Chasing Shadows

Chapter 7: A Midsummer Nights Disaster

As they walked towards the school Kennedy got another strange feeling in her stomach, butterflies. She came up to a huge arch with the school's name and motto in gold letters: Magna Heights Academy, Achieve Great Heights. Between the school name and motto was an emblem of a cougar.

Walking past the arch Kennedy found herself in a courtyard surrounded by four buildings. From what Reggie and Avi told her this school was not like other schools. It went from Kindergarten all the way to twelfth grade. On the right sat the high school building. Next came the Middle School building; then the recreation building that had a swimming pool, gymnasium and an auditorium. Kennedy followed her friends to the building on the left, the elementary school.

Kennedy took in the scenery around her and saw that the courtyard had a shiny playground, a basketball court, a greenhouse and an open field. Each building was connected on the sides by covered walkways and all the doors and entry areas were being monitored by teachers. When they reached the front door to the elementary school they were greeted by a smiling woman in a flower top.

"That's Mrs. Nelson, the Dean of Magna Heights." Whispered Reggie. Kennedy tried to turn and get a better look, but was pushed along by the swarm of students.

Once inside Kennedy was hit by the scent of freshly sharpened pencils and newly printed paper. The sound of hundreds of students chattering all at once filled the air. Past the reception area they made a right and went down a long hallway with classrooms on either side. Avi waved at the girls and walked to his homeroom. He would be with them the second half of the day for science and math. Reggie and Kennedy were in a homeroom together, much to Kennedy's relief.

"Hey friend!" Said a gray haired woman standing in the doorway of their classroom. "My name is Mrs. Barry. Welcome to my reading and writing class."

Mrs. Barry extended her hand to greet the girls. A tower of a woman, her head nearly touched the top of the doorway but her warm voice and kind eyes made her out to be a gentle giant.

"Hi Mrs. Barry. I'm Reggie and this is Kennedy. She's new here."

"Ah yes, They told me you've been homeschooled until now. I was homeschooled for a while when I was young too."

Hearing this put Kennedy's nerves at ease. She and Reggie continued into the classroom, zig-zagging their way around the desks in order to find their assigned seats. Their hearts sank when they realized they would be sitting nowhere near each other. Oh well, thought Kennedy as she took her seat. She didn't need Reggie holding her hand every step of the way. Right?

More students came pouring into the room. Once the first bell rang, Mrs. Barry closed the door and turned students' attention towards the television at the front of the room just as the morning announcements came on.

"Gooooooood morning Magna Heights Cougars! Andy Ludwig here saying welcome back to another fantastic school year! Here is our Dean with a few words for our students."

The curly haired boy on the announcements turned to face the middle aged woman on his right. It was Mrs. Nelson. Her dark skin complimented her bright hazel eyes. When she spoke, her voice was friendly but commanding.

"Good morning cougars! I am Mrs. Nelson and I am the proud Dean and owner of Magna Heights Academy. To all our returning students, I hope everyone had lots of fun over the break and you're ready to start another fantastic year. To all our new students I would like to say welcome to the Magna Heights family! Some of you may be wondering what is 'Magna'? Well it's a special word that means 'Great'. My father, professor Richard Cole, named this school Magna Heights when he first opened its doors 30 years ago because he wanted students to always remember their goal, achieve great heights. In the coming year as all you scholar's learn and grow, remember to have greatness on your mind. Be a great student, be a great friend, achieve great heights."