When Cricket returned from dinner, she stood looking in the mirror. What she saw did not impress her.

She was about 5'5" tall; slim with an almost boyish figure. Her long straight blond hair hung limply, just touching her shoulders. Her smooth pale complexion was almost ghostly. Her eyes were a soft hazel green color, but plain with no radiance gleaming from them, until excitement grabbed her. Her smile was pretty, but seemed pasted on.

Her thoughts turned to, "Why was I so special? Why was I here? What would I learn? I guessed I would do what I resolved earlier. I would be the best student and would make everyone proud of my achievements. No one would ever know of my achievements. No one would be better than I was."

Cricket changed into her nightclothes and sat cross-legged on her bed. She started to read the folder of notes from Gustaf. When she finished the first page, a soft knock sounded on her door. She quickly stuffed the papers away in her desk.

She opened the door, her new friends stood there. Marcia gestured for them to enter. Her friends' names were Daria and Polina. Daria came from a wealthy family. Polina was Daria's best friend. They went to school together and always tied for top of their class. The girls came from Minsk in Belarus, one of the former Soviet Satellites.

Daria was a very curvy girl who looked appealing to any gender. She had long straight black hair that went to her waist and bangs, which covered her left eye. Her visible eye was a stunning foam green color, which leapt out. She was average height 5’6”. She stood out and was hard to miss most of the time. She was quiet. Her presence always demanded respect and dominance wherever she went. Even if Daria was from a wealthy family, she never spoke of her money or family. Overall, she was the opposite of Polina in appearance.

Polina was a small petite pixie like girl. Unlike her friend Daria, she developed slower. Her growth spurt waited to start. She had short curly blond hair and a very young baby face with pale blue doe eyes. She was short, about 4'9". Her appearance allowed her to sneak in and out of places. She was brave and skilled in opening locks. She had a very innocent mind and was often against anything overtly cruel. Once she became your friend, she was your friend for life.

Both believed in fighting for the rights of others. They always fought for the good life and rights of others. They never thought of their lives first, always the underdog or maligned people.

They had their nightclothes on too. Marcia pulled out the chair at her desk and sat. Daria plopped in the guest's chair hanging her legs over one arm. Polina sprawled on the bed lying on her stomach, propping her head up with her hands under her chin. Marcia looked at them and thought of Naomi and Rebecca. How she missed her friends in New Jersey.

Daria spoke first, "We missed you at dinner. What happened? Several people noticed and asked us."

Marcia thought for a moment, "I had dinner with the Headmaster. We went over some papers." She stretched the story a little, but it was basically true.

Polina listened intently, but said nothing. She watched how Marcia handled the questions from Daria. If she saw or heard something strange, she would jump in. She felt Marcia was a formidable person to be against. She wanted to either have her on their side or be on her side. So far, things looked good.

"How did you find dealing with the headmaster," continued Daria.

Marcia carefully replied, "He seemed interested in my welfare, but that is his job. We are all like his children. He needs to care, nurture and provide for us. That can be a difficult set of tasks at times. What do you think of him?" She switched it back at Daria to gauge her feelings.

Daria thought, "Interesting tactic going from defense to offense."

She answered, "I think he is a little old, more like a grandpapa. I want to reserve my feelings, until we see him a little more. For right now, he is OK. Did you talk about anything else?"

Marcia switched back to defense and replied happily, "We talked about the courses we will take. Tomorrow you will find out about courses, which we have to take that are not in the handbook. He asked me to help teach English to those who want help. I think it will be fun. I look forward to this school."

Daria, her curiosity sparked tried to ask, "What other courses? Can't you tell us about them? Please, Please!"

Marcia shook her head, NO! She was careful not to upset her friends. She wanted to tell, but felt it was better to have them wait. She resisted Daria's attempts to pry it from her. When Polina saw Daria's failure, she jumped in and tried. Marcia resisted all attempts to persuade her.

The girls gave up about the courses. They exchanged talk about life in their respective countries. They talked about music, clothes and entertainment. They wanted to know what was fun and exciting about this school. They agreed that it might be better to provide their own entertainment. They made a pact to explore the school and the outside. They wanted more to do.

After an hour and a half, a knock came. Hans wanted to talk to Marcia. Daria and Polina excused themselves. Hans sat in the guest chair.

"I understand that Gustaf has allowed you to go to the village. I will accompany you. I have to go to the village tomorrow. If you want to come, I can arrange it."

Marcia looked surprised and smiled broadly, "That would be fine, but I have orientation during the day. Can we go after that?"

"I can make sure you won't miss anything and we can go during the day."

Marcia continued smiling, "That would be wonderful. Just come to my class or at lunch when you are ready to go."

Hans stood, "We will go right after lunch. I will meet you in the visiting area. I bid you goodnight, Marcia or should I call you Cricket?"

Marcia thought for a moment, "Cricket would be fine. Goodnight Hans."

Cricket crawled over her bed and under the blankets. She looked out her window at the stars. Their flickering caused her to fall asleep quickly. As she drifted asleep, she thought of Naomi and Rebecca. She missed them. They spent almost every weekend together and some days after school. Her heart was heavy, but the new adventure was good.

In the morning, Marcia dressed and waited for Chantel. She knocked on the door and Marcia joined her on the walk to breakfast. When they got into the dining room, Chantel went to her friends. Rather than sit with the upper class girls, Marcia wanted to sit with her friends. Chantel glared at Marcia, but Chantel's girls called to her. Daria and Polina waved and Marcia joined them at their table.

After breakfast, the girls split up to get their books and returned to the auditorium. Again, Daria, Polina and Marcia sat together. Chantel sat behind them with a clearly displeased look. She wanted to capture Marcia and drag her into her group. She knew with Marcia being the best academically, that her group would benefit. Marcia sat in front and sensed Chantel's anger.

The class started. The first thing announced were two new rules.

The first rule was no visits to the village. All visits must get approval from the Headmaster.

The second rule was the forest outside the school was off limits. Reports of several wolf sightings surfaced over the past weeks. For student safety, the trails were off limits. There was a loud disappointed murmur throughout the auditorium.

Marcia smiled at the announcements. She would be in the village whenever she wanted with a driver and escort. As her thoughts quickly shifted to the wolves, her heart quickened. She wanted to venture in the forest. She loved wolves. She had an adopted wolf family in New Jersey. It might be nice to have some wolves here too.

The next topic of the morning was the courses taught that were not in the handbook. The teachers passed out an additional handbook of courses to quizzical students. As the students looked at the book, a loud rumble of vocal comments went through the room. Marcia smiled, as her friends read. They looked at her and shook their heads approvingly. Their looks showed as if it was about time they got some interesting classes. The class cheered softly, approving the added subjects of study.

Immediately, several students raised their hands. They asked, if these classes were optional. When told they were not, a loud groan arose from the disappointed students. Marcia listened to the complaints. Her friends were happy and pleased with the courses. They wanted to learn about forgery, bomb making and assassination. They looked at Marcia, who smiled broadly.

"Was that what you held back from us last night?" They asked.

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I did not know how you would react. I know now, we will have fun with these courses. I am not sure I will like assassination, but I will be the best in the class on everything."

Daria looked at Marcia as if to say, "You only think you will."

Polina looked at Daria and knew what she thought, but she looked at Marcia and knew Marcia would be the best.

"Girls, I will not be here after lunch." Marcia looked at Chantel, when she spoke.

"Why won't you be back?" Chantel asked. She was confused and did not like all these secrets.

"The headmaster wants me to go into the village and check something out for him. Hans will be with me." Marcia announced.

Chantel looked at Marcia with surprise. She could not believe the freedom Marcia achieved to come and go freely. She did not like it, but she could do nothing. It made her feel; Marcia was someone she needed to know better. She made a promise to get closer to her.

Lunch was noisy with talk about the new courses. Daria and Polina kept asking Marcia about the courses. Marcia told them what she knew, but kept the special courses she had secret.

When lunch ended, Marcia said goodbye and found Hans waiting in the visiting area. He escorted her to an old Land Rover for the trip.

"The purpose of this trip is to get some special food for dinner between the headmaster and you tonight. Then we can walk around the village so you can see what there is to offer. It is different from an American town." Hans told her.

As they entered the village, Marcia noticed how organized it was. The streets were clean no litter anywhere. She saw at one end of the village were shops selling food. There was a butcher of beef, mutton and pork. Next door was chicken, eggs and geese. The milk, butter and cheese shop was next. A mercantile store sold canned goods, fresh produce, flour, baking needs and dry goods. There was a haberdashery selling men's clothes and shoes. A milliners shop was next selling all women's clothes.

Marcia liked the woman's store. In the window was an outfit that caused her hazel green eyes to brighten and sparkle. She knew this was a great place to shop. The dress was something she would love to try on and maybe buy. She tried to stop Hans, but he kept walking.

The Post Office was next. Marcia noticed people walked in and out of the place. It was so busy, she asked Hans, "Why is the post office so busy?"

"The post office handles more than just mail. It is the hub of most village activity. They handle the telephone system, electric system and collect taxes. It is like the central control of utilities for the village." Hans told her.

Beyond the post office was a store for household items. They sold linens, dishes and all forms of utensils for dining and cooking. Next, at the end of the row of shops, was the hardware store for farming tools and the house. Beyond that was the railway station, which was the best way to get away from or to the village.

Hans turned at the post office and walked down the street beside the post office. On this street was a bakery, which made breads, fancy cakes and desserts. Marcia noticed the smell of freshly baked bread hanging heavily in the air.

Next to the bakery was a restaurant. Hans stepped into the restaurant and picked up a parcel. As he paid for it, Marcia looked around and saw a few more parcels waiting for pick up. The restaurant had a wide arch that attached it to the bakery.

Marcia followed Hans, as they walked back to the truck. She noticed, as they walked around, people stopped and talked with Hans and her. The village people were friendly and seemed to take pleasure greeting each other. She liked this small village.

She felt she would spend a lot of time in the village. They got into the truck and drove back to school. Marcia did not realize that the whole afternoon was gone, when they got back. It was a good afternoon. She wondered if she could get into the village by herself. It was something to try.