Chapter 3 EPISODE 3

Grandma had been reading me a passage from the Bible throughout the whole car journey here. I was on the verge of leaping from this speeding vehicle. She would not stop talking about how ideal Hartford would be for me, even on the aircraft. I had gotten up to escape her, and I found myself in the rear storage area with the attractive co-pilot. "Carter, the Dean of Hartford, is a friend of mine. He knows about your mother, about your arrival, and about that thing you have." I shrug my eyes and glance out the window. The word "nymphomania" was like poison to her tongue; she could not even utter it. She places a copy of her own little bible on my lap and says, "Behave here, honey. God will only forgive those who have sinned and are willing to follow through his path." The automobile, all black, stopped before the golden gates of the exclusive establishment. As soon as we arrived, I opened and looked around the academy. The large buildings encircled the short one, which was coated in white paint akin to December snow, and the roofs resembled castles. The thick black windows and large pillars in front block away the outside view from the inside. The elegant appearance of the school complemented the positive things that periodicals had mentioned about it. A lady with auburn hair and a black portfolio with my information greeted me as the door opened for me. She gave me a thorough head to toe glance and then let out a little "hmph". Her dark pumps made a lot of noise on the cement surface. Then there was a guy beside her who just appeared to look straight at me, a grin at Grandma's and a searing irritation at my presence. As my things were being put on my side, she welcomed me as "Carter". Carter had a towering build and his brown hair was neatly brushed back with a few silver strands. His dark, furious eyes were hidden behind glasses, and the side of his lips and forehead were adorned with creases. He was dressed like a pope and had a crucifix around his neck. He bent down and clasped my grandmother's hand. "Lovely to see you again" She exclaims, "Carter, Hartford has never looked better." He looked at me again, as if he was gazing at my mother for the first time. As he talks about my heterochromia, "you even share her eyes" "She is my mother," I cruelly said, earning Carter a meek grin and Grandma a humiliated nod. I turn to Grandma before she departs and say, "I think we should continue this conversation in my office. You even seemed to inherit her attitude." I watch the vehicle drive off, saying nothing in response to "Your father will be in contact with you. Behave". I trail after him into the expansive structure, past the depictions of God, and into another massive cross in the middle of the space. As we go into his office, he says, "Please take a seat, Ms. Rose," and he settles onto his desk. He leans his elbows and crosses his hands on the oak wood desk as I take the seat in front of him. "As you know Hartford Academy is made for students like yourself who feel as if tapping into their teenage hormones are more important than their studies. Hartford is an academic boarding school, along with our beliefs to deprive you of what you cannot seem to live without, sexual intercourse. This brings me to our policies" he continues. "We have strict rules when it comes to sexual behavior and relationships between students. It is strictly prohibited, fail to cooperate with these terms and your scholarships as well as your studies here will be terminated" The Dean says while holding onto an oak wooden table. He was in his late forties, but aging had little effect on him; his gray hair was vanishing slowly. Hatred running down his eyes as they settle on me, wrinkles over his forehead and the edges of his lips. He starts to explain how involved my father is in my life here, despite the fact that he was the one who sent me to the same school my grandmother sent my mother to when she was younger. "We were very aware of your arrival, Miss Rose. We have contact with your father understanding who your mother is and her history here. We will have eyes on you at all times strictly because of your diagnosis and how it can interfere with our set rules." "We hope you don't make the same mistakes, especially considering how intelligent you are as a student." I eventually pause to see whether he would say that before continuing. I sarcastically say, "I'll be sure to be on my best behavior, sir," and he glares at me. "Go with Adeline to your room, please. Take this too," he says, giving me the cross necklace and the bible. I look at the little white card; it has a timetable that instructs us to pray to the Lord for forgiveness of the sins we have done. I close the door behind me and trail Adeline into a room where my luggage are. The window was open, letting a gentle breeze enter the room and creating a serene atmosphere with white drapes fluttering gently. My luggage were already arranged in the magnificent bathroom, and there was a desk with a little light for studying late into the night. The spacious bed was covered in white linen that matched the draperies. "It is my responsibility as the Headmaster's assistant to report any violations of the numerous terms listed here," she says, handing me a white packet with black writing that I had no intention of reading. The statement, "Please note we observe your behavior here to see if you improve," bothers me since it seems like they are now doing child therapy. "If you are doing well, we allow weekend visits back home or allow you to travel out in the city. Many of our perks are for the students attending, some control the on campus thrown parties." "You are not allowed in the opposite sex room, neither are you allowed to sneak around. You're not allowed to be out past ten, later than that will result in punishment meaning you will lose the perks of privacy and we will have someone at your door to guide you through your time here." "Follow these simply terms and you're stay here will run smoothly." I'm so tired of this place that I question, "Is that all?" "Greetings from Hartford Academy." She walks out without saying anything more, and I take my phone out of my purse. I hurl the phone, tiny book, and necklace onto the pillow behind me while the no missed calls yell stares back at me. I couldn't be reckless, and my father wasn't even there to say goodbye as I boarded the aircraft. He hasn't phoned since I arrived. He was eager to send me out the same way his mother and grandmother had. Grandma and father were quite close; they appeared to have the same brain and agreed on everything that was stated about the mother. I was constantly chastised for something I could not control back home because of my condition and as my mother's daughter. Rather than sobbing, I tried to accept it. The whispers I hear from people as I walk by on the streets, the slutty women who glare at me, and the men who think of me as just another disposable body or 'cock hungry whore,' as they would call me until my knee meets their small parts, which would never satisfy even the most sex-starved person, are not something I miss. I entered the glass shower and let the warm water pour down on my skin. As I lathered the soap over my skin till it was completely gone, the aroma of vanilla and chocolate permeated the space. I turned off the shower and strolled outside, letting the water sink into my hair and bringing out the natural waves of my black hair. What if this was my current life? One of the many things I wasn't going to do was behave.