The Gate

6. Atalka Academy

Lena Matthews

"Wake up." Aurelie shook me gently.

"What?" I asked groggily.

"Mom said to get your butt out of bed or you're grounded," Aurelie explained.

I groaned as Aurelie scampered away, giggling. Today marked day three of being in Atalka. It also marked my first day at Atalka Academy.

My school uniform had been neatly hung up in my closet. I started removing everything from its hanger, frowning. I'm not a uniform person, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make for the Agency. I put on a white blouse and green sweater that had a weird symbol stitched in the top corner. It looked a bit like a dream catcher, with a circle that had a moon and wolf in the middle and feathers beneath it. The green skirt was covered in black and white plaid, and stopped just short of my long white socks. The socks were itchy, but I would only have to deal with them for months at most.

"Hurry up!" Aurelie called from downstairs. I sighed and quickly made my way downstairs, where Mom was making blueberry pancakes.

"That smells amazing, Mom," I said.

"Look who's up." Mom replied, not glancing up from the stove. A small teasing smile lit up her face.

"Thanks for waking me up earlier," I replied sarcastically.

"We tried," said Finn. "You need to sleep lighter if you want to be prepared for any attacks." After Finn's comment, everyone got quiet for a moment. Our shiny new house had momentarily distracted us from why we were really here. This was a dangerous mission, not a luxury getaway. After a somber moment, we all hurriedly continued with our morning routine. Finn and I finished breakfast and raced to pack our bags.

"First!" I declared proudly, zipping my bag shut.

"Not a competition, Lena," Finn replied, casually grabbing another binder.

"Whatever." I huffed. "I still won."

In Atalka, most people walked to school since it was so close. Finn and I were instructed to take Aurelie with us, and she skipped a few yards ahead of us in her blissful obliviousness.

Outside, I could see my breath sparkle in the morning air. It was beautiful now, but the forecast predicted rain every single afternoon this week. The Agency had chosen a house for us that was a bit more secluded from the rest of the town. While that had some advantages, it meant that Finn, Aurelie, and I were stuck with a longer walk in the rain after school.

The house we were staying in had been empty for some time before we moved in, but no one seemed to know anything about the previous residents, except something about the stairs. Although, it was possible that Jane-Anne knew more about the town than she let on. Jane-Anne.

"I almost forgot. That Jane-Anne girl volunteered to give me a tour of the school today." I told Finn.

"Who's Jane-Anne?" Aurelie asked. She stopped skipping and turned around, waiting for us to catch up.

"The mayor's daughter," Finn explained. "She came by while you were napping after the checkup."

Aurelie wrinkled her nose at the mention of the checkup. "That was so weird." She informed us.

"What do you remember from the checkup?" I asked, mainly out of curiosity. The only memory I had was Dad and fire, which didn't make any sense. Makaya always carried herself like she knew something no one else did, and she seemed to be the only one with the ability to give those odd checkups. It made me suspicious.

"I remember fire," said Aurelie, shrugging.

"Do you remember fire?" I asked Finn, not liking the pattern.