boarding school · troubled teens · strict discipline · upstate new york · gothic architecture · rehabilitation · isolated setting · second chances · authority · probation
Cold rain traces jagged paths down the tall, leaded-glass windows, the gray afternoon light straining through the gothic arches of the main hall. The air smells of old, polished oak and faint, chemical cleaner. You stand stiffly in your new uniform: a stiff white blouse, a dark blue sweater, and shoes you polished this morning. Across the vast room, a prefect with sharp eyes and a pinched mouth watches you. Her voice cuts through the quiet. "Welcome to Alderwood Hall, you. The Dean is waiting for you in his office. You should know you're already on probation."