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    -57- The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove – Marta Acosta
    the moonlight. I thought of their limbs moving like dancers, of their delicate
    whispery song, and I fell asleep.
    Mid-morning the next day, Saturday, Mrs. Monroe stopped by to drop off
    my uniforms and a round box. “These are your school hats. There’s a straw one
    for sunny days, a wool one for the winter, and a cap for sports. Our founder’s
    wife believed that a lady should always protect her complexion and science has
    shown that to be an excellent policy.”
    I suddenly imagined Mrs. Monroe trying to get Jack to wear a sailor suit
    and I smiled. “Thank you, ma’am. For everything.”
    “You’re welcome, Jane. I’ll see you at registration on Monday at 8:30.
    Students wear their blazers and skirts on the first day of term.”
    “I know I should have asked before – I don’t have a computer and I didn’t
    notice where the computer lab was in the school. Or are they somewhere in the
    library?”
    “Most applicants already know and I should have mentioned that we don’t
    use computers for schoolwork here,” she said. “It sounds shockingly backwards
    in this day and age, but studies have shown that using books for research and the
    actual process of writing by hand reinforces learning and encourages analysis.”
    “I’ve never heard of anything like that,” I said. “But colleges want students
    who are computer literate.”
    She smiled and said, “They prefer students who can think and do research
    from original source material. You may use the computers in the library in town,
    so long as you don’t use them for school work.”
    “Okay, I’ll do that. I wanted to say hi to my old friends.”
    “It’s good of you to keep in touch, but be careful not to hold on too tight to
    old acquaintances instead of making new friends here at Birch Grove,” she said.
    “Well, I’ll be off. See you tomorrow, Jane.”
    After I had lunch, I got the shopping bag with new clothes and walked to
    the edge of campus and down the drive to town. The fog grew lighter as I went
    downhill. When I turned to look back up at Birch Grove, it blanketed in soft
    grayness.
    -58- The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove – Marta Acosta
    The library was off the main street, and only a few older people sat in the
    cushioned armchairs of the reading area. I filled out an application for a library
    card and was issued one with tag that said Birch Grove Academy . Then I went to
    the computer stalls and logged into my old City Central account.
    I thought I’d have messages from my housemates at Mrs. Richards’, but no
    one had written to me. I sent a message to one of my roommates telling her that I
    was fine and happy in my new place.
    Lily and the other Alphas had written to wish me luck. I wrote back and
    told them about the crazy no-computers rule, the uniforms, and the handbook
    filled with regulations.
    I wanted to tell them about the beautiful school, gorgeous Lucky, my
    amazing cottage, and weird Jack, but I didn’t want to sound all fangirly about
    Birch Grove when they were still stuck at City Central. As I signed off, I felt a
    pang; I knew they would soon forget me.
    I scoured the library’s non-fiction stacks and an hour later I had a pile of
    books for school, including a guide to tutoring chemistry. I imagined sitting side
    by side with Lucky, the book open in front of us, and how he’d learn to see me as
    more than just a mousy girl. Yeah, right. At least I could look at him.
    I also did an internet search on Mrs. Monroe’s theory about handwriting
    and found that she was right: research had shown a correlation between learning
    and the process of writing. Some City Central teachers made us write by hand,
    but only when students had gotten so blasé about their plagiarism that their
    cutting and pasting was obvious.
    My next stop was the women’s clothing shop. I tried to look confident and
    casual as I walked up to the register with my bag. “Hi, I’d like to