Thorn • Scott Summers

three

As she finished unpacking the small amount of items she had managed to stuff in her bag when leaving, Florence sat down on her bed. She looked around, observing. Bare cream walls, wooden dresser, and a nightstand.

Charles had given her a room and told her he'd send someone later to show her around the school. Hank had come around a few minutes later with a small potted plant. Florence had never seen one like it before, but it looked like a vine.

"Just so you feel more at home, you know?"

Florence smiled. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem." Hank waved it off as he approached her door. "There's a greenhouse a little further back from where we were outside earlier. You're welcome there anytime. I'm the only one that goes there, but I'll admit it's not too frequently."

"Thanks again, Hank. This is all amazing. Honestly."

He smiled at her, now out the doorway.

"Hey, Hank?" She stopped him before he left.

"What is it?"

"The ferns and the Bonsai in the main room are really dry. They haven't been watered in a month."

Hank's eyes widened and he sighed. "Peter had told me he wanted to water them, I shouldn't have trusted him," he said, more to himself than to Florence.
They said goodbye and Hank left, and Florence was left alone in her room again.
She turned her attention to the plant, touching the leaves softly. All the leaves swayed towards her, and she felt its energy. She played with it for a while, calmly moving its leaves around. She must have spent thirty minutes doing that; but she was serene.

She heard a soft knock on the frame of her door, and she quickly removed her hand from the plant. She had left the door ajar, so the person peeked through it. Florence looked up, and her eyes were met with those of another girl.

"Hi, Florence?"

Florence nodded, assuming the girl was the one Charles had sent to give her a tour.

The girl smiled, and walked into the room. She wore a pair of light wash high waist jeans, a pink tee shirt, and a bright yellow leather jacket with pins scattered on it. Her black hair was up in a high ponytail, her bangs thick with volume. Finally, Florence recognized her as one of the girls that had been sitting by Red Sunglasses.

She stood up, smoothing her black denim. The girl held her hand out and Florence shook it.

"I'm Jubilee! Well, my real name is Jubilation Lee, but I shortened it. Sounds better, you know?"

"Yeah, I like it. It's unique."

Florence already liked Jubilee, and it was rare for her to like anyone. She seemed genuinely nice and interesting. But Florence had been deprived of basic social relations most of her life, so she didn't really know how to interact. Apart from that, she was beyond drained that day. Emotionally and physically.

Jubilee smiled at Florence and invited her out to the hallway. It was busy, but not crowded. She must have had a nervous expression on her face, because Jubilee inquired in a soft voice.

"Are you ok? You look kinda pale."

If anyone else had said that to her, she would've threatened them. But Jubilee's voice sounded of genuine concern.

"I'm fine, I'm just... not used to this. So many people. I was homeschooled since third grade, so I have no idea what this environment is like."

"You were homeschooled? That sounds like it's either rad or totally buggin'."