I run down the shore looking for my sister. Stumbling across the rocks and hopping over the fish, I scan the sand, looking for any signs of another Brown dog like me. I squint and catch a glimpse of brown fur in the distance.
"Candy?!" I yell
"Misty!" She cries from afar. Smiling, I race towards her as the sun breaks the horizon. I look up at her face and smile and she smiles down on me. My older sister beckons to me and signals to be quiet. She leads me pass the shells, driftwood and dead fish lying on the shore, all there because of a great storm, the one that took me off the ship and into the icy Atlantic waters. I pass lifeless starfish and comb jellies, who all washed up on the beach. She crawls through the bushes and I follow until I see a small , less than fuzzy puppy and it's siblings attempt to waddle over to me, their eyes and ears shut tight. Candy smiles at me and I realize that these puppies are hers. I somehow hoped that she would take care of me and me alone, but these puppies are a higher priority to her. I look into my sister's eyes for the last time, then turn and run through the the saw grass and palmettos, shutting my eyes not only to protect them, but to keep the tears in.
My energy faltering, I stager into the bushes, burrowing in the dead leaves to make a nest. I open my eyes and a torrent of tears pour out, making the leaves below me soggy. Through the my blurry eyes, I see a large school building, which didn't seem to be there before. Slowly, I push open the door and there is a full hall, with other dogs sitting in their upholstered chairs. All heads turn towards me, and I blush profusely.
"Are you Ms. Adder?" Says a older lady
I slowly nod as she checks off a list.
"Lucetta? Get over here. Now!"
A shy orange dog sprints over and smiles
" You two are both new, and were matched as perfect friends. Lucetta, lead her to you dormitory. You will be rooming together. Come back down tomorrow at noon. Then the sorting will begin."
Lucetta and I rush up the stairs and rush into a large room with a bunk bed and a beautiful view.
"So, my name is Lucetta, and you are Misty. This may seem weird, but I fell off a ship too, in the Pacific Ocean. There's a connection with this school and rescued animals. We all fell and they caught us. In the sorting, which happens once a week, they choose your group based on your intelligence and interests. When two people are matched to be friends, they are almost always in the same group. We're going to be sorted together! I'm so excited!"
"What are the groups?" I inquire
"There's Queen, Popular, loner, outcast, brainiacs, geeks , fan girls, jocks, and darks
We call them by their initials. Q is rich, p is bratty, l is alone, o is not accepted, b is super smart, g is weird, fg is crazy over something,j is super sporty, and d is dark mean, goth and bad. The curfew is at 7:00, and it's already 6:38. Night!"
I know I need to find out more, so I grab a history book off a bookshelf and start to read.
