The rain tapped softly against Jennifer Walker's windshield as she attempted to brave the last couple of miles left on her cross-country expedition. She grumbled quietly to herself as one hand listlessly pulled down a lever to her right, activating the windsheild wipers. A clap of thunder in the distance bounced about throughout the area as a bolt of lightning made itself visible in a brief purple explosion.
She had been driving for a while now, several hours today, and hadn't felt the agony of fatigue until now. The soft pitter-patter of the rain melded nicely with the deep rumbles of the thunder, lulling her slightly the smell of wet roadside crept through the cracks and into the cockpit of her sedan. She caught herself dozing slightly, awakened by a particularly loud boom somewhere off to the left of her vehicle. Shaking her head, she roused herself to avoid veering off of the main road.
Another clap of thunder before a particularly blinding flash of lightning. Then just the rain and the gentle heartbeat of her trusty and gallant vehicle.
She was the only car on the highway. Most people wouldn't have much of a need to go this way, let alone this late at night and in this kind of weather. The deep skyward grumblings which warned of serious weather would be enough to scare her off too, had her situation not been so... unique.
Fresh out of college with plenty of student loans to repay, Jennifer had long since grown tired of mooching off of her parents. All she had ever wanted to do was teach, and it seemed like a long shot when she was delivered a mysterious phonecall from a school she had never heard of. Buttercombe Academy was what the brochure called it. While she had never been aware of its existance, this academy certainly looked like it paid out the nose for teachers and students. Where she would finally began her actual teaching career (after only a few interviews over the phone no less, how lucky can a girl get?) she would also be provided a dorm room where she was free to reside in for as long as she liked- incredibly helpful for saving up enough money to pay off those pesky loans and not feel like such a burden on her poor mom and dad...
She received a text message, her phone illuminating the mouth of her purse as light flooded out from its unfastened jaw. Jen rolled her eyes, just about everyone she knew was aware that she would be driving by now, why did they expect her to answer? Thoughtless or not, she smiled. It was probably from Sarah, wishing her dear baby sister good luck. She was going to miss seeing her family every day, no matter how annoying they could get sometimes.
Trying to ignore the urge of opening her latest text, Jennifer turned on the radio hoping to find something to break the sudden monotony of her trip; finding that the silence behind the rain drops held too much nostalgia for one woman to bare right about now. She adjusted the knobs on the antiquated transmitter only to find static docked at every station.
"Useless." she grumbled under her breath before restoring the radio to its long slumbering position.
It should have gone without saying that it wasn't exactly the radio's fault, but Jen was feeling more than just a little bit anxious regarding her career choice. Here she was, out in the middle of nowhere, trapped in rain that was now so thick she could barely see past her headlights. It seemed like a setup to one of the far too many horror movies she had braved with her sister before. At this point, Jen was more concerned regarding whether or not this place actually existed rather than starting up her new job.
For twenty long and grueling more minutes, Jen studied the MapQuest directions carefully. This far into the road, there were few signs up to navigate just where it was she was going. There were hardly any signs out here at all, actually, so it made things just a little bit more difficult for her. The lightning was becoming more hostile now, and the once comforting purrs of thunder had become fierce war cries above her. Finally, she recognized a constant between the map and the road and took the exit on her right. As instructed, she drove alongside a curved mountain trail for quite some time before finally arriving. Pulling up to the gate, she was stopped by the sound of a gentle clicking.
"Name please?" she was questioned sternly by the small black box placed inside of a niche located on the edge of the gate.
"Um... Jennifer Walker?"
There was a slight pause before the voicebox responded with another soft click, "Come on in Ms. Walker, we've been expecting you." she was greeted, the voice barely audible over the storm roaring overhead. Jennifer waited for the wrought iron gates to seperate and allow her entry. Before her was a long curved road which, at its height, met with the steps that sat at the foot of Buttercombe's doors. Pressing on the gas pedal with a foot shakey with anticipation, Jennifer guided her silver sedan down the pavement.
Buttercombe Academy for Girls seemed to be an old building, the rain making it seem even older. Large windows peppered the building's custard colored front, two on each symmetrical level of its jutting wings, ending after two levels to make way for the spires. From the frontmost gates, Jen could faintly make out some gargoyles on the school, mostly surrounding the points. She had never been to a school with gargoyles on it before. Somehow that seemed relevant about now. But no matter, she couldn't have chosen a better place to begin what would hopefully be a long fruitful teaching career...
Rather, be chosen to begin her long fruitful teaching career.
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