A low whistle escaped my lips as I stepped on campus. No doubt, it was impressive. The buildings were large and modern. They looked sharp with their big windows and clever design. It was a stark contrast to the mountainous surroundings.

Shrugging to myself, I started my trek across the long, open courtyard. Light foresting around the fence, the occasional tree scattered across the oval, well-kept grass and pristine garden beds by the walkways. I had to give props to the groundskeeper. Whoever it was could be proud.

Shaking my head, I returned to the task at hand. I had to find the main hall. Headmaster Josiah was supposed to give an address soon. Probably shouldn't miss that. Being my first day and all, hopefully his speech will give me some insight about what to expect.

I checked my watch, seven minutes left. Actually, nine minutes. My watch runs fast, it helps keep me on time.

Searching around, I noticed a crowd of students milling through a nearby building, all heading in one direction. Making an educated guess, I decide to follow them.

My peers all wore the same uniform as me. Well, apart from the girls. While I wear a grey blazer with matching trousers, a white shirt, navy tie and shiny black shoes, the girls wear skirts with a black and navy pattern. Otherwise, the uniform is the same, though the girls don't wear ties.

Noticing something on another student's blazer, I grunt to myself and look down. Sure enough, emblazoned over the breast pocket is a patchwork turtle. I suppose that's the school's mascot. It looks odd against the classiness of everything else here.

I was ripped from my thoughts as I looked ahead. The stream of students divided into two paths. Most students continued straight, but a small group of them turned right, taking a different entrance, further down the hall.

Peering about, I noticed a tall girl, looking over the crowd with a happy smile. Some students stopped and talked to her before turning right. Shrugging to myself, I figured there was no harm in asking.

Flowing with the crowd of students, I reached tall girl who I know realise is standing on a box. She's set slightly back so as not to get in the way of the crowd.

"Excuse me," I called to her, sandwiched between my peers.

Her eyes scan the sea of students and she spots me looking at her. "What do you need?" She hollered over the cacophony.

"I'm new here, can you tell me where to go?" I asked, stumbling as people shoved past.

Tall girl nodded. "Of course. Turn right and take the entrance down the hall. New students sit at the front."

"Thanks," I replied, nodding my appreciation.

Grunting, I turned side-on and shuffled through the ocean of people. Others might struggle through the crowd, but being a big guy, people gave me some space, which I was thankful for because I hate people.

Finally free of the mosh pit, I made my way down the corridor before turning into the hall. I hadn't realised it before, but the building was huge. Rows of chairs lined the large atrium. A second floor hosted a balcony with what looked like a sound desk surrounded by more chairs. The balcony wrapped around the hall, though it didn't extend over the stage.

I couldn't help but chuckle to myself, from what I saw, most of the student body was already here, but almost a third of the seats remained empty. There couldn't be more than four hundred students in the audience. Strange considering how big the school was.

"Are you new here?" A student asked me out of the blue.

I turned, only just noticing him. "Yeah."

He nodded. "Alright, sit over there. After the assembly, a teacher will debrief you and other new students."

I nodded and marched to where he'd pointed. Sitting, a grin stretched across my face. My bottom had been greeted with a soft cushion. Comfortable chairs, nice outdoor space, and lots of room (to get away from people, because I hate people), so far this school was ticking all the boxes.

I was torn from my reverie as the houselights dimmed and the stage grew bright. Headmaster Josiah stepped out from the wings and approached the pulpit. Standing there, he seemed a serious and important man. His navy-blue suit was immaculate, not a wrinkle to be seen. His black hair was slicked cleanly back. His glasses sat so evenly on his nose one might assume he'd used a level to get them perfect. His sunken features cast shadows across his face. Indeed, his presence was impressive.

Clearing his throat, Headmaster Josiah reached under the pulpit, producing a water bottle. He drank some and sighed gratefully before screwing the lid back on the bottle. The audience was quiet before but now if a pin dropped, all would hear it.

Josiah turned sideways; everyone was still. For some unknown reason, I was holding my breath. Then, Josiah flicked his wrist. The bottle soared through the air and landed upright on the ground by his feet. A bottle flip.

The audience exploded. Screaming and laughing filled the hall. I think I heard air horns, but that could be a side effect from the number of memes I consume. It's not a problem, and it's not unhealthy. I am in complete control.

I simply sat there, stunned. Josiah yelled and punched the air. His grin only grew wider as he watched his students. After waiting a moment for the crowd to settle, he raised his hands. Quickly, the hall fell quiet again.

The Headmaster nodded pleasantly before beginning his address. "Hello, classes of 2017! Whether it be your first time with us today or if you've been here for many years, welcome! I am headmaster Josiah. Today marks the start of a new year at Viridian Boarding Academy and what an excellent year I hope it to be. There shall be excitement! Fun! Some organized chaos, and, as always, plenty of mischief."

Most of the audience would be unable to see it, but Josiah winked at that last part.

I couldn't help but smile. I was skeptical of this school at first, but perhaps it won't be so bad. My attention returned to Josiah as he continued his speech.

"Honestly," he began, "I don't know what this year holds. It will be excellent for some, terrible for others, and for a few, it will be mediocre. That is okay because at the end of the day, it was just another year. I can't wait to see how you spend it. So, will all of you do me a favour? This year? Give it hell, and at the end, tell me an epic tale."

The crowd cheered and applauded. Headmaster Josiah stepped back from the podium, waved, and stepped into the wings. The houselights came on and all the old students began streaming out. The new students however, myself included, sat there, unsure of what to do.

A tall female teacher approached us, smiling kindly. I frowned, and looked down, sure enough, she was not standing on a box. She did however have some killer heels. How did she walk in those?

"Hello everyone," she said, "I'm Ms. Mira. Welcome to your first year at the academy. You have today to settle into the dorms and familiarize yourself with the campus. Classes start tomorrow. When you hear your name called, come receive a pamphlet and you may be on your way. If you have any questions, stick around until the end and I'll answer them."

Turning, Ms. Mira nodded at a male student beside her, the same one who'd told me where to sit. He started calling names and handing out leaflets. Soon enough, he called my name. I collected the small booklet and perused. Seemed to be pretty standard stuff: uniform policy, map of the school, basic rules.

I flicked back to the cover of the pamphlet and noticed my dorm number written on a slip of paper, stapled to the front page. Shrugging, I left the hall, following the map towards the boy's dorm.

The winding corridors led me across the school and pretty soon I was lost. I frowned at the map as I walked. The map itself was simple enough, divided into two parts, first floor and second floor, the problem was, I had no idea where I was on the map.

Using my finger, I drew a line from the hall to where I should have been. Nodding to myself, I chose my route and marched onwards. It was a fairly straight shot, couldn't be too hard and I'm at the library. How did I get here?

Frowning, I scratched my head. Somehow, I'd ended up on the wrong side of campus. Grand oak doors sitting beneath a plaque reading 'library' was my only point of reference.

I grinned, staring at the library doors. The place beyond those doors I would quickly become familiar with. Right now, it may be closed, but I'd be back here soon. Libraries were quiet, it was easy to avoid people and there were couches. Not to mention, the map showed that the library was two story. I could only imagine the wonders that lay beyond those doors.

"You lost?"

I turned at the voice. "Very much so," I replied, chuckling to myself.

"Well then, let's see, hey, new guy!"

I tilted my head, confused, but then I recognized her. Brown hair falling straight down her back, tan skin, looked almost athletic. This was the girl who'd been standing on the box. Now I realised she only stands about average female height.

"Tall girl!" I replied.

She gave me a quizzical smile before laughing lightly. "My name's June."

I shrugged. "I'll stick with Tall girl if you don't mind. I'm J."

"J, huh? Is that short for something?"

"It is," I replied, nodding.

Tall girl waved her hands, "Are you going to tell me?"

"So much more fun to make you guess," I answered, offering a grim smile.

She groaned. "Great, a smartarse. Just my luck."

"Lucky you, indeed," I replied, smirking playfully. After a moment, I waved a hand in front of my face. "Just teasing. I'm trying to get to the boy's dorm."

June frowned. "You ended up at the library trying to get to the guy's dorm rooms? Wow, your sense of direction is awful."

"Apparently," I replied, scoffing.

June rolled her eyes and led me out of the building. We stepped out into the courtyard and she led me past the gardens toward the edge of the building. She stopped at the end of the path, pointing to a building on the other side of campus.

"Ah, thanks," I said.

"You're welcome," she answered. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah, sure."

June turned on heel, stalking away. I watched her go for a second before strolling across the oval. Many students were out and about. Some sat in small groups while others hurried to places. Still more played games, laughing and running about. Everything seemed rather pleasant.

Turning, I fixed my eyes on my destination, finding that I'd drifted off-course while my attention was elsewhere. Correcting my path, I eyed the dorms. A long two-story beige coloured building.

Sturdy wooden stairs led from the ground floor to the second. A long open-air path led past the rows of rooms. The bedrooms were on top with two students to a room. Clustered on the bottom were communal showers and bathrooms. The girls' dorms were on the other side of campus.

Finding my room, I knocked before stepping in. The room was painted an earthy brown. The wall with the door also held a window with two small desks crammed beside each other. Floor to ceiling cupboards were built into the left wall. A bunk bed was nestled in the far-right corner. The wall opposite the door had only a long window. Upon arriving at the school, a duffel bag of my stuff had been taken by a team of students. Now, my bag lay on the bottom bunk.

A boy my own age was lying on the top bunk, fiddling with a rubicks cube. His legs, hanging out over the wooden railing. He raised his head to peer at me before flopping back down. He had light red hair, cut short. He was tall and skinny.

"Hey," he called, sounding bored.

"Hey," I replied.

"First come, first served. You get the bottom bunk, left cupboard and left desk," he said bluntly.

I nodded. "Fair enough. My name's J."

"Bark," he answered.

"What?" I wasn't sure if I had heard him right.

"Call me Bark."

"Okay," I slowly said. "Good to meet you, Bark."

"Sure," he replied with little interest.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "This should make for an interesting year."