We’re not in Kanas Anymore - Ch. 2
I make it two steps over the doorway before I stop in my tracks.
“How is this even possible?” I am not looking at a classroom like the one we were in less than 15 minutes ago. Instead, I am looking at a miniature throne room.
The entire room is painted in a grey to mimic the look of stone. Along the top of each wall there are lanterns emitting more light than you would think but it is still very dim. The floor is covered in an ornate rug with a red, navy, and gold design on it. The front of the classroom has one massive wooden throne sitting on a platform. The throne has a wooden lion carved into the top with a lantern hanging directly above it. Next to it is a smaller throne with what looks like a panther carved into the top of it. Sitting on the ground in front of the platform is a giant wooden semicircle desk where the back bench and desk part are attached. There are openings around the bench part so two people are grouped together at each opening. On the desk portion, there sits five books designating where we should sit.
“Oof.” Wyatt says as he runs into me once he crosses the threshold. Clearly, he followed me in but since I stopped abruptly, he ran directly into my back. ‘Oh, my bad.’ I respond as I move further into the classroom. In classic Wyatt fashion, I get a simple, ‘You’re good.’ With a nod and avoiding of eye contact in response.
Milo, Margot, and Frankie file in behind him and all of them are stunned silent. Milo walks around taking in the details and gravitating toward the thrones. Margot has been pulled toward the desk area, but she is instead looking at the ceiling which has intricate paintings across the entire space. Wyatt is off to the side touching the ivy, that has spread across the windows that line an entire wall, to check to see if its real. Frankie is still standing frozen to his spot by the door. He shuffles out of the way of Ms. Thorne, who is coming in behind him & closing the door, towards to the opposite side of the room towards Wyatt and the windows.
‘So, what do we think?’ she asks as she takes in her handy work with a look of satisfaction.
‘Um, Ms. Thorne, how is this even possible?’ Milo questions from the throne platform at the front of the classroom.
‘I always have a few tricks up my sleeve.’ She says slyly with a playful wink and smile. ‘Okay, everyone please find their seats so we can get started.’ she continues making her way to the front.
Since the desk is set up in a way that sections off two people at a time, I sit at the desk closest to the front leaving a space next to me open. Frankie takes a seat in the open bench next to me with Margot automatically sliding in next to him. Milo ends up plopping down in the open bench next to her with Wyatt taking the open spot on his other side but because of the ‘U’ shape of the bench we are directly across from each other.
I take a second to situate myself at the desk. Lincoln Academy has a no laptops in the classroom policy, so we write all our notes by hand. I pull out my yellow English notebook and folder plus my pens and highlighters to color coordinate my notes. I can hear Frankie and Margot doing the same next to me. Once I am all set up, I take a chance to gaze around the room again. How did she manage to get all this stuff up here? I guess since they are redoing these classrooms soon, they didn’t care what she did but the details in everything is so intricate.
Once the shuffling begins to quiet down, we all direct our attention to the front of the room and see Ms. Thorne standing on the platforms in front of the bigger of the two thrones. She looks very natural up there. Between her outfit and the way, she is standing up so straight with her chin tilted up just a little, you’d think she was royalty without the crown.
‘Now that we are all settled in, we can begin.’ she starts, ‘We will start by reading a book about the royal court of the fictional kingdom of Lancaster.’
That’s all she says. I think we all expected her to go on and because Margot can’t help herself, she raises her hand.
‘Margot, there is no need to raise your hand in this classroom. We will have open discussion to help problem solve and talk about the issues in the book. I expect you all to be open minded to the ideas brought up in class.’
‘Of course, Ms. Thorne. I was just wondering if we will be tested on this book, or will we need to write a paper?’ Margot is looking at our teacher expectantly with her pen at the ready to quickly copy down her response.
‘Neither.’
‘Oh but- ‘Margot gets cut short as Ms. Thorne continues, ‘I have one very strict rule about reading this book – you are not to read it outside of these walls and you are not to read ahead. There will be no additional assignments given for the semester.’
At this I can sense Milo and Wyatt relax just a little bit while Frankie and Margot are the poster children for confusion.
‘If you don’t mind me asking, is this the only we are meant to do? Read out loud all semester?’ I question. ‘Oh, you’ll see.’ is the only response I get. ‘Now, if you could please take a look at the book we will be reading.’
I move the book that is sitting in the bottom corner of the desk to the space directly in front of me.
The cover has an embossed dark green cover so I can feel the texture of the bricks that make up most of the background. The center lightens up, so you are able to see the back of a brunette boy’s hair and a girl with wavy brown hair standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a King sitting on a throne similar to the one in our classroom. The crown on top of his head is sitting on a slight tilt and looks like his hand is moving to adjust it. Standing next to him is a tall slender figure that you can’t really make out through the armor they are wearing. The title goes across the top in a regal font, “The Secrets of the Court.”
Ms. Thorne adds as she picks up a copy of the book and takes a seat in the lion throne. ‘We will take turns reading out loud throughout the semester. Please make sure that you all keep your desk lights on the entire time as well.’ She turns on the lamp that is positioned above the seat. The moment she does, the ones on the desks get just a little brighter, but maybe I am just imagining it.
‘And remember, no matter what, keep reading.’ She rushes out with a little emphasis by hitting the top of her book with each word.
At that, I look up and Wyatt is looking at me with a look that probably reads like mine, a bit of confusion and curiosity. He gives me a shoulder shrug and directs his attention back to Ms. Thorne.
‘Now, let us begin. Sawyer you can start us off.’ She gives me an excited and expectant look.
‘Sure.’ I readjust how I am sitting in the seat so I can be a bit taller in my seat so I can project throughout the room. I open the book to the first page and look at Margot and she gives me a look of encouragement.
So, I begin.
‘King Edgar sits surveying the crowded throne room...’ my voice trails off as I begin to read because I swear the lights around the room start to get brighter but the moment, I take a pause they dim again. I look toward Ms. Thorne, ‘You must keep reading dear.’ I nod and hesitantly begin again.
‘King Edgar sits surveying the crowded throne room looking for his son, Prince Arthur. That boy is never on time for these gatherings. His nose is simply always in a book, losing track of time. “There are worse habits a young prince could have.” the King mutters to himself.’
The light in the room has started to get to a blinding level, it’s so bad that I can no longer see anything around me. Added to the lights, the desk has started to get wobbly underneath me, but it is an older desk, so I try not to think much of it.
I continue, ‘Edgar decides to wait just a few more minutes and watches the members of his court mill about drinking all the food and wine the kitchen staff put together for the occasion.’ I hear my voice start to get louder because there are loud gusts of wind coming into the room, but I swear the windows behind Wyatt and Milo were closed. It is causing the desk to shake more but I power through.
‘Finally, Edgar spots Prince Arthur and his handler Gregory slip through the door at the back of the throne room...’ at this point the light is so bright, and the noise is getting more powerful that papers are blowing off my desk. ‘” Ah let’s begin!” Edgar declares from his spot on the throne.” There is so much wind now I am clutching to the front of the desk to hold myself steady as I shout the last line.
‘That should be enough dear.’ I can hear Ms. Thorne directly in my ear somehow over the intense wind and shaking sound of the desk but I still can’t see her. As I slow down the reading, the lights begin to dim down, and the wind slows to a stop.
My eyes adjust again, and I can take in my surroundings. Next to me Frankie has both hands death gripping the sides of the desk with his eyes as wide as I have ever seen them, and he is making a face that makes it hard to tell if he is about to cry or scream. Margot is gripping the front of her desk with one hand so hard you can see the whites of her knuckles. Her face is covered by her curly hair sticking out everywhere, it must have had a field day with all the wind. To my surprise, as I scan over the rest of her, her other hand has a death grip on Milos arm. Milo is staring at her hand like he has never seen a hand before with eyes wider than Frankie’s. His hair also mirrors Margot’s, standing up on all ends. Finally, I land on Wyatt who is holding the end of the bench with one hand and the other is on top of the desk. His hair looks like he got electrocuted but his eyes are closed. They snap open and meet mine from across the room. He scans over my face as if checking to make sure he is still alive.
‘We are okay.’ He finally says nodding as if trying to convince himself. He looks at everyone else around the desk and we all nod in agreement.
I look around the room and everything looks the same but somehow it also looks more intricate and lifelike. The stones have deeper divots than when we first walked into the room and the ivy is still swaying from the wind.
It’s in this moment that my stomach finally drops. As I am looking out the windows behind Wyatt and Milo, instead of the forest that I am used to seeing surrounding the English building, I see fields that seem to go on for miles and miles that are dissected by dirt roads that seem to be going away from the building. It is in this moment I realize; we are no longer at Lincoln Academy.
