Page 12 of No Ordinary Girl
My uniform camein a week before term; a plaid skirt, a short sleeved white blouse, two red golf shirts, two pairs of black pants, a V-neck sweater, and a zippered hoodie, all embroidered with the RAMS logo; a winged ram head.
I put on the whole outfit; the skirt, white blouse and V-neck sweater. My mom said I looked ‘adorable’ (cringing). There’s no nice way to say this – I looked like a total dork.
From:Annabelle Jenkins
To: Calista Summers
Subject: Hi
Dear Calista,
I hope this email finds you well. It was so nice to see you at the coffee shop this week. You seemed like you were doing well.
Unfortunately, I won’t be seeing you at the café anytime soon because I’m going away to school tomorrow… RAMS Academy in Maine. The Renaissance Academy of Mentalist Studies.
It all started with you. You see, there was more to it than me seeing your illustration. There’s a reason I knew what you were planning, why I wanted to help.
I’m sorry I didn’t pay attention before, but thankfully, I did eventually. After our story was featured all over the news, RAMS reached out to me. I know it sounds crazy, but I have special abilities. I can read people, get into their minds. RAMS thinks that I may be able to do some good over there, with missing people cases, unsolved mysteries… that kind of thing.
We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?
I would love to keep in touch with you via email. I hope to hear from you,
Sincerely,
Anna
P.S. Wish me luck at RAMS. I’m super nervous--new school, new state, new kids I don’t know!
5
It was my last night at home, and I was stretched out on my bed, staring at the origami hanging from my ceiling; birds, butterflies and flowers mostly, in every color of the rainbow, my own creations.
It’s what I do to relax. It’s what I’ve done since I was small. I do it to turn off my mind. One of my therapists suggested it to my mother when I was small. It was meant to calm me. I was pretty wired back then. My mom raced to the craft store and bought me a book all about origami and some paper, and I loved it. I’m pretty good at it now. I’ve done all sorts of crazy stuff. When I’m not creating origami masterpieces, I also like to sketch and doodle in my notebook.
My luggage was on the floor, next to me; fuchsia pink with colorful flowers. I was pretty sure I hadn’t forgotten anything; I had it all: uniforms, pajamas, my fuzzy socks, jeans and t-shirts, warm jacket, hat, mittens, and two hoodies (I was told that the weather can be really cold in Maine), my sketchbook and pencils, my hair brush and toiletries, my Rubik’s cube, my origami collection, my jewelry box, my guitar, my supply of Tic Tacs, my fancy new black shoes, a glass jar of cinnamon spice, my vintage record player, and a few records.
I hate that feeling you get when you’re half excited, half scared. I hate not knowing what to expect. What would everyone be like? Would I be an outcast there, too? What would my roommate be like? Would I measure up? Would I miss my family?
Hell yeah… I knew I would.
The digital display on my clock radio read 10:22 PM. I was supposed to be under the covers but I couldn’t imagine getting a single wink of sleep.
Kylie popped her little head into my room holding three of her favorite stuffed animals. She squeezed them hard against her chest, a huge pout on her face. “Anna…”
I propped myself up on my elbows. “Sweetie, you should be sleeping. It’s past ten.”
She shook her head. “I can’t sleep. I don’t want you to go. I’m going to miss you so much.”
My heart sank. I reached for her and squeezed her and her animals tightly. “I’m going to miss you, too, so much.”
“I have Coco, Buttercup, and Pompom and I want you to take one of them with you so you remember me. You can sleep with one of them in case you’re scared at night. It looks kinda scary where you’re going. I saw the pictures in that book you have. It looks like a witch’s castle.”
I smiled a little. She was genuinely scared for her big sister. “I’ll be safe there, I promise,” I assured her. “It’s just a really old building, but there’s no monsters there, or witches.”As far as I know.“I’ll come back at Christmas time, and you’ll see I’ll be just fine.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Good… I was worried.”
“So about your animals,” I ventured, knowing that these were her favorite stuffies. Coco, the lab puppy, Buttercup, the grey horse, and Pompom, the fluffy little brown dog. I knew Pompom was the only one she could actually bear to part with. “I like Pompom,” I told her.
