The moment he disappeared into the room beyond, Alex puffed out, “Fill me in—what’s going on here? Where are we? And seriously, haven’t you guys ever heard of an elevator?”
“It was only eight floors,” Jordan said, and she turned incredulous eyes to him.
“There’s no such thing as ‘only’ when it comes to eight floors, Jordan. That’s practically a small mountain.”
He shook his head, amused, and answered her other questions. “This is Jarvis’s office, but I’m not sure why we’re here. I thought Karter would take us to see Marselle.”
Before he could say more, the door opened and a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair and rectangular glasses walked out. His expression was warm and his smile genuine when he said, “We’ve been expecting you, Alex.”
She looked at him uncertainly, perplexed by his comment and his familiar use of her name.
“I’m Administrator Jarvis,” he continued. “Please, follow me and we’ll sort out your paperwork.” He beckoned her into his office, but she remained where she was, unsettled by his words.
“I’m sorry, my paperwork?”
“For your admission,” he clarified.
“For my… admission?”
“I was told you’d have your enrolment papers with you,” Jarvis said, looking at her hand pointedly.
Alex tightened her fingers around the crumpled papers that were still miraculously clenched in her grip despite everything that had happened between the doorway and the forest. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake, Administrator Jarvis. I’m meant to be enrolling at the International Exchange Academy.”
Jarvis smiled at her kindly. “And yet, here you are at Akarnae. Headmaster Marselle mentioned you might be arriving today, and he said you’d likely be confused. He had so hoped to meet you before he left, but unfortunately you just missed him.” Jarvis motioned for her to enter his office once again. “Please, come in and take a seat.”
Realising she would have to enter the room to get some answers, Alex began to follow him, pausing after a few steps to look back at Jordan and Bear.
Seeing her hesitation, Jarvis said, “Your companions are more than welcome to join us, if you’d like?”
Alex nodded and Jordan and Bear stepped up beside her. Together they entered the room and sat in front of a large mahogany desk. Jarvis took a seat opposite them, while Karter glowered at them all and left without another word.
“Perhaps we should start by getting your questions out of the way,” Jarvis offered, watching Alex fidget nervously. “You seem a tad… overwhelmed.”
“Overwhelmed doesn’t quite cover it,” Alex said. “I’ve just been told that I’m from a different world. That’s not exactly normal, you know.”
Jordan chuckled quietly beside her. At least someone was amused.
“Oh, good,” Jarvis said, pleased. “That saves us a lengthy explanation.”
“I think I’ve had all the explanations I can handle,” Alex said, feeling suddenly tired. “I’m ready to go home now, if that’s okay with you?”
On the off chance that her parents were able to sneak a phone call in between their connecting flights, she really didn’t want to risk them discovering her missing once they landed. She needed to get back, pronto, even if it meant she’d have to put up with the zombie-like students at the International Exchange Academy. They might have been mean, but at least they weren’t from another world.
Jarvis shifted uncomfortably at her question. “Unfortunately, that’s not going to be as simple as it sounds.”
Alex stilled. “What do you mean? I have to get home. Right now, before someone realises I’m gone.”
There was no way he could have misread the urgency in her voice. And yet, if anything, his expression turned pitying.
“I’m afraid that’s impossible at the moment,” Jarvis told her. “Headmaster Marselle is the only person who can help you return to your world.”
Alex felt her heart rate increasing. “Well, where is he, then?”
“I don’t expect to see the headmaster for a number of months,” Jarvis said. “He’s on a scouting tour—something he does every five years.”
Months? Did he say months?
“But—but—” Alex didn’t even know what to say. “What am I supposed to do until then?”
“You’ll remain here and attend classes as one of our students,” Jarvis said, as if it was obvious.
Alex could feel a panic attack coming on. “I can’t stay here! I have a life to get back to—a world to get back to! My parents… my new school…” Admittedly, she wouldn’t be completely devastated to miss out on the International Exchange Academy experience, but the rest was a definite cause for concern. “I can’t just become a student here and go to classes like it’s normal. Not for months. Not even for a day!”
At his apologetic look, she quickly grasped for another argument.
“Akarnae is a school for the gifted, right? Well, I don’t have a gift. I’m completely ungifted. I can’t stay here—I don’t belong here!” she said. “Can’t you get a message to this Marselle guy and ask him to come back sooner?” Like, tomorrow, she added to herself.
“I’m sorry, Alex,” Jarvis said, sounding like he truly meant it. “If it’s any consolation, the headmaster was adamant that you do have a gift, and that it will present itself in time. He assured me that you would find your place here at Akarnae.”
“How kind of him,” Alex muttered. She wasn’t overly keen about some random guy making decisions on her behalf, but she also couldn’t suppress a tendril of curiosity. She had a gift? What did that mean? Would she be able to turn invisible, like Jordan? Maybe she’d be able to fly or move things with her mind; that’d be pretty awesome.
Realising that there were some possible advantages to staying at Akarnae—not the least of which was that she could avoid the awful International Exchange Academy—Alex wondered if perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to hang around for a little while. And it wasn’t as if she had any better ideas.
“All right, I guess I can wait here until he returns,” she hesitantly agreed, hoping that her parents stuck to their original plan and wouldn’t try to call her one final time. Judging by the alcohol-Valium cocktail her mother had ingested, Alex figured she was probably safe. Her dad would have his hands full keeping her mum conscious and out of trouble, so it was unlikely that either of them would even think about contacting her when they landed. Once again, Alex found herself feeling grateful for their inability to communicate over the next few months. If she had any luck at all, she’d be back to her world without them ever realising she’d been missing.
“Excellent,” Jarvis said, genuinely happy with her decision.
“You’re going to love it here,” Jordan promised, his eyes sparkling. “Just wait, you’ll see.”
Bear nodded his agreement, and their enthusiasm was so contagious that Alex couldn’t resist offering a tentative smile in return. At least she already had two friends in this strange place—that was more than she’d ever had in her world.