. . .THE LAUGHING ACADEMY. . .

. . . C . H . A . P . T . E . R . T . W . O . . .

The Academy was enormous even in the distance, and was surrounded by tall, black, intricately designed gates that were covered in thick vines.

Her father stepped out of the car to reach the intercom, pressing a green call button.
"Hello"
Spoke a slightly static female voice.
"Yes, this is Mr. Jones, I've brought my daughter to the academy...she"
Mr. Jones went on to explain, although Evelyn stopped listening after a few seconds.

Sounded normal enough... she'd have classes to go to, breakfast, lunch, dinner, she'd be placed in the western dorms... but it had to be different.
When a bunch of whacko’s are walking around, things have to be different. Was she going to be stalked, threatened, pulled into fights?

Her father sat down in the drivers side and slammed the door shut, as the gates creaked open, just enough to let the car through. Her father rolled in, driving at a moderate speed down a mile long road.
The Academy was before them, and on either side of them were long, emerald lawns that glistened with droplets of morning dew.

"Nice place, huh?"
Her father asked, glimpsing in the rearview mirror, and at his daughter in the backseat.
"Yeah"
Evelyn muttered bitterly.

She wasn’t in much of a talking mood. She just wanted to go back to sleep and let herself forget all this crap. Of course, it won't be easy to forget when she wakes up every day and finds herself here, but it was worth a shot.

They rolled up to the entrance, and her father stepped out to unload her luggage. Evelyn sighed, staring at the large entrance doors.
She hung her head, looking down at her burgundy tie, which trailed down to her burgundy skirt. Embracing her from the chill was a black blazer, and crawling up her legs were black socks, enveloping her legs from the knee down.
The uniform WAS nice, but it might as well be an orange prison suit, because she couldn't help but think this place was going to be like a prison, like a living hell.

She finally got out of the car after her luggage was unloaded.
She was feeling a little standoffish, but she gave her father a hug, knowing it wasn’t his fault all of this happened...

"Sorry, honey, but it's only for awhile... do everything your told and don't mess with any assholes, and you'll be fine"
He told her with a hand on her shoulder and a reassuring smile on his lips.

She reluctantly smiled back, and proceeded to watched as he got in the car and drove off, waving good bye to her all the while... she kind of wondered if he ever really would be back, or if he was afraid of her, embarrassed of her...

She turned and jumped, noticing a woman whom must've arrived soundlessly. She stood quietly, smiling at Evelyn.

"Hello... I've come to help you with your luggage"
She said.
She was dressed in a beautiful black and red business suit, and had luxurious long red hair, and hazel eyes. Despite her normal looks, Evelyn wondered if she were mental, since she DID work at an academy for the mentally unstable.

"Don't be silly, they wouldn't hire mentally unstable staff... well, some of them actually are, but everything usually goes right around here"
She replied to Evelyn, and Evelyn in turn stared, wide eyed.
The woman turned to grab the last suitcase, just in time to notice the look on her face.
"Sorry to disturb you, I'm just a Telepath... It's nothing to worry about, but it certainly can come in handy"
She told Evelyn with a wink.

Grabbing the luggage trolley, she began to roll it seamlessly across the stone grounds, whilst motioning for Evelyn to follow.

"Welcome to Bloodium Academy, I'm the Deputy Headmistress; Miss Desiree Animan... this academy is for the mentally ill and the supernaturally gifted"
Miss Animan explained, as she and Evelyn walked into the large, embellished lobby. Evelyn stared in awe at everything around her, big, fluffy armchairs, towering bookcases, large golden chandeliers overhead, and intricate, soft carpets underneath.
"What happens to be your "illness", young lady?"
Miss Animan asked, grabbing Evelyn's lingering attention.
"Oh... well, I guess I'm mentally ill, I have this voice in my head"
She muttered, blushing.
"Ah, we have many of those cases, sometimes it feels like it's the most common, but look at it this way" she said, noticing Evelyn’s embarrassment, not to mention feeling it, "everyone has a voice in their head, your voice just likes to be heard".

Evelyn smiled, seeing the truth in that.
Miss Animan wasn’t so bad, so Evelyn started to feel better about this place... maybe it wouldn't be so shitty after all.

"I'm glad you feel that way"
Miss Animan replied, deepening Evelyn's blush.
"Anyway, classes are five days a week, from nine to one... you choose four classes that you'll attend for your first four years, or longer depending on how long it takes you to finish them... at the end of the fourth year, you'll take your final exams, and any class you don't pass will be carried on to the next"

Evelyn nodded in agreement, following Miss Animan to a large desk that stood between four large portraits, three portraying men, one portraying a woman.
The portraits were very elegant and nice, but there was something eerie about them.
"Those are the previous Headmasters... the academy was found in 1904, and although it was founded as a mental institute, it quickly evolved in the early 1920s when "gifted" citizens of the world began to be prosecuted for their abilities, and the Headmaster knew their pain"
Miss Animan explained, reading her mind.
"Hmmm...Please sign in, and I'll grab your key and direct you to your dormitory"

Hearing about the "Gifted" sparked Evelyn’s memory, and she has wanted to ask about that. As she finished jotting her name, she brought her head up from the sheet and towards Miss Animan, whom was looking through the wall of keys.

"What are supernaturally gifted students? Are they Telepaths like you?"
Evelyn asked curiously.

"Well, yes, and some of them can manipulate fire, or sand, or even move things with their minds... the supernatural gift is spawned from a genetic defect, and it's quite rare... only a quarter of the student body possesses these said abilities"
Miss Animan explained, turning to Evelyn with a key in her hand.
"Anyway, you'll be in the girls’ dormitory on the second floor... let's go, shall we?"