Jada’s white earbud fell out. She sighed and put it back in. The subway lurched and she shifted uncomfortably. The man next to her was taking up far too much space, causing her to hold her legs together tightly and her shoulders to fold in uncomfortably. “Excuse me,” she said. It was barely above a whisper and the man clearly did not hear her. He was severely overweight and his brown, disheveled beard had bits of grey streaking through it. He coughed; clearly a smoker. “Um, excuse me please.” She said it again, this time louder. She pushed her arms out so they lay naturally. The man was like a brick wall and didn’t move. Jada gave up just as the subway came to a screeching halt. This was her stop. She picked up her soft brown messenger bag, putting away her music as she walked between the two car doors and onto the platform. She was headed to the Grinder. The lady she spoke to at church had told her so many wonderful things about a school just for people like her. This was the start of her new life and she wanted to make the most of it. 

She headed up the terminal stairway. As soon as she reached the sidewalk, her eyes drew her to a small calico kitten on the ground, hiding itself in the shade of a newsstand. The woman at the stand seemed to have no idea it was there. Jada walked over and picked it up, sheltering it with the jean jacket she wore. “Hi there,” she said, smiling. The kitten was shaking, clearly afraid. Jada glanced at her watch. She had a bit of time before she had to arrive. She knew there was an animal shelter only a block from where she was. It was in the opposite direction than where she was headed but she knew she could make it there in time. She started to jog, hoping she wouldn’t be late.
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Jada left the shelter with a smile on her face. The two women she met inside were incredibly helpful and fawned over the kitten the moment she walked in the door. She looked at her watch again. “Ah!” Time had passed faster than she had expected. She walked to the edge of the street, attempting to hail a cab. A bright yellow cab pulled over immediately and Jada hoped inside. She gave the driver the address. He eyed her suspiciously. “The Grinder?” he asked. She didn’t appreciate his tone and didn’t reply. She stared out the window the entire ride. When she arrived, she paid the driver without looking at him. He took off without a word. She turned to the school and took a deep breath. [i]This is it[/i], she thought, [i]this is my new life.[/i]

She slipped in the back of the opening assembly, casually casting an illusion so that no one would notice she was there. She probably didn’t need to. There seemed to be enough of a distraction with a student playing baseball or something. Jada couldn’t really tell. She was too caught up in looking from face to face. These were going to be the people she would know for the rest of her life.