6. School

                                    

                                          
I had to wait 2 years before I could finally leave the orphanage and join Cat. Ribbit and I sat next to each other on the bus. He let me have the window seat. The bus went by many stops. At every stop, four or five kids our age entered into the bus. Two particular similar-looking pale children got my attention when they got on the bus. Their eyes were red and their hair white. They looked like twins, one male, and one female. 
                          
We were about fifty kids when the bus-driver announced we would drive to the school now. Some of the roads we drove on were bumpy, Ribbit and I jumped up and down along with the bumps. We arrived at the school in the late afternoon. From the outside, we saw a black fence, a wide garden, and a big rectangular building. There were no flowers in the garden, only gray grass, and dry bushes. The building was made of white and beige stone with many windows. No window ledges. The school building was much, much bigger than the orphanage. 
                          
The director, Mr. Naveen, gave a short tour of the building to my class-group once we arrived. Older students around the campus looked at us while we followed the director through the school. They were all dressed differently with jeans, shirts, or dresses in nice colors. None of them wore an asphodel-bag. Many had dyed their hair, or had piercings and tattoos. 
                          
The director told us during the tour that all students were granted their own room, including a bed. We were granted access to a library, a club room, public bathrooms with showers and a schoolyard. Everyone was allowed to leave the school freely after classes, but anyone that was not back after 10 pm had to spend the night outside, and would be punished the following morning. Students were also punished for damaging school property, being loud at night, missing class, or being rude to the teachers. There was a stone pillar in the schoolyard that was designated for publicly punishing students that misbehaved.
                          
After the tour Ribbit and I went to the library together. During the tour we had seen computers in the library, and we were excited to use them. On our walk to the library I saw Cat again. She was walking in a group. I did not know any of the other children she was with.
                          
Cat had dyed her hair. It was black now, with red and orange bangs. When I approached her I noticed a metal ring in her left nose lobe. She wore a tight black summer dress and make-up. Most strikingly, she had replaced her fingernails with long, metallic knives.
                          
"Hey", I said. Her friends were already looking at Cat critically, so I decided not to hug her.
                          
"Hey", she said and smiled at me warmly.
                          
There was a moment of awkward silence in which her friends looked up and down on me. Ribbit left for the library and waved me goodbye nervously as he walked away.
                          
"I am so glad you have made it. You have to come to the mall with us. It's time you start looking like you are a proper school student", Cat said to me reassuringly.
                          
I nodded, a smile running over my face.
                          
Cat poked the boy standing next to her with her elbow, so he stepped forward and introduced himself to me: "Hey, I am Paco."
                          
The green-skinned girl next to Cat continued: "And I'm Zookie."
                          
Lastly, the pale boy with dark hair introduced himself with a cool and deep voice: "I'm Ethyl. How about you?"
                          
Zookie laughed nervously while eyeing Ethyl in the most adoring manner.
                          
"I'm Lié", my left hand encircled my right hand's thumb while I nervously stepped around on one spot. Cat took my arm and we walked through the hallway. Her friends followed us all the way to the bus stop in front of the school. They told each other jokes I did not understand, and talked about people I did not know.
                          
Cat bought a bus ticket for me using her techdevice. The Mall-building was a huge metallic cube full of graffiti. We entered through a basic security check. The guards eyed every one of us while they scanned us, focusing especially on Cat and Zookie.
                          
Inside the mall, there were hundreds of smaller and bigger shops. All of them were marked with flashy signs hanging above their entrance. Cat bought me a cheap black jumpsuit from a second-hand store while her friends were browsing in a different boutique. Zookie was wearing a heavy-looking belt made of metal-chains when we met them again.
                          
Next, Cat dragged me to a beauty-shop and insisted that I should dye my hair ginger-red, but I refused. I got 2 piercings to my right eyebrow and one to my left nose lobe. The group agreed with my choice even though Cat was still disappointed.
                          
Cat wanted to pay for my piercings but Ethyl went in front of her. "This one's on me."
                          
I was confused as to why he would do that. After noticing my expression, Ethyl added: "Cat likes you so you must be quite a bad-ass."
                          
I giggled. Cat did not look amused.
                          
In the evening, we all hung out in the club room together. Ribbit joined us as well. He was wearing pants and a shirt he said he found in his closet. 
                          
The club room had many couches and Tv-screens that were connected to the school network. Cat switched on a screen using her techdevice.
                          
It felt good to be part of a group. It felt like I had already found a safe space in this scary new place.