Mondo Duplantis

Once upon a time, far, far away, in a land of water and fire, there was a kingdom. One day, the king decided to divide the kingdom into four parts...

How many times have I read this? And it still hasn’t gotten old. Especially now, after the summer break.

And here I am, in the middle of the darkness in the library. Secretly reading my favorite book. Today we arrived back at Mondo Duplantis for another year. This will be my last year. And since classes start tomorrow, the library wasn’t open, so I took the chance to sneak in and read what I love most. Stories about Vikings, kingdoms, myths.

I check the time and realize midnight is near. I have to get back to the dorm. I put down the large green-covered book with the title ''Myths and Legends of Lost Kingdoms''. I head toward the exit, but not the normal one. I go to the last row of shelves and move a small shelf aside. Behind it, hidden doors lead to the passage I came through.

I push the shelf back and start through the passage. It’s a quick trip to the other side, and now I’m in the laundry room. In the dim light, I push the washing machine onto the passage. I turn off the light on my phone as I prepare to step into the hallway. I don’t know who made this passage, but I owe that knowledge to my friend and roommate, Tessa.

Her brother graduated from this school a few years ago and shared some tricks she’d need. While I was thrilled about where the passage led, she’d rather it was some nightclub. I guess you can’t have it all.

I step into the hallway and have to walk in the dark. If I don’t want to get caught, of course. At Mondo Duplantis, the rules are strict. And right now, I’m breaking one of them. I’m not in my room after 10 p.m. Good thing I know this route by heart; I’ve been doing this since my first year here. But you never know who you might run into in the dark hallways of this boarding school.

I manage to make it through the corridors—that’s actually the easier part. Now I need to climb the stairs to get to the dorms. That’s a bit trickier. As I’m climbing, I think I hear voices. I stop for a moment to listen more closely. When nothing repeats, I continue up the stairs. Just one more hallway to my room. “Stop right there, young lady!” A woman’s voice in the middle of this darkness freezes me in place. Is it possible I’ll get expelled before classes even start?

Bravo, Oka. You’re truly a genius. A moment later, I realize nothing’s happening; the lights haven’t turned on. Then I hear voices from the next hallway over. They weren’t talking to me. I quickly step aside and watch what’s happening. One of the supervisors is walking down a lit hallway. She stops in front of one of the rooms. A girl is standing in front of the door, looking down at the floor. I can’t make out what the supervisor is saying to her, but after a few moments, they walk off together in the opposite direction.

As they disappear, and just as I start to run to my room, the door where the girl was standing opens. And of course, who else would I see but Nina Ricci, with a bottle of champagne and her two loyal followers. With a big smile on her face, she’s carrying the champagne bottle and floats off with her entourage. As always, when it’s time to get out of trouble, one of the girls takes the blame, and Nina gets to enjoy herself. This time with champagne. I roll my eyes at the sight and wait for them to leave.

With quick steps, I finally reach my room; the lights are off. While Tessa’s on her phone, Maite is already fast asleep. “Hey, let me guess where you’ve been,” Tessa says, putting her phone down and continuing, “If it was a party, I’d have joined you, but this…” -“I know, I know. You and the library aren’t exactly on speaking terms. We haven’t even officially started the new year, and someone’s already been caught''. Tessa moves to the edge of her bed, ready to hear the latest gossip. “Clearly, they didn’t catch you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. Spill everything you know.” I change and sit on my bed. Now that it’s all over, I feel relieved that it wasn’t me in that girl’s place. I can imagine my mom’s reaction if she found out I got expelled.

“Classic. Nina got away again. They tried to sneak some alcohol, and when they got caught, someone took the blame.” -“I can imagine. Probably tricked some new girl into it. Poor thing. I hope she doesn’t get expelled.” I set the alarm on my phone and add, “Me too. At least they didn’t catch her with the alcohol; Nina kept that.”

“You gonna make it to the opening tomorrow?” Tessa’s back in bed, picking up her phone again. -“I hope so; I’m getting up early tomorrow. Should make it just in time. It’s at 1 p.m., right?”

“Yeah,” I hear from the other side as Tessa yawns. “Good night, Oka.” “Good night, Tes.”

Amid the chaos in the kitchen, I check my phone. I can’t be late for the opening ceremony of the new school year. The headmistress knows every one of us individually; I don’t know how she does it. Even I don’t know all the students. I carry plates of prepared food to one side. I take dirty dishes to the sinks. It’s especially hectic today because of the start of the school year. Those students who didn’t arrive yesterday are coming today with their parents. And there are other schools besides our boarding school. By tomorrow, it’ll be much easier.

I try to stay focused and not break any plates. “You managing everything?” I hear Sam, the head chef, call out from the other side of the kitchen. “All good,” I reply while carrying a stack of plates. When I finally finish, at least with the current pile, I make my way to the door that looks out onto the restaurant. It’s packed with guests. Students with their parents, tourists, locals. I can now recognize quite a few of them. I’ve been working here since the start of last year when I accidentally saw an ad that they needed an assistant.

An assistant for anything and everything. From helping in the kitchen, serving in the restaurant, taking orders. That’s why they pay well. And I need the money badly. If I want to get into the university I’ve set my sights on. I was already lucky enough to get into Mondo Duplantis and secure great references for further education. For the rest, I have to take care of myself.

I head back to check what’s left. My phone rings; Maite’s name is on the screen. “Hey, just checking if you’re gonna make it on time. If you need us to cover for you…” “No, no,” I interrupt her while taking off my uniform. “I’ll be there right on time. I’m leaving soon.” -“Great, see you. I’ll leave your uniform on your bed.” My wonderful Maite. Always thinking of everything. “Thank you, what would I do without you?”

I change into my clothes and go look for Sam. I have half an hour to get to school and change again. Good thing he was kind enough to let me leave early. “Sam, just letting you know I’m heading out. I finished everything that came in from the restaurant so far.” Busy adding his special sauce to the pasta, he just raises his thumb to show everything’s fine. I check the time again. Fifteen minutes until it starts. I’ll have to take a taxi; no way I’m making it on foot.

I leave the kitchen, passing through the restaurant. As I head toward the exit, I see a taxi on the street. I start running and step out of the restaurant. And the next moment, I crash into someone in front of me. Then I feel something spill on my clothes. I look up and see messy brown hair. Hazel eyes stare at me wide open. He’s holding two coffees. “You just spilled coffee on me!” I yell while wiping my pants.

“I think you ran into me!” he replies just as loudly. -“And now my taxi’s gone, great. If you hadn’t been facing away, maybe I wouldn’t have run into you. You’d have seen me coming out.”

“You really don’t know how to take responsibility. I was going to apologize for spilling the coffee… But now I see there’s no reason. Hold this for me, please.” He hands me what’s left of the coffees and starts to walk away. “Hey, why are you giving these to me?” He turns around and starts laughing. “I’m in a rush too, actually. Please, throw them out. Careful not to spill those too.” What a jerk. He thinks I have time for his stupid jokes. I toss the coffees in the bin out front and see I have just a few minutes left. If they didn’t expel me yesterday, now I’ve got a new chance to get kicked out.