: Iscariot Journals :

:†: Joanna :†:

: Chapter 2 :

“Its almost Easter,” Ms. Jones said, she continued to say something else but, of course, I wasn’t listening. You see, It’s my birthday today I am finally turning sixteen, plus the first anniversary of my parent’s death is coming up quickly. Now that I know what happened I feel much better about it, I can finally lay them to rest.

Today’s classes finished and I decided to go out for ice cream, at the orphanage they don’t celebrate individual birthdays, there are to many children who don’t know when theirs are or won’t receive anything. But we have one large celebration on Christmas celebrating everyone’s birthday.

I was about to leave the dorm when I saw my name on an envelope in today’s mail. Probably just the legal people wishing me happy birthday and asking for money again, but I picked it up anyhow. Something to read while I got ice cream.

I caught the bus to the closest mall. The orphanage is pretty much self-sufficient and is a little ways out of town, but its close enough to not be closed off of all human contact. That and the bus route helps.

I sat down at Dairy Queen and ordered my ice cream. Opening the letter, I read it to myself.

Dear Miss Joanna O’Neill,

You have been invited (at the request of Father Alexander Anderson) to join the greatly renowned Saint Mary’s private Academy. With the training you will receive at this esteemed academy you will find yourself with many new career options and opportunities stemming from what you will learn here. There are also a wide variety of extra courses to take, anywhere from cooking to high level academics to advanced combat, there is something here for everyone.

Please send your reply of consent no later than 30 days after this letter was received, from then you will be contacted with further information and you can finalize your decision.

May God be with you,
Saint Mary’s Academy Staff.

Well there’s a lot of info there, I rolled my eyes getting the ice cream. Father Anderson? Wasn’t that the father from a while ago? The one who saved me? So he thinks I’ll be good to join this academy. Huh, well I have thirty days to think it over, I don’t have to make the decision right away... What the heck, not like I’d turn down free schooling, besides I can always change my decision once I learn more about it.

I scooped out the last of my ice cream and headed back to the bus station, gazing in windows as I went along. Before I could have afforded a lot of the stuff, but now days I have to live off of charity. The loyars said that if I where to sell the necklace, I could afford some of it. But since its all I really have left…

I walked through some of the stores as I made my way to the station, almost four. Dinner should be ready soon and I might be late. Ah well just one more lecture before bed to tie up the day, I suppose I should reply to this letter sometime as well.

I caught a late bus on the way to the orphanage, after an unfortunate incident a while ago the number of buses to and fro the orphanage where cut in half, we never did find out what the Incident was. I got off the bus and darted into the bushes, great. Ms. McCarthy was there. She always waited for late stragglers off of the busses, and I was a bit of a regular. Of course, there was always a way around the law.

Along the years, kids running to escape Ms. McCarthy’s wrath had worn paths throughout the bushes, plus they look solid from the outside. So it was no wonder that I hadn’t been caught for months since I discovered this loophole, but there where bugs in the system, Ms. McCarthy knew about the paths but didn’t know the full extent of them. Sometimes is was mandatory to get off a little before the orphanage and walk to home so that you could get in the bushes before the gate, or sometimes she was in the bushes herself, pulling tardy children out. Ms. McCarthy was rather sly about how she did things, but so was I.

The bus driver was great about dropping us off before the orphanage when we where late, it was our secret between us kids and him, the teachers hadn’t noticed yet that the bus seemed to empty less people off at the front these days, as we all got off and walked over.

I crawled through the bushes a little ways then climbed out on the outside, no chance of her seeing me, and since I’m not necessarily back yet it’s hard to give me the blame. I walked to the edge of the grounds then went straight through the bushes, stopping to check my time and where Ms. McCarthy was just before leaving to the other side. I quickly darted to the back entrance, as the Miss was guarding the front. I jumped the fence and pressed my back against the wall. That was a rush, no matter how many times you do it. From there I simply walked inside like I had a purpose for being there. If you look like your wandering or sneaking, one of the staff will pick on you and all of your trouble would for nothing. Look natural or like you have business with someone.

I quickly skipped into the dinner hall and got a place in line. Tonight’s meal was spaghetti, not bad. I grabbed a seat and we all paused for grace before eating, from then it was a pig fight. I had learned over the years that it was best to sit on my own around fewer people, less chance of getting my food grabbed for a food fight. I downed my glass or overly deluded kool-aid and began on my meal. It was the usual, garlic bread was taken and chucked at Jonathan’s head, (its common courtesy to ask who to throw another’s meal at) and what was left of my kool-aid was poured down Stacy’s shirt. The teachers and staff didn’t dare stay and eat with us and the cooks where there for the mere reason or handing out more ammo. Dinner was never and actual meal around here, it was an event.

I went upstairs to the girls’ dormitory after dinner to take a shower and get the sauce off my face. I found a crusty noodle in my hair, joy. I rolled my eyes and dried off, got into a clean dress and put my sauce-stained clothes in the laundry. I was part of the war, so what? At least it was fun! Besides, I had excellent aim.

After I was clean I sat down with the letter, hmmm… what to say, what to say… I wrote my reply, accepting the offer and asking for more information about the school and my choices of courses. I would love to do a computer course, and a machinery course. I love working with my hands. Perhaps Tech Ed, yeah. Tech Ed is on the list if they have it, and this is an academy so I should be able to stay there for the school year, maybe come home on weekends and in the summer. You know what? I think I might like this; perhaps I’ll make some friends this time around.

After I finished my letter I went to talk to my superior. The system at the orphanage was a little complex, plus we have a school system for all the children so it’s really more of a boarding school than an orphanage, but you stay all summer. We have a headmistress who also doubles as the principle of our school, all the regular school staff, Heads of both genders, then we are broken up into age groups and each section from there has a head. Also, the oldest and most ‘mature’ students are the leaders of their assorted group. They have meetings and represent their entitled group, then send what information they’ve decided on to the superior of the gender. You where supposed to talk to them first about anything, but frankly it was all a joke. They weren’t responsible enough to be much help and you normally ended up worse off then before, I just skip ahead to Grace, she’s the head of my age group. The heads cycle through with the years so that you always have the same one, you get to know them pretty well in the end. Plus Grace is really nice, she bakes things then shares them with me all of the time, this is a perfect chance for a birthday treat.
I poked my head in the door of her office, “Grace”
“Yes?” She said, looking up “Oh, hello Joanna, want a cookie?” she smiled.
I smiled back and took a cookie, oh ho yum. She. Can. cook. “So what’s going on this time? Not another fight is it”
“No, I got a letter. I’ve been accepted to an Academy”
“I didn’t know that you put in for a school, you are supposed to come to me about those things you know,” she gave me her trademark smile, a knowing one that made you feel slightly guilty yet you want to break into fits of giggles, mainly because the problem was just so stupid it was just so funny. She has the best set of smiles I had ever seen, they where all her own.
“I didn’t actually, I think that Father Anderson put me in for it,” I told her and gave her the letter. She read through it, nodding and humming as she put it together,
“Well I don’t see a reason not to, there isn’t much on here but by the looks of things you don’t have to accept it right away, have you thought about it any? It seems like a rather religious school, much more than what we have here”
“Yeah, I think I might accept, at least until I can find out more about it”
“Alright, than this shouldn’t be a problem, although I recommend that you finish the year or at least the term here, alright”
“Yeah, It’s a bit late to start again, and for this I might want to do the summer classes this time, I normally skip them,” I smiled confidently, “I think I will” “Alright, go for it girl! Free schooling, who wouldn’t?” She said as she signed the letter, letting everyone know I wasn’t planning a break-out. I smiled, today was a good day.

“Oh, and Happy Birthday, your sixteen today right? Have another cookie,” she said and held the tin out, I took a cookie and nodded, “Thanks” I said, today had just gotten better.