Chapter Text
The bus shuttled across the small, quiet town of Jericho - its rustic beauty unlike anywhere else in the country. Aboard the bus was Emily Dart, a woman whose world was turned upside down when her family sent her halfway across the U.S. just for a boarding school. The bullying at Emily's old school had become unbearable, and, frankly, it always had been; she just hadn't had a breakdown and tried to run away until recently. Emily was a super senior, having failed her first senior year. She told her family that she could handle one more year of that school, but they were insistent that they had found a place for people like her. She grimaced thinking about it. She hated it when they talked about people "like her," as if she were some kind of dangerous monster.
When she arrived in Jericho after what seemed like hours of forests, she was immediately struck by its coziness. She was told she had to take a second shuttle to the school, but she didn't entirely mind; that gave her time to glance around the town, especially considering it was still an hour before she was supposed to be there. Emily grabbed her things from the bus, which wasn't much. She had a backpack, a purse, and a suitcase with her. As the bus pulled away, leaving her behind at the bus stop, she saw what looked like a coffee shop across the street.
"Weathervane..." Emily mumbled to herself.
Emily had approximately twenty bucks to her name, and she was most definitely gonna get a coffee with some of it. She checked her phone; it was six in the morning. She trudged into the café, her legs sore from sitting so long and her mind foggy from the trip. There was a small sign at the register, "Short-staffed, please be patient!" Emily smiled gently at the barista, hoping she didn't look too disheveled.
"Hi, can I just get an iced latte, please?" Emily ordered politely.
The barista told her it would be 4 dollars and some change. Emily handed over a ten-dollar bill. After a couple of minutes, the barista handed Emily her iced latte. Emily dragged all of her stuff to a corner booth and sipped on her coffee. She popped in her wireless earbuds and connected them to her phone. Her music taste was incredibly eclectic, and she was unsure what to listen to. Eventually, she settles on her oldies playlist. "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore started up. She tapped her fingers against her cup to the beat.
Emily finished her coffee and a few songs before standing up to find the shuttle that would take her to her new school. She shoved her phone into her pocket and gathered her things once more. Walking out of Weathervane, she saw the shuttle at the bus stop. It read "Nevermore" across the side of it, which was quite convenient. The bus driver carefully grabbed Emily's suitcase and set it in the storage area, giving her a smile.
"New student, huh? Don't see many new students unless they're freshmen... You a transfer?" The older, gentlemanly bus driver asked with a smile on his face.
"Oh, yeah. Hoping it won't be too rough, to be honest." Emily let out a dry chuckle as she spoke.
"I'm sure you'll settle in fine! Alright, let's get this baby a-rolling!" He gestured for her to pick any seat on the otherwise empty bus and sat in the driver's seat.
Emily settled in and glanced longingly out the window. Her eyes widened as the bus approached the school. It looked like something straight out of a dark fantasy novel. The wrought-iron gates opened, and the bus pulled into the parking lot. Gray clouds hung over the school despite it being a sunny day in town, and vines crept up the spires of the academy. The bus halted to a stop; Emily grabbed her things and stepped off the bus. A tall, platinum blonde-haired woman stood in a blue suit-dress at the entrance. She watched as Emily stepped off the bus before approaching her.
"Hello! You must be the new transfer student. Emily Dart, if I remember correctly?" The woman spoke.
"Yeah, that's me. You are?" Emily asked inquisitively, tilting her head to the side slightly.
"Oh, my apologies, I'm Principal Weems, headmistress of Nevermore." She extends her hand towards Emily, "It's good to finally meet you!"
Emily shook the principal's hand firmly. She was always told that a firm handshake made a good first impression. After the handshake, Principal Weems clasped her hands together with a slight clap.
"Alright, I'll show you to your dorm. Is this... all of your bags?" She looks down at Emily's singular suitcase, backpack, and purse.
"Yeah, it is." Emily looks at her meager packings a bit embarrassed to have so little.
"Well, let's be on our way then!" The principal spoke enthusiastically, turning on her heel to head toward the student dorms.
Emily tried her best to keep up with the principal with her long strides. Emily's legs moved just under a run. Luckily, the dorm wasn't too far away. Principal Weems opened the door to the dorm room and handed Emily a key as they stepped inside. The dorm had a small balcony and a large bed, which was all Emily really cared about as she stepped inside.
"You don't have a roommate, so you should be able to make yourself right at home," Weems spoke.
Emily set her bags on the bed and glanced around one last time before Weems spoke from the doorway.
"If you'll follow me to my office, I'll help you look over your schedule and answer any questions you might have." She gestures for Emily to leave the room for now.
Emily nodded and followed the principal out of the dorm room; her legs were able to keep up a bit easier without her bags. They arrived at Principal Weems' office. Emily read the plaque on the door that said "Principal L. Weems." She followed Weems into her office. A grand, stone fireplace carved to resemble the head of a gorgon, and a few bookshelves adorned the walls. The back of the office was one big window covered by light blue sheer curtains. Weems sat in her chair and gestured for Emily to have a seat on the opposite side. Emily sat in the comfy chair as the principal prepared some papers.
"Alright, so, let's go over your schedule first!" She slides a piece of paper over to Emily on the desk.
Emily glances over it, seeing the usual stuff that she would expect. History 3, Calculus, another history class, and some other stuff. She then pauses at her writing class. She looked up at Principal Weems as if there had been a mistake.
"Um, I do have one question. It looks like I was put in Advanced Creative Writing, and I'm not sure I should be in an advanced class. Could we switch that up, maybe?" Emily said with a bit of concern in her eyes.
"Oh no, there's been no mistake. From what I've been told, you are an exceptional writer. Especially when it comes to being creative." Weems smiled warmly at Emily.
"Uh, I wouldn't call myself 'exceptional' by any means. I did fail most of my classes last year." Emily said with a wry chuckle.
Weems frowned slightly at Emily's comment, her face giving way to disbelief.
"Well, your English teacher from your last school seemed to think otherwise; she even sent a short story you had shared with her your sophomore year, and, I must say, it is quite the interesting read. For you to have that kind of talent a couple of years ago, I imagine you've honed in on your abilities even more at this point." Weems refutes Emily's claim with evidence, and Emily was unable to deny that she could write.
She thinks back for a moment on the only teacher who ever seemed to give a shit about her - her English teacher. Emily had sat in her room for lunch every day of her junior and senior year. The teacher even gave her a going-away card when she found out Emily was leaving. A pang of sadness crossed Emily's face, but she quickly composed herself.
"Okay, I won't argue with that," Emily said as she looked down at her lap.
A victorious smile spread over Weems' face. She pulled out a small packet of papers and handed them to Emily.
"This is a collection of flyers for all of the clubs and extracurriculars we have here at Nevermore. Feel free to sign up for any of them that catch your eye!" A curious look falls over Weem's face for a moment before she speaks up again, "Miss Dart, I must ask, what special abilities do you hold? Your parents were rather... reluctant to speak of them over the phone."
Emily had never used her abilities in front of people before. Ever since she had discovered them as a child, her family was sure to keep them under lock and key, never allowing Emily to use them.
"Oh, I, um, don't really talk about it much, and it's a kind of boring ability to be honest, but I can shapeshift." Emily looked away and ran her hand through her short, brown hair.
Principal Weems smiled warmly, a hint of excitement passing over her face, though Emily didn't pick up on it.
"Well, I'm sure you'll feel right at home here in Nevermore with your abilities. Can you control them well enough?" Principal Weems prepared a sheet of paper as she spoke, ready to fill out a form for Emily's file.
"Uh, for the most part. I can't do any, like, super drastic changes too fast. I honestly don't use my power a whole lot." Emily felt disappointed at the fact that she had never gotten to explore her powers.
"Oh, can I ask why not? Most young people love to dally around with their abilities." She raised a curious eyebrow at Emily.
"My family never really wanted me using them, so... I haven't." Emily felt as if she had missed out on something by the way Weems spoke about her powers.
Weems wrote a few things down in boxes on the form before sliding the sheet into a folder.
"Well, Emily, it was lovely to meet you! Oh, I almost forgot," she rustled through some papers before handing her one, "a map of the school to help you settle in and find your way around."
"Thank you, it was great meeting you, too, Principal Weems." Emily stood up with her map and schedule in hand.
Emily exited the office and made her way back to her dorm. She entered the room and flopped down on the bed. Her mind thought about all of her classes she has tomorrow. Luckily, she was the only transfer student this year, so if she needed any help, she was sure she could ask and not be judged. A small sigh escaped her lips. Another senior year - just what she needed, and at a new school, of all things. A sliver of hope dawned in her chest. Maybe this year won't be so bad. Maybe she'll fit in here. Maybe she'll be okay for the first time in her life. Emily shook off the thoughts, certain not to get her hopes up. She was sure she'd become the outcast of the outcasts.
Emily stood up from the bed and began to unpack her things. She placed the few uniforms she had been given to wear during school hours into the closet in the room. She took off her sneakers and set them by the door, and then put her casual outfits she brought into a vanity-dresser hybrid that stood at the back of the room. She pulled out her cheap makeup from her suitcase, glancing over it to make sure nothing broke or spilled. After assuring that everything was intact, she put her makeup on the vanity, carefully organizing it. One eyeshadow palette, one face makeup palette, one bottle of foundation, one vial of concealer, one container of setting powder, and one bottle of setting spray. It wasn't a large collection, but it was enough for her to feel like she didn't look awful during the day. She didn't even own makeup remover; she usually used soap and water to get her makeup off, which didn't leave her with the best skin. After she finally got everything set up in her room, she lay back down in her new bed. She just lay there listening to her sad song playlist with her eyes closed. "Kids" by Current Joys came on, and she nearly skipped it, but decided to let her heart break a little today. She sang along with it one octave up from where it was sung, harmonizing with the singer.
"Oh, I'm no longer a kid, and everything has changed. There's nothing in my heart, and lightning in my brain."