Chapter 1

 

Narrator:

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“Camila, wake up! We’ll be late for French! Didn’t you want to pet the dog on the way?” Mateo, Camila’s bunkmate, hollered in her face. Mateo was sixteen years old, and extremely shy around everyone. She rolled over to the other side and groaned. It was 6:30, half an hour until they had to go to French class. 

“Why do you always force me up before class starts?” Camila moaned in reply.

“Get up! The dog?” His right brown eyebrow above his green-teal eyes shot up in mischievousness. Camila reluctantly followed him by his footsteps, her eyelids half closed.

 

Camila:

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I’m Camilla Tensson, and I’m eleven years old. My mind floated away, and there I was, a little kid, back then, nine years old. I was so nervous, for I had never gone to boarding school before, especially not for an entire year.  I couldn’t even catch my breath from the popped, radioactive agitation bubble. The front desk had handed me the schedule for the month, and had offered me a tour. That’s when I noticed the dog.

I’ve never had a pet before, but when I spotted that golden retriever, my heart went to heaven. I knew at once that I was going to adore this place.

This beloved dog would always wander upon someone, giving everyone an equal amount of time to pet him. Flash would scooch over onto my leggings, and beg for scratches, attention, and hugs. He would almost certainly plant a couple of sloppy kisses on my cheek.  Occasionally, he would trot beneath the fence, and prance along the wet, grassy fields of the barn over on the other portion of the school grounds. The school had claimed the vast land, even though it would only be an area just for Flash.

But, today something tragically devastating happened instead. A random consequence that I thought would never occur. A lottery ticket with an outcome imprinted on it. Something that pierced my balloon of delight and joy.

 

Chapter 2

 

Narrator:

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Camila never knew she was going to lose her very best friend. The first face that made her feel welcomed and had made her day. One that had given her kisses and had trampled with her in the dewy mornings and in the inky night. One that could never be replaced or cloned again.

 

Camila:

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I stumbled over to the front desk that glistened in the scorching sunlight. It was nearly Christmas, and Maria, the manager at the desk, had winded streamers around the oil lamp, and had placed a miniature pine tree on the window that was flourished with a vivid array of colourful ornaments. 

“Um, excuse me. Can you locate where the dog is? I’ve been looking for him everywhere, but he doesn’t seem to be in the school.” Maria clicked a couple of keys, then scrolled down and pursued her lips, like into the tight bun that was perched on her hazel, flowing hair.

“I believe that he’s in the barn. But I don’t recognize the landscape as the grassy hill. Take a look.” I peered closer at the screen and was bewildered. It indeed didn’t look like anywhere in the school, or even near the school. It looked like a huge pile of manure, except there were no living creatures hovering over it. It was a barren land. No life, no plants, no Flash. I took over control of the mouse, and checked the security camera monitoring the area. All it said was loading, and later the no connection icon popped up in the middle of the screen.

I tried the other cameras to experiment if anything was wrong with the system, but they all surprisingly worked. If the system went bonkers, every single one of the cameras would have been knocked out. 

I murmured a thank-you and staggered across the polished cedar floor. I’m certain that something’s fishy, and it had to involve Flash in it.