Marcia had a sinking feeling as she left the headmaster's office. She knew that the prank against Daria was not the end of the rivalry between Franci and her. There would be at least one more showdown between the girls, only one would emerge victoriously , and the other would fade into obscurity. Marcia knew that she might have help from her spirit friends to take care of Franci, but the confrontation must occur in privat...

Polina woke in an unfamiliar place with small lights and a few empty beds. The headmaster sat next to her bed dozing quietly with one of his hands resting on her blanket. She sat up abruptly and woke the man startlingly. "Welcome back Polina, how are you feeling. Glad to see you are healthy again," Gustaf told her. "Uhm, what happened, all I remember is eating dinner. Now I am here in what is the medical section. It seems...

While Klaus and Marcia looked at the boat, Kathy and the headmaster talked. "It seems our young woman is more sensitive to the spirits than we initially thought. We will have to monitor her more closely to protect her from harm. You and Klaus have to train her more and quickly. We need to ascertain her capabilities but also her vulnerabilities," the headmaster told Kathy. Kathy nodded with a thoughtful smile on her face....

Daria and Franci sat at their table waiting for class to begin. The missing partner did not seem to bother either girl as they chatted. The girls chatted loudly about how sad it was that the poison only made the girl sick, but did no harm. Daria kept looking at Marcia after her group came back from meeting with the headmaster. Daria's face registered disdain for Marcia as her mind thought of another way to harm Marcia and...

Marcia spent the night tossing in bed wrapped in the covers getting no sleep. The discovery of Franci practicing with a bayonet sword weighed heavily on her mind. The implied threat of bodily harm felt as if things never changed from New Jersey. Her dreams went from Franci to Franci's roommate Chantel, who threatened Marcia. Her dream leapt back in time to the confrontation with Sarah outside the school where Marcia refus...

As Marcia slept curled up in a protective ball, dreams invaded her mind and caused her to moan and cry. Kathy stood at the door watching and listening to her wishing that the spirits would leave Marcia alone. Suddenly, Marcia unfolded her body and lay flat on the bed arms tight against her side as if standing at attention. She started to talk as if she were a soldier reporting to a superior officer. Nothing Marcia said ma...

When the three girls were ready, they left the barracks and walked to the dining hall entrance. They joined a group of their classmates, who waited, chatting about the night before and sleeping in the barracks. The comment most uttered was that it was like having a giant sleepover with the whole class. Everyone seemed excited about continuing this for another six weeks and that it would be fun. As they waited, a small com...

All the students returned to the barracks after taking some valued free time. Marcia sat on her bed facing Naomi and Polina, who listened to the chatter of their classmates. The level of excitement and curiosity was high because of the packets they received before dinner. Marcia listened but felt remotely distant from all of it, lost in her world. Her mind puzzled over the two things she discovered in the forest and near...

Marcia and Naomi joined their classmates up on the open deck of the ferry. There was a steady wind coming off the lake, which cut through their clothes. To beat the wind the girls walked around the deck chatting and playing a game of tag. The headmaster watched the girls, smiling at how easily the varied group members fit together. With all the different races and upbringing, these girls formed a cohesive group of friends...

Marcia and Naomi had returned to their room after a final session with the makeshift orchestra before summer school started. Naomi sat on her bed watching Marcia as she swept up the clothes she tossed on the floor the night before. There was a look of concerned puzzlement on her face as she bent over. Naomi saw the look and wanted to ask about it. When Marcia finished, rather than climb on her bed and sit she came over to...

Final exams ended with the standings posted and as expected Marcia was the top student by a wide margin. Summer school started next week and the freshman class was abuzz with excitement. Marcia should be happy, but she sat on her bed sadly thinking about her achievement. It was nice, as number one, but at what price? Her best friend and roommate was number two tied with another girl who tried to destroy her. Was this the...

Exactly thirty minutes after they left the tunnels, Marcia and Naomi stood at the headmaster's door. Marcia knocked quietly and moved aside when the door opened. Hans showed the girls into the office and left quietly leaving the meal cart outside the office. The girls took their usual places around the small table set with their dinner. As they sat, the headmaster entered through the door to his private quarters, which we...

Final exams started with the students attention focused on getting the highest score possible and achieving the top student spot in their class. The freshman class competition during the school year was extremely high because Marcia set the standard for excellence. She studied hard and had little difficulty retaining what she read. She loved school because it made her use her mind and taught her how to succeed. With the e...

Classes had ended for the day before lunch and students wandered the hallways searching for new diversions. Naomi led Daria and Polina to the newly cleaned music room, as the headmaster promised. Daria limped to the first chair with a music stand, flopped into it, sighed heavily moving her leg onto another chair and removed her flute from its case. Naomi sat next to her holding the violin she removed from the shelves full...

Daria was pleased with being back at school, but getting around was not as easy as she thought. Polina helped by carrying her books and helping with doors, but Daria was stubborn and demanded more. One fortunate thing was that Daria did not have to climb up and down stairs to get around. Everything she needed was on the same level and the buildings connected. However, Daria's flute playing disrupted her neighbors on her f...