MORNING SUNSHINE filtered through the woodland trees, making light beams dance upon the opposite wall of Dorm Wonder. The sounds of birds chirping and occasionally squawking mingled with sighing breezes that made curtains flutter.
'What's that smell?' Pirouette Wrangely said as she suddenly sat up in bed. Her chosen spot was not nearest the window for the centre of the room had a look of privilege to it, a certain separation from others and well away from the door of course. After all anyone could wander in over there. In spite of this she had not counted on such an unfamiliar proximity to nature.
'That's fresh air,' the Nordeyer girl replied, her curly blonde head nestled deeply in her pillow. Even in the speckled light of the early morning her healthy outdoor tan seemed to glow.
'And pinewood,' added Meresinth from her own spot between Pirouette and the balcony.
With that the Perfecta girl went to the window and promptly closed it. She then pulled from her hand luggage a bottle and sprayed the air around her.
'Bugs get everywhere,' she said by way of explanation and then, having returned to her bed resumed unpacking the enormous quantity of clothes and accessories no servant had appeared to do for her the previous evening.
It was their first morning at the new school and of course there were no lessons yet. The day was divided into getting to know the place with tours of the grounds, rooms and curiously enough the rooftops on the itinerary.
Everyone else soon became absorbed in their own arranging of personal items in the growing light and Vetta placed a picture of her parents on a side table. She was content with the bed nearest the door for no one else seemed to want it, caring little it might be the noisiest location. Anthera had chosen the one next to her, both being on the opposite side of the room from Pirouette. She looked at the picture of Vetta's parents and smiled. Then she produced a somewhat smaller picture crowded with pale figures that might be her own parents and two siblings and placed it upon her own dresser top with a nod of mutual understanding to her dorm mate. The other bed next the window was inevitably claimed by Dolly Bloomen, who as soon as she was almost fully awake and disregarding what happened earlier went straight out of the window onto the balcony to look at the view. It quickly became apparent there would be a conflicting tension between the two girls about the window which made Vetta sigh to witness.
'We are here to learn to adjust to sharing space with others,' she said to Meresinth at an angle from her as each admired the belongings of the other scattered upon the floor.
'Some need more space than others,' came the half-whispered reply.
'My tablet!' Vetta squealed just then, having found this vital piece of equipment in a bag she had not searched up to then. Remembering what the lady in Port Angel had said, she quickly reset her personal locator to Frangea grid references and time zones only to discover her altitude was currently higher than the highest point in Poldorama. This immediately made her feel a little faint.
A prefect burst in just then unannounced.
'Right you lot, ablutions first, then walking shoes and hats,' she said with military authority. 'You will be given a morning's tour of some of the gardens and playing fields of Miss Plazenby's. Should give you a healthy appetite for lunch. Any questions?'
'When do we go into battle?' Meresinth said, raising her hand and keeping a straight face as she spoke. The prefect squinted at her, noting the braid of hair.
'Arbornica,' she said under her breath as if this explained matters. 'Battle commences on day three.'
Vetta looked suitably alarmed.
'Relax,' the Meditia girl said, her glasses sparkling in the slanting sunlight as she stood to attention by her bed, having taken up this position as soon as the prefect had entered. 'She means the battle against ignorance, in the classroom.'
'Quite right,' Pirouette chipped in as she sidled to the bathroom door cunningly to ensure she was first to freshen up. 'We must fight ignorance wherever it appears, which in this sad little land is probably very much everywhere.' With that she disappeared and the sound of running water could be heard along with a slight shriek.
'Some kinds of ignorance have a way of following you around,' the prefect said with a smirk. 'Colour-coded water temperature controls need to be interpreted not through the logic of prettiest first. Twenty minutes, people,' she added as she turned on her heel. 'Great hall at the bottom of the hour sharp, dressed for a long and weary walk.'
The door was slammed behind her and Meresinth sniggered.
'One two, one two,' she repeated, her voice getting quieter, 'and... she's gone.'