As soon as Nora's feet his the outside world, the same holographic box popped up. And once again, the same voice asked "Where would you like to go?" Doubts filled the redhead's mind, causing her to hesitate. What if the holotran didn't work? How would she get back if it tool her to the wrong spot?
Her worrying was interrupted by a harsh beeping noise, alerting her that she would miss her chance soon. "Silverlight High!" she said quickly, doing her best to keep her voice clear like her sister. And just like Claire, Nora simply disappeared.
Before she could even blink, Nora was staring at the school. The pure white paint seemed even brighter than the sun. Nora vaguely wondered how the school was kept so clean as she began to walk towards the school. But her train of thought was cut short by a scream from behind her. She whirled around, jaw dropping at the sight. About twenty feet away stood a boy, or what was left of him. His left hand was missing three fingers, his right arm cut off just below his elbow. There were chunks of flesh missing from all over both kegs. His left ear was missing, the front of his nose was gone, and there were just two dark holes where his eyes should have been. Blood was flowing from every gap in his form, and his mouth was open in a perpetual scream. Other children rushed towards the school, eager to escape the range of the abomination. Nora was slept along with the mass, although she did manage to get a glimpse of two men and a woman running towards the boy.
The students were herded up by various teachers, who then proceeded to lead them into classrooms. Of course, each room buzzed with whispers and chatters. Pretty soon, there wasn't a single student that didn't know what had happened. The detail were fuzzy, but everyone knew the basics: someone hadn't been fully teleported. And the classroom Nora was in was no different. But the girl herself sat in the back corner. She really didn't feel like listening to exaggerated "facts" when she knew what had really happened. But before the noise level could get too out of hand, a woman in heels walked into the room, followed by two men in government suits. Nora didn't recognize the men, but there was no doubt that the woman had been out with the screaming boy. And her solid black suit made it obvious that she was the principal.
"Thank you all for behaving so well while we sorted things out," she said, careful to avoid mentioning what had actually needed to be cleaned up. "The staff and I have decided that it would be wise to officially start school tomorrow. So enjoy the rest of your day. And please, take the terratran home."
As soon as she finished speaking, the students pushed forward towards the door, eager to be the first to get home. Nora on the other hand hung back. She had already been stampeded once, and she didn't really feel like being trampled for the second time that day. So she waited, watching everyone else leave. Every few minutes, a new classroom would be released, bringing a whole new group of children. But after ten minutes passed and no new batch came out, Nora finally decided it was time to leave, However, when she made her way out into the open, she found she wasn't alone. There were two others, both male. One was clearly a government employee, obvious by the Rolanian crest over his left jacket pocket. The other had his back to her, although she could see he was carrying a large camera. And from what Nora could hear, the two were arguing, But the government worker quickly noticed the girl and flashed her a friendly smile before going back to his argument in a much lower tone.
The redhead did her best to keep her eyes straight ahead and her expression neutral. Of course, that only lasted to the terratran station. Once she took her seat on the train, a large smile broke out over her face. The man with the camera must have been a reporter. Which most likely meant that he would be doing a story on the boy! Hopefully, she could learn a bit more about what had happened. She'd always been told the holotran was perfectly safe, so long as she spoke clearly.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the tran-runner announcing her station. She left behind the empty cart as she raced home, eager to watch the news.
ns18.117.185.140da2
