Description: One "Honey, if there was any other way, your mother and I would take you with us in a heartbeat." Alexandra Jennings stared out the car window into the dense forest and sighed deeply into her phone. "I know, Dad. But it still sucks." "I''m sorry, sweetheart," came her father''s reply. "But the International Exchange Academy is one of the best schools in the country. They''ll take good care of you." Alex only just managed to hold back the words that tried to leap from her tongue straight down the phone line. Take me with you! she wanted to scream. Don''t abandon me! That was what it felt like her parents were doing, even if it wasn''t their fault. They''d been oered the opportunity to study under a famous archaeologist--a once in a lifetime invitation--but there was a catch. They couldn''t take anyone with them, which meant Alex was being shipped o to a boarding school for the rest of the school year-- eight whole months . And it got worse. Not only were they leaving her behind, they were also headed to some middle-of-nowhere dig-site in Siberia--as in, Russia--which was in a complete communication dead-zone. No phone coverage. No Wi-Fi signal. Not even a postman. After today, Alex wouldn''t be hearing from them again until they returned at the beginning of June for the summer holidays. "I just hate that I won''t be able to contact you," Alex said, not for the frst time. "What if I get bitten by a tick and end up with Lyme disease?" Her eyes scanned the thick woodland. "It''s a definite possibility. And don''t even get me started on how many wild animals Wikipedia says are in the forest up here. What if I get eaten by a bear? Or a cougar? I won''t be able to call you and tell you what happened!" Her father''s amusement rang clearly through the connection. "In the unlikely event that you''re mauled to death by the wildlife, you won''t be able to call anyone ." "But no one else will be able to call you on my behalf, either," Alex pointed out. "That means you''ll miss my funeral and you''ll never get any closure about my death. You''ll always wonder if it was a wolf or a bobcat that enjoyed Alexandra la carte ." Her father chuckled. "I''m going to miss your sense of humour." "Dad, I''m being serious here. Carnivorous animals are no laughing matter. He wisely ignored her and instead said, "Your mother''s making weird hand gestures at me. I''m guessing the Valium have finally kicked in. I made her take a double dose--you know how much she hates ying--so I think the peacockbobbing and apping arms mean she wants to talk to you. I better put her on before she takes someone''s eye out." Alex smiled into the phone. "Probably a good idea." "I love you, sweetheart. The time will pass quicker than you realise." Before she could respond, a crinkling noise sounded through the earpiece as he handed the phone over. "Alex?" came her mother''s somewhat slurred voice. Another ten minutes and she''d be out cold--which was for the best, since she really didn''t do well on planes. "I''m here." "I don''t have long, they''ve just started boarding our--hic!--ight," she said. "But I wanted to say--hic!--goodbye, again." Alex frowned at the back of the seat in front of her. "Are you all right?" "Fine, fine," her mother said, hiccupping again. "I just had a little drink to help wash down the sedative. Hic!" "I''m pretty sure you''re not supposed to mix alcohol with those drugs, Mum," Alex said, failing to keep the humour from her voice. "And you know, statistically speaking, you''re more likely to get kicked in the head by a mule than to die in a plane crash. You''re going to be fine." "Of course I will be." Her mother''s words became even more slurred as the medication continued taking eect. "And you will be, too. I know you wanted to come with us, but this is really for the best. Hic! You''ve been stuck following us around the globe for your entire life--it''s time you settled in one place and had a chance to make some friends your own age." Her mother had a point. Moving countries every few months while her parents chased the next big archaeological discovery hadn''t helped Alex''s social development. She didn''t have any friends--she wasn''t even sure how to make friends. High school politics were beyond her understanding; she had no idea what to expect from her new school. It wasn''t like she could just go and sit beside someone in the sandpit, eat dirt with them, and declare a state of ''besties forever''. "You''re right," Alex said, mustering up as much optimism as she could. "I''m sure everything is going to work out great." "That''s the--hic!--spirit," her mother replied. "Now, I better go before the purple monkey eats my last banana. Hic!" Alex pulled her phone from her ear and looked at it quizzically before returning it once more. "What did you say?" "I said--" She was interrupted by Alex''s father in the background. "Time to board, Rach. Say ''goodbye''." "I have to go, Alex," her mother said. "I know you''re going to have a fabulous time at the--hic!--academy. We''ll see you in June. Not long now!" Clearly the meds were doing their job, especially if eight months equalled ''not long now''. But Alex didn''t want to ruin her mother''s happy buzz, so she kept her mouth closed. "I love you, baby. Be careful, but have fun!" And with those final words, a quiet click disconnected the last phone call they''d share for a long, long time. Feeling disheartened, Alex turned to look out the car window again, noticing that there were many more trees surrounding them now than before. It was clear evidence of just how easily a few hours of driving had transported her from her most recent home in Cannon Beach, Oregon, to somewhere on the outskirts of Mount Hood National Forest. The change in scenery from the rocky coastline to the thickening woodland was startling, and Alex couldn''t help but feel like she was already a long way from her comfort zone. "Miss? We''re here," her driver finally said. They''d stopped in a private driveway barricaded by two massive, wrought-iron security gates. A sign woven into the steelwork spelled out the words: ''International Exchange Academy''. The driver spoke quietly through the intercom and a moment later the gates opened without so much as a creak. They moved slowly up the narrow, tree-lined path until they reached the academy itself. "You''ve got to be kidding me," Alex muttered at the view out the window. The academy really wasn''t all that dierent from the stereotype she''d envisioned--big, ostentatious, gothic even. But the students? They looked miserable. All of them wore tight, uncomfortable looking uniforms despite the fact that it was Sunday afternoon and there were no classes until the next morning. And they didn''t appear to be doing anything; they were just loitering aimlessly. It was as if they had nothing better to do than wait for someone to come along and break into the monotony of their boring existence. Looking at them, Alex seriously doubted she''d be able to follow her mother''s advice to ''have fun''. When the car pulled to a stop, she noticed a group of students mingling near a gaudy, medieval-styled water fountain. They weren''t smiling. They weren''t laughing. They were barely even talking amongst themselves. All Alex could think was that she would be more likely to make friends with a rock than any of the students scowling in her direction. Don''t judge by appearances , she told herself. First impressions weren''t always accurate, right? Alex might not like being abandoned at the academy, but she was determined to at least try and make the most of her stay. And that meant keeping an open mind, regardless of the unwelcoming vibes coming from her new classmates. "I''ll take your bags," her driver oered, interrupting her thoughts. "You should head into the administration building and speak with the headmaster." Alex grabbed the enrolment papers from her bag and handed the rest of her luggage over. She wasn''t an official student yet since her parents hadn''t had the time to properly enrol her before leaving. "Which way do I go?" she asked the

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