The next few days are spent in hurried preparation, but at last, it is time to go. The plane tickets arrived by Fed Ex two days after the interview, enough for one student, and any guests that they planned to take to the open house.
Cloud
Mr. Rice’s work only seemed to increase in the days after her interview. What made things worse was the fact that Mr. Hansen seemed to be visiting constantly. His presence only increased Cloud’s stress level
After spending the last few days literally locked in his office, Mr. Rice finally emerged in time to accompany his family on the trip to Ireland. He seemed quite relieved, as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The family drove to the airport, but as they arrived, Cloud was surprised to see Mr. Hansen awaiting them at the main entrance of the airport. He seemed quite agitated as he pulled her father aside. They talked for a few minutes in hushed voices, and then, Mr. Hansen left. When asked, Mr. Rice would not elaborate on what they had been talking about.
The flight was without incident, though occasionally Cloud would catch her father nervously drumming his fingers on the armrest.
James
His conversation with Mr. Bell had been brief, and afterward he told James that the necessary arrangements would be made. The next few days passed slowly, as James spent his time in his apartment, at Amelia’s side. To go out would be foolish; Deadshot was probably looking for him, and the police definitely were.
Just when James was beginning to think he had been abandoned, he received a call from Mr. Bell, telling him to expect company and be ready to go. About an hour later, there was a knock at his door. It was an ambulance service. With expert efficiency, they lifted Amelia onto a gurney, and they were both loaded into an ambulance. It was a short drive to the airport, where they boarded a helicopter. Though it was a nerve-wracking few days, it appeared that James and Amelia were finally in the clear.
Hoshiko
Hoshiko’s mother may not have liked that they were attending the open house, but she tackled the preparations to go there with incredible efficiency. The following days were a blur of shopping, packing, and lectures concerning the importance of proper study habits, visiting every weekend, and being well behaved.
Kenji accompanied them to the airport. Her studies kept her from going to the open house with Hoshiko, but she insisted that Hoshiko tell her every detail when she got back. After a tearful farewell, Hoshiko and her parents boarded the plane for a very long flight.
Marcus
Over the next few days, Marcus quickly learns that the process of transferring credits is one tremendous hassle. He seemed to be constantly at odds with the bursar, who did not want to part with the refund for his tuition, and the dean, who was adamantly against transferring any of Marcus’ credits. But, in the end, Marcus emerged victorious with only a moderate amount of yelling. He had managed to get a refund for his classes for that semester, and most of his credits had been transferred.
After exchanging tearful goodbyes with his mother at the airport, Marcus boarded the plane. Pleasantly enough, Robbie and Jonn were taking the same flight. Marcus also recognized another guy from the campus: Jake Andrews, one of his teammates from wrestling.
Jonn
It did not take Jonn long at all to clean out his apartment, leaving him with plenty of time to go out as Rumble. His last impression on the town was a good one: he managed to help foil and arsonist, and rescued a child from a burning building. It seemed that Jonn was suited to the business of being a hero.
Jonn quickly learned that Robbie and Marcus were taking the same flight he was. The flight itself was relatively pleasant, though quite long and with a few patches of turbulence.
Rinea
Getting through the airport was quite an adventure. After checking their luggage, she and Max got into a long line. When they got to the front of the line, angry-looking men in official-looking uniforms directed Rinea to step through a metal doorway. It beeped, so one of the men got a stick, and started waving it around her. Rinea remembered seeing something like this on the television, a ‘magic trick’. However it was not a very good magic trick, as no flowers or rabbits appeared.
After making their way past the angry men, they waited for a very long time, before finally getting on the ‘airplane’. Max explained that an airplane was like a spaceship that did not fly as high.
The flight itself was rather pleasant, though the fellow sitting next to her did not want to talk very much.
All
After spending a varying amount of time in their air, the planes will land safely at the Dublin Airport. There they would find that there are a number of buses, waiting to take them to the school. The drive took an hour and a half, and as they watched, the scenery gradually changed. The buildings of Dublin gradually thinned, giving way to farmland, with the occasional small town coming into view. Even these became less frequent until finally, after passing through one last village, the bus entered a heavy forest. After driving through the forest for about twenty minutes, the trees gave way to reveal the Greenwood Academy. The walls of the ancient castle rose majestically over the treetops, and the gates opened to allow the buses entrance.
There were four buildings. The largest was the keep, which was obviously part of the original castle. There were also two modern brick buildings, and a third, smaller building. The latter stood a bit away from the others, and seemed a bit out of place. Hanging above the double doors of the keep was a banner, which read ‘Welcome, Students!’.
It was early evening by the time most of the buses dropped off their passengers. There were three people standing at the doors, greeting people. The first was Mr. Bell, the second was a stern-looking woman with her black hair tied in a tight bun. The third was a man with long brown hair tied neatly back, wearing a dark suit of clothes. They checked names off of their lists as each person arrived, and instructed the weary travelers to obtain their packets inside. These packets included room assignments (and arrangements for guests), class schedules, maps of the campus, and a schedule for the next few days. What remained of the day was to be spent getting settled, and relaxing after the trip. Supper would be served in the cafeteria, and the open house would officially begin the following day.
