Maverick (Maverick Academy Series) (12 page)

“This is where the orientation meeting will be.
I don’t see anyone else, but then again you might be the only new student at the moment,” he explained. “I’ve got to run to class, but look for me at lunch, we can sit together.” Whit rolled her eyes in his direction, totally ignoring his invitation for lunch.

Nolan
put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I’ll see you later. Have fun,” he said with another squeeze. Then he disappeared into the student-packed hallway. He was entirely too touchy for Whit’s peace of mind, she thought. She didn’t want to like a guy like him and needed to put a stop these feelings before she fell for him, just like all his other admirers.

Chapter 11

The first thing Whit noticed when she went into the classroom was the huge man standing by the window. She recognized him immediately as the headmaster, Mr. Tolman. She stood there looking at him for a few moments, working up her courage and bravery for the day ahead, when he turned around.

“Oh Whitni, I didn’t realize you were here already.
I’m sorry for my rudeness. I was just watching way too many students running from the dorms to avoid being tardy. It wouldn’t matter if we started class at noon, some students would be late regardless,” he said with a grin and a shake of his head.

As he spoke, Whit
studied him. She had forgotten how large the headmaster was. She wondered if he was a bonecrusher or just a very large man. He had gotten a haircut and trimmed his moustache and beard since her visit, though, which made him look a little less intimidating.

“A
s far as your orientation meeting, it will just be the two of us. I’m going to go over the basics about Maverick and what you can expect as a student. I’ll also be taking you on a quick tour so you’ll know where your classes are. Please feel free to ask questions when you have them, or if you don’t understand something. I was thinking that we could talk over the basics in the cafeteria. I was running a little behind this morning and had to skip breakfast. I guess I should go ahead and admit I was one of those tardy students when I was a student here,” he laughed. “If it’s okay with you, let’s head to the cafeteria,” he said with a motion towards the door.

“Fine with me,” she responded.

As they walked toward the cafeteria, Whit glanced into the classes that were in session. She couldn’t get over how normal everything looked.

“So I know this is a lot for a person to take in
, and we’ll try to make your transition as smooth as possible. I know you must be curious about some of the students and their unique qualities, so I’m going to just briefly go over the different classes of students that attend Maverick. You’ll learn more about the different gifts as you interact with students,” Mr. Tolman explained. He continued to talk as he filled his plate with eggs, bacon, and toast. Once settled at a table with his breakfast, Mr. Tolman started what he called orientation. First, he questioned Whit to find out what she knew about the school and the different types of students. Then he began his explanation on how the school was organized.

He clarified that there were
five classes of students: mind, body, energy, spirit, and outsiders. Each class consisted of a different type of student. He said that some of the information might be unclear now, but Whit would become very familiar with all the different areas of the classes and not to worry about trying to figure it all out in one day. Then he got started. The mind category was made up of psychics, telepathists, those capable of telekinesis, and mindbenders. The body division was entirely bonecrushers, while energy users were spell casters. The spirit group was made up of stalkers. He further explained that they were considered spirit users because they used their five senses to deepen their understanding and then relied on their spirit to lead them to their target. Whit didn’t really understand, but nodded nonetheless. The last class was outsiders, which consisted of vampires, werewolves, and fairies. Whit was shocked once again, because even though she’d heard about the vampires and werewolves, the fairies surprised her. She’d thought those were fictional.

Of course two weeks earlier, she’d thought
all
of this was fictional.

The longer Mr. Tolman talked
, the more overwhelmed Whit felt. It was like everything she had ever believed was wrong. It made her wonder what type of monsters really walked the earth. She started to ask Mr. Tolman, but stopped herself when she realized that he would actually answer her. And that particular topic would scare her beyond measure. She’d just leave that question and answer for another day.

“Now
, I know that was too much for you to process immediately, so I’m going to stop there with the descriptions. Like I said earlier, you’ll learn quickly about the different classes by interacting with the students here at Maverick. Do you have any questions so far?”

She shook her head slowly.
“I don’t really know where to start. I have a lot of questions, but I don’t think I can handle the answers just yet. I think I’ll ask later, when I have a better grasp on this reality,” she said with a forced smile. “Oh and call me Whit – everyone does.”

“Whit, it is then. Just rem
ember, you can ask me questions anytime. Now, how about a tour of your schedule?” Mr. Tolman asked.

“Yes
sir, that’d be good.”

He nodded and
pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and Whit realized it was a copy of her schedule. They stood, finished with their breakfast, and walked out into the hall. As he walked, Mr. Tolman gave a description of each course. Many of the classes Whit recognized from previous years, like English, U.S. History, Algebra II, Biology, and Art. She was actually excited to see that she got to continue with art, which seemed to be a good outlet for her emotions. And her emotions were definitely in need of release. She saw that she also had Mind Study, which was self-explanatory. The classes that she didn’t recognize were Movement Performance and Cooperative Learning. History of Specials was also listed, but she vaguely remembered Mrs. Audrey talking about that class on the day she visited Maverick. It was the class that would cover the histories of all the different groups that made up Maverick. She was totally interested in that now that she knew the different types of students that went to school, thanks to the head master.

Mr. Tolman
continued to explain her classes by comparing Movement Performance was similar to Physical Education. He said that Mind Study would be Whit’s focus area while at Maverick. Whit had figured that class out without any help from Tolman. She didn’t know what they would do and he didn’t go into detail, but she knew that it would be with Mrs. McFaddin. The last class on her schedule was Cooperative Learning, which, from the description, sounded like a class where she was required to interact with all the different types of students at Maverick. It was also the only class that combined all levels and ages of students.

After touring the main hallway where the regular classes were taught, Mr. Tolman led Whit to the auditorium, which he explained was where she would have
Cooperative Learning. Whit glanced around, expecting to see objects or things she didn’t understand, but all she could see was a regular auditorium. The stage was set up with twenty chairs in a circle. Whit wondered if the chairs were for class or if there was a drama department.

Mr. Tolman must have read her mind
, because he started outlining the many productions the drama department put on yearly, along with the many awards they had won. It was clear from his expression that he was proud of their many accomplishments. Once he finished his recitation, he glanced at Whit for her reaction, or maybe expecting interest of some sort.

“
I’ve never really liked being the center of attention. I tend to be shy, I guess,” Whit explained.

“No problem, I’m sure
you’ll find something you’re interested in here at Maverick. How about we head out toward the gym, which is where you’ll have Movement Performance. I think I remember reading in your file that you were an athlete at your previous school, is that correct?”

“
I wouldn’t really call myself an athlete, I just ran cross country. Running relaxes me. I also used to ride my bike every day, not that I competed in races. I just rode for fun.”

“Maverick has many athletic teams and clubs, including a running and biking club.
Joining these types of activities will help you become part of Maverick quicker, and make some friends,” he said with a smile and a nod of encouragement as they entered a large building at the front of the campus.

Whit remembered this building from
her first tour. It looked like a normal gym. The last time she was here, students her age had been playing volleyball, but today some smaller kids, around third or fourth grade, were playing dodge ball. Whit rolled her eyes and thought that no matter what school, dodge ball seemed to be a staple for all PE classes. After exiting the gym, Mr. Tolman herded Whit into a room that looked more like a warehouse. Whit had a dim recollection of the assistant dean hurrying through this room on her tour without explaining the purpose. She remembered that Mona had asked, but hadn’t received an answer. It made her curious.

“So
what’s this room Mr. Tolman?” Whit asked before Tolman could successfully leave the warehouse room. She looked around, waiting for an answer. Currently, they were walking on a breezeway that overlooked the whole room, and it was large. There were ropes hanging from the ceiling in places and obstacles of various sizes placed around the room. There was also an area along one side that looked like a maze of hallways. It was small, but Whit immediately recognized it as the scene from her dream the night before. Seeing this, she realized that the dream was probably going to happen right here in this room. She waited for Mr. Tolman to answer and glanced in his direction when he didn’t say anything.

“Mr. Tolman,
what’s this room used for?” she repeated, thinking maybe he hadn’t heard her.

He immediately looked like he didn’t want to answer.
“Ah … this room is actually used in a type of game … um … I mean competition,” he responded uncomfortably.

“What type of game exactly? It doesn’
t look like a sport I know.”

“No, you wouldn’t know about thi
s game. The game is called Dark Conquest. It’s similar to hide and seek.”

“That actually sounds pretty neat.
Does the school have a team that competes against other schools in the area?” she asked, turning to look back at the room. That would certainly explain the odd equipment in here.

Again, he took his time answering. She
could tell that he didn’t want to discuss Dark Conquest, but she was really interested in hearing more about it. She knew that Rory or Ellie would tell her more, and they wouldn’t hold back like Tolman was. He was still struggling with his answer.

“T
he school mostly has in-school competitions, but sometimes we compete against other schools similar to Maverick.” Then he turned and hurried towards the exit. He glanced at his watch and continued to follow the path that led from the gym to the main office area. Evidently he was finished answering questions about that game, because he now changed the subject.

“Well
, Whit, I know that tour was brief and didn’t cover everything, but I’ve found that most students adapt quickly. I want to apologize for all the subjects I didn’t go over with you, but you’re scheduled to take your placement exams in ten minutes. We want to make sure you get to your afternoon classes – Biology, Mind Study, and Movement Performance. We’ve already decided about your English and Math courses, of course, but we don’t know what level you need to be enrolled in. These qualifying exams will give us that answer. Mrs. Audley will be giving you these tests in her office to complete at your own speed. Please don’t stress over these tests, just do the best you can. Have a good first day, and if you need any help, feel free to come and see me.” He turned and walked through the main office to a door labeled assistant dean.

Whit followed him, frowning at the sudden rush. Still, if she had to take these tests to get into her classes, she might as well get them over with. When she entered, she saw that t
he assistant dean’s office was exactly what she’d expected from the tidy British woman. It was extremely orderly and neat. A student desk had been set up with the needed materials. Whit sat down and looked at the items on her desk – paper, pencil, pen, and calculator. Mrs. Audley placed a test booklet on Whit’s desk and quickly explained that there was no time limit. She just needed to work until she finished.

Whit
gulped and got started. She worked for a solid ninety minutes before she felt good about her test. Then she glanced at her watch. It was 11:36, and time to get going. After she organized her papers, she walked to Mrs. Audley’s desk.

“I finished, Mrs. Audley. What do I need to do now?”

Mrs. Audley focused on the clock for a second and then opened a folder.
“It’s almost your lunch period, but I think it would be okay for you to go on a little early. You may also go to your dorm room if you prefer, to wait for lunch to start. Biology doesn’t start until 1, so you certainly have some time. Do you think you can find your way to cafeteria or your room? If not, I’ll be happy to get Darby to walk you back. She’s our office assistant during this class period.”