. Ultra High School was a school for the most elite of the elite. And with their current finances, they’d have to rob hundreds of banks to be eligible to get in. Worse, there have been rumours of paranormal activities within the school, which has continued to fuel rumours that the elites are a bunch of ‘freaks’, a label that only brought bad memories for Helen.

“Well, you’re on scholarship. Both of you. The principal is an old friend, and he…”

“Dad,” Helen beckoned softly.

“It’ll be okay sweetie. Right now, it’s the best way to keep you both safe,” her dad said.

“Is this why we’re no longer moving? You’re just going to leave us there till what? Till when?” Helen cried, with her voice getting louder with each sentence.

Her father’s stern stare called her back to order. Not in front of Anya.

“They are curious about what you can do. They may be able to help.”

“So now I’m an experiment. Great,” Helen retorted as she stood up to return to her room.

“What time are we leaving, daddy?” Anya asked after Helen left.

“In an hour. Please, talk to your sister for me.”

***

Helen stared at the ceiling as she lay on her bed. Many things had happened in the past that she wished she never had to remember. She had denied their existence for the longest, and now, her father’s decision was affirming her greatest fears that she wasn’t normal.

“Boo,” Anya spawned on top of Helen before she noticed that she entered the room.

“Hello, Anya,” Helen said.

“What are you afraid of?” Anya asked. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that she was barely ten years of age.

“That I might be different,” Helen responded.

“Of course we’re different. But why does that have to be a bad thing?” Anya asked.

Helen stared at her with a soft smile. “I’m still convinced that you’re a reincarnation of one of our ancestors,” she teased.

“Does that mean I get to be the older one,” Anya’s eyes brightened.

“Most certainly not.”

***

The journey to Ultra High was silent, despite Anya’s loud excitement behind them. Neither Helen nor her dad said a thing throughout the entire journey. And a long journey it was. Ultra High stood tall and imposing, nestled amidst sprawling lawns and guarded by ornate iron gates. Its grandeur was undeniable, with imposing marble columns framing the entrance and polished brass plaques adorning its walls. As the family approached, Helen couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The school seemed almost too perfect, too pristine, like a facade hiding secrets beneath its polished exterior. Maybe all the rumours were right after all. And it scared her.

They went through multiple security checkpoints with little issue. Their arrival was much expected and so welcomed, that Helen shivered at the thought of what deal her father must have struck to get them into the school. As they walked into the school halls, vaulted ceilings soared overhead, adorned with chandeliers that cast a warm, golden glow upon the polished marble floors below. Before them, stood a man probably in his early fifties in a grey penguin suit. He stood pristine like the school itself, but the events that unfolded after shook Helen to the core.

“Hello,” he said. Yet his lips never moved. Helen could hear him in her head.